Students apply to participate in the WKU Student Research Conference by submitting abstracts for their scholarly activities. Each WKU student is permitted to serve as the primary author on one presentation, poster, performance, video, display, or exhibit. The primary author is the person who presents the work at the conference. If two students collaborated equally on the project, they should be listed as primary co-authors in the submission. Secondary authors are other students who contributed to the project; they encouraged to attend the conference but they don't actually present the work. Students who graduate in December are welcome to present their scholarly works at the spring conference as long as the projects were completed when they were students.
Abstracts are limited to 850 characters including spaces (about 150 words). Students should work with their faculty mentors to draft their abstracts. Students typically revise their abstracts several times before submitting them for the conference. Abstracts are accepted between December 1, 2012 and February 15, 2013.
In addition to the abstract, students are required to submit the following information about their scholarly projects: title of the paper/poster/performance, subject area (business, humanities, interdisciplinary, natural science, social science/services), and equipment needed (such as computer with projector, music stand. Students also submit their personal contact information, the names and contact information for their faculty mentor(s), and the names of secondary student/faculty author(s).
Upon submitting an abstract, the faculty mentor is notified to review and approve the submission. Only those submissions approved by faculty mentors will be considered by the conference scheduling committee. Students are notified by email in early March regarding acceptance or rejection of the submission.
Students may modify or delete their abstracts prior to the submission deadline of February 15. To do so, please go to https://webapps.wku.edu/src/index.php?fuseaction=auth.notLoggedin and log-in with one's NetID and password. Faculty mentors will be notified to re-review and re-approve submissions each time students make revisions. Again, only those submissions approved by faculty mentors will be considered by the conference scheduling committee. Due to time constraints in preparing the conference schedule and program, students are not permitted to modify or delete their submissions after the February 15 deadline.
Submission of an abstract obligates the student to attend the conference should he/she be selected to present the paper, poster, or performance. Accordingly, students must be certain they are available on Saturday, March 23, 2013 before submitting an abstract. Students who are accepted to participate but fail to do so may be barred from participating in future conferences. Failure to present one's work at an academic meeting after being accepted is considered a serious scholarly offense and is not tolerated by professional organizations.
Click here to submit an abstract for the 43rd Annual WKU Student Research Conference on March 23, 2013.
ab-strakt
An abstract is a miniature version of a scholarly paper, poster, performance, video, or exhibit. It is a one-paragraph summary of the main sections of the work. An abstract typically includes an introduction describing the research question, goal, or intent of the project; the methods, procedure, materials, or approach of the project; the results, findings, or product of the project; and a discussion describing the significance, implications, and conclusions of the project. The emphasis on these basic components will vary by discipline. A well-written abstract should make the reader want to learn more about the project.
To learn more about how to write an abstract, visit the "Be an Academic Rock Star" Workshop Series web page in our Resources for Students section. To read student abstracts from previous conferences, click below for the most recent or download other conference programs in our Student Research Conference section.
2013 Student Research Conference Abstracts (0.9 MB pdf file)
