Terra Journals are published by Terra Science and Education, which is a non-profit organization dedicated advancing science and education globally. With a steadfast commitment to advancing knowledge, fostering innovation, and nurturing the spirit of creativity, Terra journals provide a platform for the exchange of ideas, insights, and artistic expressions.
Terra Journals stand as a testament to our commitment to intellectual curiosity, innovation, and artistic expression. We invite you to explore the diverse spectrum of knowledge and creativity that our journals encompass. By promoting rigorous scholarship, embracing creative endeavors, advocating for open access, and fostering impactful collaborations, we strive to create an intellectual space that inspires, informs, and enriches the global community. Join us on this remarkable journey as we unlock new realms of thought and explore the frontiers of human imagination.
Scholarly Rigor:
Terra Journals upholds rigorous standards of scholarship, ensuring that every work published undergoes a meticulous peer-review process. Our journals cover a wide range of subjects, spanning natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and arts beyond, crafted specific age groups but still push them to their upmost talent. By showcasing rigorous scholarship at every age group, we aim to propel academic discourse and drive intellectual progress. We recognize that creativity plays an essential role in shaping culture, influencing societal perspectives, and sparking innovation. Our journals provide a platform for these creative voices, enabling them to share their unique perspectives, narratives, and artistic endeavors.
Dedication to Open Access:
Terra Journals is committed to the principles of open access, ensuring that knowledge and creative works are accessible to all. We firmly believe that information should be freely available, empowering individuals worldwide to engage with and build upon the collective wisdom of humanity. As a non-profit organization, we work diligently to minimize barriers to access, facilitating the dissemination of ideas and fostering a global community of learners, researchers, and creators.
Impact and Outreach:
Terra Journals strives to have a broad and meaningful impact on young adults, academia, society, and the creative community. Our journals aim to provide a platform for scholars and artists to share their work with society and peers and to help them spread their intellectual and artistic perspectives.
What has Terra done?
Terra started publishing its first journal IJHSR (International Journal of High School Research) in 2019 with two issues per year. However, it saw great success within two years, which resulted in publishing six issues per year while increasing its rigor significantly. With this success, we were requested create journals for undergraduate students as well as humanities, which are both neglected in general. Currently, we will focus on growing our newly established journals IJCA and IJUR for the next few years
Terra Science and Education was founded in 2011 as a 501.c.3 non-profit organization for the improvement of K–16 education through consulting, scholarships, research, new program development, and public forums.
Mission
Terra Science and Education is dedicated to developing innovative young minds through project-based learning.
Our Key Initiatives:
We are committed to supporting those engaged in project-based learning with a focus on environmental and STEM education and constantly seek new programs and partnerships to enhance the educational experiences for students. Terra welcomes the opportunity to collaborate and tailor programming to meet your team’s needs.
- GENIUS Olympiad: A global competition where high school students from over 70 countries and 35 U.S. states come together to tackle environmental challenges through diverse disciplines such as STEM, art, writing, short film, business, robotics, and music.
- STEM Fairs Program: Terra sponsors and manages six regional science and engineering fairs across New York City, Northern New Jersey, Buffalo, Potsdam, Rochester, and Duchess County, providing students with platforms to showcase their innovations.
- Terra Journals: Open-access and peer-reviewed, our journals include the International Journal of High School Research, International Journal of Undergraduate Research, and International Journal of educational practice and leadership—providing valuable publishing opportunities for students and researchers.
- Gerace Research Partnership: In collaboration with the Gerace Research Center of the University of the Bahamas, we offer immersive, hands-on marine ecology experiences for all US or international educators and students in San Salvador, Bahamas.
- ACASU Accreditation: Terra recently launched the American Council for Accreditation of Schools and Universities (ACASU), which supports schools abroad in aligning with U.S. higher education standards by guiding them through a customized accreditation process.
