Call for Submissions

Guidelines for Submission

Application Due Date: Friday, March 27, 2020

Proposals highlighting scholarship and research conducted by undergraduate and graduate students may be submitted for Scholars’ Day. Proposals can be for projects conducted independently by students but must be sponsored by a faculty member. The student-submitter must be a student enrolled at UMHB, or one who was enrolled as recently as the semester preceding Scholars' Day. Authors and Co-Authors should work with the Faculty Sponsor when drafting the Call for Submissions. Faculty should not be listed as a Co-Author, but Faculty Sponsors must review and edit all documents before submission. An individual may be listed as the Principal Author for only one submission. Faculty Sponsors and Principal Authors will receive a confirmation email upon completion of the submission process.

Presentation Formats

• Large Poster: This format is, by far, the most popular. Each presenter (or group) is provided space on a free-standing white board and magnets to attach your poster. Poster presentations summarizing research and scholarship are common in many disciplines. Be prepared to share your results or major findings with many different attendees. Please keep in mind posters sizes are limited to 48 x 36 inches.
• Paper or Spoken Presentation: Selected scholars will be assigned to thematic sessions, usually by discipline. Sessions typically last one hour, allowing each presenter 15-20 minutes. Visual aids may be incorporated, such as slide presentations, etc.
• Creative Work: A project representing the Visual and Performing Arts will be displayed or presented as appropriate.
• Other formats can be considered as applicable to your discipline.

Application Submission

Applicants will upload their submission into text boxes on the application webpage. The Research Committee encourages editing of the description and abstract in Microsoft Word, or other offline word processor, with the final and edited product being cut and pasted directly into the website. The components of the application are as follows:

• Title of the Poster/Presentation (15 words or less)
• Description (50-word limit) - The Title and Description will be used as the description for the presentation in a program guide for attendees that will also include the Author(s), College, Department/Major, and Faculty Sponsor.
• Abstract (300-word limit, excluding references) - Submissions should include aspects of the research that are appropriate for the academic discipline and present a sufficient description of the project. References should not be included in the abstract, as they would count against the 300-word limit. Students should consult with their faculty sponsor about the proper format for abstracts within their discipline. These 300-word abstracts will be read by members of the Research Committee and used to determine the appropriateness of the project for presentation at Scholars' Day. Please read the criteria for selection below. Finalists for Best Project Awards will also be determined by reviewing these abstracts.

Criteria for Selection of Posters, Presentations and Creative Works

Research formats vary according to academic disciplines. Scholars’ Day is an opportunity for researchers from multiple disciplines to share research. Selection criteria includes:

• Focus and Organization of Project
• Clarity of Writing
• Description of Research Method or Research Process
• Statement of Findings

Failure to follow the instructions listed in the Call for Submissions may result in the non-acceptance of submissions.

If you have any questions about how to submit your work for Scholars' Day, please contact Dr. Aaron Baggett at (254) 295-4553.

Review Process

Your application will be blind-reviewed by two faculty members for acceptance (reviewers will not know the principal author or faculty sponsor of the project). Only the principal author will receive comments with the notification of acceptance or revisions-required no later than Tuesday, November 05, 2019. The principal author will be responsible to notify co-authors and their faculty sponsor of submission acceptance or revisions.

Submissions requiring revisions must be received no later than Friday, November 08, 2019.

Select Project Awards

Each Scholars’ Day submission will be eligible to win one of the three awards for best projects. First prize is $300, second prize is $150, and third prize is $75. Awards will be given at a reception following Scholars' day.

Scoring

Each abstract will initially be judged by two people: a member of the Research Committee, and a second faculty member identified as appropriate to judge submissions from the project’s field. These will be blind reviews. Each scorer will rate abstracts using a rubric that evaluates them on four criteria: organization and focus, clarity of writing, description of the research process, and statement of findings. The ratings from the two judges will be averaged into a composite score—these composite scores will be used to determine finalists.

Finalists

The project with the highest composite score from each academic unit will be advanced to final judging. Final projects will be judged on Scholars' Day by a team of Research Committee judges. At this time, a rubric to be used for final judging is still being developed.

Important Note for Projects Involving Human Participants

Research projects involving human participants (i.e., data collected from people or about people) should be presented to the UMHB Institutional Review Board (IRB) for review and approval before data is collected.

Questions about the approval process and whether or not your research project requires IRB approval should be directed to IRB Chair, Dr. Aaron Baggett at (254) 295-4553, email: abaggett@umhb.edu. Download and complete the IRB Application* if required by your project. Below is a list of questions that should help you decide if a project needs to be submitted to the IRB for review. If you answer “YES” to ALL of the questions below, then it is likely that your research project needs to submitted to the IRB:

• Is the research project designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge (i.e., publish)?
• Does the research project involve obtaining information about living individuals?
• Does the research project involve intervention or interaction with the individuals?

Visit the IRB website for additional helpful resources.

*Note: As of September 1, 2018, submission of IRB applications will occur through an online system and will no longer be submitted by email. For more details see the Application and Forms section of the IRB website. A PDF version of the application is also available. It may be helpful to complete all fields offline before submitting the final version of your application.