Research Committees

Established in 2002. Last edition: 2014.

Title

Junior Scholar(s) in Youth Sociology and Youth Research Competition: A Competition of the Research Committee on Sociology of Youth (RC34) of the International Sociological Association (ISA), established in 2002.

Purpose

The international award is intended for an outstanding paper of junior scholar(s) engaged in youth research.

Recognition

Winner of the Junior Scholar(s) in Youth Sociology and Youth Research Competition will be invited to participate in ISA World Congress of Sociology. The winner’s paper will be considered for presentation at RC34 Presidential Session at the ISA World Congress of Sociology and for publication, subject to editorial decision and revision, in a publication of the RC34.

Eligibility

Junior Scholar(s) are scholars below 35 years of age on November 1 of a year preceding the ISA World Congress of Sociology. In case of joint or multiple authorship, this rule applies to all authors of the paper submitted. Participants should hold at least a Master's degree (or an equivalent graduate diploma) or a PhD in sociology or in a related discipline.

Any sociologist or social scientist, whether or not being a member of the research committee and/or ISA, is eligible. Competition Committee members are not eligible to receive the award.

Submissions

Candidates must send an original paper on youth research that has not been previously published elsewhere. It should be no more than 6,000 words typewritten double spaced on one side of the paper with margins of 3 cm and the pages numbered. Notes and the bibliography should appear at the end of the text. Papers which do not conform to these rules run the risk of being rejected. RC34 prefers papers focusing on socially relevant youth issues.

The phenomena examined may be social, economic, political, cultural or of any other kind, but their interpretation or analysis must show a sociological orientation (for instance, through methodical processes to explore the underlying social phenomena or youth issues under scrutiny, critique of commonsense interpretations or of well established theories, etc.).  Empirical research papers must go beyond descriptive reporting of results to broader, analytical interpretations.

Papers may be written in one of the three official languages of the ISA: English, French or Spanish. 

Selection process

A Competition Committee of the RC34 comprising the President, Ex-President, Organizational Secretary, all Vice Presidents, and one-two members of the Advisory Board will decide which paper is awarded the prize no later than eight months in advance  of the ISA World Congress of Sociology.

Papers will be judged according to perceptiveness with which issues are treated, the quality of data analysis and the empirical materials presented, the consistency with which an analytic framework is used, the originality of ideas, and the clarity of writing style. Extensiveness of referencing or the use of advanced statistical methods will only be considered secondary importance, so as to provide participants throughout the world with as equal an opportunity as possible.

Costs

The winner of the Competition will be invited to participate in the ISA World Congress. His/her (the first author of the paper) Congress registration fees will be paid by RC34 and a travel grant (not less than US$500) will be awarded. No travel grant will be awarded if the winner (1) does not hold a membership of RC34,  and/or (2) does not presents the paper personally at the ISA World Congress of Sociology. 

Timetable

The Competition will be organized once every four years and the winner will be announced publicly at the ISA World Congress, during one of the RC34 sessions or a special awards event.

Calls for nominations will be made public at least two years before the ISA World Congress. Nominations will close no later than one year before the ISA World Congress, and the Competition  Committee will report its selection no later than eight months in advance of the ISA World Congress, in order to provide ample time for the RC34 Board to approve the recommendation of the winner before the World Congress and for the recipient to make plans to attend the World Congress.