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Procedures

The Student and Early Career Committee (SECC) of the Society for Research in Child Development is pleased to announce the third annual competition for student funding for dissertation research. Up to five non-renewable awards in the amount of $2,000 (maximum) are given for research proposals that merit special recognition and display the strong potential to contribute to the field of child development. Submissions should be in the proposal stage (i.e., not completed), and money is to be used for research costs or professional development related to the proposed dissertation project. These awards will be presented at SRCD's Biennial Meeting. Award recipients will be acknowledged as part of the Student and Early Career Council (SECC) programming at the 2011 SRCD Biennial Meeting in Montreal. Award recipients also will be featured in a Developments newsletter article.

Deadlines

The deadline for the SECC Dissertation Funding Research Award application is September 15, 2010 by 5 PM EST. Application materials may be submitted after July 15, 2010. Award decisions will be made by February 2011.

Eligibility

1. Only SRCD student members are eligible to apply. Applicants must be SRCD members at the time of application and membership must be maintained throughout the award period. International members are strongly encouraged to apply.
2. Applicants must be graduate students in a field related to child development in good standing with their university and have their dissertation proposals approved by their advisor. Students may apply for the award prior to dissertation committee approval, but funding will not be issued until the research project has been approved by the dissertation committee.
3. Funding is for a dissertation research project that will be conducted during 2011-2012. All awardees must provide evidence of IRB approval for their project to SRCD by May 15, 2011. Funding will not be issued until the research project has been approved by the university IRB.

Process

1. The SECC members and the SRCD Early Career Awards Committee will evaluate all submissions. Evaluation criteria include: (a) quality and feasibility of research proposal (based on significance of the research question, theoretical rationale, methodological appropriateness, and innovation), (b) qualifications of the applicant (based on materials in CV), and (c) the extent to which the award will contribute significantly to the applicant's professional development and productivity.
2. Please submit application materials electronically in PDF format on or before September 15, 2011 at 5 PM EST by visiting the SRCD website (http://www.srcd.org/seccdfa).
3. Please use APA formatting guidelines (6th edition; 2010) and be prepared to include each of the following when applying on-line in one PDF file:
   
   
   • 1-page single-spaced maximum typed cover letter describing your research experience and interests, as well as your career goals. 
   • 1-page double-spaced maximum abstract of the research project. 
   • 6-page double-spaced maximum summary of the research project, including background and rationale, an explanation of research design (methods, analyses, etc.), how the project fits your career goals and interests, and other important aspects of the study (references do not count towards page limit). 
   • 1-page single-spaced maximum brief explanation of proposed use of funds (i.e., budget). Be sure to justify all expenses (no minimum, maximum $2,000). The award must be used to support expenses that are directly related to the dissertation research activities (e.g., animal care, equipment, and participant incentives) or indirectly (e.g., training workshop, consultant fees). A portion of the budget may go towards mentoring and training if necessary to carry out the research proposal (i.e., consultant fees, travel and workshop registrations). It may not be used for personal expenses. List all other sources of funds for this project. Your dissertation advisor must sign this budget form. 
   • 1-page single-spaced maximum time line for completing the project. 
   • Curriculum Vitae including research experience, presentations, and scientific publications.
4. A letter of recommendation from your research advisor is also required. This letter should include a statement of support and approval, attest to the student's primary and major contributions to the research, the feasibility of research study, and explain why the research is worthy of the award. The advisor must comment on the student's academic standing as well as the student's current progress on the dissertation. Letters should be in PDF format and emailed to  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it by September 15, 2010 at 5 PM EST.
5. Award recipients will be contacted in February and announced at the SRCD Biennial Meeting in April 2011. All applicants will be notified of funding decisions.
6. Each award recipient will be asked to complete a brief research status report and feedback form for SRCD at the end of the award period. These forms must be co-signed by their research advisor.
7. Award recipients are requested to acknowledge the SECC Dissertation Research Funding Award from SRCD in any resulting publications from the dissertation project.
8. All application materials must be submitted on-line. Incomplete applications and applications exceeding set page limits and/or not in PDF format will not be reviewed. The deadline for submitting complete applications is September 15, 2010 at 5 PM EST.

Click here to see an example of a successful application from last year's SRCD Dissertation Funding Research Award. Please note that some of the submission guidelines have changed.

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