PROMPT
Select an interdisciplinary research topic and produce a research paper exhibiting intellectual curiosity and creativity. Adhere to the standards of research in approaching the question, research methods, and deriving a conclusion. Consider the following criteria:
- Interdisciplinary Approach - Is the research topic of an interdisciplinary approach? Does the research thoughtfully connect or link at least two distinct disciplines or areas of study?
- Critical Thinking – Is the research question clearly addressed? Does the student demonstrate clear, logical, and critical thinking abilities through a coherent argument? Judges will look at the student’s ability to analyze and discuss the information presented in their paper. Does the student successfully arrive at a clear conclusion?
- Authenticity – Does the research present relevant data and extensive research? Does the paper display student’s originality? Asking for assistance with editing content is acceptable, but all content must come directly from the applicant. Any case of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.
- Scholastic Merit: Does the paper contain an appropriately formatted bibliography? Applicants should adhere to MLA formatting rules for all fields of study. Visual contents such as graphs, tables, or figures should be presented clearly and appropriately cited – if present. Spelling and grammar must be exemplary, as judges will evaluate the quality of each paper before publication. All submission forms must be completed before the preliminary round deadline for any paper to be considered for publication.
JUDGING
Submissions will be judged on the quality of the presentation of research—not on whether the judges agree with the views the student expresses. A panel of judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate and logically organized. Winning submissions must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the topic of research.
RULES & REQUIREMENTS
- Research paper must be written in English only.
- Students must be in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade at time of submission.
- Research paper must be no fewer than 2,000 and no more than 5,000 words in length, double-spaced (excluding the abstract, bibliography, and any footnotes).
- Spelling errors and/or written corrections (by anyone) found in the paper will count against the final grade and should be omitted before submission.
- One entry per student per contest. You must participate as an individual; team participation will not be accepted.
- Research paper must be solely the work of the entrant. Plagiarism will result in disqualification. Writing must not infringe on any third-party rights or intellectual property of any person, company or organization. By submitting a paper to this competition, the entrant agrees to indemnify the SJOIR for any claim, demand, judgment or other allegation arising from possible violation of someone’s trademark, copyright or other legally protected interest in any way in the entrant’s essay.
- Decisions of the judges are final.
- Research papers must be converted to a PDF file and submitted as a PDF file. Please use Times New Roman font, 12 point, 1.0 line spacing, and Normal margins (top: 1” left: 1” right: 1” bottom: 1”)
- File name: SJOIR_RP_name_school_grade