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Are you a faculty member who is teaching one or more sections of the Towson Seminar this semester? Are your TSEM 102 or TSEM 190 students writing a research paper as part of that class?

If you answered yes to both of these questions, you should nominate one top paper from each of your sections for Cook Library’s Towson Seminar Information Literacy Award.

What is the award?

Albert S. Cook Library wishes to recognize emerging research and scholarship with an award for Towson Seminar students.

Instructors may nominate one outstanding paper from each section of their Towson Seminar per fall and spring semester. If an instructor has multiple TSEM 102 or TSEM 190 sections, only one top paper from each section may be nominated. Please note that research papers produced by groups will be evaluated as a composite work rather than individually authored sections.

One student winner will be chosen each fall and spring semester. Instructors and students will receive recognition at an annual award ceremony, an individual award plaque, a $50 prize, and a nameplate on the commemorative plaque kept at Albert S. Cook Library. The winning entries will be placed in an institutional repository to be shared with students, faculty, and staff at Towson University.

What are the award criteria?

Winning papers will be evaluated based on the use of information literacy skills, as well as the quality of research, clarity of writing, and adherence to citation standards.

80% of the evaluation will be based on Information Literacy skills and award-winning papers will demonstrate many of the following qualities:

• Paper is accurate and sources are well-documented.
• Shows analysis, evaluation, and interpretation of sources.
• Incorporates a variety of research sources, including authoritative works from many different areas.
• Places topic in wider disciplinary context.
• Research is balanced, including varying opinions, source types, authors, and levels of scholarship.

20% of the evaluation will be based on the clarity and formatting of the student’s paper and award-winning papers will demonstrate the following qualities:

• Paper is original, transitions are logical, narrative is clear, appropriate, organized, and well-presented.
• Text is clear, grammatical, and spelling is correct; entry is neatly prepared.
• Uses citations in the text and as a bibliography; follows correct citation style.

To see past award winners, visit the Towson Seminar Information Literacy Award Collection in our Institutional Repository, ScholarWorks@Towson.

How does the nomination process work?

Faculty members can nominate a paper by doing the following:

1. Completing this form
2. E-mailing a pdf of the student’s paper to tsemilaward@towson.edu.

We ask that faculty please submit their nominations no later than Friday, June 7, 2019.

Who should I contact if I have questions?

Please e-mail tsemilaward@towson.edu with any questions you may have.