Annual Essay Competition 2011

Congratulations to the following:

Thanks are extended to the judging panel: Dr Vivienne Crawford and Dr Donagh MacDonagh

Annual Essay Competition 2010

Congratulations to the following:

Thanks are extended to the judging panel: Dr Vivienne Crawford, Dr Melissa McCullough and Dr Donagh MacDonagh

Annual Essay Competition 2009

Congratulations to the following:

Thanks are extended to the judging panel: Dr Vivienne Crawford, Professor Sheena Lewis and Dr Donagh MacDonagh

Annual Essay Competition 2008

Congratulations to the following:

Thanks are extended to the judging panel: Dr Vivienne Crawford, Professor Sheena Lewis and Dr Ann Begley

Annual Essay Competition 2007

Congratulations to the following:

Thanks are extended to the judging panel: Dr Vivienne Crawford, Professor Sheena Lewis and Dr David Bell

Annual Essay Competition 2006

Congratulations to the following:

Thanks are extended to the judging panel: Dr Vivienne Crawford and Professor Sheena Lewis

Student Essay Competition 2012

The NI Ethics Forum Essay Competition is held annually.  This year two prizes, each £100, will be awarded for the best undergraduate and postgraduate student essay, respectively, on a topic of the entrant’s own choice within the broad remit of ‘ethical issues in health and social care’. The competition is open to all registered students within any Faculty in Queen’s University Belfast or the University of Ulster. Essays (recommended word limit 1,500-2,500 words) should be word-processed (double-spaced, A4) and submitted to the Honorary Secretary (preferably by email attachment) before the closing date of Friday 29th June 2012. Essays should conform to the instructions for authors (below). Applicants should indicate on their application whether they are an undergraduate or postgraduate student. Essays will be judged by a panel comprising at least three members of the Forum’s Council, reflecting the disciplines and institutions represented by the entrants in any given year.

Suggested essay topics include:-

Ethical dilemmas at the beginning of life (e.g. issues raised by proposed amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act); ethical dilemmas at the end of life (e.g. euthanasia and assisted suicide); ethical issues relating to organ transplantation; healthcare rationing; research governance; genetic screening; drug development, marketing and prescribing; social equality, disability, discrimination and human rights; autonomy and consent. The above list is not exhaustive; entrants may wish to write on another topic of their own choosing.  

Aim and Scope:

At present The Journal and Proceedings of the Northern Ireland Forum for Ethics in Medicine and Healthcare is published annually.

Proceedings: keynote speakers are commissioned by the managing editors to submit papers based on the focus of their presentations given at the annual conference or evening meetings of the Forum held during the year.

Annual student essay competition: the 1^st placed essay in each category is normally given priority for publication in the next available volume of the journal. Space permitting 2^nd or 3^rd placed essays in a given year may be considered for publication provided they do not address an identical theme to the winning essay that year.

Original papers: the managing editors welcome original articles on topics of potential interest to the readership within the broad remit of ‘ethical issues in health and social care’. Consideration can also be given to publication of original research of a qualitative or quantitative nature including relevant clinical audits e.g. of procedures for obtaining consent.

Editorial review process:

All manuscripts received are subject to editorial review by one of the managing editors and at least two other members of the Editorial Board with expertise most relevant to the content of the manuscript submitted. The Managing Editors reserve the right to seek the opinion of a further external referee with pertinent specialist knowledge if appropriate. In the case of essays submitted for the annual student competition, the panel of competition judges will serve as the referees of the manuscripts submitted; the opinions of additional referees will not normally be sought.

The Managing Editors will convey the referees’ comments and editorial decision to the authors. Eventual acceptance is not guaranteed and may be conditional on modification of the manuscript to incorporate changes requested by the reviewers.

Instructions to Authors:

All manuscripts should be typed using Arial Narrow font size 12. A strict word limit is not applied but as a general guide, articles should normally occupy between 6-10 pages in the published journal (1500-2500 words approximately). The first page of the manuscript should include the title, name(s) of author(s) and full address (including email) of the corresponding author. An abstract (200-300 words approximately) is required and should reflect the content of the article including a statement of rationale and a reasoned concluding statement. The use of emboldened subheadings to separate the text of the manuscript into approximately 3-5 sections is encouraged.

References should be numbered sequentially in the order in which they are cited within the main text. Superscripted square brackets should be used ^[1] .

The following format should be employed when referencing:

[1] Pickering S, Braude P. Further advances and uses of assisted conception technology. BMJ 2003; 327: 1156-1158.

[2] Mental Capacity Act 2007. Department for Constitutional Affairs.  http://www.dca.gov.uk/legal-policy/mental-capacity/mca-summary.pdf (Accessed 26 Oct 2006)

Manuscripts should be submitted to:

                  Dr David Bell (Honorary Secretary)

Senior Lecturer, Division of Medicine and Therapeutics,

Centre for Medical Education,

School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, QUB

1^st Floor, Whitla Medical Building,

97 Lisburn Road,

Belfast BT9 7BL

 Submission as a word document by email attachment is preferred:

Email: D.Bell@qub.ac.uk

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