Aliya Pal and Kai Foerster are two published authors from our Volume 15, Issue 2. Aliya wrote the guest article titled “Post-COVID Challenges for Incoming and Returning International Students” and Kai wrote one of the featured papers in this issue titled “Does Taxing Mobile Money Harm the Poor: Evidence From the 10 Per Cent Excise Fee Introduction in Kenya”. We asked them a few questions about their work and their experience with the journal, and here is what they had to say:

What made you decide to submit your work to the journal?

Aliya: As an international student, I found our experiences during the pandemic to be overlooked. Keeping up with the everchanging visa regulations for extension and strict lockdown/quarantine measures and international travel restrictions (effectively preventing us from spending time with our families during very trying times), having to switch to online from offline work while living alone in our accommodation when almost all local students had returned home, [are all things that] make the entire experience more challenging. My decision to focus on these experiences exclusively for my project and later publishing the project allowed me to shed necessary light on the issue.

Kai: When I was working on my dissertation during my final year at Warwick, I felt very passionate about my research topic and wanted to go further than to submit the dissertation to my supervisor.

Did you feel supported throughout the journey?

Aliya: Yes, everyone I have interacted with throughout the publishing journey has been supportive.

Kai: I really enjoyed the journey with Reinvention. For the first time, I submitted a piece of work to a journal and was conditionally accepted! I reflected on the feedback I got and I was able to improve the research quality of my dissertation. I am grateful for the support and feedback I received during this journey! It was a rewarding experience.

Any advice for future researchers that are thinking of publishing with Reinvention?

Aliya: My only advice would be to not be self-rejecting and just share your work no matter what it focuses on. It also helps to interact with your supervisor so that you have done the best work before sending it out.

Kai: Do it! It’s a great experience.

What value do you see in publishing undergraduate research?

Aliya: Having exposure to publishing, even at undergraduate level, can further an interest in academic research, improve written communication skills, and encourage confident writing. However, the most important aspect is to have your work recognised and have the ability to reach out to more people who could be interested in the same topic, in my case international students.

Kai: I don’t believe that research is something that only researchers and experienced professionals can do. Reinvention Journal is a great initiative that helps undergraduate students express their perspectives and research on a diverse range of topics. By enabling undergraduate students to publish their work, I think the journal is promoting inclusiveness and diversity in academia. Moreover, I think that other students and researchers can learn from undergraduate research. Firstly, I think it reflects the perspective and interests of a new generation. Secondly, I think that young people can have creative ideas that can be just as enrichening as those from experienced professionals.

How did you find out about Reinvention?

Kai: I reached out to staff in the economics department and asked if there was any outlet where I could submit my dissertation to get more professional feedback to improve my work. This is how I heard about Reinvention Journal.

Aliya: Towards the end of my contractual role as a Research Assistant at Royal Holloway, University of London, I was encouraged by my supervisor to seek out undergraduate research journals. I spent some time searching for recognised journals and came across Sacred Heart University’s guide to publishing in undergraduate research journals which comprised of a comprehensive list of journals and the academic area each one focused on. This is how I found out about Reinvention under the ‘Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary’ section of the guide.

Interested in publishing your research with Reinvention as well? Find out more at Reinvention: an International Journal of Undergraduate Research (reinventionjournal.org) or get in touch via reinventionjournal@warwick.ac.uk