- Terra Educational Data (TED) Solutions: Our unique data management software tool helps educators manage data efficiently by streamlining processes such as student tracking, assessment, intervention, and registration, all aimed at increasing student success.
At Terra, we are passionate about empowering the next generation of leaders and innovators through project based learning in STEM. We are excited to collaborate with you to develop programs that inspire, challenge, and prepare students for success using extracurricular activities. We look forward to working together to achieve meaningful educational outcomes.
Terra Science and Education is pleased to be a partner in the international STEM Learning Ecosystem network. STEM Learning Ecosystems bring together various STEM educational stakeholders to collaborate with each other to improve STEM instruction in their communities for students and lifelong learners in a mutually beneficial relationship which helps to stimulate local economies. STEM Learning Ecosystems include members such as school districts, colleges and universities, museums, educational nonprofits, businesses, and other educational stakeholders. Partners use their shared resources to develop STEM programs in their local areas.
Statement of Service
Terra Science and Education envisions a world in which all children and adults celebrate their shared humanity and seek the realization of each person’s potential. As we strive toward this future with a focus on STEM, Terra works tirelessly to meet the educational needs of the underserved and under-represented, including women in STEM, offering tools and support for students, their teachers, and advocates to establish justice and equality.
Transparency
Terra received Platinum Level Transparency Seal from GuideStar, a national non-profit data source to help givers find effective charities. The Platinum Seal puts Terra Science and Education in the top 0.1% of non-profits in terms of transparency.Terra consistently keeps its general management expenses (MGE) below 10%, which is below the national average for nonprofits (within 14-18% range over the years).
Dr. Fehmi Damkaci
Chief Editor of IJHSR – [email protected]
Dr. Fehmi Damkaci brings more than two decades of leadership and teaching experience in higher education. He most recently served as Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs at D’Youville University. His prior roles include Dean of Arts & Sciences and Director of the Center for Doctoral Studies & Research at D’Youville, as well as Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Chair of Chemistry at SUNY Oswego. An accomplished professor of organic chemistry, Dr. Damkaci has led initiatives in STEM education, academic program development, grant writing, recruitment, outreach, and organizational management. He taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, and Nanomaterials for over fifteen years. He holds an Executive Leadership Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Harvard Business School, a Certificate in Higher Education Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Certificate in Public Diplomacy, Leadership, and Management from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and Nanotechnology from University of Maryland College Park. Dr. Damkaci’s contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service; SUNY Oswego’s President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching and in Research; the SUNY Oswego Provost’s Award for Excellence in Mentorship; and the International Educator Award from the International Center of Syracuse.
Karen Valentino
Director of Operations, Terra Science and Education
Responsible for managing journal operations, including printing, shipping, subscriptions, publication-fee payments, and fee-waiver requests.
Noor Ulusoy
Assistant Producer, Terra Science and Education
Responsible for overseeing artwork production, article placement and layout, and the overall production of each issue of the science journal.
Bushra Sovoron
Assistant Editor, Terra Science and Education
Responsible for conducting initial manuscript screenings, performing plagiarism and AI-use checks, assigning reviewers, and managing articles throughout the editorial process.
Please communicate directly with your journal of interest, unless you have a general question.
Email (Terra Journals): [email protected]
Email (IJUR - International Journal of High School Research): [email protected]
Email (IJCA - International Journal of Creative Arts): [email protected]
Email (IJUR - International Journal of Undergraduate Research): [email protected]
Email (Terra Science and Education):
[email protected]
Phone: 315-422-2902
Office Hours: M-F 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. US-EST
TERRA values the privacy of individuals who visit our website. This statement sets forth the important information which you need to know about how we collect and use personal information from website visitors.
Collection of Information
The type and amount of information we receive about you depends entirely on how you use our site. For instance, you may read and download information provided on the site without providing any personal information at all. Our web server will collect the pages you visited on our website and means of entry to our web site (for example, via a particular search engine and/or via a particular device-phone or computer), the date, time, city of location, and duration of each visit and the site pages visited. This information is collected through Google Analytics and used for informational purposes only. We use this information to measure site usage and to make the site more beneficial to our visitors and our outreach efforts.
