Judging Criteria and Entry Components

Judging Panels

Each of the three LAUR categories (Humanities & Fine Arts, Social Science, and Science & Engineering) has its own judging panel. 

Each judging panel is composed of two faculty members from departments corresponding to the category, and two librarians or library staff members who have expertise in the corresponding academic disciplines.

Entries will be evaluated based on the criteria explained below.

Entry Components and Judging Criteria

Entries will be judged on three components: Research Narrative, Creative Project or Research Paper, and Bibliography.

Evaluation Rubrics

Humanities and Fine Arts Rubric
Social Sciences Rubric
Sciences and Engineering Rubric
Rubric information will be used for judges' scoring purposes only.

Research Narrative (45 points)

Note: Your submission must be clearly marked with the heading "Research Narrative" at the top of the document.

The research narrative (500–1000 words) is the most critical component of your application. Rather than a summary of your findings, this essay should be a "biography of your project." We want to see the messiness of the process: the dead ends you hit, the evolution of your thinking, and the specific library tools that helped you find a way forward.

Your essay should not be a list of answers. Instead, use the following discipline-specific prompts to weave your process into a cohesive story:

Humanities & Fine Arts

Search Evolution: How did your keywords shift after engaging with sources? Did you uncover terms that were more effective in finding results?

The Bibliographic Gap: Whose voices were missing from the literature? How did you use Library resources to fill that silence?

Physical vs. Digital: If you used a combination of print and digital resources, what were the advantages of each material type? Did you engage with digital tools (not necessarily AI) to perform your research, such as digital maps, text analysis, or other data manipulation?

The Specialist Connection: Did you work with a Subject Librarian to inform your research journey? How did they help you, and how did your project shift as a result of that interaction? If you didn't work with a librarian, how did the library help you discover resources?

Synthesis: How did the dialogue between your primary source(s) and secondary sources inform your research output? If you used multiple primary sources, how did you resolve contradictions between them? If you found differing methods or different interpretations within your secondary sources, how did you resolve those within your own research work? Did you choose one interpretation over others? If so, why?

Social Sciences

Research Evolution: How did your research process evolve? Did keywords shift after engaging with sources? What unexpected terms did you uncover that were more effective in finding results?

Database Logic: Did you choose subject-specific tools (e.g., PsycINFO) over a general search? Did the interdisciplinarity of your topic require a variety of databases?

Project Methodology & Design: How did you determine which digital or analog tools to use to conduct research, analyze data, and produce findings? How did your research methodology develop? 

Data Integrity & Ethics: Did you conduct original research or data collection? If so, how did you use library resources to design your study? Did you apply for IRB approval? How did you practice ethical data management? If you used existing data, how did you evaluate the authority and bias of your datasets? 

Resourcefulness: When you encountered roadblocks or challenges, how did you overcome them? Did you use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) or open-access repositories to overcome access constraints? Did you consult with a librarian or search for other sources of information? Did you attend a library workshop, exhibition, or event? 

Sciences & Engineering

Literature search & search strategy: How did you find and refine relevant research information? What databases did you use to develop your research project (e.g., discipline-specific databases, general scholarly search tools)? What search strategy did you employ (e.g., keyword, Boolean operators, filters)? How did your search strategy evolve over time? For example, did you refine keywords, narrow or broaden results, or change databases?

Source evaluation: How did you evaluate and use sources in your research? How did you determine whether a source was relevant, credible, or appropriate for your project? What types of sources did you rely on (e.g., primary research articles, datasets, preprints) and why? Were there limitations, gaps, or conflicting findings in the literature, and how did you navigate them?

Use of library resources: How did library resources or services support your research? What library resources, tools, or services did you use (e.g., databases, LibGuides, software licenses, data/computing services, research consultation)? How did these resources help you move your research forward or improve the quality of your work? If you encountered challenges accessing or navigating information, how did you address them?

Ethics & Intellectual contribution: How did you address ethical considerations and acknowledge intellectual contributions (by you, others, and Gen AI)?

Academic Integrity & AI Tools

The use of AI assistant technologies falls within the purview of the Student Conduct Code. Materials submitted must represent a student’s own intellectual effort.

Scope of Disclosure: For this pilot year, disclosure is required for Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT-4o, Copilot, Gemini, Claude) and AI Research Discovery tools (e.g., Elicit, Consensus, ResearchRabbit, Scite.ai, Semantic Scholar, Connected Papers, SciSpace, ChatPDF). At this time, it is not required for standard writing assistants (e.g., basic spellcheck/Grammarly) or data organization software (e.g., NVivo).

If you utilized these tools, you must demonstrate that you remained in the "driver's seat." We expect these tools to be used as aids for brainstorming or troubleshooting, not as primary authors. Copy-pasting AI-generated text or code without taking the time to understand and modify it is not an acceptable practice.

AI Disclosure Statement

A disclosure statement at the end of your narrative must be included (this does not count toward your word limit).

If AI was not used, state “No AI tools were used in this project.”

If AI was used, consider the following questions as you formulate your statement:

Verification: When an AI suggested a source or concept, how did you use library resources to verify its accuracy?

Refinement: How did you modify AI-generated code or search strings to make them your own?

Required Format:

• AI Disclosure Statement 
  
  • Tool(s) Used: [e.g., ChatGPT-4o, Elicit]
  • Specific Task: [e.g., Troubleshooting Python code for data visualization; brainstorming synonyms for database keywords.]
  • Verification Method: [e.g., "I cross-referenced AI-suggested citations against Library databases to ensure they were peer-reviewed."]
  • Human Contribution: [e.g., "I wrote all final text and verified the logic of the SQL queries suggested by the tool."]

If you are submitting a project with more than one author, and the other authors are not entering the award, please explain your individual contribution to the project in your Research Narrative. This way our judges can assess your contribution to the project. 

If you are submitting a project with more than one author as a group, please designate a single student to submit the project on behalf of everyone. In the event that your group is awarded a prize, the award monies are split among the group, and each individual author will be recognized at the ceremony and on social media.

Creative project or research paper (25 points)

Your project should be your original work that reflects expert and sophisticated use of Library materials, services, and resources. If your project is in a format that cannot be submitted electronically, such as an art installation or exhibition, please submit a document that provides a detailed description of the project in sufficient detail to allow it to be judged. In either case, your research journey should be evident.

Bibliography (30 points)

Format your bibliography using the citation style appropriate to your project’s discipline. 

• At the top of your bibliography, please indicate the style you used (e.g. APA, Chicago, IEEE, MLA). 
• Cite all sources that you used, even if you did not quote or paraphrase from them.
• Your bibliography should include a wide range of library materials and resources appropriate to the discipline and to your project. These may include scholarly and popular articles, primary sources, data, original compositions, sound or video recordings, computer models, and more.