General Information

SWPA proposals for the 2009 SWPA convention will be accepted from 12:00 a.m. CST October 13 to 11:59:59 p.m. CST November 24, 2008. Other groups may have different submission dates (see guidelines for each adjunct organization).  All SWPA submissions must be made through our online database and you must have completed an online SWPA membership form  in order to login and submit.  All authors and co-authors must also be SWPA dues current at the time of submission.

After creating a member profile (and paying dues), to submit proposals click on the "Submit Abstract" link in the left-hand navigation on the SWPA web site.  You will be prompted to login.  Alternatively, login and then choose the "Submit Abstract" option.  The "Submit Abstract" page will only be active during the submission dates listed above.  During the submission process you will indicate the type of presentation format for which you desire to be considered (e.g. talk, poster, workshop, symposia, SWPA student research competition).  Prepare your abstract by following the instructions below for that type of presentation, and then follow the step-by-step instructions on the screen after you login.

All persons (including co-authors or attendees not presenting) must pay dues in order to register for the convention.  Dues amounts will increase by $10 beginning three weeks prior to the convention.

Posters and Talks

Every submitted abstract for regular talks (15 minutes including question-and-answer period) and posters must consist of the four following clearly delineated sections: Problem, Method, Results, and Conclusions. Every summary should specify the importance of the problem to the current literature, the procedure used to collect data, the findings of the research, the relevance of the findings to the original problem, and the implications of the research. Do not include a reference list at the end of your abstract.

Submitted abstract length (text of the abstract itself, not including title or author names) for regular talks and posters are limited to 500 words. The maximum title length is 12 words.

Obtained data and results must be described in the submission. Authors violating this criterion will risk outright rejection.

Symposia

Submissions from individuals wishing to present a symposium must include:

1. a  title (12-word max) and a 50-word abstract summarizing the workshop;
2. a summary for each of the symposium's participants (the combined word count of these summaries should not exceed 500 words).

All symposium participants must be SWPA members. Priority on the program will be given to those symposia that incorporate authors from different universities or professional affiliations.

Workshops and Special Meetings

Within the limits of available time and space, SWPA will provide rooms for workshops and special meetings.  Some workshops may qualify for Continuing Education credit.  Contact the program chair to discuss feasability.

Submissions from individuals wishing to present a workshop must include a title (12-word max) and an abstract summarizing the workshop (max 500 words for the text of the abstract itself, not including title or author names).

Student Research Competitions

Currently enrolled students may submit their original research as entries in the SWPA Graduate or Undergraduate Research Competitions.  All competition presentations are scheduled as 20-minute talk presentations.

Although a faculty member must sponsor each entry, only the student's name may appear on the submission. Faculty sponsors may serve as collaborators, but the work and writing must be the student's effort. Entrants should include all information requested above for talks and posters, with the exception that the summary should range from 1500 to 2000 words. Submissions longer than 2000 words will not receive consideration.

The basis for judging this competition will be the quality of both the written submission and the oral presentation.  For each category, first place winners will receive a check for $300, second place winners $200, and third place winners $100.

Previously presented or published work is ineligible. SWPA will cancel a given competition if the competition in question receives an insufficient number of entries. If the program chair receives more than 5 entries for either paper competition, judges will review the submissions and select the top 5 as finalists for the competition. If an entry does not qualify for a competition or if a competition is canceled, SWPA will automatically review the submission for the program at large. Competition papers so reviewed may be accepted as either papers or posters at SWPA's discretion.

Psi Chi
 
Guidelines for Submissions to Psi Chi Talk and Poster Sessions (all authors must be Psi Chi members):

• All Psi Chi submissions will automatically be entered into the Psi Chi research competition.
  
• All submissions to the Psi Chi portion of the program should follow the SWPA abstract submission process (e.g. word length, format, etc.).  However, on the first page of the abstract submission process, be sure to indicate Psi Chi as the group to which you are submitting.
• If a Psi Chi member wishes to submit to the SWPA student competition, then indicate that group rather than Psi Chi as the group to which you are submitting.  As part of the SWPA student competition submission process, there will be a step to also indicate that you are also a Psi Chi member.  If you check this box, and your SWPA competition submission does not make the top 5 finalists, then the SWPA program chair will know to send your abstract submission to Psi Chi to be included in our program and be considered for the Psi Chi research competition.
• Please note that all authors / co-authors of Psi Chi submissions must be dues current SWPA members prior to submitting an abstract.  Dues cover conference registration. Follow the online instructions for creating a member profile and paying dues.
• Send questions to Randall Osborne (reosborn@txstate.edu)

Psi Chi student submissions that do not make the top 5 finalists will be forwarded to the Psi Chi program chair for inclusion in the Psi Chi program. There will be a separate check box during the submission process for SWPA student competitions for such students to indicate they are members of Psi Chi.