Student Paper Competition

The ABA Special Interest Group for the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior (EAHB-SIG) seeks submissions for its annual Graduate Student Paper Competition, which is designed to recognize and promote scholarly activity in the experimental analysis of human behavior.

Who is eligible?

All current graduate and undergraduate students, and individuals who left school less than one year before the submission deadline.

What sort of paper is appropriate for the contest?

Any format (e.g., conceptual, review, empirical) that address issues relevant to the experimental analysis of human behavior, including papers that consider animal research or applied research to draw conclusions or make predictions about human behavior in studies of fundamental principles.

How are winners selected?

Awards are based on blind review by established members of the EAHB-SIG and selected outside experts. All papers receiving favorable reviews will be recognized.

What are the benefits of participating?

A benefit of the competition is exposure to the peer review process. All student authors receive journal-quality reviews, primarily from individuals who serve on editorial boards of the major behavioral journals. Winners also receive a commemorative plaque and an invitation to present a summary of their work at the Association for Behavior Analysis Convention, which is held each Memorial Day weekend in a major U. S. city. In addition, a version or summary of each winning paper will appear in the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin.  Finally, all winners will have their ABA conference registration paid for by the EAHB-SIG! 

Contest Rules

1. The student must be first and primary author. Although advisors may provide conceptual and technical assistance, most co-authored papers will contain too much input from the advisor to qualify as a student paper. Contact the competition coordinator well in advance of the submission deadline if you have questions on this issue.

2. The submission must be accompanied by a letter from the faculty advisor describing the relative contributions of the student and advisor.

3. Recent graduates (less than 1 year post-degree) may submit work conducted during graduate training.

4. The paper should be prepared as if for submission to a journal, and must meet APA publication guidelines. The text should not exceed 30 pages.

5. To facilitate blind review, the title page should not contain any author identifying information. Instead, attach a cover letter stating the title of the manuscript and listing the student author's address
and telephone number (both home and work/school).

6. The submission deadline is usually in mid-September. A Call for Papers usually is issued immediately following the spring ABA conference.

7. The submission deadline is September 4, 2009.

8. Submissions not meeting these criteria may be returned without review.

To Submit a Manuscript

Send 4 copies of the paper to the Competition Coordinator:

Manish Vaidya, Ph.D.
Department of Behavior Analysis
Ave C at Chestnut
University of North Texas Denton, TX. 76203
(940) 369-7961
email: Manish.Vaidya@unt.edu