Personal information including name, location, e-mail address, company affiliation, telephone number, etc. is provided on a voluntary basis only and collected only when you fill out a form or register for our programs. We will not share or sell the personal information you provide us to a third party at any time. TERRA takes reasonable precautions to keep all information obtained from our online visitors secure against unauthorized access.
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A cookie is a small data file that web sites commonly write to the site visitor’s hard drive when a site is visited. A cookie file contains information that can identify a return visitor each time he or she visits our site. The data is encrypted for added security. Our web site may use cookies as a way to measure activity and traffic patterns on the site in order to continually improve the visitor’s experience. Cookies also provide visitors the convenience of not having to log in a password more than once on our site, thereby saving the visitor time while on our site.
A browser can be set to warn the users before accepting cookies. Users can choose to refuse cookies by turning them off in the browser. Users do not need to have cookies turned on to visit our website, but will need them to use certain customizable features on the site that we may launch in the future.
Children and Privacy
TERRA does not knowingly collect information from or about children age 12 and under.
Changes to Policy
If TERRA decides to change its privacy policies and practices, we will post those changes to our Privacy Policy on our website in advance of the changes taking effect, so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. If at any point we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify users. Users will have a choice as to whether or not we use their information in this different manner. We will continue to be able to use information in accordance with the Privacy Policy under which the information was collected.
Disclaimer
All of the information on this web site is presented in good faith and believed to be correct. However, TERRA makes no representations or warranties as to the completeness or accuracy of this information.
Information is supplied upon the condition that persons receiving it will make their own determination as to its suitability for their use. In no event will TERRA be responsible for damages of any nature whatsoever resulting from the use of or reliance upon this information.
No representations or warranties, either express or implied, of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or of any other nature are made hereunder with respect to information or the product to which information refers.
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Questions
Any questions regarding this statement should be directed to our site coordinator at [email protected].
Terra Journals Terms and Conditions of Use
PLEASE READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THE TERRA JOURNALS WEBSITE OR SERVICES.
These Terms and Conditions of Use govern your access to and use of the Terra Journals website, submission and review platforms, publications, and related online services. Terra Journals is operated by Terra Science and Education (“Terra,” “Terra Journals,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). Terra Journals includes the journals and publications operated by Terra Science and Education, including but not limited to the International Journal of High School Research (IJHSR), International Journal of Undergraduate Research (IJUR), and International Journal of Education and Learning Perspectives (IJELP).
By accessing or using the Terra Journals website or related services, you agree to these Terms and Conditions and any additional policies, guidelines, or notices applicable to particular services, including our Privacy Policy, publication ethics policies, author guidelines, reviewer guidelines, and copyright policies. If you do not agree with these Terms and Conditions, you should not use the Terra Journals website or services.
1. USE OF THE WEBSITE AND SERVICES
1.1 General Use
Terra grants users a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable right to access and use the Terra Journals website and its publicly available content for legitimate educational, scholarly, research, and informational purposes. Users are responsible for obtaining the internet access, equipment, software, and other resources necessary to access the website and services. Certain services may require users to create an account, submit information, or agree to additional requirements.
1.2 Journal Services
Terra Journals may provide services including, but not limited to:
- accessing published journal articles and other scholarly materials
- submitting manuscripts for consideration
- uploading supporting documents, figures, data, and related materials
- participating in editorial and peer-review processes
- serving as an author, reviewer, editor, or editorial board member
- communicating with Terra Journals staff
- tracking manuscript status
- providing revisions and responses to reviewer comments; and
- accessing other educational, research, and publication-related resources.
Terra may modify, add, suspend, or discontinue any feature or service at its discretion.
