Westphal Student Paper Call

Submissions due by June 2, 2024

Send submissions and questions to Rachel Murdock at rcmurdock@dmacc.edu.

Westphal Student Paper Call - 2024 

Do you have an outstanding student paper or two this year (Undergraduate or Graduate)?

We are looking for both undergraduate and graduate student-written research papers to be considered for the Westphal Outstanding Student Paper Award and be presented at the annual Iowa Communication Association (ICA) convention at DMACC Urban Campus on September 27-28, 2024. The deadline for submission is June 2, 2024. 

Papers may cover any aspect of communication and employ any method of analysis. These may be papers written at any time in the 2023-2024 academic year. Papers should be no longer than 25 typed, double-spaced pages in length plus references. Papers accepted for presentation will be organized into thematic and/or top paper panels for conference presentation.  

The top paper receives the Westphal Student Paper Award, which includes a monetary award and publication in the Iowa Journal of Communication. The award is presented at the banquet at the conference. Students do NOT need be members of ICA to enter, and their convention registration will be waived if it is their first ICA convention. Award recipients also receive a one-year membership in the association.

Depending on the submissions, there may be a single award or both a graduate and an undergraduate award. In the case of a graduate and undergraduate award, the graduate paper is published in the journal. 

Submissions should include:  

• An email from the student (or sponsoring faculty member) articulating the course/occasion through which the paper was created, naming the professor overseeing its development and when the course was completed.  

• A declaration confirming that:

·         If accepted for presentation, the student will attend the conference and present the paper.

·         The paper has not and will not be submitted to any other publication outlets pending ICA’s decision.

·         The paper is the sole work of the student (or students) independently or through mentorship with a faculty member only (faculty members should not be co-authors).  

• A Microsoft Word document containing:

·         The manuscript with any author identifying information being removed

·         A separate title page which includes the title, author(s) and author(s) contact information. (Please be sure to include the separate title page). 

Submissions must be received by June 2, 2024 but are welcomed at any time prior to that date.  

Submissions should be sent to Rachel Murdock at rcmurdock@dmacc.edu.