Creative Research Project Guidelines
Subject Areas
Students may submit a paper on any topic, provided that the student has worked with a faculty mentor from SUNY Orange throughout the course of completing that research paper, poster, or project.
Note: If a student has completed research with a mentor from another institution through a program sponsored by SUNY Orange, please contact Michele Iannuzzi Sucich (at michele.iannuzzisucich@sunyorange.edu) to determine if that research is eligible for presentation at the SOARS Conference.
Approach
The methods and tools of research/analysis will vary from discipline to discipline. For example, field work might be part of an anthropology presentation while lab reports might be featured in a scientific or technical paper. All submissions must show the results of research, reflection, and an original perspective. Students should work closely with their mentors early on to determine the appropriate nature and scope of their research.
Criteria
Students' work will be evaluated on the quality and originality of the research, as well as on the written submission. Mentors will receive feedback on the written component of the submission from faculty readers by mid-February. Students, in collaboration with their mentors, then have the option of making revisions to their written work before presenting it at the conference in mid-March. This deadline for feedback also will allow students interested in submitting a written paper to the regional Beacon Conference to use this feedback in preparation of their written work for the Beacon annual submission deadline in March.
Guidelines for Research
- Research must include reputable, academic sources.
- As with any research project, you are responsible for evaluating source material and ensuring the selection of credible sources. For example, Wikipedia is not considered a credible source because anyone can provide information to that website.
- In general, follow the guidelines of the particular discipline in terms of the expectations
for scholarly research
(i.e., for the sciences, peer-reviewed primary sources from scholarly journals). - The method of documentation should be whatever is appropriate to the discipline (i.e., MLA for the Humanities, APA for the Social Sciences, CMS for History)
Length of Presentation
For creative research projects that involve a performance (example: dance or song), the performance should be limited to a maximum of 15 minutes.
Submission Requirements
Students wishing to present a project may submit any of the following:
- 200-300 word abstract
- Examples: An abstract describing an architectural model or a painting
- Research paper
- Slide presentation
- Examples: Google Slides or PowerPoint
- Poem
IMPORTANT NOTE: Guidelines are provided below for submission of each of the above noted formats
If Submitting an ABSTRACT, include:
- A title page
- A 200-300 word abstract describing:
- a statement of purpose (thesis)
- a description of the work (the project you will present)
- the nature of the presentation (oral presentation, model or artwork for display, dance, song, etc.)
- a list of the outside source material used (work cited page, reference list, or bibliography)
Note: Students presenting a creative research project such as a model or a painting are required to submit their title page, abstract, and list of source material by the December submission deadline. The actual project (model or artwork) is NOT due by the December submission deadline. The actual project should be completed in conjunction with a faculty mentor prior to March 1st. After March 1st, the Undergraduate Research Task Force will follow-up with mentors to verify that projects are complete and satisfactory for presentation.
If Submitting a PAPER, follow these guidelines:
- Include a title page
- Minimum 3 double-spaced pages of text
- The method of documentation should be whatever is appropriate to the discipline (i.e., MLA for the Humanities, APA for the Social Sciences, CMS for History)
If Submitting a SLIDE PRESENTATION, follow these guidelines:
- Include a title slide
- Create slides that are visually appealing
- References must be included
- The method of documentation for the “References” or “Works Cited” slide should be whatever is appropriate to the discipline (i.e., MLA for the Humanities, APA for the Social Sciences, CMS for History)
If Submitting a POEM, follow these guidelines:
- Describe the work and the research that inspired it
- Provide a reference list
- For example:
- "This poem represents the voices of three writers and their commitment to the struggle
for equal rights for women in the 19th century. The poem was inspired by research
about the lives of these writers as well as selected works."
... And then the poet would give a list of references consulted.
Format of Written Submission
- The abstract or paper must be typed (Times New Roman font size 11 or 12 or Calibri font size 11, double-spaced), with left-hand margin of 1” and at least 1” top, bottom, and right.
- The title page must include:
- student’s name, home address, e-mail address, and phone number
- title of paper
- title of course for which the paper was written or project was created, or a statement that the work was done independent of a course
Submission Process
- Each paper, brief, project, or poster must be submitted electronically to Michele Iannuzzi Sucich at michele.iannuzzisucich@sunyorange.edu.
- Each individual submitting to the conference must complete the submission form found on the SOARS web site.
- An e-mail from the faculty mentor must be sent verifying approval of the submission.
Submission Deadline: Please see the Dates to Remember Page for the current submission deadline.
