Once every year, each IEEE Region 8 (R8) Student Branch (SB) may hold a Local Student Paper Contest (LSPC) under its own responsibility.
The winner(s) of each LSPC may submit their papers for the R8 SPC. A Branch may submit one paper if it has 10 – 99 members, up to two papers if it has 100 – 199 members, and up to three papers for members beyond 200 based on the latest available IEEE Annual Statistics.
Even if a Local SPC is not held by a Student Branch, one paper can be submitted by the SB to the Regional SPC if the SB Counselor supports the paper and the paper complies with the SPC rules. Moreover, SB or Section officers can identify and encourage talented students to submit their technical papers to the R8 SPC. Conferences (supported by the IEEE OUs and taking place in the R8 area) that have student papers sessions included in their programs could also offer the possibility to submit the best student papers to the R8 SPC. In that case, full students’ papers should not be published in the Conference Proceedings to qualify for submission in R8 SPC.
II. Authors
Only IEEE Student Members and IEEE Graduate Student Members are permitted to author papers submitted to the Regional SPC in its initial phase. Each author has to be an active member of a Student Branch in Region 8 at the time of the original submission of the paper and a member (student or not) of the IEEE at the time of the oral presentation.
The work presented in the paper must have been completed during undergraduate or graduate studies. In other words, the work presented in the paper must not be part of the Ph.D. research. Submission of the paper to the R8 SPC must be completed within 12 months after graduation.
After the first R8 SPC phase is completed and the five best papers are selected, finalists’ supervisors/mentors may be added as authors to the final versions (camera-ready papers). This does not change in any way the basic rule that the submitted paper is the work of the student.
III. Papers
Papers should cover technical and engineering aspects of a subject reasonably within or related to the areas with which the IEEE is concerned. The work need not be original in engineering or scientific content but should be original in treatment and clearly show the author’s contribution to the subject.
Although the paper previously submitted to the Local Student Paper Contest may be written in the local language, the paper submitted to the Regional SPC must be written in English.
Previously published work will not be accepted in the R8 Student Paper Contest.
The paper should not exceed six (6) pages. Overlength papers will not be considered for the contest.
The paper must be written using the two-column IEEE Transaction style. A font size of 10 pt or larger should be used. The IEEE Style Manual and Conference Paper templates in various formats are available here.
Please don’t forget to remove authors and institutions from the initial paper! As mentioned above, the final version will contain authors, institutions, and if needed the mentor/supervisor name(s) as well.
IV. Guidelines for Authors
In general, the paper should be organized as follows:
Title page. The title should contain the minimum number of keywords necessary to accurately represent the paper’s content.
Abstract. The abstract, no longer than 100 words, should provide the essential facts of the paper’s content, such as a brief statement of the problem or objective and a concise summary of results or conclusions. Methods or other details should only be included if they are unique or of particular significance.
Introduction. The introduction should lead the reader to develop an understanding of the paper’s significance. Background information, including the state of the art, should be provided. The added benefits of the method of approach and the importance of results or conclusions should be emphasized.
Body. The main argument should be presented in a logical sequence according to a prepared outline, complete with supporting data. Writing should be in the third person. Curves, charts, or tables are useful for presenting supporting data and results.
Conclusions. Conclusions are often considered the most important part of a paper. They should be stated concisely in a separate section at the end of the paper. If there are three or more conclusions, numbering each and setting them off in a separate paragraph can increase emphasis.
Appendices. Appendices should be used for detailed mathematical proofs, equation development, and examples that are subordinate to the main argument in the body of the paper but not essential to following the argument. References to appendices should be made in the text.
References. Any information or development taken from external sources, such as books, periodicals, or courses, should be clearly referenced in the text, and a suitable reference list appended to enable readers to consult those sources.
V. Submission
As mentioned above, it is strictly required that the initial version of the SPC paper submitted to the R8 SPC does not show the identities of the authors and their higher education institutions.
IEEE Copyright form (signed by author) The Cover Page should contain the authors’ and institutions’ data, and the Paper Supplement should provide additional information about the paper, helping the jury members with judging. The Counselor Certificate should confirm the authors’ eligibility for submitting their papers for the SPC, including the author’s IEEE membership number(s), the study level, and the year(s) during which the work was performed. Any other useful information concerning the work and background is welcome. From the Submission Package, only the paper without authors’ names and Paper Supplement will be sent to jury members.
The deadline to send SPC papers accompanied by other required documents is usually 1 December of the current year for the contest to be held in the next year. If the deadline is extended, the new deadline will be published on the SAC website and on social media.
An international Jury will grade the written papers without knowledge of the identity of the authors and their institutions. The number of Jury members is four to five, including the R8 SPC Coordinator.
The contest consists of two parts, a written part and an oral part. The maximum number of points for the written part of the contest is 70, with technical content graded with a maximum of 45 points, and the quality of presentation graded with a maximum of 25 points. Based on the written part, the jury will select five papers for presentation at the Region 8 SPC oral finals. The maximum number of points for the oral part is 30.
VII. JURY GUIDELINES ON GRADING THE PAPER
To provide a uniform grading standard, the following criteria are suggested:
Do the authors present their independent work?
Is the significant amount of presented work new? Do the authors present a novel interpretation of existing work?
Is the subject matter of substantial technical content and is it presented at an acceptably advanced level?
Is the 100-word abstract concise, informative, and accurate?
Does the written presentation include a satisfactory introduction that properly orients the reader with respect to the general area with which the paper deals?
Do the conclusions of the paper summarize the reader’s impression of what the work has accomplished? Are the conclusions supported by evidence?
Is the paper technically accurate?
Does the exposition (and analysis which may be involved) proceed in an orderly and logical manner? Is the paper self-contained (complete, having all that is needed)?
Does the author exhibit ingenuity and resourcefulness in methods of presentation, choice of illustrations, use of analogies, and the like?
Is an unmistakable meaning conveyed with acceptable brevity?
Is the format and typesetting quality of the paper appropriate?
Is the list of references adequate?
Is the text written correctly in terms of the English language?
VIII. Oral Finals
Finalists selected by the Jury will be invited to present their papers at one of the Region 8 Flagship Conferences within a special SPC session (normally MELECON or EUROCON). Finalists are also invited to attend the conference fully and are waived from paying the conference registration fee. Travel expenses (train 2nd class, bus or plane economy class for long distances) will be provided by the Region 8 Student Activities Fund to one author of each paper accepted for oral presentation. Living expenses that may occur while attending the oral presentation may also be reimbursed. The guidelines for the expense reimbursement will be provided to finalists before the conference.
Finalists should give a pleasant and logical presentation of the subject matter suited to 15-20 minutes. The presentation should not attempt to cover the entire paper but rather to give a general idea and enlarge on one or two specific points. The Jury will question each contestant for an additional period of 10 minutes typically.
The papers that have been accepted for oral presentation will be published in the Conference Proceedings and included in the IEEE Xplore Database. Electronic versions of the finalists’ papers will also be published on the IEEE Region 8 SAC webpage.
IX. Prizes
Based on both the written and oral parts, the final ranking list will be made. Winners will be announced and awarded at the Awards Ceremony, typically held during the Conference Gala Dinner.
There are cash prizes for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place of $800, $500, and $200, respectively. In addition, the Region 8 Student Activities Committee offers $250 to the Student Branch from which the winner comes.
