Final Report and Presentations

As part of the Student Summer Scholars Program, each scholar is required to make a formal presentation at Student Scholarship Day.  Many scholars and their mentors will also continue on to make formal presentation, or present papers at regional, national, and international conferences.

In addition to these presentations, scholars are obligated to make a final report.  This report is inclusive of a program reflections, as well as a formal academic paper.  Please note the guidelines below.

Final Paper Guidelines
Narrative Program Reflection
Each student should reflect on their summer research experience and how it relates to their liberal education, as well as their program of study.  A self reflection of your learning, as well as a reflection of the mentoring from your faculty member should be included.  This reflection should be a minimum of 1000 words.

Abstract
The abstract is a brief summary of your paper in about 250 words. The purpose of your research needs to be communicated in one to two sentences. For empirical research, also include a statement about the methodology used or the experimental design followed. The abstract should conclude with several sentences summarizing the primary results and conclusions.

For papers in the humanities, include a statement regarding the major thesis and a sentence for each of the primary ideas explained in the paper.

Be sure to check with your mentor about what is common practice in your field.

Research Paper Length
Each final paper should be of “publishable quality”.  Generally, papers are between 1500 and 4000 words, including references. There is no limit on the number of figures and tables in a paper, though professional standards apply.  Please note that humanities and social science papers tend to be much lengthier.  Consult with your faculty mentor about the appropriate length for your discipline.

Research Format
Papers should conform to the manuscript and documentation format appropriate to the student's discipline (APA, IEEE, MLA, CBE, Chicago, etc.), including the labeling and construction of figures and tables.

References (Works Cited)
All sources referred to (or cited) in your paper must be listed at the end. The format used for this listing should reflect common practice in your field

Plans for Dissemination
All plans for conferences, presentations, or publication must be included as part of the final report.  This is a new requirement for the 2007 S3 Scholars.

Submission Procedure
Submit papers in PDF via e-mail attachment to GVSU Student Summer Scholars at s3@gvsu.edu.