Charles K. “Chuck” Nelson
Student Paper Competition
Guidelines
I. ELIGIBILITY
An eligible paper must be
1. the original work of one or more authors who submit a single paper to one local APICS Terra Grande and/or Heartland District chapter
2. relevant only to the field of operations management
3. written at any time during the school year and/or developed as part of normal class assignments*
4. of no required length, but papers typically range between 10 and 20 pages
5. written in English and conform to style guidelines required by the author’s institution.
*Theses or dissertations are not eligible for submission.
II. PAPER CLASSIFICATIONS
Papers are evaluated in one of two classifications, based on the author’s education level as of May 15 of the academic year.
Graduate students either full-time or part-time
Undergraduate students either full-time or part-time and not involved in graduate course work
Guidelines for Multiple Authors
Papers may have more than one author. The graduate category takes precedence over the undergraduate category if two or more students who are not in the same classification co-write
a submission.
For example, a paper by two graduate students and an undergraduate student will be evaluated in the graduate category.
III. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
1. Students must submit the original, two hard copies, and an electronic copy of the manuscript to their local APICS Terra Grande and/or Heartland District Chapter contact by May 15. Authors should ensure that each copy is an original from the printer and includes all of the pages.
2. All copies should include the completed Student Paper Submission Form as a cover, (pg. 3).
IV. MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES
The manuscript must be
typed in English
on 8 1/2 " x 11" paper
double-spaced throughout (including footnotes, quotations, etc.)
have margins of one inch or more at the top, bottom, and sides of each page.
A. Paper Style
1. Title Page (page 1)
On the first page of the manuscript include in initial capital and lowercase letters
the paper title
all authors’ names
permanent address of contact author
telephone number of contact author
university affiliation
a short statement indicating the authors’ present position, highest degree, and the institution granting that degree
the name of the supporting local APICS chapter
the authors’ APICS membership ID number (if applicable)
the submission classification.
Example
Product Innovations Using Taguchi Methodology in Small Manufacturers
John Smith
123 Elm Street
Boulder, CO 12345
(123) 456-7891
John Smith (B.B.A., Colorado State University) is currently a graduate student in production
management at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado. Colorado Chapter
APICS ID #123456
Full-Time Graduate
No reference to the authors’ names, institutions, or APICS chapter/district affiliations should appear anywhere else in the paper.
Page 1 of 3
2. Abstract Page (page 2)
Repeat the title and include an abstract of no more than 50 words.
3. Manuscript Text
Begin the text on page 2 following the abstract.
B. Headings
Use main headings to designate the major sections of the manuscript. Most papers have three or four main headings. Initial headings, such as INTRODUCTION, are unnecessary. Center main headings on the page in all capital letters.
Examples
MAIN HEADING
Keep secondary headings flush to the left margin, capitalizing only the initial letters.
Secondary Heading
The paragraph (third-order) headings are typed with a standard paragraph indentation and capitalized initial letters. The paragraph heading should be underlined.
Paragraph Headings
C. Tables
Tables should be typed, double-spaced, and included in the body of the manuscript. At the top of each table page, center the word “TABLE” (capital letters) and the respective number (Arabic numerals) of the table.
Center the table title directly under the table number, using initial capital and lowercase letters.
Number the tables consecutively from the beginning to the end of the paper.
D. Figures
The winning first-place papers are usually published in an APICS publication. When submitting graphs, charts, and other figures with the paper, use figures only where they contribute substantially to the reader’s understanding of the text.
In preparing figures allow for a size reduction in spacing and lettering (as much as 50 percent). Submit original artwork for figures in the body of the manuscript and on a separate electronic file. Figures should be consecutively numbered with Arabic numerals. Present each figure with the word “FIGURE” and its respective number centered followed by a short, identifying title in
capital and lowercase letters centered underneath.
E. Bibliography
A list of references cited in the text, commonly known as a bibliography, must be included on separate pages at the end of the paper and numbered and alphabetized by
authors’ last names. Center the word “REFERENCES” at the top of the page. The references must conform to the requirements of the author’s college or university.
The style should be referenced under the REFERENCES title.
F. Annotations
Cite the references throughout the text by enclosing the appropriate reference number(s) in parentheses.
Example
Several studies (3, 7, 10) support this conclusion.
Page numbers are included in the citation only to indicate the source of a direct quotation.
Example
Adams has said, “writing a book is a long and arduous task.” (1, p. 3)
Entries for books or periodicals should conform to the style of the author’s institution.
G. Footnotes
Footnotes are not used for citing references. Rather, they should be used for parenthetical discussion of material that is pertinent to the text.
1. A general footnote relates to the table as a whole and is designated by the word Note
followed by a colon.
2. A specific footnote refers to a table, column, or individual item and is designated by a superscript lowercase letter (a, b, c, etc.) placed by the head of the table or the column to which it refers and corresponding to the footnote for each separate table.
3. The third type of footnote indicates the probability level of tests of significance. Asterisks correspond to the value in the table and the probability level noted at the foot of the table. One asterisk is used for the lowest probability level, two for the next higher, and so on (* p < .05, ** p < .01, etc.).
STUDENT PAPER SUBMISSION FORM
This form must be completed in its entirety and must accompany your submission
I am a graduate student. I am an undergraduate student.
PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE
Title of Submission
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Author(s) Please list all authors followed by their e-mail address
(1)_____________________________________________________________________
(2)_____________________________________________________________________
(3)_____________________________________________________________________
(4)_____________________________________________________________________
Primary Author Name
________________________________________________________________________
Permanent Address (NOT a school address)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
E-mail ________________________________________________________________________
Permanent Telephone Number (NOT a school Number) ____________________________________
Educational Institution ______________________________________________________________
APICS Terra Grande - Heartland District Chapter Affiliation ______________________________________________________________
Prizes
1. A total of $1,600.00 prize money is allotted for the District Contest. It shall be allocated as
follows:
a) First Place Undergraduate and Graduate $500.00 Each
b) Second Place Undergraduate and Graduate $300.00 Each
Judging Criteria Written Presentation Evaluation
1 Underperformer - 5 Top Performer
Form - 40%
1) Concise, informative abstract. 1 2 3 4 5
2) Adequacy of introduction. 1 2 3 4 5
3) Logical development and analytical 1 2 3 4 5
treatment in the body.
4) Adequacy of conclusion. 1 2 3 4 5
5) Clarity and direction in exposition. 1 2 3 4 5
7) Grammar, spelling, style, and choice of words. 1 2 3 4 5
A) Score (Sum Times 40%)
Subject Matter - 60%
1) Originality of ideas, experimental 1 2 3 4 5
procedures, processes, results, or
conclusions due primarily to this author.
2) Originality of analysis, 1 2 3 4 5
interpretation, restatement of
inference based upon the work of
others.
3) Quality and level of technical social 1 2 3 4 5
or management content.
5) Factual and technical accuracy. 1 2 3 4 5
6) Importance to the Operations Management Filed 1 2 3 4 5
B) Score (Sum times 60%)
Total Score (A + B)