Can you tell us a bit about the research journal Reinvention?

Reinvention was founded through the Reinvention Centre jointly by Warwick and Oxford Brookes University in 2007. Now, the journal is produced, edited and managed by students and staff at the Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning (IATL) at Warwick. Reinvention is an online, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing high-quality undergraduate student research. The aim of our journal is to showcase interdisciplinary and international work and all articles undergo a rigorous peer-review process. Reinvention is published biannually, in April and October and only publishes articles by undergraduate students or written collaboratively by undergraduate students and staff.

How can undergrads get involved?

Undergraduate students from any discipline are encouraged to submit their articles to Reinvention! Submissions can and are often based on work carried out during undergraduate degrees, such as assignments or dissertations, but the important thing to note here is to make sure to adapt the paper for the journal and to ensure it aligns with the structure of a research paper (you can find useful resources for this on our website). Of course, the journal is open to students from any university so encourage your friends to submit as well!

We will also be promoting opportunities to join our editorial team later down the line - keep an eye out on our website and on Unitemps. You can follow our Instagram and Facebook pages to keep up with what we’re doing and look out for our next issues!

What advice would you give to potential participants when carrying out their research?

Try to stay as focused as possible on your research question and outline what your paper brings to the existing literature. Why is this topic relevant now? What additional insights can you bring? I think this is one of the most important aspects that we look for in a paper so it’s something to keep in mind - it doesn’t have to be groundbreaking but there must be some novelty that your paper brings. Secondly, as I mentioned before, we welcome submissions that are based on undergraduate dissertations or assignments but do remember to go through our submission guidelines and make sure that your paper has been adapted into a research paper and aligns with our journal.

What do you think are the benefits of a journal like this, to both readers and writers?

For writers, I think it is a great opportunity to enter the world of academic publishing and it provides a chance to showcase their research. I think a special benefit of our journal is that it is interdisciplinary, so there are no limitations on your research subject - we publish articles on topics ranging from sustainability and agriculture to literature and cinema.
For readers, something that I enjoy and appreciate myself is that it allows us to dip our toes into many different subjects. Also, our rigorous peer-review process ensures that the papers we publish are of a high standard, often such that our readers are surprised that it is undergraduate work.

Has editing always been a passion of yours, or is it Reinvention specifically that motivated you to start?

I have always been interested in writing and publishing and growing up, I wanted to enter the publishing industry. However, I did not have much exposure to academic publishing prior to Reinvention and getting involved with the journal has helped me learn a lot, including for my own research-based work. I had previously held editorial positions in high school so it has always been a passion of mine but what drew me to Reinvention specifically was the interdisciplinary aspect - it allows me to explore other disciplines and cutting-edge areas of research that I would not otherwise have known about.

Get to know Shreya a little better...

If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?

Unfortunately, I am not a huge animal person but if I had to choose, it would be something like a dolphin!

Are you a starter or dessert person?

Ah that’s a tough question! I also love spicy food so for starters, I think it depends on the cuisine but in general, I’ll have to go for desserts!

What’s currently on your reading list?

My Life in Full by Indra Nooyi - it’s a memoir!

Where’s your favourite place to study on campus?

I’ve been exploring a lot of places recently and I like to mix it up. I think my current favourite place to study is the Economics common room!

What’s your most loved possession?

A photo of my family that I keep in my wallet!