Submission Guidelines

1. Timelines
2. Theme for the Conference
3. Presentation Methods
4. Structure for all Submissions
5. Refereeing Procedure
6. Further Information

Log into the new submission system. You will need to create an account if this is the first time you are submitting.

1. Timelines

April 2023 - Online submission system opens

7 July 2023 - The deadline for submissions

W/C 24 July 2023 - Notification of Submissions Outcomes

2. Theme for the Conference

The North East and North West of England Branches joint conference will take place on the 4 & 5 September 2023 at City Hall in Sunderland.The conference title is: ‘The Community: Working Together to Tackle Homelessness, Deprivation and Health’. This event will focus on how we can support community groups in relation to deprivation, homelessness and health, post Covid by bringing together Sunderland community groups (i.e. social work, children and adult services, sport, and the police/probation services), academics and practitioners to showcase all the great work and research that is happening in the North East and North West areas of England.It will include insights from researchers in academia and practitioners across the psychological disciplines providing interactive, activity-based workshops and sessions. There is also a great social programme where everyone is welcome to build and develop great networking opportunities for the future.  

3. Presentation Methods

The Standing Conference Committee welcomes submissions from both academics and practitioners. The quality of the scientific programme depends on your submissions and we thank you for choosing this conference to present your work.

Empirical or Review/ Theoretical & Practice Oral Presentations

Papers are allocated 20-minute slots on the programme.

Empirical or Review/ Theoretical & Practice Poster Presentations

Will be timetabled into the conference programme in sessions which provide an opportunity for presenters and participants to discuss work and findings. Further information regarding the dimensions of the poster boards and suggestions of how to display poster material will be supplied to presenters who have their posters accepted.

4. Structure for all Submissions

All submission abstracts should be up to 250 words, exclusive of the title. It should not include references and should be written in either the past or present tense. Abstracts of accepted papers will be available to download on the conference website.

Abstracts must be structured according to the following format, incorporating the indicated headings and information:

Empirical papers/posters: 

Objectives: State the primary objective of the paper and the major hypothesis tested or research question posed.

Design: Describe the design of the study and the rationale for the procedures adopted.

Methods: Describe how participants were selected and number of participants (if documentary data used, state how these were selected), materials employed (if appropriate), methods of data collection and analysis.

Results: Include numerical and/or textual data.  For qualitative analyses briefly describe your findings (e.g., themes, categories, discourses identified).

Conclusions: State the conclusions that can be drawn from the study, including theoretical, methodological, or applied/policy implications as appropriate and any key limitations of the study.

Review/Theoretical and Practice applicable papers/posters:

Purpose: State the aim or primary objectives of the paper

Background: Give a concise summary of information, which places the present paper in context

Methods: Provide details of the procedures adopted and their rationale (e.g., literature search, inclusion/exclusion criteria and methods of analysis) and/or key arguments and theoretical positions.

Conclusions: State the conclusions that can be drawn from the work described, including theoretical, methodological or applied/policy implications as appropriate and any key limitations of the study.

In previous years the most frequent reasons submissions were rejected included;

• Failure to meet the submission criteria (particularly by not following the required format, omitting information or details that must be evident in the submission)
• Incomplete or insufficient empirical evidence reported in the abstract
• Lack of a relevant theoretical background evident in the abstract
• Lack of findings or results because the study has not yet been completed
• Any submission not received via the online system will not be reviewed

5. Refereeing Procedure

Reviewers will be assessing each submission on a number of criteria:

• Written Quality

• Suitability for Annual Conference

• Overall Quality

For full reviewing criteria please visit the website.

Each submission is blind reviewed by at least two members of the Standing Conference Committee according to established criteria and standards. 

Please note:

• Submissions will be considered solely on the information you provide

• If a submission does not evidence all the required elements set out in the submission information above it will be rejected

From time-to-time referees may feel that a particular submission lends itself to a different format to that which is proposed and in these cases authors will be invited to consider an alternative format.

Authors will be notified of the referees’ decision via email. The decision of referees is final. The conference organising committee are unable to respond to further enquiries once a decision has been made. Every effort will have been made to accommodate any timetable constraints notified at the time of submission.

5. Further Information

Registration

Please note that successful submissions will require presenters to purchase a delegate ticket at the published price for speakers. Registration is open from April 2023.

Press Office

If successful, your submission may be considered suitable for a press release, timed to coincide with the conference.  If this is so, a Press Officer will contact you to ask whether you wish your submission to be press released, and to discuss the content of the press release with you.  To write an accurate press release, and to provide more information for journalists attending the conference, you may be asked for additional information regarding your submission. Please note all presentations and posters are under a media embargo until the day of presentation. 

Audio visual requirements

A data projector and laptop will be available in all session rooms. If you are likely to require additional equipment, please indicate this when submitting your abstract. 

Code of Conduct

Authors of all material submitted must confirm adherence to the British Psychological Society’s Code of Ethics and Conduct.  Particular attention should be made to the section on Integrity and the importance of sub-sections 4.1iii and 4.1vi. Copies of the Code may be obtained from the Society’s website:  http://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/bps-code-ethics-and-conduct  

The use of non-sexist language

Submissions must not contain sexist language. The following suggestions are made about ways to avoid sexist language:

1. Avoid using sex-specific forms generically. For example, use plurals they/their rather than he/she or his/her.
2. Delete pronouns – e.g., the participant completed his/her task becomes the participant completed the task.
3. Avoid specifying the sex of the referent unless it is relevant – e.g., use counsellor, client or participant.
4. Avoid making sex-stereotyped assumptions about people, their abilities, attitudes and relationships. 

Guidelines for Psychologists Working with Animals

When submitting material, please note the guidelines for psychologists working with animals. Copies of these guidelines can be obtained online:  http://www.bps.org.uk/publications/policy-and-guidelines/research-guidelines-policy-documents/research-guidelines-poli

Contact

Email: bpssubmissions@redactive.co.uk
Website: www.bps.org.uk/events