Submission Guidelines
1. Timelines
2. Theme for the Conference
3. Structure for all Submissions
4. Presentation Methods
5. Refereeing Procedure
6. Further Information
NB – You will need to create an account to be able to use the submission system. You will not be able to use your BPS online shop or membership login to gain access to the submission system. If you are a BPS member, please register on the submissions system with the same email address associated with your membership record.
1. Timelines
Authors are strongly advised to register on the on-line submission system and begin preparing their submissions well in advance of the deadlines below. Please note that this year it is highly unlikely there will be an extension for abstract submissions.
21 October 2022 - Online submission system opens
25 January 2023 - The deadline for Oral Presentations, Poster Presentations, Structured Discussions and Workshop submissions
February 2023 - Notification of submission outcomes for Oral Presentations, Poster Presentations, Structured Discussions and Workshop
7 March 2023 - Deadline for late breaking Poster presentation submissions
End of March 2023 - Notification of submission outcomes for Posters
2. Theme of Conference
The 2023 conference theme is Health psychology: Current Challenges and Innovative Solutions
We welcome all submissions. You will be prompted to indicate whether your submission is ‘Qualitative’, ‘Quantitative’, ‘Mixed Method’s or ‘None of these methods relevant (e.g., for Health Psychology in Action submissions)’ when submitting your abstract(s).
3. Structure for Submissions
All submission abstracts should be up to 250 words, exclusive of the title. Abstracts should not include references and should be written in either the past or present tense as we expect data collection to have been completed. Please try and keep title as short as possible (25 words or fewer).
Abstracts must be structured according to the following format, incorporating the indicated headings and information:
Primary or secondary 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. This should be kept to a minimum. 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 submissions applicable to papers/posters:
Background: Give a concise summary of information, which places the present paper in context
Purpose: State the aim, primary objectives or review question(s) of the paper
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.
Applied Health Psychology interventions (applicable to papers/posters):
Background: Give a concise summary of information relating to applied health psychology in practice or policy.
Purpose: State the aim of the health psychology practitioner/policy work.
Methods: Provide details and examples of the procedures adopted and their rationale (e.g., case study involving specific patients/clients).
Outcomes or: State the outcomes or impact from the work described, including theoretical, methodological, Impact applied or policy outcomes/impact/implications as appropriate, and any challenges/learning arising from this
Health Psychology teaching and training (applicable to papers/posters):
Background: Give a concise summary of information relating to the health psychology teaching/training
Purpose: State the aim or objectives of the health psychology teaching/training
Methods: Provide details and examples of the methods/procedures adopted and their rationale (e.g. case study involving specific student population).
Outcomes or: State the outcomes and/or impact that can be drawn from the work described, including Impact methodological or applied outcomes/impact/implications as appropriate, and any challenges or learning arising from this
Systematic Single Case Studies:
Background: Give a concise summary of information, which places the present paper in context
Purpose: State the aim or primary objectives of the paper
Methods: Provide a justification for using a single case-study approach with regard to the phenomenon being illustrated and demonstrate the theoretical argument for the particular systematic tool that is used.
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.
Pecha Kucha
Pecha Kucha presentations consist of 20 slides, with 20 seconds per slide and time to answer one question. Slides with images are recommended where appropriate; try to keep text to a minimum. Each presentation will last no more than 7 minutes. Here’s an example from the 2019 conference: https://youtu.be/zfJzhXk-KZA
Objectives: State the primary objective of the paper and the major hypothesis or research question (if appropriate)
Design: Include the design of the study and the rationale.
Method: Detail participants recruited or other data used (textual, visual) and methods used for data generation and analysis.
Results: Include a representation of your findings. Data can be included - visual representations are recommended (e.g. diagrams, pictures, graphs etc.)
Conclusions: State the conclusions that can be drawn from the study, including theoretical, methodological, or applied/policy implications as appropriate.
If your Pecha Kucha is practice-based, please follow guidelines for Oral presentation – Practice
Structured Discussions:
Purpose: A statement of focus to be addressed by this discussion
Objectives: Up to four objectives, summarising what you expect the discussion to achieve
Rationale: A rationale for addressing this issue at this conference.
Summary: Outlining the context or focus of each contributor’s research
Additional requirements for Structured Discussions
In addition to the main overview abstract, please attach a Word Document which will include each co-discussant’s contribution (250 word abstract each). Please Do Not include author details in the Word Document as all abstracts are blind reviewed. If your Structured Discussion is accepted, we will contact the submitter for all author details.
Unstructured Discussions (new for 2023!):
Purpose: A statement of focus of the session
Objectives: Up to four objectives, summarising what you expect the discussion to achieve
Rationale: A rationale for addressing this issue at this conference.
