Frequently Asked Questions

A: Aleph was originally named as such in reference to the short story “The Aleph” by Jorge Luis Borges, and is, according to Wikipedia, “a point in space that contains all other points. Anyone who gazes into it can see everything in the universe from every angle simultaneously, without distortion, overlapping, or confusion.” Aleph hopes to do the same by taking a cacophony of perspectives and funneling them into a single journal, bringing unity to the plurality and fostering a richer understanding of the world. 

But more than this, the word Aleph itself is the term used for the first letter of the Arabic script, Hebrew script, and Phoenician script. Since Arabic and Hebrew are languages closely tied to religious texts that have left a massive impact on global heritage, and since Phoenician was the alphabet that inspired pretty much every alphabet, including the Latin script, the name Aleph is a suitable term for a journal that wishes to make research more accessible, that wishes to share a story of humanity that is unified in its diversity.

A: You will find journals at the Undergraduate Research Center. Our office is located at A334 Murphy Hall. Due to COVID-19, print editions for the last several years of Aleph are not available.

A: Class will be held in person at Powell Library Building 330 on Tuesdays from 4-6 pm. Please see our “Join the Staff” page for more information on joining the team. You may also join the staff on a volunteer basis without receiving course credit by attending meetings and participating in the editing process. 

A: Students can receive 2 upper division units for 6-10 hours of work per week by enrolling in Research Practice 192B during the Winter and/or Spring quarters. Class will be held in person at Powell Library Building 330 unless noted otherwise.

A: The most important thing is that you are passionate! Aleph involves a range of different experiences, from deliberating which submissions to accept to working with Adobe InDesign, meaning that Aleph has something for everyone and is great way to step out of your comfort zone. At Aleph, you get out as much as you want to put in.

A: Aleph accepts submissions that manifest original thought, clear analysis, and a high standard of research. We encourage all UCLA undergraduates who have conducted research in the humanities, social sciences, or behavioral sciences to submit their papers to us. Please see our “Submission Info” page to learn more.

A: Publishing in Aleph is competitive. The journal endeavors to select only the best undergraduate research. Please note that submissions which might deserve publication are not always accepted. This may be due to limitations in space, unusually strong competition, or an article’s similarity to recently published material.

A: All accepted submissions will be published on the online website; however, due to limited amount of space, some will not be published in the print edition. Submissions that will be published in the print edition will be determined by all editors once all submissions have been reviewed and edited.

A: The staff reviews all submissions during Winter Quarter of each academic year to decide on journal content. Aleph will notify writers of its decisions during this period. Authors can expect up to two months between submission and notification.

A: Aleph is a double-blind peer review journal, which means that the editors reviewing the paper will not be aware of the authors and vice versa–the authors will not know who is reviewing their work. This process eliminates any biases that can arise from knowing the editor or author.