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(more pictures in the
conference photo album).

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General Information Important for all Submissions (SWPA and all adjunct organizations)
(Specific SPWA submission guidelines are below on this page; a link to adjunct guidelines is below)


For the 2010 SWPA convention, all submissions to both SWPA and the adjunct organizations (e.g. Psi Chi, SAMR, TPA, SCPA) will use the SWPA online submission application. Thus, prior to submission, all authors for all organizations must complete either a non-member profile or complete a SWPA member profile.  (Choose the type of profile appropriate for your submission; all SWPA submissions require SWPA membership of all authors, but some adjunct organizations will accept abstracts from nonmembers or SWPA members.)  Using the online submission process allows each organization to use the online the review process (each organization is in control of its own abstracts, reviewers, and acceptance decisions) and greatly facilitates the building of the master program.

In addition to having a current profile, SWPA members must be dues current in order to submit a SWPA abstract or be a co-author on a SWPA abstract, but they do not have to be registered for the convention at the time of the submission, i.e. registration does not have to be currently paid in order to be an author or co-author on a submitted abstract.  The primary / presenting author must ultimately register for the convention in order to attend, but co-authors who do not plan to attend do not need to register.  Remember that, prior to the abstract cut-off date, SWPA members may take advantage of the dues-plus-registration "bundle" and save $5.  There are no dues for non-members, but their registration alone is higher than the SWPA member combined dues-plus-registration costs.  See convention registration for more information.

After all project author/co-authors have created a member profile (and paid dues if submitting to SWPA), 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 time period when submissions are being accepted. (Due to different cut-off dates, some organization submission options may be closed while others are open; be sure to pay attention to the relevent cut-off dates because organizations cannot move abstracts to other organizations.)

When stepping through the online submission process, be sure to indicate the organization for which you are submitting in the pull down menu, i.e. if you are a dues-paid SWPA member, but you are submitting to the Psi Chi, you should choose Psi Chi for the submission organization.

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 for that type of presentation, and then follow the step-by-step instructions on the screen after you login. 

During the submission steps, you will also be asked to enter each co-author.  Authors/co-authors can only be added if they are have a current member or non-member profile (the application will not accept names that are not in the system), and SWPA members must also be dues current.  Student members will also need to have been endorsed by a current SWPA member (endorser must be a non-student; no self-endorsements).   Dues and endorsement status are clearly indicated on the web page that opens after login.  Students who do not know a current SWPA member to endorse them can send the SWPA Secretary-Treasurer an email with an electronic copy of their current course enrollment, and enter the Secretary-Treasurer's name in the endorser name field when completing their profiles.

We strongly recommend that you complete your profile and pay dues ahead of time so that all intended authors are able to be added to the submission.

Below on this page are the specific submission guidelines for SWPA poster and talks, symposia, workshops, and the SWPA student research competitions. Our adjunct organizations may have different submission guidelines and cut-off dates. 

Please see the
detailed submission guidelines for adjunct organizations.


SWPA Submissions Guidelines

 
SWPA proposals for the 2010 SWPA convention will be accepted from 12:00 a.m. CST October 12 to 11:59:59 p.m. CST November 30, 2009.

** ALL SWPA talk, poster, and student research competition submissions must report data and conclusions (i.e. they will be rejected if they only report a research project proposal).   SWPA symposia and workshops are not required to present research project data.
 
 
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.


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. Submissions 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.  Tables and Figures should not be included, but obtained data and results must be described in the submission.

Word length: 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.

Submissions from Psi Chi students that do not make the top 5 finalists automatically 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.  If this box is not checked, the abstract will not be forwarded as the program chair will not know of the Psi Chi status.

 
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).  

Workshops that are considered eligible as a continuing education will go through an additional APA approval review, which will require additional information from the presenters (e.g. current vitae, objectives).





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