Author Guidelines

Submission Guidelines

Paw Prints: The Michigan Tech University’s Journal of First-Year Writing is a journal that takes article submissions from first-year students at Michigan Tech, namely from the UN1015 Composition course. These guidelines are for the prospective authors of Paw Prints to consider and adhere to when submitting their article. For consideration for our Spring 2026 issue, please submit your article by December 15th. Submissions received later than that date will be considered for the Summer 2026 issue.

1. You (the author) must be a first-year undergraduate student. In particular, articles prepared for first-year writing courses are prioritized, but all first-year writers are invited to submit.
2. Your manuscript should be about any academic topic that you are interested in and/or passionate about. 
3. The recommended length of your manuscript is 3000 words, or ten pages, including figures and tables if applicable.
4. Include a minimum of 6 peer-reviewed sources in your reference list. Please contact the editorial board ([email protected]) if your subject is less-researched and are struggling to find enough sources of existing literature. 
5. Your manuscript should be well-written, readable, and understandable for a broad audience who possess no prior knowledge of your topic. 
6. Your manuscript should follow APA student paper guidelines. 
7. You will provide a short (≤ 200 words) writer’s statement with an explanation of why you wrote the article, what department you belong to, and your contact information (MTU email and name) alongside your article.
8. The use of generative AI is prohibited for drafting & revising. If you used AI for your research, you must cite any information, images, text, and sounds according to APA guidelines for AI citations.

Additional details:

1. Your manuscript should be in a Microsoft Word Document (.docx) format. Do not submit .pdf documents.
2. Your manuscript must not include your name on the document. This is so the review of your article can be unbiased. 

Your manuscript can be submitted in any documentation style, but the final accepted version must follow APA student paper guidelines.