Q1 |
Can I be in more than 1 team? |
Answer 1 |
No, 1 entry per person. |
Q2 |
Can I send in more than 1 submission? |
Answer 2 |
Nope, 1 entry and 1 team per person. |
Q3 |
Are we allowed to change team members after the competition starts? |
Answer 3 |
Yes. Please send an email to notify CIU and provide details of changes. |
Q4 |
Are cross-faculty or cross-institutions teams eligible to join the competition? |
Answer 4 |
Yes, as long as they have a valid student ID. |
Q5 |
One of my team members is not from the six Public Universities. Can we still participate? |
Answer 5 |
No, the competition is only open to students from the six Public Universities. Eligible students can participate individually or as a group of up to 3. Members of the team must be from the same institution. Each team may consist of members from the same discipline/education level or a variety of disciplines/education levels. |
Q6 |
I am an international exchange student at one of the six Public Universities. Am I able to join the competition? |
Answer 6 |
Yes, as long as you have a valid student ID during registration. |
Q7 |
What is the role of the Faculty Advisor for the competition? |
Answer 7 |
While participants are not required to have a Faculty Advisor, the Faculty Advisor can help by providing advice on scoping and writing the case study. Participants should seek the faculty member’s agreement, before including him/her as a Faculty Advisor in the competition registration. Although CIU does not require any specific mode of engagement with the Faculty Advisor (e.g. frequency of discussions/meetings), participants are highly encouraged to discuss the scope and writing approach with the Faculty Advisor, and seek the Faculty Advisor’s feedback on the case study before submitting it. |
Q8 |
Can the Faculty Advisor be someone outside of the institution? |
Answer |
No, the Faculty Advisor must be a faculty member or research staff (e.g. Research Fellow) at the individual’s/ team’s institution. |
Q9 |
Can CIU help to assign me/my team a Faculty Advisor? |
Answer 9 |
Participants are responsible for identifying and securing the agreement of their Faculty Advisor. Participants often approach faculty members who are currently teaching them, or who have expertise in areas similar to their case study topic. |
Q10 |
Are we allowed to change topic after submitting our registration form? |
Answer 10 |
Yes, you can change the topic. However, it must be done at least 1 month before the closing date. However, it is not encouraged, and the new topic has to be reviewed and accepted by CIU. Please send an email to notify CIU and provide details of changes. |
Q11 |
Are we allowed to change the case study title after submitting our registration form? |
Answer 11 |
Yes, you can change the title. However, it must be done at least 1 month before the closing date. Please send an email to notify CIU and provide details of changes. |
Q12 |
Will there be any confirmation of our registration? |
Answer 12 |
Yes, CIU will send an email to confirm your registration within 1-2 days after registration closes. |
Q13 |
Could I make a comparison between 2 to 3 countries? And if so, could one of the countries be outside Asia (as long as there is at least one Asian country)? |
Answer 13 |
Yes, you may, although the main focus must still be on contemporary issues in Asia. |
Q14 |
Can we start working on our case study after submitting our registration form? |
Answer 14 |
Yes, you may, but please note that CIU may provide feedback on the scope of your proposed case study. Such feedback, if any, will usually be provided within a week of receiving your registration. |
Q15 |
I have a case study written for another purpose previously. Can I submit it for the competition? |
Answer 15 |
Yes, you can, provided the case study is an original work that has not been submitted and/or published elsewhere. In situations where the case study was written for a specific purpose (eg. for use in a university module), participants should seek the agreement of the faculty member/person-in-charge before submitting it for the competition. |
Q16 |
Could we ask for a registration/case submission deadline extension? |
Answer 16 |
No, please adhere to the competition deadline. Changes, if any, to the competition registration and/or entry submission deadlines are at the sole discretion of CIU. |
Q17 |
If my entry did not win, can I submit the case study in another competition? |
Answer 17 |
Yes, you can, but please do so only after the competition results have been announced, i.e. your entry should not be submitted for another competition at the same time. Please refer to the Intellectual Property paragraph for details. |
Q18 |
What topic area does my entry fall into? |
Answer 18 |
Select the topic area that best represents your case. If CIU feels that another topic area is more appropriate, we will recommend changes. |
Q19 |
Can I interview someone who was involved in situation that I’m writing about in the case study? |
Answer 19 |
Yes, having a real-life perspective from someone directly involved in the situation can enrich your case study. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain your interviewee’s agreement to be identified and quoted in the case study which may be subsequently made publicly available. |
Q20 |
When will winners be notified? |
Answer 20 |
Please refer to the competition timeline for details. Winners will also be informed by email. |
Q21 |
How many prizes are there for each category? |
Answer 21 |
The number of prizes awarded can vary depending on the quality of the entries for that year. We can have up to 2 Distinguished Prizes and up to 4 Merit Prizes. |
Q22 |
As it is my first time writing a case study, do you have any advice? |
Answer 22 |
We suggest that you refer to the LKYSPP Case Writing Competition website, especially the section on ""Case Preparation and Resources"". We also suggest the following tips:
1) Research and read up more on the topic you are writing on.
