Guidelines for Submissions

Presentation Formats

Poster Presentation: Poster presentations are the most popular format. 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 poster sizes are limited to 48 x 36 inches.

Oral Podium Presentation: Selected scholars will be assigned to sessions, usually by discipline. Sessions typically last one hour, allowing each presenter approximately 15 minutes for the talk. 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 (music, etc.) can be considered as applicable to your discipline.

Presentation Categories (for judging purposes)

Participants must select one of the following categories for their work based on the college. If unsure about your category, consult with your sponsor. The Scholars’ Day committee uses category information to find expert judges. Presentations typically contain information regarding research question, data collection, data analysis, results, and discussion. Creative productions include original works in music, art, fiction, and poetry. Presentations will be judged within these categories:

Visual & Performing Arts

Humanities

Social Sciences

Natural Sciences

Business

EXSS

Nursing

Education

Christian Studies

Graduate School

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 and 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. Joni Ylostalo at jylostalo@umhb.edu.

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 fewer)

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 or School (from the above categories), Department or Major, and Faculty Sponsor.

Abstract (300-word limit) - 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.

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 Dr. Kris Ward at kward@umhb.edu.

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 be 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?

Review Process/Scoring

Your application will be reviewed by faculty members in your college/school for acceptance. The principal author will receive comments with the notification of acceptance or required revisions. The principal author will be responsible to notify co-authors and their faculty sponsor of submission acceptance or revisions. Abstracts will be evaluated based on organization and focus, clarity of writing, description of the research process, and statement of findings.

Awards

Each accepted Scholars' Day submission will be eligible to win an award that will be announced at the Scholars' Day luncheon. Presentations are judged within the submission categories: