Call for student papers

We invite students to submit their papers to be considered for the New York State Sociological Association (NYSSA) Student Paper Award, given in recognition of outstanding work by students.

Awards

Two awards are offered, one for the best paper by a graduate student (master's or doctoral level) and one for the best paper by an undergraduate student. Each winner will receive a cash award. Finalists for each award will be expected to deliver their papers at the annual meeting of the NYSSA at SUNY Oswego in Oct. 2 and 3, 2015. All finalists will be notified in writing by early September and winners will be announced at the NYSSA meeting in October.

Eligibility

The competition is open to any sponsored student currently enrolled in Sociology, Criminal Justice, Anthropology or Philosophy courses. Other related fields will be given full consideration.

Specifications

Papers must concern a relevant sociological topic and may be conceptual and/or empirical. Papers should be typewritten, double-spaced and at least 12 pages in length, excluding references. The citations and references must use the ASA style. The author's name, college and program affiliation, sponsoring faculty member, and email address should appear only on the title page so that papers are anonymously evaluated. The second page of the manuscript should include the paper title and a 100 to 150 word abstract.

Submission

Students should submit their work to a faculty member (at their home school) who will screen the papers for quality and insure that they meet these specifications.

Procedures for judging entries

The Student Paper Committee (consisting of faculty members of NYSSA from a variety of schools) will evaluate entries according to the following criteria: scholarly content, critical thinking, clarity of expression and overall professionalism (including style and format). The Committee's determinations will be final.