2) Read the case studies that are available on the CIU case library
3) Start early, pace yourself and set milestones.
4) If you have a faculty advisor, seek their advice and guidance. |
Q23 |
Entries for the LKYSPP Case Writing Competition should be public policy teaching case studies. What is the difference between a teaching case study and a research case study? |
Answer 23 |
Unlike a research case study, a teaching case study:
1) Does not present a hypothesis to be supported or disproved.
2) Does not attempt to present novel research topic or question.
3) Does not conduct a comprehensive literature review. |
Q24 |
What are the common mistakes made in the case study entries? |
Answer 24 |
Some common mistakes include:
1) Directly submitting a research paper or a class assignment, without rewriting it as a teaching case.
2) Scoping the case study too broadly; for instance, trying to include too many angles in one case can make the case hard to use for classroom discussion.
3) Lacking coherence in the narrative flow; for instance, including too many details that are not directly relevant to the policy issues discussed in the case.
4) Excessive grammatical and/or spelling errors. |
Q25 |
Should we pick a topic which has already some policy responses in place? |
Answer 25 |
Yes, you can. You can also consider different approaches to writing such a case such as:
1) Discussing the various policy options considered.
2) Comparing policy responses in different countries faced with the same policy issue.
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Q26 |
Can we write a case study on an issue that has already surfaced but has yet to be addressed by the government?
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Answer 26 |
Yes, you can. You can also suggest possible policy options, but the case study should not advocate for a particular option as the preferred solution.
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Q27 |
Are we required to explicitly list policy options as part of the case study?
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Answer 27 |
No, the case study does not always have to contain policy options. For instance, the case study could describe the situation and policy challenge, what was done in the past, and the stakeholders involved for learners to devise their own policy recommendations.
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Q28 |
How many policy options should we state?
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Answer 28 |
Most of our cases list 3 policy options. You can include more if you think it is necessary, but we caution against having too many policy options for a teaching case used for classroom discussion.
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Q29 |
Can we suggest new policy options besides what the government considered?
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Answer 29 |
Yes you can, but the case study should not advocate for a particular policy option as the preferred solution.
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Q30 |
The LKYSPP Case Study Library already has a case that covers a topic similar to what we were planning to write about. Can we still write on that topic?
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Answer 30 |
Yes you can, but you may wish to consider covering a different aspect of that topic, rather than covering the same content as the existing case in the LKYSPP Case Study Library.
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Q31 |
What is the judging criteria?
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Answer 31 |
Please refer to judging criteria on the LKYSPP Case Writing Competition website.
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Q32 |
Can I cite the LKYSPP Case Writing Competition when I approach organisations or individuals as part of the research for the case study?
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Answer 32 |
Yes, you should. As part of research ethics, we advise you to be transparent about the purpose when approaching organisations or individuals for your research.
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Q33 |
In terms of apportioning the word length of the case study, should we put more focus on certain sections like the policy analysis?
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Answer 33 |
There are no requirements on word length of the various sections of the case study. However the policy issue should be clearly identified and the policy options should be explained.
Please visit our Case Study library, for examples.
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