ISA Annual Convention 2008 Blog

Guidelines for Convention Participants

This document has been prepared by the Committee on Professional Rights and Responsibilities in response to concerns that recently have been voiced about the obligations assumed by participants at the annual ISA convention.

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 Chairs of roundtables are encouraged to assign titles to participants' topics and to request discussion papers. To facilitate applications for institutional travel funds, chairs need to send letters to roundtable participants inviting them to "prepare a paper on topic X for discussion at session Y."
I.4 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.5 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 Panels
II.1 The program chair(s) should maintain flexibility in order to accommodate the various scholarly aims of different types of panels. Those panels seeking to debate contending views on a topic are generally well served by a structure of two papers and two discussants. Other panels may range between three and four papers, and might have a single discussant. Only under the most extraordinary circumstances should a panel have more than four papers or a roundtable have more than six participants.
II.2 Regardless of the composition of panels, 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.

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.
III.6 ISA will provide an overhead projector and screen for your panel. If your panelists require PowerPoint hookups, film projectors, or other A/V equipment, they must arrange this with the hotel at their own expense.

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.
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 December 1st, 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@u.arizona.edu.
IV.7 ISA will provide an overhead projector and screen for your use. If you require PowerPoint hookups, film projectors, or any other A/V equipment, you must arrange this with the hotel at your own expense.

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 should appear on no more than two panels or roundtables. A participant may present only one paper, except in the case of co-authorship.

VI.2 The limitation on the number of appearances will be waived for participants serving on a panel that is honoring an ISA member, for participants from outside

North America, 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 more than one panel, roundtable or paper proposal must inform the program chair(s) and the relevant section organizers of these multiple submissions. In addition, they must indicate the order in which they wish the proposals to be considered.
VII.2 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.3 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 out by e-mail from ISA starting the last week in September.

Rationale: Not informing scholars that their proposals are unsuccessful until publication of the preliminary program is a professional discourtesy and a source of some bitterness.

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 1^st, all proposals may be submitted online at the Convention website located at the following URL:
http://www.isanet.org/sanfran2008/

XI. Travel Grant Deadline
XI.1 The travel grant application deadline is September 15^th. For more information on the grant application process, please see the website located at the following URL: http://www.isanet.org/travel-guideline.html

Rationale: We ask that you submit your travel grant application prior to receiving your participation confirmation. This early deadline allows us to carefully consider the many applications received before awarding the limited funds available.

XII. Pre-Registration Deadline for Non-Members
XII.1 The pre-registration deadline for non-members is: October 29^th. Non-members who do not register by this date will not appear in the Convention Program.

Rationale: We request that non-members pre-register for the program no later than by October 16th. 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 non-ISA members 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.

XIII. Pre-Registration Deadline for Members
XIII.1 The pre-registration deadline for members is: November 30^th.

Convention Hotels

The host hotel for the Annual Convention, the San Francisco Hilton, is now SOLD OUT. The Parc 55 hotel is now accepting reservations at the same group rate. For more information, please see the convention hotel website.

Registration Issues

Our e-commerce provider PayPal is experiencing some technical difficulties and we are in contact with them to resolve the problems. We have posted the registration form here so that you may download the form and return it by FAX, post or e-mail attachment. Thank you.

Hilton Telephone Reservations

We have been notified that some members are having difficulty making their hotel reservations by telephone. To make hotel reservations by telephone, you must provide the ISA group code in order to get the group rate. For the San Francisco Hilton (415-771-1400), our group code is: IAC

Non-Member Participants

The deadline for NON-MEMBER PARTICIPANTS TO REGISTER for the convention has been extended to October 29th.  Non-members who do not register by this date will be dropped from the program.

Annual Convention Participation Announcements

Dear Colleague,

We understand that there was a error on the web page indicating that notifications for acceptance/rejection to the program would be sent out by September 28th, which was the deadline for last year's convention. As a result of the typo, the program chairs have been queried by a number of you regarding why you may not have received a notification last Friday.

Please note that the error was made at HQ and in behalf of all of us there, I apologize for the error. The program chairs have met all the deadlines despite a record setting, tremendous volume of applications for the San Francisco program.

Note as well that all the notifications are being e-mailed today and tomorrow.

Again, my apologies.

With best regards,

Tom Volgy