The Frank Lepkowski
Undergraduate Research in Writing Scholarship

The University Libraries established the Frank Lepkowski Undergraduate Research in Writing Scholarship to celebrate excellence in library research. This scholarship is funded by the Oakland University Credit Union and private donors.

This annual prize recognizes up to two students who have most successfully integrated library resources, discovered through their own research, into a course paper or project. Library resources can include the following:

• Journal, newspaper, or magazine articles

• Ebooks or print books

• Archival materials or special collections

The first place winner will be awarded $1500, the second place winner will be awarded $1000. Prizes are applied directly to tuition. Students with questions concerning financial aid are encouraged to contact OU Student Financial Services at 248-370-2550 or email finservices@oakland.edu.

Eligibility

• Open to freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Seniors are not eligible.

• Only individual work is eligible. Group papers or projects will not be considered.

• Only one submission per student.

• Students must be enrolled at Oakland University at the time the award is presented (Winter 2024).

• The paper or project must have been completed for courses taken in the Winter 2023, Summer 2023, or Fall 2023 semesters.

• Papers or projects must include a bibliography, list of works cited, footnotes or other bibliographic system according to recognized style guides.

• Most Honors College theses are not eligible because papers must have been completed during the previous calendar year and students must be currently enrolled at the time of the award.

Timeline

Deadline for submissions: April 8, 2024.

Nomination Procedure

Student papers/projects can be nominated by faculty or self-nominated by students.

Faculty-nominated papers/projects:

• Faculty members nominating students must complete the faculty nomination form, which includes a description of the original assignment. Faculty may submit multiple nominations.

• The Scholarship Committee will contact students who have been nominated. Students are then responsible for completing and submitting the online student nomination form and providing a final version of their paper or project.

Student self-nominated papers/projects:

• Students self-nominating must complete the student nomination form, which includes directions for uploading the final version of the paper or project.

• The paper or project must be the same as the one submitted in the course.

• The Award Committee will contact course instructors for confirmation.

Evaluation Criteria

Successful papers or projects will demonstrate effective application of information literacy principles. Successful student projects:

• Identify and retrieve information from discipline-appropriate sources. Students effectively make use of research resources that are appropriate to the discipline of their papers or projects. Successful papers or projects will have sufficient references as appropriate to the scope of their topic.   

• Evaluate information critically. Students evaluate sources for their reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness and bias. They understand the importance of the context in which the sources were produced.

• Analyze and synthesize information so as to acquire new knowledge. Students combine ideas and concepts from their research to develop new perspectives on their topics.

• Integrate new and prior information into the paper. Students effectively paraphrase, summarize or quote sources. They provide accurate citations and credits according to the citation style used for the paper or project.

  View the Scholarship committee's evaluation rubric (PDF)