The Frank Lepkowski
Undergraduate Research in Writing Award

The University Libraries established the Frank Lepkowski Undergraduate Research in Writing Award 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 award consists of a $1500 scholarship prize for first place and $1000 prize for second place; prizes are applied directly to tuition. Please consult the office of Student Financial Services for any financial aid ramifications. All financial resources a student receives before and after a financial aid package is created, must be included when determining financial aid eligibility. Although all financial aid awards cannot exceed the estimated cost of attendance or financial need as established by FAFSA, they usually improve the overall quality of the financial aid package. Students with questions concerning financial aid are encouraged to contact OU Student Financial Services at 248-370-2550 or email finservices@oakland.edu.

Eligibility

• 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 2023).

• The paper or project must have been completed for courses taken in the Winter 2022, Summer 2022, or Fall 2022 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.

• Graduating seniors are eligible only if they are enrolled in OU graduate studies the following Summer or Fall terms.

Timeline

Submissions will be accepted for the 2023 award from January 9 through February 17, 2023.

Award winners will be announced at the annual OU Libraries' Authors at Oakland event on March 15, 2023.

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 Award 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 award committee's evaluation rubric (PDF)