Student Ethics Essay Award

Submissions are now being accepted for the 2018 Student Ethics Essay Award (SEEA) competition. Authors of winning essays will be notified in June 2018. See Student Ethics Essay Award recipients to view previous winners and read their winning essays.

The SEEA program is conducted as part of ASHA's efforts to enhance ethics education activities. The goal of the program is to encourage students to think about ethical decision making and create greater awareness of situations that could pose ethical dilemmas as they prepare to start careers in audiology, speech-language pathology, or speech, language, and hearing sciences.

The essay competition is open to students who are enrolled in any undergraduate, post baccalaureate, or entry-level graduate program (U.S. only) in communication sciences and disorders (CSD). Former and current members of ASHA's Board of Ethics review the essays and select three winning authors, who receive

one student registration to the 2018 ASHA Convention (first place winner only);
monetary prizes ($750, $500, and $250 for first, second, and third place, respectively);
certificates of achievement; and
a 1-year National NSSLHA membership.

Winners and their essays are recognized

on the ASHA website,
on ASHA social media, and
in The ASHA Leader.

Award Eligibility

Students: To be considered eligible to participate in the SEEA competition, you must be

enrolled in any undergraduate, post baccalaureate, or entry-level graduate program (U.S. only) in communication sciences and disorders (CSD), and
enrolled part-time or full-time during the 2017–2018 academic year.

2018 Student Ethics Essay

Topic: Disclosure, Misrepresentation, and Conflict of Interest

Foundational to professional and ethical conduct is the commitment to be honest, accurate, and complete when providing information to others (e.g., clients, research participants, families, the public, employers, regulating agencies). Many clinical, research, and teaching scenarios can potentially foster a natural tension between professional obligation and personal preference/gain. Misrepresentation by errors of both omission and commission, as well as by conflicts of interest, can create ethical violations. Adherence to professional obligations and standards is essential to eliminate the chance of an ethical violation related to disclosure, misrepresentation, and conflict of interest.

In your essay, present an ethical dilemma or challenge that may be faced by a clinician or researcher related to disclosure, misrepresentation, and/or conflict of interest. Then, using ethics resources and the ASHA Code of Ethics (2016), identify one or more Principles and the corresponding Rule(s) that you believe have been violated, and provide a rationale for your choice(s). Finally, discuss what action(s) you would take to resolve this dilemma.

Essay Requirements

You and your essay must meet these requirements:

Essay Format

1,200 words or less, excluding title and any references
Standard format including title, introduction, body, and summary/conclusion
Microsoft Word (.docx), 12-point font, double-spaced
Page numbers in footer, starting with first page
No footnotes, only end notes
All sources cited when quoted, even Code of Ethics
No identifying information (e.g., name, address, institution) on the essay

Entries must be original work, unpublished, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Students may not submit more than one essay; submissions of entries authored by multiple individuals will not be considered.
Students must notify their CSD program director of their participation before submitting their entry.

Suggested Essay Resources

Issues in Ethics statements
Code of Ethics (2016)
Previous SEEA winning essays
Relevant ASHA ethics documents available on ASHA's website
Essay-writing guidelines offered in numerous publications and online resources

Evaluation Criteria

Things to keep in mind as you write your essay:

Have you followed the essay format and submission requirements described above?
Have you approached the essay topic in a fresh, rich, and illuminating way, avoiding moral platitudes and oversimplification?
Have you demonstrated familiarity with the Code of Ethics, relevant Issues in Ethics statements, and other ethics-related resources?
Have you made a contribution to ethical deliberation and discernment that is mature, insightful, and likely to be both helpful and interesting to students and ASHA members?
Have you presented your position in a clear, logical manner that facilitates understanding of your reasoning?
Have you supported your arguments with factors that are ethically relevant, and avoided preoccupation with matters that have little logical relevance to your thesis?
Is your analysis comprehensive, objective, balanced, and thorough?
Is your essay free of grammatical, typographical, and punctuation errors?

Submission Instructions

Confirm that you and your essay meet the eligibility and format requirements.
Notify your program director that you will be submitting an essay for the SEEA contest.
Go online to fill out the SEEA application and upload your essay—you can save your work and submit it when you're ready.
Meet the deadline: Submit your essay and application by noon ET on Friday, April 13, 2018; the online submission system will close automatically and new or incomplete entries will not be counted.