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/srchttp://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 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