The Consortium on Graduate Communication Research Awards aim to encourage research projects investigating graduate education, particularly graduate communication. As the primary organization for graduate communication support professionals, the Consortium on Graduate Communication (CGC) seeks to recognize the invaluable work of our members and thus the students we collectively serve. By deepening knowledge of graduate student development, graduate student communication, and the pedagogical and institutional supports for graduate students’ success, the CGC Research Awards are intended to strengthen the field of graduate communication support by helping to fund the research and scholarship of our members.
- Up to 2 awards of up to $2500 each are available in 2024. Awards are open to all current CGC members.
- Funds may be used for a range of research needs, including transcription, travel to collect data or conduct archival research, specialized software purchases, compensation for research participants (consistent with the IRB approval), consultations, and more. Funds may not be used for overhead/indirect costs, researcher salaries, computers or office equipment, or conference travel.
Positive Factors for Selection
The Consortium on Graduate Communication Research Awards will be adjudicated by the CGC Awards Subcommittee. Awards are primarily designed to support the research of CGC members and thus are available to active CGC members in good standing. The PI must be a current CGC member; CGC membership is not required for other members of the research team.
Relevance & Potential Impact
- Does the project address an important issue in graduate communication support?
- Is the project likely to spark future research or innovation?
- Is the project likely to impact current practices in graduate communication support at a variety of institutions and program types?
Appropriateness of Methodology
- Do the research approach and design fit with the research purpose and research questions?
- How will instruments be validated?
- Are there concrete plans for data collection, sampling, quality, analysis, etc., based on the research design and approach?
Feasibility
- Does the researcher have the skills and resources available to carry out the project upon receiving the award?
- Is the timeline reasonable?
- Has the applicant demonstrated that the work can be done at the research site?
- How suitable is the research site for this particular project?
To apply, applicants should submit:
- Cover sheet
- Application file: With the exception of the CV, which can be formatted as the applicant prefers, the application should use one-inch margins, double spacing, and Georgia 11 pt font throughout. Submit the following items as one file:
- Abstract which provides an overview of the project, its rationale, and its anticipated impacts (200 words max)
- Project narrative which explains the need for the project and why the CGC member is prepared to carry it out (including any benefits of the research site), the methodology or plan of work (including research design and timeline), and anticipated impacts (including how the research might benefit CGC members in their work). The project narrative should be situated in current literature of graduate communication support. (2000 words max)
- References (no limit; choice of style guide)
- Budget and budget justification which describes resources needed for a successful project. The budget justification should also identify other internal and external funding possibilities that are being pursued, and the status of funding. (no limit, but approximately 1 page each)
- Team bios which briefly describe the relevant experience of any key people, including the researcher, along with a brief description of their involvement in the CGC (200 words each)
- CV of the principal investigator
Contact the Awards Subcommittee with any questions: awards@gradconsortium.org.
Submit your application by April 15, 2024 (11:59 PM PDT): awards@gradconsortium.org.
Awardees agree to:
- have their names listed on the CGC website.
- provide or approve a promotional slide for the upcoming CGC Summer Institute for purposes of promoting the award to future applicants.
- acknowledge the CGC Research Award in any professional presentations or publications.
- share their research at a future CGC Summer Institute.
- submit a final report of progress and a plan to share findings (5 combined pages max) to the CGC Awards Subcommittee by June 1, 2025. For projects that are still ongoing, recipients will instead submit a 1-2 page progress report by that date and a final report after the project is completed.
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