Article I - NAME
1.1 The organization to which this document pertains shall be known as the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journalism Society, hereinafter referred to as “the CUPJS” or “the Society.”
Article II - MANDATE
2.1 To sponsor the advancement of education of undergraduate physics students through the publication of a hard-copy and electronic journal to be called the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal. At all times, the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal shall be operated as a not-for-profit society.
2.2 To provide a reliable and clear source of information focused mainly, but not exclusively, on research performed by Canadian undergraduate students studying physics and its related disciplines, as well as on issues which directly affect undergraduate physics students.
2.3 In accord with the requirements of a charitable organization as defined by Revenue Canada, the Society shall be carried on without purpose of gain for its members, and any profits or other gains to the Society shall be used in promoting its objectives.
Article III - DEFINITIONS
3.1 “Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal,” or simply “the Journal,” refers to the journal published by the Society.
3.2 “Contributor” refers to any individual who has contributed a written submission (other than a letter), a photograph, a graphic, administrative or editorial assistance, or layout work that has appeared in the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal, excluding advertising.
3.3 “Term” refers to a four (4)-month period. The period from January to April will be referred to as the “Winter Term,” the period from May to August will be referred to as the “Summer Term,” and the period from September to December will be referred to as the “Fall Term.”
3.4 A “Publishing Cycle” is a period of eight-month duration beginning at the start of the Fall Term of one year and ending at the end of the Winter Term of the next year.
3.5 “Undergraduate Student” refers to any individual who:
3.5.1 is registered in a program pursuing a Bachelor’s degree at an accredited university.
3.5.2 either was registered during the previous Term, or is registered in the coming Term to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at an accredited university.
3.5.3 holds a Bachelor’s degree at an accredited university, but who does not fit the definition of a Graduate Student, Graduate Physics Student, Professor or Physics Professor as defined in Article 3, Sections 7, 8, 9 and 10, respectively.
3.6 “Undergraduate Physics Student” refers to any individual who:
3.6.1 is registered in a program pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in any area of physics, including astronomy, at an accredited university.
3.6.2 either was registered during the previous Term, or is registered in the coming Term to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in any area of physics, including astronomy, at an accredited university.
3.6.3 holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in any area of physics, including astronomy, at an accredited university, but who does not fit the definition of a Graduate Student, Graduate Physics Student, Professor or Physics Professor as defined in Article 3, Sections 7, 8, 9 and 10, respectively.
3.7 “Graduate Student” refers to any individual who:
3.7.1 is currently pursuing a Master’s degree or a Doctorate at an accredited university.
3.7.2 holds a Master’s degree or a Doctorate at an accredited university but who does not fit the definition of a Professor or Physics Professor as defined in Article 3, Sections 9 and 10 respectively.
3.8 “Graduate Physics Student” refers to any individual who is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Science (MSc) or a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) with a research focus of any field of physics, including astronomy, at an accredited university.
3.8.1 is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Science (MSc) or a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) with a research focus of any field of physics, including astronomy, at an accredited university.
3.8.2 holds a Master’s degree in Science (MSc) or a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) with a research focus of any field of physics, including astronomy, at an accredited university but who does not fit the definition of a Professor or Physics Professor as defined in Article 3, Sections 9 and 10 respectively.
3.9 “Professor” refers to:
3.9.1 an individual in a tenured or tenure-track position at any accredited university.
3.9.2 an individual in a senior research position at a government or industry research institution.
3.10 “Physics Professor” refers to:
3.10.1 an individual in a tenured or tenure-track position in a physics department at any accredited university.
3.10.2 an individual in a senior research position at a government or industry research institution specializing in physics and its related disciplines.
3.11 “Editor-in-Chief” refers to a Canadian Undergraduate Physics Student or a Canadian Graduate Physics Student appointed by the Society to serve in the capacity of Editor-in-Chief for a term beginning May 1 of one year and ending April 30 of the following year.
