SPUR Best Article Award + Honorable Mentions
In making its decision, the SPUR Best Article subcommittee of the SPUR Editorial Board considered excellence concerning the journal’s evaluation criteria, specifically
- Excellence concerning the journal’s evaluation criteria, specifically, “manuscripts that describe novel programs that can serve as models for other institutions, those containing a significant assessment of outcomes, and those articulating research on the efficacy of undergraduate research programs;
- Timeliness (addressing current issues in undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity) and/or timelessness (articles likely to prove valuable over time);
- Broad appeal in terms of generalizability to disciplines and types of institutions; and
- Pedagogical value.
Congratulations to the honorees in the Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Best Article Awards (volume 6).
Best Article
Benefiting Historically Excluded Student Populations Through Targeted Undergraduate Research Programming
Jaclyn Chastain, Santiago Luaces, Melodie Eichbauer, Charles Gunnels
SPUR, vol 6, no 3 Spring 2023.
DOI: 10.18833/spur/6/3/5
The article selected as the Best Paper for the 2022-2023 publication year stands out for its meticulous evaluation of the WiSER program’s impact on historically excluded students. It scrutinizes two pivotal hypotheses: the program’s support for traditionally excluded students and its influence on academic performance, particularly GPA and credit hours. Its rigorous methodology sets this paper apart, comparing WiSER participants with a matched control group from the general student population, ensuring a robust analysis. Moreover, the study’s examination of time-to-graduation further underscores its comprehensive approach. The article’s empirical depth, precision, and direct relevance to student success stand out in academic research.
Honorable Mention
The Genomics Education Partnership: First Findings on Genomics Research in Community Colleges
Paula Croonquist, Virginia Falkenberg, Natalie Minkovsky, Alexa Sawa, Matthew Skerritt, Maire Sustacek, Raffaella Diotti, Anthony Aragon, Tamara Mans, Goldie Sherr, Catherine Ward, Monica Hall-Woods, Anya Goodman, Laura Reed, David Lopatto
SPUR, vol 6, no. 3 Spring 2023.
DOI: 10.18833/spur/6/3/1
This article selected as an Honorable Mention for the 2022-2023 publication year, offers valuable insights into the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) and its expansion into community colleges (CCs). The study’s focus on enhancing research opportunities for underrepresented students is commendable, particularly in the context of limited research capacity and budget constraints at two-year institutions. The findings reveal that CC students’ gains are on par with their non-CC counterparts, showcasing improved attitudes toward science and thriving in the field. The article’s contribution lies in demonstrating how the GEP model effectively supports CC students, providing a blueprint for mitigating research barriers in this educational setting.
The members of the Best Paper Award Committee for volume 6 were Editorial Advisory Board Members Kymberly Harris, Hasitha Mahabaduge, Niharika Nath, and Aaron Sakulich.
Congratulations to the honorees in the Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Best Article Awards (volume 5).
Best Article
Seven Principles for Reimagining UR in the “Next Normal”
Jenny Olin Shanahan, Jeanne Carey Ingle, Jing Tan, Thayaparan Paramanathan, and Kenneth W. Adams
SPUR, vol 5, no. 2, Winter 2021
DOI: 10.18833/spur/5/2/5
The article was selected due to the timeliness and timelessness of its aspirational message and the values which we aspire to as a community, as well as its down-to-earth, practical insights into how to make the needed changes in undergraduate research to achieve equity in undergraduate research.
Honorable Mention
Increasing Students’ Sense of Belonging at Research Conferences
Kendra D. Stiwich and Victoria Ross
SPUR, vol 5, no. 4, Summer 2022
DOI: 10.18833/spur/5/4/5
The article was selected as the runner-up in recognition of the unique and powerful new instrument that the faculty/student author team has developed and leveraged to gain insight into the capacity of a thoughtfully designed undergraduate research celebration to increase the sense of underserved students’ capacity to “be themselves” impacting their professional identity.
