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2009 CIC SROP Conference

Passport to the Ph.D.

Preparation for Global Leadership

Passport to the Ph.D.: Preparation for Global Leadership

Research Roundtables

Location: Modern Languages Building
Date: Saturday, July 25, 2009
Research Roundtables 1: 2:15 pm - 3:45 pm
Research Roundtables 2: 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Introduction

The 2009 CIC/SROP Conference offers CIC/SROP scholars an excellent opportunity to present a wide range of research from initial research ideas and works-in-progress, to more developed projects. This document includes presentation guidelines and suggestions for preparing your presentation. In addition, it will provide links to examples and online resources.

Presenting your research ideas and efforts at the annual CIC/SROP conference advances your professional development in several ways. For example, you will:

  • Obtain helpful insights, ideas, encouragement, and feedback to help shape your research
  • Gain valuable presentation experience early in your career
  • Extend your professional network beyond your immediate SROP program and home campus
  • Expand your résumé or curriculum vitae
  • Enhance your application for graduate study

If you have not presented research at an academic conference, the CIC/SROP Conference is a good place to begin as it provides a collegial and supportive setting.

Discuss your presentation with mentors, advisors, and SROP staff as you prepare for the conference. They can provide guidance, feedback, and direct you to other resources available to address your questions or concerns.

Participation

All CIC/SROP scholars participate in the Research Roundtables. Roundtables involve small groups of SROP scholars giving oral presentations and answering questions about their research. The purpose of the Research Roundtables is to give you, as student researchers, an opportunity to discuss your research with one another in a collegial and supportive setting while broadening your view of research, scholarship, and creativity. Thus, all roundtable participants are encouraged to join the facilitator in raising thoughtful questions and offering suggestions to colleagues in the research roundtables.

Roundtable Assignments

  • Students will be divided into groups based on the discipline self-selected on their conference registration.
  • The Research Roundtables will be held concurrently with the Poster Presentations. Conference participants will be divided into two groups.
  • For each Research Roundtable session, there will be approximately 28-35 discussion groups of 6-8 students each.
    • A list of the roundtables groups and locations will be included in your conference registration packet.

Facilitators & Format

  • Each roundtable will have 1-2 faculty and/or graduate student facilitators from a related discipline.
  • Facilitators will allow each student 5-10 minutes to present their project and to answer questions. Facilitators are responsible for:
    • Making sure each roundtable participant has an opportunity to present.
    • Keeping discussion going, including asking questions, offering suggestions, and encouraging other participants to do the same.
  • If time permits, discussion may include other research topics (e.g., strategies, current debates) and careers in academia.

Presentation Outline & Supplies

Each student will present a summary of their research following an outline similar to that suggested for poster presentations, including:

  • Title
  • Purpose or objective [what you are researching] Include a thesis or proposition and major points or premises.
  • Rationale or significance [why you are researching this topic, issue, problem] Provide brief background and why the project is important, what it will contribute.
  • Methodology [how you are researching this topic, issue, problem] Library research, lab experiments, interviews, etc.
  • Status of project [where you are at in the research project] Include any problems you've encountered
  • Tentative conclusions, if any
  • Mentor's role in the project

Each student will distribute a one-page handout on your research to roundtable colleagues and facilitator(s). There will be no overhead projectors or computer equipment available for research roundtables.

  • Prepare this handout, based on your research, prior to the conference.
  • Bring 15 copies of the handout to your roundtable. (Yes, this is greater than the anticipated number of participants per research roundtable, but it's always a good idea to bring extras!)
  • If you are also presenting a poster during this conference, consider distributing your one-page handout during that presentation as well.

Questions to be Addressed by Presenters

What are you researching?

State the nature of the issue, topic or problem that you are studying. Include at least 1-2 questions your research addresses and, if possible, state your formal hypotheses (tentative assumptions you are testing through your research).

Possible Headings
  • Purpose
  • Objective
  • Issue
  • Research question
  • Problem
  • Hypothesis
  • Thesis
  • Major points
  • Premises

Why are you researching this topic?

Briefly explain what is known about the issue, topic or problem (background). Also explain why you are researching it. For example, why is it important? Why does it interest you? What new information can you add with your research?

Possible Headings
  • Justification
  • Rationale
  • Motivation
  • Significance
  • Background

How are you researching this topic?

Describe what you are doing and materials you are using, e.g., lab experiments designed or conducted, interviews, surveys, library research/literature review, subjects/populations studied, conditions examined, etc. Also note theories used, developed or demonstrated. (Address what applies to research in your field.)

Possible Headings
  • Methods
  • Methodology
  • Design
  • Study population
  • Research Subjects

What is the status of your research?

Describe the status of your project (e.g., your initial observations [if any] and future directions); or describe your results and your conclusions (e.g., supporting or not supporting your hypothesis). What problems have you encountered? What have you learned? What do you hope to learn?

Possible Headings
  • Current status
  • Progress toward results
  • Results
  • Discussion (interpretation of results)
  • Conclusions
  • Limitations of research
  • Implications

Advanced Questions

Presentations for research beyond the initial stage should include most, if not all, of the following:

  • Statement of the problem or issue
  • Brief background or literature review (what is already known about the problem?)
  • Hypotheses (what you want to test or what you think you will find). Include one to three research questions.
  • Methods (what you did or plan to do)
  • Results (what you found or think you will find)
  • Discussion (what the results might mean)
  • Significance (why is what you are testing important and what new information can it add?)
  • Limitations of research
  • Future research directions

Resources

Publishing and Presenting: NIH Virtual Career Center

A directory of articles on conference posters and presentations, including how to create large-format posters using PowerPoint.

Writing for Specific Fields - The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Several handouts on writing in art history, political science and other fields of study.

Writing a Abstract, Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

This is a workshop on writing technical reports. It covers getting started, understanding report sections, and general technical writing guidelines.

Abstracts, The Writing Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

An abstract is a stand-alone statement that briefly conveys the essential information of a paper, article, document or book; presents the objective, methods, results, and conclusions of a research project; has a brief, non-repetitive style.

Abstracts, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center

This handout provides definitions and examples of the two main types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. It also provides guidelines for constructing an abstract and general tips for you to keep in mind when drafting. Finally, it includes a few examples of abstracts broken down to isolate their component parts.

How to Write an Abstract, University of California-Berkeley

An abstract is a short summary of your completed research. If done well, it makes the reader want to learn more about your research.