3.12 “Line Editors” refers to Canadian Undergraduate or Canadian Graduate Students holding editorial positions in the Society, other than the Editor-in-Chief position, but including the Distribution Manager. These individuals serve a term beginning May 1 of one year and ending April 30 of the following year.
3.13 “Referee” refers to a Graduate Physics Student or Physics Professor who is not the Editor-in-Chief or a Line Editor and who has served or has committed to serve as an impartial evaluator of submitted research articles.
3.14 “Staff” refers to the Editor-in Chief, Line Editors, Referees of the previous three (3) issues of the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal and Contributors of the previous three (3) issues of the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal.
3.15 “Editorial Board” refers to the Editor-in-Chief and the Line Editors.
3.16 “Preliminary Editorial Board” refers to the English Language Editor, the French Language Editor, the Production Editor, the Managing Editor, and the Distribution Manager.
3.17 “Member” refers to any individual defined in Article 4, Section 1 below.
3.18 “Subscriber” refers to an individual who has paid an annual membership fee for the current year in return for receiving the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal.
3.19 “Physics and its Related Disciplines” describes all those disciplines including, but not restricted to, physics (both experimental and theoretical), engineering physics, geophysics, computational physics, environmental physics, chemical physics, medical physics and biophysics, astronomy and astrophysics, nuclear particle physics, condensed matter physics and optics, and cosmology. The relevance of any submission falling outside of the scope of the aforementioned disciplines will be decided by the Editorial Board.
Article IV - MEMBERSHIP
4.1 Membership in the Society shall include all Staff, Editorial Board Members of the past three (3) publishing cycles, and all subscribers.
4.2 A membership roster shall be maintained by the Editor-in-Chief and shall be available to Members upon request.
4.3 A Member may resign by giving written notice to the Editor-in-Chief.
4.4 A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Editorial Board or a simple majority vote of the membership shall hold the power to rescind the membership of any Member, including Staff.
4.5 Any Member suspended under Article 4, Section 4 may have his or her membership reinstated by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Editorial Board or a simple majority vote of the membership.
4.6 Annual membership dues, as established at the first Editorial Board Meeting following an Editorial Board Appointment Meeting, must be paid before full membership is granted. This fee is non-refundable.
4.7 Each Member of the CUPJS is entitled to one (1) copy of each issue of the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal. Contributors are entitled to two (2) copies of the issue to which they contributed.
4.8 Each Member of the CUPJS is entitled vote at a General Meeting.
4.9 No Member of the Society shall receive any remuneration for their services.
Article V - MEETINGS
5.1 General Meetings of the Society Membership will consist of “Blind Carbon-Copied” (BCC) e-mail correspondence from Society Staff to the Society Membership in its entirety. Upon request of any Society Member, or if any member of the Editorial Board judges the information relevant, the content of the correspondence will be published on the Society website. A General Meeting may be requested by any Member, and whether the request is granted shall be decided by an Editorial Board Meeting to be held no later than one week following the Meeting request.
5.2 Staff Meetings may be called by any Staff member, and will consist of BCC e-mail correspondence sent to all Staff members. The content of the correspondence must meet approval by the Editorial Board before it is sent out, to be decided at an Editorial Board Meeting held no later than one week following the Meeting request.
5.3 Editorial Board Meetings are valid if the following conditions are satisfied:
5.3.1 The Editor-in-Chief and at least two (2) Line Editors must be in attendance. In the case of an e-mail meeting, the Editor-in-Chief must initiate the meeting with an e-mail to all members of the Editorial Board and receive responses from at least two (2) of the Line Editors.
5.3.2 A Line Editor must take the minutes, or, in the case of an e-mail meeting, compile the relevant e-mail correspondence.
5.3.3 An Editorial Board Meeting must be held on or before May 30 of each year.
5.4 An Editorial Appointment Meeting, held in accord with Article 6 must be held on or before April 15 of each year.
5.5 In the event that the Society membership of an Editorial Board member be rescinded in accord with Article 4, Section 4, an emergency General Meeting must be called, to be held no later than one (1) week following the termination of membership, followed by an Editorial Appointment Meeting, to be held no later than two (2) weeks following the termination of membership.
