Winter Research Competition Project Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in The New School's winter research competition. The research competition is open to any current New School student, matriculating in any of the colleges. That being said, good research can be done by just about anyone, and is a worthwhile skill to develop whether you are doing market research for a clothing brand, gathering information for an academic paper, or planning your own career. We welcome any and all contributions, and look forward to the feedback that such a diverse group can provide. The following are some general guidelines and advice regarding the general nature of a research project and how the results will be assessed.

Rules for a Research Project

The most important thing to keep in mind while doing a research project is: Who is going to use this information and what is it going to be used for? Is this information useful? Researchers should pay close attention to the central goal of The Project (Insert Name of Project Document Here), and should understand how their particular research topic fits into that goal. Research which does not further the goals of the project, although it may be interesting, will not earn substantial points in the grading process. If you are having trouble determining whether your research is useful or not, please contact the Competition Organizer Jonathan Leonard leonj726@newschool.edu

For additional feedback, editing, and guidance, please take full advantage of the two opportunities to meet with the Project Organizers: December 3rd (2:00-4:00) 1st Opportunity for Feedback Appointment only December 13th (2:00-4:00) 2nd Opportunity for Feedback Appointment only

Doing a research project may require you to go against many of your meticulously crafted writing styles. If you are accustomed to writing poetically, building a narrative, constructing an argument, or any other such persuasive styles of writing, you may need to substantially alter the way that you present your information. Elaborate prose and colorful vocabulary, although wonderful in the appropriate situation, will not earn high scores. This doesn't mean it needs to be a dry and boring

exercise. For example, theatrical role-playing can be a worthwhile device for determining the value of research. Place yourself into the role of a member of the project. Then try to imagine what you could do with the information being presented. Ask yourself the following questions: How can this information be used for the greater good of the project? Does it actually relate to the specific research topic? Will it lead us to meaningful partnerships? Does it identify any pitfalls or dangers? Is it specific enough to be used? How can it be made more specific? What course of action is it leading the project towards? What didn't turn up in the research, and what are possible reasons for its inaccessibility? Extra points will be awarded for: People's contact information, Interviews with organization representatives, discovery of relevant documents, CITING ALL SOURCES, suggested partnerships, individuals/organizations to avoid, recent activities of relevant actors, survey results, hard data, infographics, maps, GIS shapefiles (.shp), discovery of applicable grants, charts, and graphs. Please see the official Grading sheet for a more detailed breakdown of how your work will be assessed.

Winter Research Competition Assessment Score Sheet

Usefulness & Applicability (21 pts)
Has the Researcher Isolated Specific Organizations/People of interest? Has the Researcher Provided valid contact information or other venues of access? Has the Researcher "Broken the Ice" and called/emailed/met with representatives? (have they provided documentation of these events?) Has the Researcher identified potential dangerous people/places/events/situations to be aware of? Does the research stay on topic? If it deviates from topic, does the researcher provide a logical explaination of why it is relevant? Has the Researcher acknowledged the information which they could not find? Did they list how they attempted to find it? Did they provide theories as to why it is unavailable? Has the Researcher Provided suggestions for how to proceed, and demonstrated knowledge of how these suggestions fit into the greater scope of the project? None 0 A Few 1 A Substantial Amount 2 A Lot 3

Format (9 pts)
The research is presented in a coherent and logical way. (does NOT need to follow classic model of: thesis statement, body, and conclusion) Facts, figures, references to documents, quotes, graphs, pictures, etc are all cited in a consistent format throughout the report. (include active hyperlinks when available) Each acronym used has an explanation of its meaning after its first mention, as well as an entry into a "Relevant Terms" section of the report. Other jargon terminology should also be identified in this section.

Never 0

Sometimes 1

Often 2

Always 3

Presentation (6 pts)
Graphs/Charts/Info-Graphics are relevant, accurate, easy to read, properly cited, and aesthetically appealing. Pages are Numbered, sections are titled, and Appendices are Lettered (i.e. Appendix A). Graphs/Charts/Figures are also presented in separate PDF/Jpg/png file format.

Never 0

Sometimes 1

Often 2

Always 3

Extra Credit (8 pt maximum)

GIS mapping files. Each mapping file will be independently analyzed for relevance and usefulness. See note below for more information on GIS mapping files. Map #2 Map #3 Map #4

Not Relevant 0

Marginally Useful 1

Substantially Useful 2

Very Useful 3

GIS Note: GIS mapping files are files which present a certain data set overlaid onto a map. The most desirable filetype is called a "Shape File" (.shp). Other desirable file types include (but are not limited to): GeoJSON, GDB, TIFF satellite images. JPGs, PDFs, PNGs, and other "static" maps of information may be accepted, but are worth half the points of an interactive file.

Total Score: