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ICPSR Research Paper Competition

ICPSR is offering two research paper competitions for undergraduates and one for master's students in 2010. ICPSR invites undergraduate and master's papers analyzing any dataset(s) in the ICPSR archive or its Thematic Collections. The other competition, sponsored by the Research Center for Minority Data (RCMD), solicits papers addressing issues relevant to minorities in the United States, including immigrants. These papers must draw on data in the RCMD archive.

The awards are:

  • ICPSR Competition for Undergraduates - First prize-$1,000, Second prize-$750, and Third prize-$500.
  • ICPSR Competition for Master's students - First prize - $1,000 and Second prize-$750.
  • RCMD Competition for Undergraduates - First prize - $1,000 and Second prize - $750.

Rules

Originality. Each paper must be an original analysis and must be the author's own work. Papers previously published are not eligible.

Data. The paper must analyze data held in the ICPSR archive or one of the Thematic Collections. Students may use a dataset accessed from another source as long as ICPSR also holds a copy of the same dataset.

Authors. All undergraduates and master's students at ICPSR member institutions are eligible. The competition is open to both U.S. and non-U.S. students. The Undergraduate Competition is open to all students who are currently pursuing an undergraduate degree and those students who have recently graduated. The Master's Competition is open to all students who are currently pursuing a master's degree and those students who have recently graduated with a master's degree. Students who graduated before April 1, 2009 are not eligible.

Work Product. The paper submitted to the Undergraduate Competition shall be the product of work towards completion of an undergraduate degree. The paper submitted to the Master's Competition shall be the product of work towards completion of a master's degree.

Coauthors. Papers written by more than one student are permitted. Coauthored or multiple authored winners will share the specified monetary awards. Papers coauthored with faculty are not eligible.

One submission. Students may submit only one paper, whether as sole author or one of the coauthors.

One competition. Students may enter only one competition.

Deadline. All papers must be submitted by January 31, 2010.

Awards

  • Awards will be announced in April 2010.

  • Cash prizes will be awarded in each competition as described above.

  • The first-place papers will be published in the ICPSR Bulletin and on the ICPSR Web site.

  • Each winner will receive a plaque and certificate in recognition of the award. Letters of achievement will be written to the student, and to the faculty, departments, and deans at the student's institution, upon request.

Judging

Panels. Papers will be judged by panels of at least three judges drawn from the ICPSR staff and member institutions. The number of judges depends on the number of submissions reviewed.

Criteria. Papers will be judged according to scholarly criteria including statement of purpose, thesis development, quality of analysis, and supporting documentation.

Anonymity. The judges will not know the student's name or school.

Preparation Guidelines

The paper must be written in English and adhere to the following guidelines:

Length. The paper should be no longer than 20 pages for undergraduate entries, and up to 30 pages for master's entries. Both page limits include all charts/graphs, references, and any appendices.

Appearance

  • Font should be Times New Roman - point size 12
  • Margins of 1 inch (2.5 cm) all around
  • Double spacing

Charts and citations

Title page and abstract

  • The title page must include the author's name, faculty advisor's name, institutional affiliation, expected degree and graduation date (month/year), and email address.
  • An abstract of no more than 150 words must follow the title page. Title and abstract pages are not included in page limits.
  • Page headers and/or footers should contain page numbers and a shortened title of the paper. They are not to include the author's name or the name of his or her institution. This ensures anonymous review by the judges.

Submission Package

  1. Papers must be submitted electronically along with the Application/Publication Release Form to the following address: undergradpaper@icpsr.umich.edu, for the ICPSR undergraduate entries, RCMD_undergradpaper@icpsr.umich.edu, for the RCMD undergraduate entries, and gradpaper@icpsr.umich.edu for the master's entries. A complete submission includes the research paper and the Application/Publication Release Form in ONE email. The email must copy the faculty advisor listed on the application form and any coauthors listed on page 4 of the application form.

  2. The subject line of the email must include "ICPSR Undergraduate Paper Competition - LAST NAME," "ICPSR Master's Paper Competition - LAST NAME," or "RCMD Undergraduate Paper Competition - LAST NAME" (where LAST NAME is the [lead] author's last name).

  3. The content of the email must also include:

    Student/Author Name(s):
    Email Address:
    Telephone Contact:
    School Affiliation:
    Faculty Advisor:
    Title of Paper:

  4. Paper format. The attached paper must be in MSWord or .pdf and include all sections of the paper.

  5. Deadline. Electronic submissions must be received by midnight Pacific Standard Time, January 31, 2010.

  6. Questions. For information and questions, please contact shodge@umich.edu.

  7. Confirmation. Once all materials have been received, a confirmation email will be sent to the author(s) and to the academic advisor/mentor listed on the application form.

Promoting the Competition

ICPSR encourages the early promotion of this competition. Please share the materials below with your campus community.

  • The student flyer (PDF 129K) is appropriate for sharing and posting to make student authors aware of the competition.

  • The faculty flyer (PDF 135K) is appropriate for sharing with teaching faculty who may be aware of papers suitable for submission.