Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award

Purpose/Description

The Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation on Business Communication is awarded annually to the outstanding dissertation or thesis in the area of business communication written as part of a doctoral program. The dissertation must be successfully defended within the two years preceding the annual conference at which the award is presented.

The winning researcher will receive $1,500 USD and a plaque at the ABC Annual International Conference. In addition, the award winner will be invited to give a presentation at the following ABC Annual International Conference and will be encouraged to submit an article based on the dissertation to one of the Association’s journals – the International Journal of Business Communication or the Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. The winner will also receive a one-year ABC membership.

The award is sponsored by a Special Friend of ABC.

Eligibility Criteria

The following criteria must be met:

1. Contributes significantly to scholarship, research, and/or pedagogy of business communication.
2. Demonstrates originality of thought and careful investigation.
3. Uses an accepted research technique for business communication research.
4. Be a member of ABC in good standing for one year prior to applying.

Nominations

Entries may be self-nominated by the dissertation author or nominated by an ABC member. All materials must be received by the chair of the ABC Research Committee by June 1.

Submissions must include:

1. A letter of support that shows how the dissertation meets the award criteria. The letter may be from the ABC nominating member, a faculty member on the doctoral dissertation committee, or other qualified representative from the degree granting institution.
2. An electronic copy of a synopsis of the doctoral dissertation (no more than 20 pages in length).

Finalists for the award will be asked to submit one complete copy of the dissertation.

Selection

The ABC Research Committee selects the recipient of the awards and informs the Executive Director.

If no nominee fulfills the award criteria within a given year, the committee may choose not to select a winner.

Notification

The award winner and nominees will be notified by the Executive Director or designee at least 90 days before the ABC Annual International Conference. The winner will be asked to submit a photograph to be used in the award presentation.