5.6 Full minutes for every CUPJS Editorial Board and Editorial Appointment Meeting, must be taken and made available to the membership on the Society upon request no later than one week following the meeting.
5.7 Every Editorial Board Meeting will be chaired by the Editor-in-Chief or by his or her designee. Should any conflict arise as to the procedure followed during a meeting, the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be considered the definite source.
5.8 Every Editorial Appointment Meeting will be chaired by a Member chosen from the outgoing Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal Editorial Board, selected by the Staff from accepted nominations at a General Meeting held no later than April 1 of each year.
5.9 All motions presented at any Society meeting of the CUPJS shall be considered passed if a simple majority of those Members present vote in favour of the motion. In the case of an e-mail meeting, those Members who do not respond within a specified time period of no longer than one (1) week, will not be considered valid.
Article VI - EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER APPOINTMENT
6.1 The incoming Preliminary Editorial Board shall be selected by a committee composed of the following members:
-All members of the outgoing Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal Editorial Board. One (1) of these members, selected by the Staff from accepted nominations at a Staff Meeting held no later than April 1 of each year, shall serve as Chair. The Chair must not run for any Editorial Board position.
-Two (2) Members chosen from the Staff who are not members of the outgoing Editorial Board, selected by the Staff from accepted nominations at a General Meeting held no later than April 1 of each year.
-One (1) Member who is not a member of the Staff selected by the Staff from accepted nominations at a General Meeting held no later than April 1 of each year.6.1.1 A prospective candidate may apply for no more than two (2) positions.
6.1.2 Preliminary Editorial Board candidates shall be selected from applications received, at a meeting of the Preliminary Editorial Board Appointment committee. Each candidate will be interviewed by the committee, in person or via e-mail.
6.2 The Editor-in-Chief shall be selected by a committee composed of the following members:
-The members of the Preliminary Editorial Board Appointment committee committee.
-The incoming Line Editors.6.2.1 The candidates for Editor-in-Chief are the English Language Editor and the French Language Editor selected in accord with Article 6, Section 1 above.
6.2.2 The decision of the Editor-in-Chief Selection Committee will be final unless overruled by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members at a General Meeting.
6.3 A single individual may hold up to two (2) positions on the Editorial Board, but the Editor-in-Chief may not be the same person as the Managing Editor, and the English Language Editor may not be the same person as the French Language Editor. Each position may be held by only one individual.
Article VII - STAFF DUTIES
7.1 The Editor-in-Chief must:
7.1.1 chair all meetings of the CUPJS when present.
7.1.2 oversee the general affairs of the CUPJS and ensure the fulfillment of the Society Mandate.
7.1.3 oversee, in cooperation with the Managing Editor, the financial affairs of the CUPJS.
7.1.4 represent the interests of the CUPJS before any external organization.
7.1.5 hold signing authority to the Society bank account.
7.1.6 maintain a current list of all Editorial Board Members, Staff, and CUPJS Members.
7.2 The English Language Editor must:
7.2.1 be educated for at least five (5) Terms in physics in the English language outside of Quebec, or at least three (3) Terms in physics, in the English language within Quebec, or otherwise adequately demonstrate equivalent knowledge and understanding of physics, and have a firm grasp of the English language and grammar in formal writing.
7.2.2 edit all English submissions, including, but not restricted to, research articles, news articles, reviews, commentaries, feature articles, editorials, and letters, for accuracy in English grammar.
7.2.3 send all English research articles to appropriate referees in a timely manner.
7.2.4 be responsible for recruiting new English-speaking referees.
7.3 The French Language Editor must:
7.3.1 be educated for at least five (5) Terms in physics in the French language outside of Quebec, or at least three (3) Terms in physics in the French language within Quebec, or otherwise adequately demonstrate equivalent knowledge and understanding of physics, and have a firm grasp of the French language and grammar in formal writing.
7.3.2 edit all French submissions, including, but not restricted to, research articles, news articles, reviews, commentaries, feature articles, editorials, and letters, for accuracy in French grammar.
