AMEC $5,000 Scholarship for Academic Research – Full Submission Details AMEC announcement of Academic Scholarship Entry deadline Submission Submission Guidelines Terms and Conditions AMEC announces Academic Scholarship for Evaluation Research AMEC is is proud to announce a Scholarship for Academic Research in Evaluation of Communication. The significant scholarship will be awarded annually to an academic researcher who contributes innovative research findings and thought leadership in the field of measurement and evaluation of communication. The recipient of the scholarship each year will be invited to give a 30-minute main hall presentation to the AMEC Global Summit and will receive US$5,000 towards travel and accommodation costs. The recipient will also receive free registration to attend the Summit worth more than US$2,000. In announcing the scholarship, Global Managing Director of AMEC, Johna Burke, said: “As the preeminent professional body internationally representing organisations and practitioners who provide research and analysis for evaluation of communication, AMEC collaborates with academic as well as industry researchers in setting standards for excellence and providing advice to members. As part of this, we want to help bring the best of academic research in the field to the fore at our major global event.” Chair of the AMEC Academic Advisory Board, Distinguished Professor Dr Jim Macnamara said “a barrier to industry accessing academic research, which is an important contribution to the advancement and maturing of a field, is that universities provide some financial support and time for academics to attend and present their work at academic conferences. But they do not give academics any support to travel to and register for industry conferences.” The scholarship will be based on submission of a research paper of up to 5,000 words to a judging panel made up of senior academic researchers and industry leaders in the field of measurement and evaluation of communication. Academic members of the judging panel will be nominated by the Academic Advisory Group to AMEC. Industry members will be nominated by the Board of AMEC. In addition to awarding the $5,000 scholarship, AMEC will invite three runners up to give a 20-minute presentation based on their paper to an AMEC webinar on measurement and evaluation. Please carefully read the deadlines for submissions, Submission Guidelines, and Terms and Conditions. ENTRY DEADLINE Submission deadline: 12 January 2024, 5 pm GMT/UTC Winner and runners up announced: 12 February 2024. SUBMISSION Papers and cover sheets in accordance with the following submission guidelines should be submitted to juliewilkinson@amecorg.com. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES De-identification Papers entered must be de-identified. The name/s of authors must not appear on the paper and author and institution details should be removed from ‘Properties’ of the document. A cover sheet should be submitted separately with: Title of the paper; Author/s name; Academic title (e.g., Assistant Professor, Senior Lecturer, etc.) University affiliation; E-mail address; Weblink to author/s’ university profile/bio page. Formatting An abstract of 100 -150 words; Sections including an introduction to the topic; literature review; methodology; findings; conclusions; and recommendations. Customized section headings may be used provided these elements are covered. Times New Roman 12 point for body text; Headings and sub-headings may be larger; 5 line spacing; Double space between paragraphs; Numbered pages; Endnotes are preferred rather than in-text referencing; Endnotes can be in APA 7th edition, Harvard, or another referencing method provided the method is consistent throughout the paper. Style In terms of style, authors should bear in the mind that the audience at the AMEC Global Summit and AMEC members are mainly practitioners. While explaining research methodology and conforming to rigorous standards, authors should place focus on knowledge translation to practice and how findings can be applied. TERMS AND CONDITIONS Eligibility The scholarship is open to any researcher with a formal full-time or part-time affiliation with a university or academic research institute. This includes tenured, fixed-term contract, and formal honorary positions. To verify this, a web link to the author’s institutional profile must be provided on the cover sheet. Publication AMEC does not publish academic papers. Authors are free to submit their papers for academic publication, but AMEC requests first use to avoid identification of authors during blind review. AMEC welcomes summaries of research findings and articles related to evaluation of communication for publication on its website. These should be written for a broad practitioner audience, up to 2,000 words with embedded weblinks rather than academic referencing. Inquiries to johna@amecorg.com. Multiple authorship If multiple authors submit an entry, the scholarship funds and invitation to present the winning paper at an AMEC Global Summit will be provided to the lead author. If more than one co-author wishes to attend the AMEC Global Summit, it is up to the co-authors to share the scholarship funds and the allocated presentation time. Judging The judges will remain anonymous. The judging panel will be made up of at least two senior academics nominated by the AMEC Academic Advisory Group and at least two senior practitioners nominated by the AMEC Board. The judges’ decision will be final in terms of the scholarship and invitations to present at an AMEC Global Summit and/or in AMEC webinars. In addition to awarding the $5,000 AMEC Scholarship for Academic Research in Evaluation of Communication winner, AMEC will invite three SAREC runners up to give a 20-minute presentation based on their paper to an AMEC webinar on measurement and evaluation. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Papers should be presented as follows: Times New Roman 12 point for body text; Headings and sub-headings may be larger; 5 line spacing; Double space between paragraphs; Numbered pages; Endnotes are preferred rather than in-text referencing; Endnotes can be in APA, Harvard, or other referencing methods provided the method is consistent throughout the paper; All papers submitted must be de-identified, with a separate cover sheet containing author details. Names of the author or authors should not appear on the paper and author and institution details should be removed from ‘Properties’ of the document. In terms of format, authors should present papers with: An abstract of 100 -150 words; Sections providing an introduction to the topic; literature review; methodology; findings; discussion; and conclusions. Customized section headings may be used provided these elements are covered. In terms of style, authors should bear in the mind that the audience at the AMEC Global Summit are mainly practitioners. While explaining research methodology and conforming to rigorous standards, authors should place focus on knowledge translation to practice and how findings can be applied. TERMS AND CONDITIONS The scholarship is open to any researcher with a formal full-time or part-time affiliation with a university or academic research institute. This includes tenured, fixed-term contract, and formal honorary positions. If multiple authors submit an entry, the scholarship funds and invitation to present the winning paper at an AMEC Global Summit will be provided to the lead author. If more than one co-author wishes to attend the AMEC Global Summit, it is up to the co-authors to make arrangements to share the scholarship funds and the allocated presentation time. Only de-identified papers will be accepted, with author details provided in a separate cover sheet. AMEC reserves the right to reject papers that identify the authors. The judges will remain anonymous. The judges’ decision will be final in terms of the scholarship and invitations to present at an AMEC Global Summit and/or in AMEC webinars. Authors of all submitted papers including those presented at the AMEC Global Summit and AMEC webinars are free to publish their papers in academic journals, but AMEC requests first use to avoid identification of authors. SUBMISSION KEY POINTS Only papers, in accordance with the above submission guidelines should be submitted. The final deadline for submission is Friday 12 January 2024. All submissions should be e-mailed to: juliewilkinson@amecorg.com, we will acknowledge receipt of your submission once received. Judging will be completed by Friday 15 February 2024 in order for winners to be notified by the end of the month.