Author Guidelines for External Submissions


Who can submit

All members of the Columbia University Undergraduate community, which include undergraduates from Columbia College (CC), the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Barnard College (BC), and the School of General Studies (GS). Mentors are allowed to be listed as secondary authors.


Article Review

Articles/pieces submitted to GYNECA will be reviewed by a team of editors, and assessed for their contribution to science literature and our aim to promote scientific literacy.

Submission should be written at a level that allows for those involved in other scientific disciplines to gain a general intuition about the submission's original subject matter.

Authors published in GYNECA will retain all rights to their work except the right to publish in another undergraduate level journal; work previously published in such a journal will not be considered for publication in GYNECA. The editors of GYNECA additionally ask that submissions to GYNECA not be concurrently considered for publication by other undergraduate-level journals. All authors and their mentors must sign off on the author agreement which can be found in the submission form.


Submission Types


Letter to scientist

  • Written letter commenting on, or responding (support or critique) a recently published science article that is in line with GYNECA’s aim and scope
  • Up to 100-1000 words.


    • Question and Answer (Q&A)

  • Response to, “Why should women’s and gender minority health be a global priority?”
  • Responses should be short (at most 200 words) and directly answer the question
  • Responses should have a specific point or argument, avoiding vague, broad language


    • Opinion Editorial (Op-Ed)

  • A timely piece devoted to a specific topic with a strong perspective on recent current events that is in line with GYNECA’s aim and scope
  • Written to a general audience, avoiding scientific jargon and assuming no prior specialized knowledge
  • 500-1500 words


    • Briefing

  • 1-2 pages (two pages will be consecutive, not front and back) with images and text
  • Visually pleasing, and engaging in its attempt to convey information
  • Takes a complex science topic, or advanced principle, and communicates it in a way that it could be understood by those with a high school level understanding of science.


    • Reflections

  • Reflections and personal stories on internships with researchers, volunteering in the field, etc.
  • Advice on how to explore the women’s health field and gain experience
  • College classes: what classes stood out to you as relevant/important to women’s health? How did they influence your perspective?
  • Mini-interviews with students involved in women’s health: how did you get involved? What makes you the most excited? Plans for the future?


    • Science Art Showcase

  • Include a title and a 100-word description of the entry
  • Photograph, graphic design, comic, illustration, infographic, architecture, painting, sketch, sculpture, music, theater, film, fashion in any style


    • Privacy Statement

    The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.


    *Ideas for ‘submission types’ adopted from Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal.


    GYNECA