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Preparing for the Fall 2024 FRQ doctoral competition

As per FRQ competition guidelines, the project title and abstract must be provided in French, while supporting documents (including project proposal) may be submitted in English.

FRQ deadlines are in early October (FRQ-SC sector: October 1, FRQ-NT sector: October 2, FRQ-S sector: October 3). Abstracts written in English should be prepared as soon as possible to leave time for translation.

Resources and recommendations for students applying for FRQ Fall 2024 doctoral competition:

• Read the competition guidelines and review the to know what is required. Note that English language pages may not yet be available.
  • FRQ – Secteur NT (B2X) doctoral guidelines (, )
  • FRQ – Secteur SC (B2Z) doctoral guidelines (, )
  • FRQ – Secteur S (BF2) doctoral guidelines (, )

• Prepare your supporting documents. These can be in English.
• If you are writing your abstract and your proposal in English, it is especially important to start early to leave time for the translation of the abstract.
• Prepare a first draft of your proposal/abstract and ask for feedback from your supervisor, your fellow students, etc. Edit the draft based on their comments and ask for more feedback. Edit again.
• Be sure to proofread your draft for clarity and grammar. If you are writing your abstract in English, make sure it is polished (no typos/grammar mistakes). The better your English version, the better the translated French version will be.
• The abstract should be written in a language that can be understood by the public. Avoid scientific jargon that can only be understood by experts in the field.
• Note that the word limit for the abstract is 500 words (in French). Documents written in French typically require approximately 20% more space than similar documents in English. Your English abstract should therefore not exceed 400 words.
• Different types of translation software currently exist on the market. GPS offers a translation review and proofreading service for doctoral applicants. To benefit from this translation service, consult the instructions below.
• Submit your final proposal to FRQ before the deadline!

Abstract translation service and translation upload requirements:

In order to benefit form the translation review and proofreading service offered by GPS, students must submit a single .doc or .docx file containing their English title and abstract, as well as a draft French translation, as specified below:

• Applicants must use or (not Google Translate) for their initial translation and indicate which one they used.
• Proposal title in English and in French (maximum 320 characters in English to ensure you don’t exceed the 400-character limit in French).
• Lay abstract in English and in French (maximum 400 words in English to ensure you don’t exceed the 500-word limit in French). It is imperative the lay abstract be written in lay terms intended for a general audience (no scientific jargon).
• Each abstract must include the student’s full name, department and e-mail address at the top.
• The file must be named to FRQ-SECTOR_Department_StudentName (e.g.: FRQ-S_Dept_JohnDoe).
• A single .docx file must be submitted to GPS through this webform. Abstracts will be received on a rolling basis as follows:
  • First deadline: August 12, 2024 (translation returned to applicant by August 27)
  • Second deadline: August 26, 2024 (translation returned to applicant by September 10)
  • Final deadline: September 9, 2024 (translation returned to applicant by September 27)

All abstracts will be proofread/edited before being returned to the applicant. Abstracts submitted for translation by the last deadline are not guaranteed to benefit from the proofreading service.