The members of the Best Paper Award Committee for volume 5 were Editorial Advisory Board Members Kymberly Harris, Hasitha Mahabaduge, Niharika Nath, and Aaron Sakulich.
Congratulations to the honorees in the Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Best Article Awards (volume 4).
Best Article
BUILDing Equity in STEM: A Collaborative Undergraduate Research Program to Increase Achievement of Underserved Community College Students
Jared Ashcroft, Veronica Jaramillo, Jillian Blatti, Shu-Sha Angie Guan, Amber Bui, Veronica Villasenor, Alina Adamian, Gabriela Chavira, Carrie Saetermoe, Eileen Ie, Bryant Horowitz, Brissa Palacios, Pamela Byrd Williams, Erika Brockman, and Jennifer Moses
SPUR, vol. 4, no. 3, Spring 2021
DOI: 10.18833/spur/4/3/11
Honorable Mention
Academic and Professional Preparedness: Outcomes of Undergraduate Research in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Kelly Kistner, Erin M. Sparck, Amy Liu, Hannah Whang Sayson, Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, and Whitney Arnold
SPUR, vol. 4, no. 4, Summer 2021
DOI: 10.18833/spur/4/4/1
The members of the Best Paper Award Committee for volume 4 were Andrea Tartaro, Chair and committee members: Aaron Sakulich, Hasitha Mahabaduge, Kristin Picardo, and Kymberly Harris
Congratulations to the honorees in the inaugural SPUR Best Article Awards (volume 3).
Best Article
Toward Greater Reproducibility of Undergraduate Behavioral Science Research
Bruce Evan Blaine St. John Fisher College
SPUR, vol 3., no. 1, fall 2019
doi: 10.18833/spur/3/1/2
Honorable Mentions
Preservice Teachers on Their Way to Becoming Reflective Practitioners: The Relevance of Freedom of Choice in Research-Based Learning
Franziska Nikolov, Constanze Saunders, and Heidi Schaumburg Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin/Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
SPUR, vol. 3, no. 4, summer 2020
doi: 10.18833/spur/3/4/6
Reflections on the Evolution of Undergraduate Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions Over the Past 25 Years
Mitchell R. Malachowski University of San Diego
SPUR, vol. 3, no. 2, winter 2019
doi: 10.18833/spur/3/2/5
The decision was made by the SPUR Best Article subcommittee of the Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research Editorial Board.
SPUR Outstanding Peer Reviewer Award
SPUR is delighted to announce the establishment of an annual award recognizing outstanding contributions made by SPUR peer reviewers. Effective, timely, and constructive peer review performed by our volunteer peer reviewers benefits our editors, authors, readers, and, ultimately the greater URSCI community. Our reviewers receive no remuneration; as we use a single anonymized process, they receive no credit. They perform their review work unselfishly outside of their normal work-related responsibilities. Effective peer review is critical to ensuring our published works in SPUR are high-quality and trustworthy resources. The timeliness with which our reviewers respond to our requests ensures that our authors receive feedback in a reasonable time frame and allows us to maintain a consistent production schedule. They evaluate manuscripts with a comprehensive scholarly perspective and know how to constructively frame and deliver critical feedback using language and tone that demonstrates respect for the authors and their scholarly work.
We plan to give this annual award after the completion of each full volume with awardee announced in the last quarter of the calendar year. Awardees will receive formal recognition in SPUR, a plaque, and a 1-year individual membership in CUR if they are not already members or free registration to ConnectUR if the reviewers are CUR members. The awardees will be identified by a committee consisting of the Associate Editors and the Editor-in-Chief. The criteria will include the reviewer’s response time, tone, the quality of the analysis, and the practicability of the reviewer’s recommendations for improvement.
SUBSCRIPTION
SPUR advances knowledge and understanding of novel and effective approaches to mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry by publishing high-quality, rigorously peer reviewed studies written by scholars and practitioners of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry. The SPUR Journal is a leading CUR member benefit. Gain access to all electronic articles by joining CUR.