Submission Guidelines
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1. Timelines
W/C 10 April 2023 - Online submissions system open
31 May 2023 5PM BST - Deadline for Submissions
June 2023 - Notification of submission outcomes
W/C 12 June 2023 - Draft programme available online
14 July 2023 - Deadline for Presenters to register
21 August 2023 6PM BST - Registration closed
2. Theme for the Conference
Promoting a useful social psychology: Understanding social issues and creating sustainable social change
We are currently facing several significant social issues all of which have serious consequences on our society. These issues include, but are not limited to, the uncertain future of a post Brexit Britain, climate change, the rise in cost of living, unfair wages, the persistent spread of discrimination and racism, and continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the most vulnerable. Our 2023 conference will adopt a single-stream format allowing us to deeply engage with the breadth of research, innovation, development and impact within our discipline relating to addressing social issues and implementing sustainable social change. We aim to celebrate the critical work being done as well as highlight areas where further focus is required most urgently.
We welcome symposia submissions, individual blitz talks and posters from all areas of social psychology and are keen to represent the full breadth of topics and methods that social psychology comprises. We expect symposia submissions to bring together presenters from different institutions and career stages.
Through our 2023 conference, we will not only showcase the very best of social psychological research, but also facilitate a space where social psychologists across all career stages can equally participate in stimulating discussions, developing networks and opportunities for new collaborations both with colleagues within the discipline and beyond.
We look forward to welcoming you in August!
3. Symposia funding competition
As part of this year’s annual conference, the SPS committee introduces a symposia competition which will fund conference attendance. We would like to encourage the submission of symposia which link to the key issues identified by the BPS as part of their research and policy agenda. This includes topics relating to climate change and sustainability, social class and equality/inequality, diversity and inclusion/exclusion. In addition, we will be looking for symposia that fit well with the conference theme: Promoting a useful social psychology: Understanding social issues and creating sustainable social change.
As an incentive and to increase accessibility we will fund 1-day attendance registration for up to four symposia to our annual conference this year on a competitive basis.
Symposia can include 4-5 speakers and we encourage you to consider including a diverse range of speakers (e.g. gender, ethnicity, different career stages from students to senior academics). In addition, at least one speaker must be a BPS Social Section Psychology member.
Submissions to the symposia competition will be assessed based on the fit of the research with the themes described above, composition of the presenting team, and a justification for why your symposium should receive funding.
To submit your symposia to the competition, please select the box in the form and provide a brief explanation as to how you meet the competition eligibility criteria and why your symposium should be selected. You will also be asked how many 1-day registration spaces you would like to request (max 1 per talk, up to 5 talks per symposium). Whilst we have funding for 4 symposia (5 speakers each), if you do not require all speakers to be covered (e.g., due to other/institutional funding availability), we will be able to fund more symposia speakers who require support.
4. Presentation Methods
The Section 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.
Symposium
A symposium is a set of papers linked by a common theme (minimum of three papers with discussant, or 5 papers). A symposium must have a Convenor, who organises the symposium submission and acts as the responsible link person to the conference organisers and (optionally) a named Discussant. The same person can fulfil these roles.
We would like to encourage symposia submissions that bring together a diverse group of presenters for example from different ethnicities and genders, as well as different career stages, foregrounding the work of those earlier in their careers.
5. 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:
Individual submissions (i.e.; empirical, review, theoretical, practice applicable papers/posters, and the five minute challenge):
Background: State the primary objectives of the study/paper, including the main research questions or aims and place the paper in context.
Methods: Quantitative studies should include design, participants (including number of participants), measures and analyses; qualitative studies should include design, participants, method of data elicitation and reference to the analytic approach (e.g. grounded theory; discourse analysis). Review and theoretical papers should include the procedures adopted and their rationale (e.g. literature search, inclusions/exclusion criteria and methods of analysis) and/or key arguments and theoretical positions.
Findings: Quantitative studies should indicate whether relationships/correlations between key variables have significant effects (without including figures such as P-values); qualitative studies should include a general summary of their dataset (without including data extracts); review and theoretical papers should contextualise, summarise, and critically evaluate findings of previous research.
Discussion: Some discussion of the possible contribution to social psychology, or implications of the findings/conclusions.
Additional information for symposia only
The Convenor will need to submit the symposia summary, max of 250 words, (abstract title and symposia title will be the same on the system). For the Symposia summary please use the first available section ignoring all others.
Each presenter within the symposia either submit their own paper, or the convenor can submit them all. Each paper is submitted individually and then linked to form a symposia. Only the reviewers and BPS Conference team can see the full linked symposia.
To link the papers together you will need to ensure that each paper also includes the symposia title. Please note: If symposia titles are not typed exactly the same the papers will not be linked.
For each paper submitted linked with a symposia, please ensure that the title includes the paper number. For example: (1) {Title of abstract}, (2) {Title of abstract} etc.
Please ensure the summary title starts: (S) {Title of summary}
In previous years the most frequent reasons submissions were rejected included;
6. Refereeing Procedure
Reviewers will be assessing each submission on a number of criteria:
For full reviewing criteria please visit the website.
Each submission is blind reviewed by at least two members of the Scientific Conference Committee according to established criteria and standards.
Please note:
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.
7. Further Information
Registration
All presenters are expected to register and pay at the appropriate rate. 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:
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
SACWAP guidelines
When submitting material, please note the SACWAP guidelines dealing with the use of animals in psychological research. Copies of these guidelines can be obtained from the Leicester Office.
Contact
Email: bpssubmissions@redactive.co.uk
Website: www.bps.org.uk/events