7.3.3. send all French research articles to appropriate French-speaking referees in a timely manner.
7.3.4 be responsible for recruiting new French-speaking referees.
7.4 The Production Editor must:
7.4.1 edit all photos, graphics and advertisements.
7.4.2 receive all edited copy, photographs and graphics, including advertisements, and compile them in a format aesthetically acceptable to the remainder of the Editorial Board in a timely manner.
7.4.3 re-read edited copy to ensure clarity and accuracy in the style, presentation, and grammar of all written work.
7.4.4 send finished format to the Distribution Manager.
7.4.5 research and write at least one news, review or commentary article in three issues if needed.
7.5 The Managing Editor must:
7.5.1 be responsible for recruiting new sources of advertising and maintaining current sources of funding.
7.5.2 maintain detailed records of advertising and other revenues, all expenditures, and all other financial transactions of the CUPJS.
7.5.3 issue invoices and receipts as necessary
7.5.4 administrate all disbursements of Society funds.
7.5.5 provide for the security of the Society’s financial assets.
7.5.6 coordinate other administrative affairs of the Society, including charitable status, and filing tax returns as necessary.
7.5.7 proofread edited copy, and research and write at least one news, review or commentary article in three issues if needed
7.6 The Distribution Manager must:
7.6.1 obtain a final version of each issue of the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal and have hard copies printed in accord with the Journal’s circulation numbers.
7.6.2 post the final version of each issue onto the Society website.
7.6.3 coordinate the mailing of hard copies of the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal to all staff, subscribers and physics departments.
7.6.4 recruit new subscribers and maintain current subscribers to the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal
7.6.5 otherwise update and maintain the Society website and establish Editorial Board e-mail addresses, either in person or through a delegate.
7.6.6 research and write at least one news, review or commentary article in three issues if needed
7.7 A Referee must:
7.7.1 read a copy of an unedited research article from a Contributor sent to him or her by the Editorial Board.
7.7.2 evaluate the scientific merit of the article and provide specific, written comments regarding the article and all relevant attached figures.
7.7.3 if the author has claimed that the submitted article reflected original research, verify whether the research is in fact original.
7.7.4 provide his or her opinion of whether the article should be published in the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal, and return the article with written comments to the Editorial Board in a timely manner.
7.7.5 notify the Editorial Board in writing of any changes in his or her status that may affect his or her effectiveness in the role of referee.
7.8 To become a Contributor, one must:
7.8.1 declare a written intention to submit a contribution to the Journal by a specified deadline.
7.8.2 submit a contribution to the Journal by a later, specified deadline.
7.8.3 in the case of a research article, if a referee deems the submission worthy of publication in the Journal with specified changes, edit the manuscript and return both the original, refereed draft, and the edited manuscript to the Editorial Board in a timely manner.
Article VIII - BYLAWS
8.1 Bylaws of the CUPJS are defined as rulings which are passed by the editorial board and which remain in effect until deleted. A bylaw may not contradict any article of the Constitution of the CUPJS.
8.2 Any Editorial Board member can make a proposal for establishment or amendment of a bylaw. The proposal must be formally presented in writing at an Editorial Board meeting
8.3 Ratification of the proposed establishment or amendment of a bylaw requires the unanimous consent of the Editorial Board Members.
8.4 Removal or modification of a bylaw is to take place as outlined in the preceding sections for addition of a bylaw.
Article IX – AMENDMENTS
9.1 Amendments to this document must be submitted in writing to the Editorial Board and will automatically be tabled for discussion and vote at the next General Meeting. A two-thirds (2/3) majority of the total Society Membership is necessary to approve a constitutional amendment.
Article X -- DISSOLUTION OF THE SOCIETY
10.1 The Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journalism Society may be disbanded by a unanimous vote of the entire membership of the Society at a General Meeting.
10.2 In the event of disbandment of the CUPJS, all funds shall be donated to a registered charity chosen by a majority vote of the Members.
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