Outstanding Applied Research Award

Purpose

To recognize outstanding contributions to applied research on religion from both academic and non-academic settings. It will be awarded to RRA members, not academic units, denominational offices, or other organization types.

Qualifications

Submissions can include solo-authored or co-authored books, peer-reviewed articles, or research project reports by current RRA members. A book, article, or report may be nominated by its author or by any other RRA member if they deem it to be of outstanding quality. Individual RRA members may nominate at most one book, article, or report. Nominated publications or projects must have been presented at an RRA Annual Meeting or must be on the program for the next RRA Annual Meeting. Eligible books, articles, and reports should have been published or released in the previous three years.

Criteria

The committee will evaluate each submission using four criteria:

Implications for and impact on religious communities, leaders, and practitioners – implications and practical impact should be clear and evident throughout the submission
Accessibility – the extent to which people can find, understand, and use the research
Research quality – sound methodology, research design, and adherence to ethical guidelines
Innovation – the advancement of applied religion research in new topics and approaches or new contextualization and applications of past or current topics

The nominator should address each of these criteria in his or her nomination letter.

Award

The award will be presented at the annual meeting. It includes a certificate and $500. Procedure: Nomination letters must be submitted in electronic format by April 1. RRA members who have received a nomination will be notified and must share with the committee a copy of their book, article, or report as well as a 2-page CV focusing their work over the past three years no later than April 15, 2023. Mailing/transmittal of books is the responsibility of the publisher and the author.