The purpose of this award is to encourage college students to conduct original research in medical communication and to foster interest in pursuing a career in this field. The award provides an excellent opportunity for students to become widely recognized by professionals in the field and to have their work presented in a national forum and published in the AMWA Journal.
The Student Research Award is targeted to debut at the 2011 Annual Conference in Jacksonville. The award carries a cash honorarium of $500, plus up to $1,500 to cover the following expenses: travel (airfare or mileage) to the annual conference, up to 4 nights lodging at the conference hotel, and reimbursement for poster presentation-related expenses. A complimentary conference registration and a 1-year membership in AMWA will also be provided. The award recipient must create a poster presentation for display at the annual conference and be available to discuss his/her research at the Visit with the Presenters session at the conference. The research report will also be featured in an upcoming issue of the AMWA Journal.
Eligibility
Any student currently enrolled in a degree or certificate program in the liberal arts or sciences at an accredited US or Canadian college or university is eligible.
Undergraduate or graduate students may apply.
More than 1 student can collaborate on the research project.
The student must be sponsored by a faculty member.
The student need NOT be a member of AMWA.
Submission of research results
To apply for the award, students must submit a report presenting the results of their research; the report will be the basis for judging. The research report should not exceed 5,000 words and should be submitted in the following format:
Abstract
Introduction/Background
Hypothesis
Methods
Results
Implications of the findings for medical writers
Conclusions
References
The research report must be submitted along with the completed application form and received by AMWA no later than May 30, 2011. For US mail, include 4 copies of the article and 1 copy of the application form. If submitting electronically, please submit the article and application form as PDF files.
Categories of Research
Hypothesis testing
Surveys
Evaluations of methodologies
Assessments of tools and software programs
Assessments of practices and procedures
Literature and bibliometric assessments
Novel approaches to simplify activities of medical writers or literature analysts
Social implications of medical writing activities
Judging criteria
The novelty of the hypothesis
Clarity and focus of the question to be researched or process to be assessed
Completeness of methodological approaches
Clarity of presentation of results
Logic of problem-solving process
Conclusions versus results
Applicability of findings to the profession
Quality of presentation format
Application
Questions?
Contact Shari Lynn, CMP, Awards Liaison
(301) 294-5303; e-mail: slynn at amwa dot org.
Submission deadline: May 30, 2011. | 
