Spectrum (www.spectrumjournal.ca) is an interdisciplinary undergraduate journal based at the University of Alberta. Spectrum was created as a venue for undergraduate students to gain experience with the publishing process, as authors, reviewers, and editors. Spectrum is managed by the Undergraduate Research Initiative, with a Student Editorial Board overseeing the submission, review and production processes.  

Spectrum is open to submissions from undergraduate students from any post-secondary institution, and will be a venue for students to showcase the work they have completed over the duration of the undergraduate careers.

We are currently seeking undergraduate and graduate student peer reviewers.

NOTE: WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS OR FACULTY MEMBERS AS PEER REVIEWERS AT THIS TIME.

Spectrum uses a double-anonymous peer review process, meaning neither the author nor the reviewers know each other's identity. All submissions will be reviewed by three reviewers:

1. One undergraduate reviewer in a related discipline, who primarily assesses the technical quality of the submission (undergraduate specialist reviewer)

2. One undergraduate reviewer in an unrelated discipline, who primarily assesses the interdisciplinary aspects of the research and the overall accessibility of the submission to a broad, interdisciplinary audience (undergraduate general reviewer)

3. One graduate (or higher) reviewer in a related discipline, who provides an overall assessment of the submission and supports the undergraduate reviewers as needed

We are seeking undergraduate and graduate students, from a variety of disciplines, for reviewer positions to provide feedback on 1-2 submissions to Spectrum. All reviewers will be tasked with evaluating the merit of submissions made to the journal using a review template and providing constructive feedback for authors about how to improve their submissions.

While peer reviewers from all disciplines are welcome (especially for non-technical reviews), we are currently receiving a large number of submissions in social sciences, humanities, and health sciences.

The estimated time commitment for these positions is approximately 4-5 hours per submission, once or twice per year. You will have a 3-week window in which to complete each review, once you accept an invitation. The peak season for reviews is expected to be early Winter (Jan-Feb), and mid-summer (June-July), shortly after our submission cutoffs for each issue; however, reviews could be assigned at other times as well.  

All candidates must have a minimum satisfactory academic standing

Specialist reviewers must be able to demonstrate sufficient technical knowledge of the discipline to provide a meaningful review. Preference will be given to students who have completed at least 60* credits of study and/or have previous research experience

Graduate reviewers must have completed at least one year of graduate study (at Master’s or PhD level) with a GPA of at least 3.0.

Please answer ALL the questions below. Please note that Google Forms does not allow you to save your work in progress.

Contact spectrum@ualberta.ca if you have any questions.

Applications for reviewers are accepted on an ongoing basis. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you will be added to the reviewer database and editors will invite you to review submissions as we receive submissions that align with your reviewing interests.  

Reviewer assignments are at the discretion of the Spectrum Editorial Board. Given the variety of submissions Spectrum receives, we cannot guarantee that every reviewer will be assigned a submission in each review period.