Key Dates


Awards

The QDET2 Organizing Committee Wishes to Congratulate All Our Award Recipients:

Monroe Sirken Innovative Paper Award for Young Scholars of Question Evaluation
Sponsored by National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)

Katharina Meitinger, GESIS
Abstract: Necessary, but Insufficient: Why Measurement Invariance Tests Need Online Probing as a Complementary Tool

Student Travel Awards
Sponsored in part by Facebook

Ann Arthur, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Jan Karem Höhne, University of Göttingen
P. Linh Nguyen, University of Essex
Ana Slavec, University of Ljubljana
Jerry Timbrook, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Diana Zavala-Rojas, Universitat Pompeu Fabra/Barcelona

Developing Nation Travel Award
Sponsored by RTI International

Moses Chicco Banda Aron, Ungweru Organization

Student Paper Award

Ann M. Arthur, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Abstract: Advances in Questionnaire Design for Youth

Monroe Sirken Innovative Paper Award for Young Scholars of Question Evaluation

National Center for Health Statistics

Organizers of QDET2 and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) request submissions for the Monroe Sirken Innovative Paper Award for Young Scholars of Question Evaluation. This award is given to commemorate the pioneering work of Monroe Sirken, who, as the former director of the Office of Research and Methodology at NCHS, established the first cognitive methods program in the U.S. federal statistical system, consisting of the National Laboratory for Collaborative Research in Cognition and Survey Measurement and the NCHS Questionnaire Design Research Laboratory.

Paper topics must pertain to innovation in question design and evaluation research, but might include the following:

  • New methodological approaches for identifying or measuring item response error
  • New theoretical approaches for understanding the question response process
  • Improvements to existing methods for questionnaire evaluation or pretesting

A plaque will be awarded to the author of the winning paper at QDET2, which will be held November 9-13, 2016, in Miami, Florida. Also, the lead author will deliver the paper as part of the conference program. His or her travel expenses for the meeting will be funded by NCHS (if there is more than one author, the travel expenses for only one will be paid).

Eligibility

All authors must be current students (graduate or undergraduate) or have received their degree no more than five years prior to the submission date. Judges will give preference to papers based on research not presented elsewhere or previously published.

Submission

The submission process is as follows:

  1. Authors must submit an abstract (invited or contributed) for their paper to the QDET2 conference by May 24 at midnight EDT. The website for electronic submissions can be found here.
  2. Authors must email Naomi Friedman (naomi@amstat.org) with their abstract ID by May 24.
  3. Abstracts will be reviewed and a selection of authors will be invited to submit a paper by July 15.
  4. Authors whose abstracts have been accepted for the 2016 conference can have their papers considered for the award. Authors should submit their completed paper electronically (PDF only) by midnight EDT on June 30 to Kristen Miller (ksmiller@cdc.gov). Each author's name, telephone number, and email address should be included. Entries are typically 15-25 pages long.
  5. Each submission must include a cover page that explains why all authors meet the eligibility criteria and whether the paper has been presented elsewhere, published, or accepted for publication at the time of submission. Also by the deadline, a faculty advisor will need to email the award committee chair, attesting to the role that all authors played in conceptualizing the study and writing the paper.
  6. The winner(s) will be informed by July 31, in time for early conference registration.
  7. Winners will present their paper at QDET2, and the award will be made at the conference banquet.

Judging

A panel of researchers selected by QDET2 organizers—drawn from the academic, government, and commercial sectors—will judge submissions. The committee reserves the right to not give an award.

Student Travel Awards

Student travel awards are available to help students attend the International Conference on Questionnaire Design, Development, Evaluation, and Testing (QDET2), which is sponsored by the American Statistical Association and taking place November 9-13, 2016, in Miami, Florida.

To be eligible, students must be in a terminal degree program (bachelor's, master's, or doctorate) in statistics, survey methodology or research, or a related field. We will also consider those who graduated within 6 months of QDET2.

Preference will be given to students presenting a paper or poster at the conference. Approximately six awards of up to $1,000 each are expected. Payment will not be made until after the conference is concluded. Winners are expected to attend QDET2 sessions and the banquet to be recognized.

Application forms are available here and should be submitted to naomi@amstat.org. The deadline for applications is May 31, 2016.

Student Paper Competition

In addition to student travel awards, QDET2 will have a Student Paper Competition for those students presenting their work. To be considered for this competition, applicable students must do the following:

  1. Submit an abstract (invited or contributed) by May 24, 2016
  2. Email naomi@amstat.org with abstract ID by June 1, 2016
  3. Register as a student or provide proof of graduation within 6 months of QDET2
  4. Present their paper at QDET2

Only primary/presenting authors will be considered for the prize. A short-list of applicants will be asked to submit a full paper (up to 6,000 words, excluding title, abstract, references, tables, and footnotes) by August 31, 2016.

Judges will give preference to papers based on research not presented elsewhere or previously published. A decision on the awardee will be made prior to the conference and announced on the website. The award of $250 will be made at the conference banquet.

Applying for the student paper competition does not preclude also applying for a student travel award.

Developing Nation Travel Award

QDET2 is offering up to two travel awards (of up to $2,000 each) for statisticians/researchers from developing nations* to help cover expenses including travel, accommodations, and conference registration.

Applications are invited from statisticians/researchers working on topics relevant to the conference. Applications must be supported by the employing research institute / organization / national statistics institute or university, where appropriate.

Application Deadline: July 15, 2016

*Based on the U.N. World Economic Situation and Prospects 2016 report, the following countries are NOT considered developing nations: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America.