Awards

The Communication Theory and Methodology (CTAM) Division invites submissions of original research papers that advance the literature in mass communication theory, research methods, or both. CTAM welcomes both conceptual and empirical papers and is open to all methodological approaches, quantitative and qualitative.

Paper Competitions

CTAM sponsors four paper competitions. Papers can be submitted to the open-call competition or the student paper competition. Any paper can also be considered for the theory paper competition or the method paper competition. Winners of all awards will be recognized in the conference program and at the 2025 CTAM members’ virtual meeting.

CTAM strongly encourages submissions by students. Winners of the Chaffee-McLeod Award for Top Student Paper will be awarded $250; two additional top student papers will also receive cash prizes. To be considered for the student paper competition, all authors must be students, and the author(s) must type “Student Paper Competition” in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of text.

CTAM also recognizes the top theoretical and methodological submissions to the division each year. Papers submitted to the theory and method paper competitions will also be considered for awards in the open-call and student competitions, as applicable. A theory paper may extend what is known about the current workings of a theory by including a data analysis section, or strictly extend the current theory literature without including data. A method paper may discuss, develop, or apply measurement, statistical approaches, sampling techniques, or field methods that demonstrate research method innovation. To be considered for the theory paper competition, the author(s) must type “Theory Paper Competition” in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of text; to be considered for the method paper competition, the author(s) must type “Method Paper Competition” in the upper right-hand corner on the first page of text.

Requirements

Please limit papers to no more than 25 pages (double-spaced) in length, excluding tables and references. Papers should follow APA style 7th edition, have 1-inch margins, and use 12-point Times New Roman font. Please limit papers to a total of 35 pages (including text, tables, and references). Papers over the page limit will be automatically disqualified from the competition. Refer to the AEJMC general paper call for this year’s online submission guidelines.

It is critical that there is no self-identifying information of any kind, such as in the body of the paper or in the document properties. Please also pay attention to the issue of self-citation. The Uniform Call for Papers lists possible solutions for self-citation.

We strongly encourage you to submit your paper at least a day or two prior to the deadline so that we can check to make sure there is no self-identifying information in the properties of the files you submit. An early submission will allow any and all individuals to fully check submissions so that a resubmission prior to the deadline is possible.

Co-authors cannot be added after a paper has been reviewed. At least one author of an accepted faculty paper must attend the conference to present the paper. If student authors cannot be present, they must arrange for the paper to be presented by someone else. Failure to be present or provide a presenter for any paper will result in a one-year ban on the review of papers for all of the authors involved. Authors of accepted papers are required to forward papers to discussants prior to the conference.

For any questions related to paper submission or competition, please contact Sang Jung Kim, CTAM’s research chair, at sangjung-kim@uiowa.edu. 

 open competition papers 

FIRST Place

"Over-Time Relationships of Direct and Indirect Digital Hate Victimization on Fundamental Needs and Bystander Intervention"
Maryam Khaleghipour, Kevin Koban, and Jörg Matthes

SECOND Place

"Explaining the Use of AI Chatbots as Context Alignment: Motivations Behind the Use of AI Chatbots Across Contexts and Culture"
Sebastian Scherr, Bolin Cao, Li Crystal Jiang, Tetsuro Kobayashi

THIRD Place

"When Can Heuristic Cues Promote Systematic Processing? The Case of Bandwagon Effects in e-Commerce Sites"
Eunchae Jang and S. Shyam Sundar

 Student top papers 

FIRST Place

"Revisiting the Hostile Media Phenomenon: The Shift from News to Fake News"
Stephanie Jean Tsang

SECOND Place

"A Proposal for Remodeling of Hierarchical Influences Model to Understand Variance Influencing Factors in a Given Society"
Abu Ahmed

THIRD Place

"Optimizing Knowledge Acquisition in Education: A Dual Processing Framework Examining Impacts of Message Features, Perceptions, and Traits on Memory Retention"
Huai-yu Chen

 Method top paper 

"Artificial Influencers, Artificial Designs? A Systematic Review of Experimental Research on Virtual Influencers" 
Sofie Vranken, Jaroslava Kaňková, and Jörg Matthes