URNCST Journal Mentored Paper
The URNCST Journal team prides itself on its commitment to advocate for undergraduate STEM research. In our endeavours to promote undergraduate research, we have published a number of papers from undergraduate research competitions and case competitions. From these ventures, we have identified a couple of themes that were found to recur independently as follows: 1) undergraduate students are extremely keen to use their critical thinking skills to participate in research endeavours that recognize their valuable work and 2) there exists a subset of students who desire to contribute to undergraduate STEM research but due to one reason or another are unable to take part in such research or feel as if they may need closer guidance during the writing process. Despite this, many thousands of undergraduate students across the globe play crucial roles in making new discoveries every single year.
In an effort to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to contribute to STEM research literature, we have established our novel Mentored Paper Initiative. Students that are selected to participate will have the opportunity to be partnered with a graduate student as they write a manuscript that is of peer-reviewable quality in the URNCST Journal. The topic of the manuscript will be in the graduate student’s area of expertise to allow them to more effectively guide the students throughout the writing process. Students will be mentored from the design stage to write up, and the final manuscript will be peer-reviewed by another graduate student, to allow the students to experience external-feedback. This opportunity provides undergraduate students with the chance to improve their scientific writing skills and experience the entire process of writing an academic manuscript, while working under the supervision of a graduate student. Those wishing to learn more about how the URNCST Journal Mentored Paper initiative was developed can read our published editorial.
Eligibility to Participate: The mentored paper is open to students who are enrolled in an undergraduate (i.e. BSc, BEng, BA, etc.) or professional-undergraduate (i.e. MD, DDS, PharmD, OD, RN, etc.) degree program.
About the Initiative: Undergraduate students participating in the URNCST Journal Mentored Paper are required to draft and submit an abstract on a topic that is of interest to them based on the questions provided below. This abstract must be in the format of either 1) a research protocol (i.e. a plan to conduct a study) OR 2) a review (i.e. a review of the currently existing literature); it is not acceptable to simply summarize a single study already published in the literature by an academic journal. Students may submit an abstract alone or in teams of up to 3. These abstracts will be reviewed for suitability (i.e. understanding of topic, writing ability), and accepted students will be paired with the graduate student who proposed the topic and will mentor the undergraduate (team) in drafting a manuscript that is of suitable quality to undergo peer-review by the URNCST Journal. As participants will be under the guidance of a graduate student, they are not required to have a complete understanding of the topic, but should have done their due diligence in reading about the topic online and have the motivation and dedication to learn from the mentoring graduate student.
Topics Available: Please see below for a complete list of the available research topics for the manuscripts. Please note that these are the only questions accepted students should write on and they are not subject to change.
Deadline to Submit Abstract for Consideration: Sunday, October 26, 2025 @ 11:59PM EST
Mentorship Period: Winter 2026 (January-April)
Update: The URNCST Journal has opened its call for abstracts for the 17th Mentored Paper Initiative! We welcome submissions up until Sunday, October 26, 2025 @ 11:59pm EST! Successful applicants will partake in the mentored paper initiative during Winter 2026. Should you have any questions about participating, please contact us at competition@urncst.com.
For Graduate Students: We are always interested in identifying new mentors who are able/willing to help keen undergraduate researchers design, develop, and write a full-length study protocol or review. Eligible mentors must be enrolled in or a graduate of a graduate program (a Master's level degree at minimum) in any natural or clinical science or technology discipline. Please apply to be a mentor here.
After selecting a topic, please click "Learn More & SUBMIT ABSTRACT" below and follow the instructions provided.
Topics
MPI 17.1: What are the EEG biomarkers of craving of non-substances (internet, food, porn, actions)?
MPI 17.2: What are the EEG biomarkers of exercise therapy in psychiatric disease?
MPI 17.3: What are the EEG biomarkers of psychiatric disease concurrent with intellectual disability?
MPI 17.4: How does diet composition affect blood glucose control in individuals with Type 2 diabetes?
MPI 17.5: How can mobile health interventions improve medication adherence and diabetes screening rates in new immigrant populations with Type 2 diabetes?
MPI 17.6: How does inflammation impact recovery post trauma?
MPI 17.7: What is the role of immune cells in the pathophysiology post injury?
MPI 17.8: How do experiences of maternal health care differ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women in Canada, and what are the implications for health outcomes and healthcare delivery?
MPI 17.9: How do eligibility criteria for public coverage of HIV PrEP differ across Canadian Provinces and what are the potential implications for health equity : a National Level Policy Scan?
MPI 17.10: What is the availability of sexual health services (screening and regular testing) across Canadian provinces and territories: A Scooping Review?
MPI 17.11: How do young adults (18-25) perceive and experience access to sexual health services and treatment at different healthcare settings, specifically comparing University Health Clinics to other available service locations: a qualitative study?
MPI 17.12: How do neuron-microglia interactions influence neuroinflammation in neurodevelopmental disorders?
MPI 17.13: How does exercise impact the health of our fat tissue?
MPI 17.14: Is exercise the best method for weight loss?
MPI 17.15: What is the relationship between our muscles and our fat issue during exercise?
MPI 17.16: How do dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists differ from GLP-1 agonists for diabetes management?
MPI 17.17: What role do platelets play in the progression of cardiometabolic disease?
MPI 17.18: How does inflammation impact recovery post trauma?"
MPI 17.19: How can methods of manufacturing or changes in materials being used for medicines or medical equipment during a pandemic help hospital reduce the shortage of medicines and keep administering essential treatments.
MPI 17.20: How do we use nanomaterials for biomedical applications or for the treatment of complex diseases, such as cancers being treated with gold nanoparticles, and nanomaterials used in pharmaceutical applications in drug delivery system.
MPI 17.21: How can we use lean six sigma philosophy in palliative care, and reduce wastage, and increase precision in the care for patients?
MPI 17.22: How do experiences of maternal health care differ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women in Canada, and what are the implications for health outcomes and healthcare delivery?
MPI 17.23: How do nurse-family care programs address the needs and challenges faced by vulnerable mothers in Canada, and how effective are these programs in improving maternal and child health outcomes?
