Abstract Guidelines
Should your abstract be one of the top 10 in your academic area, you will be required to submit your paper. You must be the sole author of your paper's text, though the research may have been conducted collaboratively. (Other contributors to the paper may be thanked using a first-page footnote.)
- The abstract must be typed (10-12 point font only), and single-spaced so as to fit one standard sheet of paper.
- Margins must be no less than 1 inch on all sides (top, right, left and the bottom of the page).
- At the top of the page, please list only the title of the paper, centered, in title case. Do not list your name, your advisor's name, or your department on the abstract, as papers will be selected by a blind review process. Do not include in the abstract any information that could be used to identify you.
- Abstracts should be a minimum of 250 words long, and a maximum of 500 words.
- You should include the following information in the abstract: (a) Purpose of the study/piece; (b) Research method; (c) Findings; and (d) Implications. These categories may need to be adjusted to fit your particular research and the scholarly traditions of your field. For example, you may need to be explicit about the theoretical perspective underlying your research.
- Abstracts will be evaluated based on the quality of the writing and the research. This includes the purpose of the research, the research design and procedure, the theoretical and/or practical significance of the findings, the conclusions, and any other content.
- Abstracts will be evaluated in the academic area you select from the 10 college clusters and one additional theme area, "Energy and the Environment." In determining the area in which you will submit your abstract, the primary factor to consider is the subject matter addressed by your research, not necessarily your area of enrollment. For example, a paper from a graduate student in Comparative Studies might be evaluated within Arts, Social and Behavioral Science, or Mathematical and Physical Sciences rather than in Humanities.
- Students may only submit a proposal to one academic area. Students may only submit one proposal. Students' work will be evaluated by professionals from the general academic area, so proposals need to be understood by those in a fairly broad range of related fields. This ability to explain complex material in a clear and convincing way is part of the judges' consideration.
- The online application (including the submission of an abstract) must be submitted by 4:00 pm on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 as a Word File (.doc). We cannot accept applications submitted in any other way. The abstract application can be found here.
- If you have any questions regarding submission, contact Lea Popielinski at popielinski.1@osu.edu.