Virginia Tech Kellogg Center launches first global undergraduate journal of its kind

In a post-COVID world, humanity will rely on a wave of new researchers to help solve complex challenges.

The trailblazing scholars of tomorrow are the learners of today.

But before these students emerge as influential voices in society, they must understand how to collaborate, conduct research, and communicate their findings.

The Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Virginia Tech launched a platform to guide students in their journeys.

The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Review: An International Undergraduate Journal, published in association with Virginia Tech Publishing, offers an experiential learning opportunity for undergraduates from higher education institutions around the world.

The journal — the first major project of the relatively new Kellogg Center — is the only undergraduate journal in the world open to students in philosophy, politics, and economics outside of their home institution.

The journal will publish original research in the philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE) field, as well as the humanities and social sciences more broadly. Contributions are solicited for research topics across the field, including the history of moral, political, and economic thought; the methodology of the social sciences; formal methods; well-being and welfare theory; political economy; distributive justice; public choice; social choice; democratic theory; institutional design; social and economic growth; justice; and foundational questions of public policy.

Students who have recently completed an undergraduate degree are also eligible to submit articles for consideration.

“The launch of the journal represents an important step for the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, whose core mission is to promote interdisciplinary research and research-centered teaching in PPE,” said Michael Moehler, director of the Kellogg Center and an associate professor in the Department of Political Science. “The journal will serve the growing PPE community on and off campus and provide an important forum for undergraduate research.

“It has been a pleasure working with our students and partners from Virginia Tech Publishing on this project,” Moehler added, “and I look forward to reading the excellent work published in this journal.”

In addition to helping students understand the publishing process prior to graduate school, the journal serves as a community for students in the PPE field. Forming connections as undergraduates could lead to collaboration in future research endeavors.

Students will not only contribute to the journal — they will also serve as editors.

Seniors Grace Robinson and Nik Filip, both majors in PPE at Virginia Tech, serve as editors-in-chief. Their tasks include coordinating the creation of the journal, reviewing submissions, and selecting articles for publication. Robinson previously served as co-editor of Philologia, another undergraduate research journal housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

“For undergraduates like myself, the journal is an excellent opportunity to get published early in our academic careers,” said Filip, who is also pursuing a minor in economics. “By being published, students join a group with whom they can network and further discuss important topics. It’s an awesome responsibility to help in these efforts.”

The editorial team also includes PPE students and ambassadors Megan Schaefer and Colleen Malley. Schaefer will serve as submissions editor while Malley is the marketing and social media manager of the journal.

The journal follows a double-blind review process, meaning the editorial board will not know the identity of the prospective authors.

Gil Hersch, a core faculty member in the Kellogg Center and an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy, currently serves as an advisor to the student editors.

“Research-based learning offers a variety of benefits for students at Virginia Tech and peer institutions,” said Hersch. “One of the most exciting elements of the journal is the amount of feedback students will receive through the process. Our student editors will serve as more than referees for submissions; they will also work with authors to improve their papers once they are accepted by our journal.”

By discussing submissions with one another, students can better understand the importance of revising in the publishing process, Hersch said.

Core faculty in the center have spoken with PPE programs across the United States, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany, India, and China.

“Our goal is to create a global community and ensure that wherever undergraduate PPE programs exist, students have the opportunity to connect with us and submit their work,” said Hersch. “We’re proud of this journal and look forward to providing a platform for students to learn through doing.”

PPE has grown rapidly at Virginia Tech, beginning as a program five years ago before expanding into the Kellogg Center in 2020.

Undergraduates and recent undergraduates can learn more about the submission process by following this link.

Written by Andrew Adkins