Centennial Honors College

WIU-QC Student Research Virtual Conference

GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION

The 2022 WIU QC & Online Student Research Conference will be held virtually for the entire week of April 25th-29th. The weeklong Research Conference will feature pre-recorded scholarly presentations and creative performances by WIU students, hosted on a special Western Online course page. The conference will conclude with an optional live session on Friday, April 22nd from 2-3PM, followed by a kickoff reception at 3pm for all presenters, mentors, and guests (with refreshments provided) and a special keynote presentation by Dr. Kristi Mindrup, Vice President for Quad Cities Campus Operations.

Register and Submit Abstract

Guidelines for Attending

This year, our Student Research Conference will be hosted virtually through our Western Online course management system. A Western Online Course, called “2022 WIU QC & Online Student Research Conference” will be created in order to provide access to pre-recorded and live presentations of student AND faculty research, scholarship, as well as creative and artistic performances. In order to participate in the conference, an individual having an ecom id and password can self-register for the conference by accessing the course page through Western Online.

Guidelines for Participation

Participation in this year’s WIU QC & Online Student Research Conference is open to all Western Illinois University students. Participants must submit an abstract and participation information, which also confirms that they have read and understood these guidelines, between March 7th and April 22nd, 2022. Please read and refer to the following Submission Instructions before submitting an abstract and participation information. Further questions can be directed to Dr. Jim Rabchuk by email at ja-rabchuk@wiu.edu.

Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in the Student Research Conference, your research, scholarship, or creative work must fall into one of the two categories: In-Progress OR Completed Projects/Papers. Projects may be the product of a single student or a collaborative effort involving no more than four student participants, with one identified as the principal author. All abstract submissions must identity a faculty mentor. 

Participants will be notified that their abstracts were received by return e-mail.

Required Elements

Research, scholarship, or creative activity can be presented in one of two ways.

First, Recorded Presentations, which will be uploaded to the Conference Western Online page, and available for viewing and commenting for the week of the conference.

Second, Live Presentations, which will be scheduled during the hour of 2-3pm on April 22nd on the WIU Quad Cities Campus.

Recorded Scholarly Presentations

Because we are using a virtual format, a single poster is not the preferred method of presenting your research. Instead, it is recommended that your presentation consist of a series of “slides” that tell the story of your scholarly project, and you provide a recorded narration that guides the viewer through the various aspects of your project. The recordings should be no more than 15 minutes long. The following elements generally ensure clarity for your presentation: an abstract; an introduction; a discussion of methodology/steps of the argument; a results/conclusion statement; and an indication of the project’s actual or potential contribution to knowledge, understanding, or appreciation. You will upload your presentation to your YouTube account, and then provide the link to that presentation in a new thread that you create in the appropriate Discussion Forum on the Western Online course page for this conference at the beginning of the week, and presenters must commit to responding to questions and inquiries in response to that discussion thread throughout the week.

Recorded Performances

The Performance sessions are forums for students to display their talents through artistic expression to the WIU community. These performances can be wide-ranging in scope, from musical performances, dance performances, and 2 and/or 3 dimensional artistic objects. You will upload your recorded performance to your YouTube account, and then provide the link to that presentation in a new thread that you create in the appropriate Discussion Forum on the Western Online course page for this conference at the beginning of the week, and presenters must commit to responding to questions and inquiries in response to that discussion thread throughout the week.

Live Scholarly Presentations and Performances

In the live session on Friday, April 22nd at 2PM, each presentation will be allotted 15 minutes during the 1-hour session and should follow the same guidelines as those outlined for the recorded presentations. All presenters scheduled for a given session should be in the assigned room throughout the 1-hour session.

Presentation Guidelines

  1. Abstract: The abstract is a brief synopsis of the entire project described in the poster. Most abstracts are one paragraph in length. The abstract should be understandable without reading the entire poster, and readers should be able to decide if they would like to read the entire poster based on the abstract. The abstract should contain the following elements: the purpose and significance of the research, scholarship, or creative activity; the steps taken to complete the project or activity; and the major findings and conclusions.
  2. Introduction: The purpose of the introduction is to present the hypothesis, thesis, or argument explored by your project. Keep in mind that this is your opportunity to orient and interest your audience. Provide them with context and background and some indication of the rationale, significance, or importance of your study.
  3. Methods, Argument, or Interpretive Approach: Depending on the nature of your presentation, you should describe the methods or procedures or steps that you used in arriving at your results, or the interpretive approach that you employed, or the arguments that you marshal in establishing your point. Keep in mind that your audience is not expected to know as much as you and your faculty mentor know about your topic, and so make every effort to be concise, clear, and complete in your explanation.
  4. Results or Conclusions: In this section you are to summarize the data or conclusions. Where relevant, report the results of any statistical tests, examinations, or studies. Also where relevant, present all your results, whether positive or negative. A table or figure may be useful in some instances in presenting your summary, but it is incumbent on the presenter to explain or interpret the table or figure.
  5. Literature Cited: This section is optional in the poster, unless citations are used in the text. Include only those works cited in the text. Do not cite a work unless you have read it yourself. Cite all of your references in the text and list them in the literature cited section using a format from a journal within your discipline.
  6. Graphics, Tables, Photos, and Other Visuals: Illustrations, tables, figures, photographs and diagrams need to have unique identification numbers and legends. In the text, use the numbers to refer to specific graphics or pictures. In your legends, include a full explanation and, where appropriate, include color keys, scale, etc.

Ethical Authorship

Faculty mentors: Please keep the following modified statement from the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics in mind as you work with students:

"Professional publications or presentations that are based on a student's Honor's or other research project should only be used with the student's permission and list the student as an author, as appropriate."

A Special Note to Those Doing Human Research

If you have questions about your compliance under federal guidelines regarding human, animal, or radiological research, please contact the IRB Administrator, at 309-298-1191 or IRBAdministrator@wiu.edu.

We look forward to seeing you and the results of your work at the Undergraduate Research Conference. Should you have any questions or comments regarding presentation, please contact your faculty research mentor or Dr. Jim Rabchuk at JA-Rabchuk@wiu.edu.