21.09.2026.
Conference of the Scientific Student Circles (TDK) – Autumn Edition 2026
owl_1205

Any student currently enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s program of ELTE TáTK can register for the Conference of Scientific Student Circles (TDK) by submitting a 20 to 30 page-long scientific paper written with the guidance of a supervisor. The paper can also have more than one author, in which case the co-authors participate in the conference together.

  • In terms of content, the paper must align with the educational and research profile of ELTE TáTK.

  • The paper must be based on the author(s)’ own scientific research, in accordance with the methodological standards customary in the given field of the social sciences. The conclusions of the paper must be based on data (source material) that has been thoughtfully and systematically collected and analyzed, as well as on scientific literature. A paper that seeks to promote the personal opinion of the author(s) or the position of an organization (government, NGO, political party, religious organization, etc.) without methodologically sound scientific verification will not be accepted.

  • With the supervisor’s consent, a BA/MA thesis may also be submitted as a TDK paper, provided that the student is still enrolled in a BA/MA program. In this case, the supervisor of the TDK paper must be the same person as the supervisor of the thesis. 

At the TDK conference, participants are expected to present their research in 15 minutes, and to reflect on the opinion of a reviewer, which they have received beforehand. Students can qualify for the national TDK conference (OTDK) by participating at this local one.

Date of the conference: 17 December 2026.

PAPER SUBMISSION (=REGISTRATION)

Send your paper to tdk@tatk.elte.hu until 17 November 2026 (23:59). In all cases, the TDK secretary will acknowledge by e-mail the receipt of your application. If you do not receive a reply within one working day, please contact the TDK secretary to ensure that your paper does not accidentally get into the spam folder of the mail system. 

Please include the information below in the email accompanying your paper:
This information is requested from us by the National Association for Student Research (OTDT, https://otdk.hu/en/) – if we are unable to provide it, the results of the students concerned will not be official, and they will not be able to proceed to the national TDK conference (OTDK).

-    Author(s)

  • Surname

  • First name(s)

  • Educational ID number (can be found in Neptun)

  • Email address

  • Name of the institution and program where they study

  • Type of program (BA/BSc/MA/MSc/undivided)

  • Type of student status (full-time/evening/correspondence/distance learning)

  • Year of commencement of studies

  • Number of active semesters


-    Supervisor(s)

  • Title (Dr/Dr. habil./Dsc/Prof.)

  • Surname

  • First name(s)

  • Educational ID number (if teaches at a higher education institution)

  • Email address (preferably a work email address)

  • Name of workplace

  • Position at workplace

  • A brief, one-sentence statement from the supervisor(s) confirming their approval of the paper submission—either a document signed by them or an email sent to the author(s) from their email address, attached in PDF format.

Please make sure that the following information is also included in your email:

  •  Was the paper also submitted as a BA/MA thesis in the current semester?

  • The section of the TDK conference in which the author(s), in agreement with the supervisor, would like to be included: (1) Data Science and Research Methodology; (2) Minority Policy and Cultural Anthropology, (3) Economics, (4) International Relations/Studies, (5) Social Studies, (6) Sociology. In case of uncertainty, more than one section may be indicated.

  • In the case of participant(s) with special needs, requests to facilitate participation in the conference.

The titlepage of the paper should NOT contain the name of the author(s) or the name of the supervisor. The titlepage should ONLY include the title of the paper, the program and year of the author(s) (e.g., BA in Sociology, 2nd year) and a code-word to identify the paper (e.g., "Owl").

TDK PAPER: FORMAL REQUIREMENTS

USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

  • With regard to the use of artificial intelligence, Supplement 6 of the general call for submissions for the 38th OTDK serves as the guiding document: https://otdk.hu/en/kezdolap/otdk-2027/general-call-2027/ 
    The core principle of this document: “3. A fundamental requirement of a TDK and an OTDK paper is that they constitute the intellectual work of the author(s). If the use of AI determines the quality of the TDK paper to such an extent that it can no longer be regarded as the author’s intellectual work, the paper does not meet the fundamental professional and ethical requirements of the TDK.”

  • These rules must also be observed by students submitting a BA/MA thesis as a TDK paper in accordance with faculty regulations. 

FURTHER QUESTIONS

With your questions, please turn to: Zsuzsanna Bak (Secretary of TDK Council at the Faculty of Social Sciences) or Ottó Gecser (Head of TDK Council at the Faculty of Social Sciences)

 

owl_1205