Students

University of Puget Sound Students Spotlight Undergraduate Research

The Commons is a student-run, peer-reviewed journal publishing interdisciplinary scholarship

After returning from a summer studying abroad in East Asia, where she was studying cultural taboos around tattoos, Morgan MacFarlane ’21 had a polished paper ready to publish, but couldn’t find an outlet that would take her research as an undergraduate. She knew other Puget Sound students were conducting interesting research, too, but didn’t have the qualifications to submit to an academic journal to share it with the wider community. So, she decided to start her own.

ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURS Working with Professor Robin Jacobson, Ethan Stern-Ellis ’21 (left) and Morgan MacFarlane ’21 launched The Commons, a peer-reviewed, student-run academic journal devoted to publishing research related to politics and government.

While college students often write detailed, well-researched papers, University of Puget Sound encourages students to embark on the kind of scholarship typically reserved for graduate and doctoral programs. Loggers have the unique opportunity to engage in real research, often in collaboration with an expert faculty member, and some end up publishing their findings in prestigious academic journals as undergraduates. For those who conduct independent research, it can still be hard to publish their work, which is why MacFarlane decided that Puget Sound needed its own on-campus platform to share student scholarship.

When MacFarlane pitched her to idea to Ethan Stern-Ellis ’21 while they were buying textbooks in the Logger Store, he was immediately onboard. Together, they started The Commons, a peer-reviewed, student-run academic journal devoted to publishing research related to politics and government. The duo worked with Professor Robin Jacobson to launch the journal, which included recruiting an editorial board, establishing publication guidelines, and finding the journal an online platform.

Ethan Stern-Ellis ’21

“That sharing of ideas is what the liberal arts are all about, and we want to reflect that.”

“Once that was in place, we put out a call for papers,” MacFarlane said. “We contacted as many departments as we possibly could and said, ‘Hey, if your students have essays related to politics that they're particularly proud of, tell them submit. We would love to be able to publish them.’”

The first issue was a huge success, receiving more than 300 downloads from all over the world, from the halls of Congress to computers in Kenya, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. That issue included five student research papers written mostly by politics and government majors, but the editorial board wanted to represent a wider range of academic programs in future editions. They also decided to welcome submissions from undergraduate students at four other liberal arts universities in the Pacific Northwest.

Morgan MacFarlane ’21 (left) and Ethan Stern-Ellis ’21

SPREADING THE WORD The first issue of The Commons included five student research papers and was downloaded more than 300 times by readers all over the world.

“We want [the journal] to be interdisciplinary. As long as papers are politics-oriented, they can come from any background,” Stern-Ellis says. “If somebody wanted to talk about how their biology studies influenced the realm of politics in in some way, then we would love to read that. That sharing of ideas is what the liberal arts are all about, and we want to reflect that.”

Both MacFarlane and Ellis-Stern graduated in 2021, but they’re confident that The Commons will continue to grow under new student leadership. The Commons is now offered as an activity credit course, taught by politics and government professor David Sousa, which allows students from any major to become a member of the staff. All Puget Sound students are encouraged to submit papers for publication or submit cover art for future issues.

“I would love to see it continue and be able to see it in print five or 10 years from now,” said MacFarlane. “Our staff is doing extraordinary work, so to see it succeed is really gratifying.”

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