This document has been prepared by the Committee on Professional Rights and Responsibilities to answer basic questions about the convention and to help you as you prepare for your convention participation:
I. Composition of the Program
I.1
Panels may be organized according to a variety of formats, ranging, for
example, from the traditional oral presentation of research papers to
poster presentations to more innovative means of presentation that
utilize computer software, film, or demonstrations of teaching
techniques.
I.2 The numbers of roundtables on the program should not be increased at the expense of the number of panels.
I.3 Panel proposals from ISA sections are
subject to review by the program chair(s) using the same standards of
quality and suitability that are applied to other proposals.
I.4
Joint panels and roundtables organized collaboratively by two ISA
sections are particularly encouraged and should be given special
consideration by the program chair(s).
Rationale: Scholars
can participate in the program in a variety of ways: by chairing a
panel or roundtable, by delivering a formal paper or prepared remarks
on a given topic, or by serving as a discussant. The primary purpose of
program activities are to encourage the full presentation and active
discussion of theories and research findings, as well as to explore
topics of interest from a wide range of disciplinary and theoretical
perspectives. The specific format used in panels and roundtables to
accomplish these goals may vary as deemed appropriate by panel chairs
and the program chair(s).
II. Composition of Paper and Poster Panels
II.1
Panels may range between four and five papers, and might have one or
two discussants. Only under the most extraordinary circumstances should
a panel have more than five papers or a roundtable have more than six
participants.
II.2 Approximately thirty minutes should be reserved
for discussion from the floor and among the panelists. The panel chair
has the right and responsibility to enforce this norm.
II.3 Panel
organizers should strive for a good mix of participants. The best
panels often include scholars from different countries, a range of
institutions, and different career stages. The best discussants are
often scholars with significant experience in the field. In general,
graduate students should not fill this role.
II.4 Poster sessions
for the conference will be organized into poster panels, a set of
between four and six posters grouped on a related theme. Each poster
panel will have a discussant, who will give feedback on the papers and
their posters to the authors.
Rationale: There is no ideal
composition for the panels. The number of formal papers and the time
allocated for their presentation should be based on the scholarly
objectives of the panel. In all cases, including roundtables, adequate
time should be reserved for a full and active discussion after the
formal presentations.
III. Responsibility of Panel and Roundtable Chairs
By proposing and accepting responsibility for chairing a panel or roundtable, the chair accepts these obligations:
III.1
To inform the program chair(s) of all changes in the composition of the
panel or roundtable prior to the publication of the final program. And,
similarly, to inform all other participants of such changes well before
the meetings begin.
III.2 To inform the program chair(s) of any
panelist who fails to attend the panel without providing advance
notification of those extenuating circumstances preventing their
participation.
III.3 If chairing a roundtable, to circulate a
detailed memo regarding the issues to be discussed by the participants
well in advance of the meeting.
III.4 If chairing a panel, to take
all reasonable steps to ensure that the discussants receive advance
copies of papers, even in draft form. Five working days prior to the
commencement of the meetings is the absolute minimum acceptable
lead-time.
III.5 To hold participants to agreed-upon time limits for
their presentations, so that at least thirty minutes are available for
general discussion.
Rationale: Stimulating scholarly interchange requires that panelists attend their panels and roundtables, and that adequate time be set aside for discussion among panelists and the audience. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide accurate information about the nature and composition of a particular panel or roundtable and to provide sufficient time for the participants and audience to interact.
IV. Responsibility of Panelists and Roundtable Participants
By proposing and accepting formal participation, participants accept these obligations:
IV.1
To inform the panel chair, discussant of your paper, and program
chairs(s) at the earliest possible date of any changes in the status of
your work, your availability, or travel funding which will or is likely
to prevent your participation. Failure to show up for your panel
without having previously notified the panel chair, discussant, and
program chairs(s) could adversely affect the likelihood of your being
included on the program in future years.
IV.2 If giving a prepared
paper, to circulate copies to discussants and other panelist in advance
of the meetings, and at least five working days before the commencement
of the meetings. Paper presenters are also responsible for providing
copies of their paper to other attendees and uploading their paper to
the online paper archive.
IV.3 If serving as a discussant, to read
carefully each of the papers that you receive at least five days prior
to the conference and comment upon these papers in a constructive
manner.
IV.4 To abide by the panel chair's stipulations regarding the length of presentation and comments.
IV.5
Unless you are a co-author and the other author(s) are presenting your
paper, you have an obligation to attend and fulfill the responsibility
for which you applied. This year, like last, we had far more people
applying than we had space for in the program, and literally hundreds
of worthy applicants were turned away. In turn, ISA's Governing Council
imposed a deadline of no later than November 19th, by which time you
could still cancel your participation (and the program chair could
substitute another worthy participant); of if you failed to cancel your
professional obligation by that date, you would be penalized by not
allowing you on the program for future conferences.