1.3 Availability and Accuracy
Terra makes reasonable efforts to maintain accurate and current information on the Terra Journals website. However, website content, publication information, policies, deadlines, fees, procedures, and other materials may be updated periodically. Terra does not guarantee that all website information will always be complete, error-free, or continuously available. Terra reserves the right to correct errors, update content, modify services, and temporarily or permanently discontinue portions of the website.
1.4 External Links
The Terra Journals website may contain links to websites operated by universities, publishers, indexing services, research organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, or other third parties. These external websites are independent of Terra. Terra does not control and is not responsible for their content, availability, security, accuracy, policies, or practices. A link from Terra Journals to another website does not necessarily constitute Terra’s endorsement of that organization, service, or content. Users should review the applicable terms and privacy practices of third-party websites before using them.
2. COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Unless otherwise indicated, the Terra Journals website, including its design, text, graphics, logos, icons, databases, software, and other original materials, is owned by or licensed to Terra Science and Education and may be protected by applicable United States and international intellectual property laws. Copyright ownership and licensing terms for individual journal articles may differ depending upon the journal, publication agreement, author agreement, or applicable open-access license.
Nothing on the Terra Journals website grants users ownership of Terra trademarks, logos, publications, website materials, or other intellectual property except where expressly authorized. Users may access, cite, reference, download, or use journal materials only as permitted by applicable copyright law, the license associated with the publication, or written authorization from Terra or the applicable copyright holder.
3. ACCEPTABLE USE
Users may access Terra Journals materials for legitimate purposes including:
- education
- teaching
- academic research
- private study
- scholarly communication
- citation and reference
- peer review; and
- other lawful research and educational purposes.
Users must properly acknowledge and cite material obtained through Terra Journals when required by accepted scholarly practices. Users may not use the website or its content in a manner that infringes copyrights, violates applicable laws, compromises website security, disrupts Terra’s services, or interferes with other users.
4. PROHIBITED USES
Without prior written authorization from Terra, users may not:
- reproduce or redistribute substantial portions of Terra Journals content in violation of applicable copyright or licensing terms
- sell, sublicense, or commercially redistribute protected Terra Journals content
- falsely represent Terra Journals content as their own
- remove copyright notices, attribution, publication information, or other rights-management information
- gain or attempt to gain unauthorized access to accounts, systems, databases, manuscripts, reviews, or other restricted information
- interfere with or disrupt website operations
- introduce malware, viruses, malicious software, or other harmful technology
- impersonate another person, researcher, reviewer, editor, institution, or organization
- submit fraudulent, fabricated, falsified, plagiarized, or knowingly misleading materials
- manipulate or attempt to improperly influence the editorial or peer-review process
- obtain or disclose confidential manuscripts or reviewer information without authorization
- harvest information about users through automated or unauthorized means
- use automated systems in a manner that places an unreasonable burden on Terra’s systems; or
- use the website or services for unlawful, fraudulent, abusive, harmful, or deceptive purposes.
5. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND AUTOMATED TECHNOLOGIES
Terra Journals may establish policies regarding the use of artificial intelligence, generative AI, large language models, automated writing systems, image-generation systems, data-analysis systems, or similar technologies in manuscripts and other submissions. Authors, reviewers, and editors are responsible for complying with the AI policies applicable to the journal and publication process.
Where required by Terra Journals’ author guidelines, authors must disclose the use of artificial intelligence or other technological tools in preparing text, figures, images, analyses, code, or other components of a manuscript. Artificial intelligence systems may not be identified as authors because responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and content of a publication must remain with human authors.
Users must not upload confidential manuscripts, unpublished research, reviewer reports, personally identifiable information, or other protected materials into external AI systems in violation of confidentiality obligations or Terra Journals policies.
6. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS
Authors who submit manuscripts to Terra Journals represent that, to the best of their knowledge:
- the submission is original
- the authors listed have made appropriate contributions to the work
- all authors have approved the submission
- sources have been properly acknowledged
- references have been checked for accuracy
- required permissions have been obtained
- conflicts of interest have been disclosed where required
- research involving human or animal subjects complies with applicable ethical requirements
- data and results have not been knowingly fabricated, falsified, or misrepresented; and
- the manuscript complies with the applicable journal’s submission requirements.
Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee peer review, acceptance, or publication. Terra Journals reserves the right to conduct administrative, editorial, technical, ethical, originality, reference, or other screening before or during peer review. Terra Journals may reject, withdraw, correct, or retract manuscripts or published articles when necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.
7. PEER REVIEW AND EDITORIAL DECISIONS
Terra Journals may use editors, editorial board members, reviewers, staff members, and other qualified individuals to evaluate submitted manuscripts. Editorial decisions may consider factors including scientific or scholarly quality, originality, methodology, accuracy, ethical compliance, relevance, clarity, journal scope, reviewer recommendations, and compliance with publication requirements.
Peer-review recommendations are advisory. Final publication decisions are made in accordance with Terra Journals’ editorial policies. Terra does not guarantee that reviewers will agree with one another or that authors will agree with editorial decisions. Terra Journals reserves the right to decline or discontinue consideration of any manuscript at any stage of the review process.
8. RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION ETHICS
Terra Journals is committed to maintaining the integrity of scholarly publication. Conduct that may result in investigation, rejection, correction, withdrawal, or retraction includes, but is not limited to:
- plagiarism
- duplicate publication
- fabrication or falsification
- inappropriate manipulation of data or images
- false or inaccurate references
- undisclosed conflicts of interest
- improper authorship
- fraudulent peer review
- unauthorized use of copyrighted materials
- unethical research practices; and
- material misrepresentation of research methods or findings.
Terra may contact authors, reviewers, institutions, research supervisors, affiliated organizations, or other appropriate parties when reasonably necessary to investigate substantial concerns regarding research or publication integrity.
9. PRIVACY AND INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY USERS
Terra may collect information that users voluntarily provide when interacting with Terra Journals or its services. This information may include information provided when users:
- create an account
- submit a manuscript
- register as an author, reviewer, or editor
- communicate with Terra Journals
- submit forms
- participate in peer review
- request support; or
- otherwise voluntarily provide information through the website or journal submission system.
Information collected may include a user’s name, email address, institutional affiliation, academic or professional field, country, manuscript information, correspondence, and other information necessary to administer journal activities.
Terra may use this information for purposes such as:
- administering manuscript submissions
- coordinating peer review
- communicating with authors, reviewers, editors, and users
- maintaining publication and editorial records
- processing payments or reviewer compensation when applicable
- improving journal operations
- maintaining the security and integrity of journal systems; and
- complying with legal, ethical, or regulatory obligations.
Terra does not collect personal information through cookies for advertising, behavioral profiling, or the sale of personal information. Terra will handle personal information in accordance with its applicable Privacy Policy.
10. USER ACCOUNTS AND SECURITY
Certain Terra Journals services may require users to create an account. Users are responsible for:
- providing accurate account information
- maintaining the confidentiality of usernames and passwords
- protecting access to their accounts
- notifying Terra of suspected unauthorized account access; and
- ensuring that activities conducted through their accounts comply with these Terms.
Users may not share login credentials in a manner that permits unauthorized access. Terra may suspend or terminate accounts when there is reasonable evidence of unauthorized use, security concerns, policy violations, fraudulent activity, or misuse of Terra Journals services.
11. CONFIDENTIALITY
Manuscripts undergoing review, reviewer reports, editorial communications, unpublished data, and other materials identified as confidential must be treated accordingly. Reviewers and editors may not disclose, distribute, reproduce, or use unpublished manuscript information for personal, professional, competitive, or research advantage unless authorized by the authors and Terra Journals. Authors must likewise respect the confidentiality of editorial communications and reviewer information where applicable.
