Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (GURC) 2020

The Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference is a regional, multidisciplinary conference open to undergraduates both within Georgia and beyond. GURC 2020 will be hosted by the University of West Georgia on October 23-24, 2020. We invite you to join us virtually for this 9th annual conference to present your research, performances, or artwork and to learn more about the exciting undergraduate work being conducted by other students in the region. GURC welcomes all fields of research and creative activities.

COVID-19 Update:

GURC 2020 will be a virtual conference this year! In addition to new research projects, students are encouraged to submit abstracts that were accepted to present at NCUR 2020 or institutional conferences this Spring that were canceled due to COVID-19. Seniors who graduated in Spring or Summer 2020 can submit as long as the research was completed while they were undergraduates. All submitted abstracts will be part of GURC’s regular blind review.

Contact Us! 

If you have any questions about GURC 2020, please send us an email at GURC@westga.edu 
More information is available at the links below as well. 

Call for Abstracts:

The GURC 2020 submission portal for abstracts is now closed, with a final submission deadline of September 13, 2020.

We seek abstracts of no more than 300 words describing your research and/or creative activity. All abstracts should be submitted through the InfoReady portal. We encourage you to work with your faculty mentor to write your abstract before you submit.

  • To submit an abstract to GURC 2020 (non-UWG students):
    Begin on the UWG InfoReady website.
    Click Login in the upper right corner.
    Click the Register button at the bottom of the page.
    Enter your information using your school email address. Click Create Account.
    Check your email to confirm your account.
    Click 2020 Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (GURC) Abstract Submission, and complete the application.
  • To submit an abstract to GURC 2020 (UWG students): 
    Start on the UWG InfoReady website.
    Click Login in the upper right corner.
    Click the blue University of West Georgia login button.
    Login using your UWG credentials. 
    Click 2020 Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (GURC) Abstract Submission, and complete the application. 
  • Generally, Abstracts Should...
    • Clearly explain the project’s purpose and/or research question(s)
    • Offer an overview of the scholarly context of the project
    • Include any methodological approaches used
    • Discuss the outcomes of the project
    • Make a clear case for the significance or relevance of the project to the larger field of inquiry
    • Include references (but they are not required)
    • Be well-written, well-organized, and adhere to the standards of academic writing
    • Be written for an educated audience, though not necessarily in your exact field
  • Additional Information
    • Abstracts for the visual arts should also upload an image(s) of their artwork.
    • Abstracts for the performing arts may also upload a video. These additional files are not required; an abstract will suffice.
    • Please be sure to proofread carefully as selected abstracts may be posted online. 
    • GURC also welcomes in-process projects that may not be completely finalized by the conference.
    • For oral/panel presentations, virtual synchronous sessions will be held on Friday, October 23. 
    • For poster presentations, asynchronous presentations will be available throughout the conference with designated times for Q&A on Saturday, October 24.
  • Submission Guidelines

    All abstracts should be submitted via the provided InfoReady link (available in mid-August). You may need to create a free account if you do not already have one and if you are not a UWG student. Each abstract will be reviewed for acceptance prior to the conference. To submit, make sure you have the following information:

    • Name and email address for each author
    • Name and email address of faculty mentor
    • Presentation type: oral, poster, visual arts, performing arts
    • Field of Study
    • Completed posters, presentations, papers, or art work are required for awards consideration. Accepted presenters will be emailed further instructions and the final deadline to upload their work.
  • Awards

    GURC offers several awards for outstanding undergraduate research based on pre-submitted full works. Note that while an abstract is sufficient for submission to the conference, to be eligible for an award, you must also submit a full copy of your poster, presentation, essay, visual work, or performance. Accepted presenters will receive further information regarding this submission via email.