IV.6 If you are
a co-author, and you are not planning on attending, and your co-author
is presenting your work, please notify us immediately so we may plan
for this and not spend resources unnecessarily. You can notify us by
e-mail at isa@isanet.org.
IV.7 For the 2010 convention, ISA is providing both laptop personal computers and LCD projectors in all panel rooms. Software capabilities are LIMITED to Powerpoint reader and Adobe reader ONLY. The reader software can accommodate presentations created in Microsoft or Mac formats. Presenters will not be able to use their own laptop computers since the audio visual setups in the meeting rooms must
not be changed in any way. Presenters must bring their Powerpoint or Adobe presentations on a flash drive and insert the flash drive into the ISA netbook computer at the start of the presentation.
Rationale: The quality of
scholarly interaction among panelists and the audience increases when
panelists receive copies of papers in advance of the meeting and when
members of the audience have access to the papers. The inability of
attendees to purchase papers is a source of considerable frustration.
Panelists have a professional responsibility to make copies of their
papers available to convention attendees.
V. Participation of Scholars from outside North America
V.1 Panel and roundtable chairs are encouraged to invite the participation of relevant scholars outside of North America.
V.2 Letters confirming the participation of scholars from outside North America should be sent by the program chair(s) at the earliest possible date and, whenever possible, in advance of the publication of the preliminary program.
V.3 If participation of a scholar from outside North America is contingent on funding from ISA or other sources, that fact should be made clear when the proposal is submitted.
Rationale: The participation of scholars from outside North America is in keeping with the purposes of the Association. Their participation is most effective if North American members have ample opportunities to interact with them as panelists and discussants and vice versa. Early indication of the need for funding will allow the program chair(s) and section organizers to provide the potential participant with the appropriate application.
VI. Frequency of Appearances
VI.1 Participants are allowed to present no more than two papers with a total of four maximum participations, including acting as discussant and chair. ISA’s conference website will limit a participant’s submissions.
VI.2 The limitation on the number of appearances will be waived for participants serving on a panel that is honoring an ISA member, or for other exceptional circumstances identified by the program chairs(s).
Rationale: Minimizing the number of appearances by any one participant increases the opportunities for participation by others.
VII. Proposal Submission
VII.1
Scholars who submit proposals for panels or roundtables must not place
an individual on the proposed panel or roundtable without his or her
consent.
VII.2 Scholars wishing to participate in the program must
adhere to the submission deadline. Proposals received after the
deadline stipulated by the program chair(s) are unlikely to be included
in the program.
Rationale: The fact that some scholars submit multiple proposals without informing the program chair(s) and other appropriate personnel creates serious difficulties in preparing the program. Accurate information on multiple submissions will assist the program chair(s) in making the most efficient use of available sections. Adherence to the submission deadline facilitates timely completion of the program.
VIII. Notification of Unsuccessful Proposals
VIII.1
It is the responsibility of the program chair(s) and section organizers
to ensure that scholars who cannot be accommodated on the program are
notified by letter of that fact prior to the publication of the
preliminary program. Acceptance letters and notifications for those who
submitted proposals will sent by e-mail from ISA in late September.
Rationale: Not informing scholars that their proposals are unsuccessful until publication of the preliminary program is a professional discourtesy.
IX. Registration and Membership
IX.1 Pre-registration is required for all participants to be listed in the program.
IX.2
Membership in ISA is not required for participation in the annual
meetings. Nonetheless academic participants are strongly encouraged to
join the Association.
X. Paper and Panel Proposal Deadline
X.1 The deadline for paper and panel proposals is June 1st, all proposals may be submitted online using the MyISA conference management system.
XI. Travel Grant Deadline
XI.1 The travel grant application deadline is September 9th.
For more information on the grant application process, please see the
website located at the following URL:
http://www.isanet.org/travelgrants/
Rationale: We ask that you
submit your travel grant application prior to receiving your
participation confirmation, this allows us to carefully consider the
many applications received before awarding the limited funds available.
XII. Participant Pre-Registration Deadline
XII.1 The pre-registration deadline for convention participants is: October 15, 2009. Participants who do not register by this date will not appear in the Convention Program.
Rationale: We request that participants pre-register for the program. If you fail to do so we will assume that you will not be participating and we will rearrange the program by removing your contribution and adding those who have currently been placed on a considerably long waiting list. In previous years, some participants have been, for various reasons, unable to meet their professional commitments to present at ISA meetings. In an attempt to limit these occurrences to only those with legitimate reasons, this new procedure was instituted. We hope that this will help ensure full participation in the ISA Annual Convention.