12. FEES AND PAYMENTS
Certain Terra Journals services may involve submission fees, publication fees, processing fees, reviewer compensation, or other payments. Applicable fees, if any, will be communicated through the journal website, submission system, invoice, agreement, or other official Terra communication. Terra reserves the right to establish or modify fees for future services. Any applicable refund policies will be governed by the specific journal or service policy in effect at the time of payment.
13. WEBSITE AND SERVICE SECURITY
Users may not attempt to compromise the security of Terra Journals systems. Prohibited activities include attempting to:
- access data not intended for the user
- access another user’s account without permission
- bypass authentication or security controls
- probe systems for vulnerabilities without authorization
- disrupt network or server operations
- transmit malware or malicious code
- overload Terra systems
- manipulate website functionality; or
- obtain confidential information without authorization.
Terra reserves the right to investigate suspected security violations and take appropriate technical, administrative, or legal action.
14. SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION OF ACCESS
Terra may restrict, suspend, or terminate a user’s access to Terra Journals services when Terra reasonably believes that the user has:
- violated these Terms
- violated publication or research ethics requirements
- compromised the security of Terra systems
- engaged in fraudulent activity
- infringed intellectual property rights
- misused confidential information; or
- otherwise used Terra Journals services in an unlawful or inappropriate manner.
Termination of access does not eliminate obligations relating to confidentiality, intellectual property, publication ethics, payment obligations, or other provisions that reasonably survive termination.
15. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES
Terra Journals’ website, publications, information, and services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis to the extent permitted by law. Terra does not guarantee that:
- the website will operate without interruption
- all website information will be free from error
- all submissions will be reviewed or published
- published research will be free from errors
- external links will remain available; or
- use of journal information will produce any particular academic, professional, research, or other result.
Authors remain responsible for the content of their articles. Opinions and conclusions expressed in published articles belong to their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Terra Science and Education, Terra Journals, their editors, reviewers, employees, officers, directors, partners, or affiliated organizations.
16. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Terra Science and Education, Terra Journals, and their officers, directors, employees, editors, reviewers, volunteers, contractors, and affiliates will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages resulting from access to or use of, or inability to access or use, the Terra Journals website or services. This includes, where permitted by law, damages resulting from loss of information, interruption of services, reliance upon published content, unauthorized access, or third-party activities. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited.
17. INDEMNIFICATION
To the extent permitted by applicable law, users agree to be responsible for claims, damages, liabilities, losses, and reasonable expenses arising from their violation of these Terms, infringement of third-party rights, unlawful use of Terra Journals services, or materials they submit through the website.
18. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS
Terra may revise these Terms and Conditions periodically to reflect changes in journal operations, technology, legal requirements, publication practices, or Terra policies. The current version will be posted on the Terra Journals website with an updated effective date. Continued use of Terra Journals services after revised Terms become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
19. GOVERNING LAW
These Terms and Conditions and use of Terra Journals services will be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to applicable conflict-of-law principles, except where otherwise required by law. Any dispute relating to these Terms or Terra Journals services shall be handled in accordance with applicable law and any dispute-resolution procedures established by Terra Science and Education.
20. SEVERABILITY
If any portion of these Terms is determined by a court or other competent authority to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect to the fullest extent permitted by law.
21. NO WAIVER
Failure by Terra to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of Terra’s right to enforce that provision or any other provision in the future.
22. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
These Terms, together with applicable Terra Journals policies, author guidelines, reviewer guidelines, publication ethics policies, privacy policies, copyright policies, and any specific agreements associated with a journal or service, constitute the applicable terms governing use of Terra Journals services. If a specific written agreement between Terra and a user conflicts with these Terms, the specific agreement will govern the matter addressed by that agreement.
23. CONTACT INFORMATION
Terra Journals
Terra Science and Education
Address: 835 West Genesee St, Syracuse NY 13204
Email: [email protected]
Phone/Fax: +1(315) 422-2902
BY ACCESSING OR USING THE TERRA JOURNALS WEBSITE OR SERVICES, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTAND, AND AGREE TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE.