2023 Undergraduate Student Paper Competition

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INTERESTED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT AN ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER OR LITERATURE REVIEW ON A TOPIC BOTH RELEVANT AND CURRENT TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE 

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WHO IS ELIGIBLE? 

Undergraduate students enrolled for the Fall 2023 semester at a university or college within the Southwest Region.

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TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED:

• A literature review of a research topic that demonstrates the ability to synthesize current findings and interpret future research needs

• A policy review of a crime-related topic that incorporates an understanding of how policy impacts practice

• A legal analysis of a relevant and current court case

• A research proposal to study a crime and justice-related topic

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​AWARDS:

The authors of the top three submissions may be awarded $150 (1st place), $100 (2nd place), and $50 (3rd place).

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JUDGES:

Judges must be active within SWACJ and will be selected from the updated membership list. Judges may choose to not award any or all of the prizes available depending on the number of entrants and the quality of the papers submitted. 

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JUDGING CRITERIA:

1. The student's ability to synthesize research relevant to their topic

2. The student's ability to justify the proposed study

3. The student's ability to develop an appropriate research design or organize a literature review

4. The student's ability to draw conclusions about their outcomes based on current research/literature

5. The student's ability to write effectively

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ENTRY RULES AND REGULATIONS: 

1. Student(s) must author the paper; no faculty/student joint papers will be considered (although papers co- authored by students will be eligible). 

2. The paper must be an original work; it may be especially prepared for the 2022 SWACJ Annual Meeting or a revision of a paper prepared for coursework at the student’s home university or college.

3. Submissions must be submitted electronically in PDF form via the below form and should be accompanied by a cover sheet affirming that the submission has been reviewed for quality by faculty at the student’s home university or college. 

4. The cover letter must also be in PDF form and specify that the paper is to be entered in the SWACJ Undergraduate Student Paper Competition. 

5. To be considered for competition, entries must be received by October 1, 2023.

6. The paper must conform to the citation and format standard established in the 7th edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) publication manual. 

7. The title page of the paper should include the student’s full name, address, and school affiliation. 

8. The author’s name and affiliation should not appear on any other page of the submission. 

PRESENTATION OF SUBMITTED PAPERS: 

Students are not required to attend the annual meeting or to present their papers to be eligible for the awards. We do, however, encourage students to present their papers in the supportive atmosphere of the Annual Meeting. Students who submit papers for presentation are not obligated to enter the paper contest. The paper competition is strictly voluntary. 

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RECOGNITION OF THE WINNERS AND PRESENTATION OF THE AWARDS WILL BE MADE AT THE GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13

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Please submit your paper using the form provided below. If you are encountering issues using the form, please email your submission to our Webmaster at mesmith8@ualr.edu.