Membership Levels & Qualifications
Membership in the National Coalition of Independent Scholars (NCIS) provides an affiliation for independent scholars worldwide. Members are actively engaged in peer-reviewed scholarly research or a comparable artistic endeavor such as a juried art exhibition or music competition. They may be contingent/adjunct faculty on insecure contracts. They are not tenure track or tenured academics with a secure contract or employed in any capacity aimed at completing the qualifying research or artistic activity.
Most members have earned or are pursuing a graduate-level academic degree. In a few cases, members have produced peer-reviewed work without having earned graduate degrees. Eligible independent scholars may include:
- Contingent or part-time faculty members at a university or college
- Employees of academic institutions whose job descriptions do not include support for academic research
- Employees of businesses or other non-university organizations who are pursuing independent research interests
- Retired senior scholars
- Experienced researchers who are changing their field of interest and may not yet have peer-reviewed publications in the new area
- Scholars with peer-reviewed work that has been accepted but not yet published
NCIS offers three types of membership: Full, Associate, and Partner Group
| FULL MEMBERS | FEES |
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Independent scholars who have demonstrated their involvement and commitment in any field through peer-reviewed publications, juried artistic endeavors, or similar activities that invite scholarly response from peers. In most cases, a graduate-level academic degree such as a PhD or MFA is expected. |
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| ASSOCIATE MEMBERS | FEES |
Associate members are often pursuing graduate-level academic degrees and have demonstrated evidence of independent research. They may also have completed such a degree but do not yet have peer-reviewed publications or similar artistic activities. Many associate members are graduate students or early career scholars, though others may also qualify. Proof of research may be demonstrated through articles submitted to peer-reviewed scholarly journals or dissertations (including contact information for mentors or advisers). As part of the application process, NCIS may request verification of scholarly activity, including article drafts, transcripts, or dissertation chapters.
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| PARTNER GROUP MEMBERSHIP | FEES |
Members of partner groups also enjoy some of NCIS benefits, but membership in a partner group does not confer individual membership in NCIS. If a new NCIS member is also a member of a partner group, a $10 introductory discount is applied to the first year of NCIS membership. Remember to indicate the name of your partner group when applying to NCIS. After this has been confirmed, NCIS processes your $10 refund. To start an application for partner group membership, please visit Join NCIS. Contact membership@ncis.org with questions. A list of our current partner groups can be found here. |
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Nondiscrimination Policy
It is the policy of NCIS not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, ancestry, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical disability, veteran status, political service or affiliation, color, religion, or national origin. Furthermore, the officers, directors, committee members, and persons served by this corporation shall be selected entirely on a nondiscriminatory basis with respect to age, sex, race, religion, national origin, and sexual orientation.
- If you have any queries concerning membership in NCIS, please email us at membership@ncis.org.