The Methodology Center supports two annual graduate student awards. Read the calls for submissions below.

MCAP Graduate Student Methodology Grant

The Methodology Center at Purdue invites submissions for the Graduate Student Methodology Grant. The award provides support for an innovative and outstanding research project that makes a significant contribution to methodology. The award provides up to $1,000 to meet some of the research expenses associated with the proposed research. Interested graduate students should submit: (1) a proposal of no more than 3 single-spaced pages (page count does not include references, figures, tables, appendices, or the budget), (2) a one-page budget describing how the funds will be used, and (3) a current curriculum vitae.

The proposals should be organized as: a) introduction, b) background/theory, c) methodology, d) significance/impact for methodology and/or your field, and (e) references. Measurement instruments or other supplementary material can be included as an appendix to the proposal (appendix should be no more than 5 pages).

The budget should briefly outline how the funds will be used. While any research use of funds is allowed, we will prioritize applications where the funds are instrumental for the success of the project (e.g., to collect data, to purchase a dataset or software, etc.).

Applicants must be current Purdue graduate students. A student may only submit one application for consideration each year. Priority will be given to students who have not received the grant in the past three years.

Please send a PDF version of the proposal, CV, and budget in one document by March 2, 2026 to mcap@purdue.edu. Award decisions will be made in early April and the award will be presented at the MCAP Awards Ceremony on May 1^st.

The criteria for evaluation are:

• Significance of the research question
• Innovation and creativity of the research
• The appropriateness and quality of the methods
• The potential contribution to the field of methodology

MCAP Best Graduate Student Methodological Paper Award

The Methodology Center at Purdue invites submissions for the Best Graduate Student Methodological Paper Award. This award, which comes with a $500 prize, recognizes an outstanding conference paper, working paper, dissertation chapter, or publication that makes a significant contribution to research methodology in the health and/or social sciences. Any work that was published, posted, or presented in the last two years (2024 or 2025) is eligible for the award.

Please submit both the paper and a brief statement of your contribution to the paper and its contribution to methodology/your field by March 2, 2026 to mcap@purdue.edu. The brief statement should be no more than two paragraphs and include (1) a description of the students’ contribution and role for the paper (if co-authored), and 2) a description of the methodological innovation and/or contribution to the scholarly literature.

Submitted papers should be the length of a regular article in your field. Priority will be given to first-authored papers, but students may also submit co-authored papers where the students served as the primary methodologist. Priority will be given to students who have not won this award in the past three years.

Award decisions will be made in early April and the award will be presented at the MCAP Awards Ceremony on May 1^st.

The criteria for evaluation are:

• Significance of the research question
• Innovation and creativity of the research
• The appropriateness and quality of the methods
• The potential contribution to the field of methodology
• Independence of scholarship / magnitude of student’s contribution

Congratulations to our 2025 award winners!