Research Competition and Scholarship Outline
Idea: This Year 10 Research Competition aims to support the cultivation of research skills at MHS, foster interest in research and scientific leadership, and increase the competitiveness of recipients for university-level applications.
The competition: We want you to create an original research proposal to investigate a research question in your field of interest (e.g. medicine, architecture, agriculture, engineering, law - a research topic beyond the Year 10 curriculum). Your research proposal will be presented as a conference-style poster that includes a 2-minute digital oral summary - you can find a template with further instructions and supporting resources on this page.
The posters will be presented to a judging panel that includes Old Boys with experience in their chosen fields. The judging will be followed by an evening presentation event for the school community held in conjunction with the Year 10 to VCE Parent Information Night held in Term 3.
Eligibility: The Research Competition will be open to all current Year 10 MHS students with an interest in research and considering pursuing Extended Investigation at a VCE level. The Research Competition prize winners will receive a cash prize. In addition, they will be offered a Scholarship in the form of mentorship, and an additional $500 cash prize, if they pursue VCE Extended Investigation at MHS in the following year.
Timeframe: Official launch at Junior Assembly on Friday 9 June.
A Research Competition community presentation evening will be held in Term 3 (with the date to be confirmed). Your attendance at this event is optional and does not affect your eligibility to win.
Project outcomes:
• The development of research capabilities in high-achieving MHS students.
• To showcase the work and talent of MHS students to a wider community and demonstrate that MHS is working to extend students through research initiatives.
The prize and scholarship:
• In 2023 – 2x Research Competition prizes valued at $500 each, awarded to the top two submissions.
• In 2024 – an additional 2x Scholarships valued at $500 each plus mentorship from Dr Mark Ranasinghe for the winners if they pursue their research interest in Units 3&4 Extended Investigation at MHS.
Our thanks go to Old Boy Dr Mark Ranasinghe, for initiating and funding the Research Competition and Scholarship, and his ongoing support to promote research skills and Extended Investigation at MHS.
Conference-style poster
Developing a Research Question (as your title)
FINDING YOUR PASSION IS THE KEY TO A RESEARCH QUESTION YOU WILL BE COMMITTED TOO.
To start your journey in finding a pertinent, robust question, our resources should help. Remember to choose a topic you're interested in. One in which you can see has a gap in existing knowledge. Your question needs to have depth and meaning whilst aiming to fill this gap with your research discoveries.
Devising a research question that requires a detailed inquiry and that is of significance. How and Why?
Source Monash University, access the full resource here.
Introduction - maximum 300 words
You may wish to include 2 sections - an Introduction paragraph and concise Literature Review paragraph(s).
Why use 2 sections ?
Introduction - use anecdotal evidence or a narrative to introduce your research and argue why your research is significant and worth researching.
Concise Literature Review - provides an overview of existing knowledge in the form of current academic literature in your particular field of research.
To find current academic literature it is advised that you access databases.
Access MHS subscription database EBSCO here, or use the State Library of Victoria (SLV) for its' extremely comprehensive curator of digital resources. With an enormous budget they are able to offer hundreds of databases to assist you. Just click on the 'Search and Discover' option to reach the databases.
Join up and GET INSTANT ACCESS. You can do this online by clicking here.
One of the most comprehensive Databases from the SLV is ProQuest.
It is expected that you will use a minimum of 2 pieces of academic literature to be included in your literature review.
Choosing a proposed method and creating a method diagram
The NOBA paper on research design is a summary of the major research methods, browse and consider which method will be the best fit to collect data and answer your research question.
Creating a digital oral summary
How long? Approximately 2 minutes
What should I include?
You should introduce yourself and explain your passion for choosing your topic/research question.
Potential questions you could use to create content for your digital oral summary;
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What have been the high and low points of the the research competition?’
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What is the most important thing that you learned?
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What was your greatest challenge and did you overcome it?
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What was the most valuable experience that you took away from the research competition?
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Would you like to continue reading on this topic?
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What questions did this process raise?
Record your oral presentation. It is simply you talking and you may opt to include your poster.
Upload the video to a digital platform (like YouTube or Vimeo) to generate a url.
Use the url to create a QR code and place it on your poster.
Referencing expectations - In-text citations and a bibliography in APA
APA is an author-date referencing style with two key components:
- Citations in the text, including the name of the author and year of publication.
- Bibliography at end of the paper, alphabetically listing of all citations used in the text.
The purpose of referencing:
- to acknowledge the source
- to enable the reader to trace the sources.
Further and detailed instruction on creating a bibliography or in-text citations can be found here
Support for the Research Competition
Entering the Research Competition
Entries due Friday 28th July @10pm.
Save your poster as an A3 size pdf.
Email your pdf to monica.morscheck@mhs.vic.edu.au
