Inaugurated in 2001, the Student Paper Presentation (SPP) offers graduate students in both masters and doctoral programs an opportunity to practice key competencies as scholar-practitioners by writing a well-formulated, publishable paper and submitting it for professional review.

Papers may be written on any OD-related topic, and the range of possibilities is intended to be inclusive. For instance, papers may focus on a review and integration of past streams of theory and research, a new synthesis of familiar theories and research results, reports of new research findings, or a reinterpretation of an existing theory based on newly-emerging perspectives.

Papers are reviewed by a committee of senior scholar-practitioners, and a winning paper or papers is chosen from each year’s pool of submissions. The winning paper(s) will be presented in a specially-designated professional forum at Conference 2010 in New Orleans, and the winning authors will be acknowledged at the OD Network’s annual Awards Breakfast there. Winning paper(s) are then published in the OD Practitioner.

Graduate students interested in submitting a paper to the SPP should follow the guidelines below. The deadline for submitting papers this year is July 1, 2010. To be considered, papers must be no longer than 4,000 words.

Papers submitted for the Student Paper Presentation will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Recognition of an OD Challenge or Opportunity (20%).
Defines purpose of the study &/or motivation for the research/paper; Problem and solution are applicable to OD in some way; Application could be industry or location specific (e.g. hospitals; China) or useful in one or more arenas (e.g. corporate, not-for-profit, coaching, self-as-change, etc.).

Documentation (15%)
Well researched; draws on documented theory and/or practice.

Critical Thinking (25%)
Presents ideas, experiences, and learnings that advance the theory and practice of OD; Logical and well-thought out; Utilizes critical analysis.

“Wow” Factor (25%)
Presents a novel understanding or solution to the OD problem/ challenge identified; Suggests creative and innovative concepts/practices or use for OD in a new way or in a new area.

Writing / Style (10%)
Well-written and formatted; Uses “appropriate” voice; Articulates the core argument; Appropriate level for the audience; Uses examples, but avoids over-use of quotations.

Writing / Mechanics (5%)
Use of APA; Punctuation, spelling, grammar, sentence structure are used appropriately; Avoids use of “I” (unless style requires it); APA references and documentation used.

For questions about the program or process, please send an email to 2010SPPP@odnetwork.org . For technical problems, please contact the Webmaster at webhelp@odnetwork.org.

2010 Student Paper Presentation Evaluation Team

Marilyn Blair, Ph.D., TeamWork
Steven Cady, Ph.D., Bowling Green State University
Toni Knott, Ph.D., Alliant University
Matt Minahan, Ed.D., The Minahan Group
Debra Orr, Ph.D., Roosevelt University
Sara Tickler, Tickler and Thomas
Sandra Torres, Aramark Healthcare
Lynne Valek, Ph.D., Alliant University
Jason Wolf, Ph.D., HCA Eastern Group
Therese Yaeger, Ph.D., Benedictine University

Student Paper Submissions closed July 1st (Midnight PDT). Thanks to those who submitted proposals; you will be notified shortly!