Lucerna

Lucerna is the UMKC interdisciplinary research journal produced by the Honors Program. Introduced in 2006, the journal has published the scholarship of over 150 undergraduates and accepts papers that students in all UMKC programs have written for their classes. Each submission to Lucerna is evaluated in an anonymous review process by the student staff. Papers are judged for clarity, originality, organization and argumentative qualities. Check out this video to learn more!

Lucerna is currently asking for submissions for possible publication in 2026.

Submission Guidelines

General

We accept submissions from currently enrolled UMKC undergraduates.
Your submission must have been completed during your undergraduate studies under the supervision of a UMKC faculty member, or for a course/lab at UMKC.
You may submit one article or essay per year.
Previously published or simultaneously submitted work will not be considered for publication in Lucerna.
For more information, contact the Editor-in-Chief at umkclucerna@umkc.edu

Formatting

Articles should be between 2,000-6,000 words, MLA or APA style, 12-point font, double-spaced and include a works cited or reference page.
Include a cover page with your name and phone number, as well as your instructor/PI/faculty mentor's name and email address.
Submissions should be sent as Word documents to umkclucerna@umkc.edu PDFs are acceptable if needed to maintain text formatting.

Submission Deadlines

The priority deadline for submission is December 12, 2025, and the authors of articles that require revision for final consideration will receive advice from Lucerna student reviewers. Authors will then be encouraged to resubmit their work by May 22, 2026.
The final deadline for submission is May 22, 2026, and submissions will be accepted or declined without detailed response.

Selection Process

Each submission will be evaluated as an anonymous review by at least two volunteer Honors Program student reviewers. Submissions are judged for clarity, originality, organization, and argumentative qualities, and a numerical score is assigned to each category. The submissions that receive the highest scores will be considered for publication.