Undergraduate Research Award

Requirements

• RESEARCH STRATEGIES REFLECTIVE ESSAY

  A 500-1,000 word reflective essay addressing 3 themes:

  • PROCESS
    Outline strategies employed in your research. •
    • What strategies did you use for conducting your search for information? How did you begin, and how did you proceed?
    • Did your approach for finding information change as you learned more about your topic? If so, how? Did anything cause you to redirect or rethink your strategies?
    • What did you learn about the research process as a result of this experience? How will it inform your work moving forward?
  • SEARCH STRATEGY
    Describe your overarching methodology in information sourcing.
    • What was your overall approach to finding information on your topic?
    • If you encountered any “roadblocks” or “dead ends” in finding information, how did you navigate them?
    • If you had difficulty finding sources for information you needed, how did you fill in those gaps?
    • What specific search techniques and vocabulary did you use?
    • How thorough were you in searching for information? Were you able to uncover unique or hard-to-find sources on your topic?
  • RESOURCE USE
    Elaborate on your discoveries regarding research tools and techniques.
    • What specifically did you discover about tools and techniques for research?
    • What library resources or services did you utilize for this project?
    • Library resources and services may include but are not limited to: research guides, article databases, Graceland Libraries search, monographs, media, archives and special collections, reference and consultation services (in person or online), subject librarians, and interlibrary loan.
    • What did you learn about finding and evaluating information on your topic or in your discipline? How did you go about selecting the most appropriate sources for your research project? What criteria did you use?
• RESEARCH PROJECT

  We accept a variety of research projects for consideration for the Library Research Award. It is acceptable to submit projects created for any Graceland class assignments, as well as projects completed outside of class. Accepted project formats include but are not limited to:

  • • Written research essays or papers
    • Senior thesis, honors or capstone projects
    • Multimodal projects
    • Podcasts
    • Websites
    • Documentaries
    • Performances (video submission)
    • A speech (written copy and video of delivery)
    • Research posters
• BIBLIOGRAPHY

  When preparing your bibliography, keep in mind these points:

  • Format your bibliography using a style guide appropriate to your project’s discipline. See our Citations and Writing Guide for help using APA, CBE, Chicago and MLA style guides.
  • Cite all sources you used, even if you did not directly quote from them.
  • Review your project and make sure each in-text citation has a corresponding reference in your bibliography.
  • For long bibliographies, subdividing your sources into categories may be helpful, although an alphabetical list is also acceptable.
• INSTRUCTOR SUPPORT LETTER

  Submit a letter of support from your course instructor or academic advisor. This letter should provide an assessment of your use of research strategies and tools in your project, and how it fits into your discipline.