Outcome: Outlining the outcome(s) you would like to see at the end of the discussion
Workshops:
Background: Provide a concise summary of information, which places the session in context, this includes the aims of the workshop and the expected outcomes for participants
Key points: Provide details of key arguments or the skills and activities covered.
Conclusions: State the conclusions that can be drawn from the work described, including theoretical, methodological, or applied/policy implications as appropriate.
N.B. Please include a description of the intended participants, e.g., ‘Suitable for postgraduate students/people who are new to research design.’ ‘This workshop requires some experience of qualitative research.’ You can also specify a maximum number of participants.
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
PLEASE NOTE: Abstracts that are based on work still in progress will be rejected as papers, though they may be accepted as posters.
4. Presentation Methods
The Conference Scientific 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.
Oral Presentations
Papers are allocated 20 minute slots on the programme; 15 minutes talk and 5 minutes for questions.
Poster Presentations
Posters will be timetabled into the conference programme in sessions which provide an opportunity for presenters and participants to discuss work and findings. Further information will be sent to all poster presenters closer to the event, along with details on how to be entered into the poster prize.
Health Psychology in Action Posters
The aim of this section is to create a forum for health psychologists in practice to share examples of good practice and engage in useful dialogue with colleagues; the essential element for this type of submission, therefore, is that it must have a base in practice. Submissions may be research orientated or can be more descriptive; however, evaluation of the impact of the work in terms of outcomes would be expected where appropriate.
‘Works in Progress’ Posters
These posters will communicate work in progress and do not require data collection to be completed. However, the work still has to be of a demonstrably good scientific quality to be accepted. Consequently, the abstract should have clear and explicit aims and objectives, hypotheses or research questions. Methods should be clearly described, as per the usual submission guidelines, with an explicit statement of intended sample size and justification for this. A clear plan of analysis should be outlined, which should make clear how the intended analyses will address the research aims or research questions.
Finally, the discussion section should include a brief statement of the expected or potential implications of the research.
Pecha Kucha
A Pecha-Kucha presentation is a quick 7-minute event which consists of a speaker presenting 20 slides, with 20 seconds per slide and time to answer one question at the end. Each presentation will last no more than 7 minutes. It is meant to be a quick-fire, exciting way of presenting novel findings in a fast-paced way. It is probably best suited to work that will benefit from communicating ‘headline’ findings in a dynamic, succinct way. The goal is to adopt an energetic approach that captures the interest of a broad audience.
Structured Discussions
The structured discussion format is a maximum of four presentations, across two or more institutions, and an interactive discussion period; structured discussions are usually allocated up to 2 hours. They should have a clear structure and require active participation with delegates during the general discussion. They should not be unfocussed, informal discussions around a topic.
Unstructured Discussions
Unstructured discussions are meant to be informal discussions around a topic. The aim of such sessions is to take advantage of the fact that DHP conferences bring together experts from across the UK, who vary in their experience, expertise, knowledge, and mindset, and would welcome the opportunity to have a thought-provoking discussion of a topic of interest to DHP members. For example – ‘How do we better engage with policy makers and other non-academic stakeholders?’, ‘How do we make our interventions more sustainable?’, ‘What are the best ways to bring theory and practice together?’ Unstructured discussions are likely to be of interest to smaller, more selective, group of DHP members. Due to their unfocused nature, unstructured discussions submissions need to nominate a chair who will moderate the discussion to keep it (broadly) on topic, without being to restrictive. Unstructured discussions are usually allocated between 1 and 2 hours.
Workshops
Are usually allocated 1 or 2 hours on the programme. Workshops provide an opportunity for a group of participants to achieve a specific goal or address a particular problem. It may be designed to train or educate participants in a particular research methodology or theoretical approach. A workshop can also be a useful way to develop a consensus on a particular issue. It should have a clear structure and require active participation by everyone involved. It should not be an unfocussed informal discussion around a topic.
5. Refereeing procedure
Reviewers will be assessing each submission on a number of criteria:
For full reviewing scientific reviewing criteria please visit the website.
Each submission is blind reviewed by at least two members of the Conference Scientific Committee according to the above reviewing scientific criteria.
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.
6. Further information
Registration
All presenters are expected to register and pay at the appropriate rate. Registration is open from November 2022 and early rates expire on 12 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 papers and posters are under a media embargo until the day of presentation.
Presentation Format
Presentation guidelines will be sent to accepted submitters along with notification emails.
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 either from the Society’s website: http://beta.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:
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 or from the Leicester Office.
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