Former KJUR Intern Highlights Benefits of Internship Experience

KENNESAW, Ga. (Mar 10, 2021) — At Kennesaw State University, there are many students who are involved in undergraduate research and have the opportunity to publish their works through the Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research (KJUR).

Students from all disciplines can submit and publish their research papers through the journal with assistance from mentors, peers, editors, and interns. Without these valuable team members, the research process would be much harder. That is why the KJUR staff brings an intern on board every semester to help out with all the tasks involved in undergraduate research publishing.

Emily Jobe, who graduated in the fall of 2019 with a bachelor’s in English and a minor in professional writing, was an intern for KJUR during the summer and fall of 2019, which she credits for helping develop her current skills and professionalism.  Now serving as associate editor for the journal, she shares the inside scoop on the benefits of this unique student editorial internship at KSU.  

An interest in editing and publication are the primary requirements to be a KJUR intern Jobe explained. Students in English and communication disciplines are preferred, but students from any discipline who are interested in learning about research and publication are encouraged to apply for the internship because the experience is applicable for all areas of study.

The KJUR internship provides skills in writing, editing, publishing, and marketing. Interns have the opportunity to edit and format academic research papers and prepare them for publication. They also learn how to market and broaden the publication’s audience reach through web content creation and social media posts.

KJUR also aids interns in developing other important skills such as customer service and project managment that are transferrable to their future careers. These skills are acquired through some of the additional internship tasks such as tracking submissions in the KJUR system, working with student authors and their mentors through the manuscript review, and maintaining contact with reviewers to ensure a seamless editorial process.

“The biggest takeaway from the internship was the overall publication process,” she said. “I learned how it all worked, the multiple steps that are involved in getting anywhere near publication for any kind of academic writing.”   

Jobe said that the internship experience helped prepare her for her current position as an editor at Atlanta-based book publisher and printer BookLogix. Learning how to formally interact with students and faculty in a journal publishing context, as opposed to how she would interact informally with others as a student, helped her polish her professional etiquette and interpersonal communication skills. Additionally, the internship helped her learn how to phrase questions for query edits for future clients and know what to look for when editing.

Jobe said that working alongside Amy Buddie, the director of undergraduate research at KSU and faculty supervisor for the KJUR internship, was a great way to end her undergraduate career. 

“Working with Dr. Buddie was a lot of fun,” she said. “You could go to her for anything during the internship. She is not only knowledgeable about publications for research, but she is also a great resource if you wanted to go into that field later on. In general, she is just a great resource to have if you have an interest in pursuing publication, graduate school, or a teaching position.”

KJUR is what it is today thanks to Jobe streamlining internship job duties and raising KJUR's visibility across the university. She developed the first internship guidebook, which has been utilized by every intern since then. She also created a schedule for publications and helped create and maintain the journal’s online presence, utilizing Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 

“The KJUR internship is a great opportunity,” Jobe said. “Editors and marketing majors could definitely learn a lot.”

—Landon Mion, fall 2020 KJUR intern and Sarah Scott, spring 2021 KJUR intern