Research Week 2021: Guidelines

Submit Your Abstract for Research Week

The portal for abstract submission opens on Nov. 2, 2020, and closes on Feb. 26, 2021. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance three weeks after submission of their final presentation product.

Abstract submissions have a size limit of 10MB and the only file types that are accepted are Word, PPT, and PDF.

The final products (poster presentations, oral presentations, 3MT presentation slide, program notes, script/score, performance review, list of equipment, digital images, research notes, and/or entry information) are due March 15, 2021.

Abstract Submissions

Submissions will be accepted from both residential and online students (Graduate or Undergraduate) with the approval of a faculty sponsor (required). The approval process for your self-selected faculty sponsor is embedded in the submission portal which will be available here when the call for submissions opens. Students must submit an abstract using the abstract template through the Research Week submission portal for all presentations. Researchers may compete in the physical poster, oral, three-minute thesis, juried art, and/or performing arts presentations as detailed here:

Physical Poster Presentation (Residential or Online Students)

Print poster presentations must conform to the poster presentation guidelines for graduate students and undergraduates. Please follow the templates provided. Please choose landscape orientation or portrait orientation templates. Students must be physically present to compete. Please be prepared to select one of the following five research subtypes when submitting your proposals: Basic, Applied, Theoretical Proposal, Textual or Investigative, or Creative and Artistic (descriptions below).

Oral Presentation or Creative Work Presentation (Residential Students)

PowerPoint presentations must be created following the oral presentation guidelines and using any of the 16×9 PowerPoint background slides. Presentations should be limited to 15 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for questions and answers. Please be prepared to select one of the following five research subtypes when submitting your proposals: Basic, Applied, Theoretical roposal, Textual or Investigative, or Creative and Artistic (descriptions below).

A Remote Oral Presentation (Online Students)

Remote presenters must have access to these technological requirements. PowerPoint presentations must be created following the oral presentation guidelines using any of these 16×9 PowerPoint background slides. Presentations should be limited to 15 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for questions and answers. Be prepared to select one of the following five research subtypes when submitting your proposals: Basic, Applied, Theoretical Proposal, Textual or Investigative, or Creative and Artistic (descriptions below).

Please review this video created by the Jerry Falwell Library on Best Practices for Giving Virtual Presentations.

Juried Art Exhibition (Residential or Online Undergraduate SADA Students)

All submissions must be original artwork (2-D, 3-D, Graphic Design) produced by the student. All juried artwork must follow the Juried Art Exhibition guidelines. Awards will be given for first place, second place, third place, and judge’s choice. All presentations will be judged based on the Juried Art Exhibition Rubric.

Performing Arts Presentation (Residential Students)

A music performance, theatre performance, or film. The music performance may be an existing composition or a new composition. The theatre performance may be based on an existing script or a new script. The film must be a new original film. The performance or film may be up to 15 minutes in length, with 5 additional minutes for questions. All presentations must follow the Performing Arts presentation guidelines. All presentations will be judged based on the Performing Arts Rubric.

Three Minute Thesis Competition (Residential Students)

An 80,000 word Ph.D. thesis would take 9 hours to present. Your time limit… 3 minutes. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. This will be an opportunity for students to concisely summarize and clearly communicate a well-conceived thesis/dissertation project, compelling data collected, and a novel story to share. The ability to do this in three minutes or less allows the student to develop academic, presentation and research communication skills. Graduate or undergraduate students must be near to or already completing a thesis or dissertation. They must also be physically present to compete.


Rubrics

Submissions will be accepted for oral and poster presentations based on the following five research subtypes (descriptions provided) and will be judged based on corresponding rubrics.

  • Basic Rubric
  • Research in this area seeks to identify and develop a fundamental research question regarding the nature of one’s field of study (e.g., human behavior or genetic manipulations of E coli). These studies successfully experiment with one or more manipulated variables, then analyze the collected information to answer the research question. Typically, these studies will employ the experimental method and are often conducted in a controlled, laboratory environment.

  • Applied Rubric
  • Applied research studies aim to better understand or solve real-world problems. They employ quantitative, qualitative, or mixed research designs to answer a research question/problem. These studies often utilize quasi-experimental, correlational, qualitative, or case study research designs and will lead to implications for practical application. Alternatively, these studies use discipline appropriate research methods to define a problem and explore solutions to the problem to ultimately provide a possible solution or partial solution to the problem.

  • Theoretical Rubric
  • Theoretical research provides a synthesis of guiding theories and extant empirical literature, artifacts, or other evidence to develop new frameworks for future research. Theoretical proposals may include basic, applied, textual or investigative, creative and artistic research. Research has not been conducted in this category, but suggestions for future areas of research should be included.

  • Textual or Investigative Rubric
  • Research that investigates texts, artifacts, and documents without changing any variables. Typically this research critically engages texts, artifacts, or documents to prove a thesis, association, pattern, relationship, or previously unobserved significance. Sample fields may include History, Philosophy, English, Biblical Studies, Humanities, Theology, Journalism, Law, and Government.

  • Creative and Artistic Rubric
  • Research that discovers and critically evaluates source material in an art project for a public audience. Researchers typically work systematically to create new forms of articulation and expression. Sample fields may include Digital Arts, Worship, Music, Cinematic Arts, FACS, Theater, and Communications.