Student Research Conference 2011

1. Student Research Conference 2011 Submitting a Research Conference Proposal

2. Choosing a topic • The conference is a forum for all types of research related to education • Quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods • Pilot studies are fine • Preliminary or interim results are welcome • Reviews of theories or issues • Ideas leading up to research proposals

3. Presentation formats • Individual papers • Will be placed in panels with other papers • Multiple authors or teams are okay • Presentations, questions, discussion • Roundtable discussions • Will be grouped with others to form a table • You may apply for a specific faculty member • Or preformed groups may submit jointly • Or you will be assigned to a session with other students • Brief presentations, extensive discussion • Poster sessions • Presented along with many others

4. Writing a conference proposal • Proposals are brief! You must be concise. 100 word abstract 500 word proposal (2 pages) • A good proposal will have: • A clear statement of topic or problem • A connection to existing or related research • A description of the study design and research methods • A hint at the findings or anticipated results • Implications for research, theory or practice

5. Clear statement of your topic • What is the topic or project you will be presenting? • What research questions will you address? • State at least one research question • Or state a problem or position statement • Keep this simple and clear

6. Set the context for your study • Conceptual background for your work • Relate your work to other studies or literature • Identify the main issues or ideas you will address • Include some citations • Show that you have done some homework

7. Design and methods • Type of research? • Pilot study, lit. review, case study, ethnography, intervention, synthesis of research or theory, an explication of a theory • What data will you use? • Interviews, observations, questionnaires, results from other studies • What methods will you use? • For collecting data • For analyzing data • For lit reviews or theoretical papers: how will you address other perspectives and counter arguments?

8. Findings / Conclusions • Anticipated findings • Preliminary findings

9. Discussion and implications • How will your findings contribute to the field? • Link your work and your anticipated findings back to the literature and your research questions • What implications might there be? • For further research • For theory • For policy • For practice • Make this intriguing, but do be humble!

10. Writing a conference proposal(A summary) • A good proposal will have: • A clear statement of topic or problem • A connection to existing or related research • A description of the study design and research methods • A hint at the findings or anticipated results • Conclusions and implications

11. Criteria for evaluation of proposal • A committee of students will review the proposals • Follow the recommended outline! • You may be asked to “revise and re-submit” • You may be asked to switch to another format

12. Getting help • Check the Student Research Conference resources: • Web site: http://gseacademic.harvard.edu/src • Also: • Attend other workshops on preparing your talk, presenting, writing for publication • Talk with others about your idea • Ask faculty members and other students

13. Good Luck! • Proposals must be submitted via the SRC website: http://isites.harvard.edu/hgse_src • Proposals accepted starting December 12 • Deadline is Friday, January 8, 2009 • Prepare your proposal ahead of time so you can paste it onto the forms on the website. • Select the format (poster, roundtable, panel) Then just fill in: • Title • Abstract of 100 words • Proposal of 500 words • See you at the conference on • Friday March 26, 2010