Nonfiction Paper Submission Form

In order to publish with The Gold Star Journal, the following criteria must be met:

• Author is a current student in good standing at The Citadel and has been accepted into a Citadel program;
• Author will be a student in good standing in the spring semester, when this Work could potentially be published if accepted;
• The Work is original and was completely created by the Author;
• Author is vested with sole ownership and with the power to convey all rights that are granted and assigned in this Agreement, and that Author has full power to make this Agreement;
• The copyright has not previously been assigned nor the Work published elsewhere;
• The Work has not been and will not be submitted for publication while it is under consideration for publication in The Gold Star Journal at The Citadel;
• The Work does not infringe any valid copyright or other proprietary right of any other person. The Work cites all consulted references, according to the academic discipline;
• The Work does not infringe on the privacy of others; and
• The Work contains no obscene, libelous, defamatory, or other unlawful material.

Paper should be double-spaced with 1″ margins. The font should be 12-point.

Paper length should not exceed 12 pages.

The paper should start with the title of the paper, followed by the content of the paper. There should not be any title page.

The paper must use at least three primary sources. Wikipedia is not an appropriate source.

The paper and the citations should follow the format of the discipline.

It is the responsibility of the author to obtain permission to reproduce any third party images, figures, graphs, tables. It is better for the author to make their own original graphics, if any are needed.

Please remove your name, the course name, and your professor’s name from your paper. Since papers will be reviewed anonymously, your name should not appear in the submitted document or in the filename.

Please name your paper file with an abbreviated title of the paper followed by the word paper.

Submit Word files (.doc or .docx) only.

You may submit up to three of your best nonfiction papers, although only one will potentially be accepted for publication.

An abstract is a summary, a synopsis of the paper. It should include the thesis statement, supporting evidence, and the concluding statement. The abstract should not exceed 80 words.  The abstract will appear both in the printed journal and on the GSJ website. 

Sample Abstract

Over the past several decades, it is undeniable that China has greatly increased their influence in the West. For the United States, this has meant a large influx of cheap Chinese goods. As a nation, the United States has allowed the Chinese government to take advantage of generous trade incentives in hopes that further privatization of Chinese industry would foster better cooperation globally. However, without cooperation on the part of the Chinese can this exchange be considered anything other than a shrewd strategy to hide economic and military buildup? – abstract from China’s Shadow War by Alexander Clark, The Gold Star Journal, 2022.

The biographical sketch of the author should include the following information: the class year, cadet company, major(s), minor(s), scholastic accomplishments, activities, hobbies, and career goals.  It should not exceed 80 words.  The autobiography of the author will accompany the paper in the printed journal. 

Sample Biography

John A. Doe, a sophomore from Syracuse, NY, is a corporal in Alpha Company. John is double majoring in French and History. He has earned Gold Stars twice and Dean’s List three times. He is secretary of Toastmasters International. He is a member of the Rod and Gun Club, the Gospel Choir, and St. Alban’s Chapel. John plans to attend law school in the future and to practice international law thereafter.

Download the Nonfiction Paper Publishing Contract.

On the first page of the contract, fill-in your name and title of the paper. Write your initials at the bottom of each page. On the last page, print your full name, sign, and date the contract.

Please name the contract file with the same abbreviated title of the paper followed by the words publishing contract.

If you submit more than one nonfiction paper, you must submit separate contracts for each one.

Contracts must be submitted as pdf files.