Registering & Paying

What happens after I submit my proposal?

After submitting a proposal, you will receive an automated acknowledgment email. Please note that this is not the same as an acceptance. Within two weeks of your submission, you should receive a second email with the status of your proposal.

Area Chairs are responsible for vetting proposals per relevance, merit, the scholarly standards governing their fields, and various other factors.

SWPACA practices rolling reviews of individual, panel, and roundtable proposals. Area Chairs try to review and accept or reject proposals within two weeks of receipt. However, given our Area Chairs’ differing teaching/administrative schedules, the wait time for conference acceptance/rejection decisions may exceed this two-week time frame.

If you have not received an email notification regarding the status of your proposal after two weeks, we encourage you to contact the appropriate Area Chair directly via email. Find Area Chairs’ contact information at https://swpaca.org/subject-areas/.

When/How do I register and pay for the conference?

After receiving an official acceptance email, register using the same system as when you submitted a proposal by following the steps below:

  1. Log back into our Conference Portal where you submitted your proposal
  2. In the left-hand menu bar, “Tickets.”
  3. Start a new order, and “Add Registration” to add your information. (Add more attendees if needed.)
  4. After accepting the Refund Policy (checkbox), you will see options to pay with PayPal or debit/credit card.

Registration rates follow the schedule listed on the conference info page. Contact support@southwestpca.org with technical issues.

How is my registration fee used?

SWPACA is an independent 501c3 non-profit organization; we are neither associated with nor supported by any institution or organization. All PCAs in the US (including Nationals) are independent of one another. Our executive team, area chairs, and awards judges are all volunteers and do not receive any compensation for their work. Putting on a conference of this size requires substantial costs related to conference spaces, presentation rooms, technology, and other amenities; your registration fee allows us to meet these costs.

If I submit a proposal, am I automatically registered for the conference?

No. Registration is a separate process. See the question above for detailed steps about registering.

What should I do if I have a proposal accepted and/or have paid registration and can no longer attend?
  • If you have had a proposal accepted but can no longer attend, please notify us at support@southwestpca.org. Because we accept registration payments onsite at the conference, we assume individuals with accepted proposals will attend unless they tell us otherwise.
  • If you have paid registration, please notify us at support@southwestpca.org as soon as your plans change. You may be eligible for a partial or full refund, depending on when you notify us. The refund schedule is available at https://swpaca.org/albuquerque-conference/

 

If I an unable to attend, can someone read my paper in my absence?

Unfortunately, no. Because part of our mission is to encourage discussion, develop ideas, and provide networking opportunities, we do not allow papers to be presented in absentia.

Do I need to submit my paper before the conference?

You are not required to submit a copy of your paper before your presentation. Sometimes after a presentation, attendees in the audience will ask a presenter for a copy of her/his paper; this is also a common practice in order to increase accessibility. You may give out copies or provide a digital access copy if you wish, but you are not required to do so. You may also, at your discretion, take email addresses and later send an electronic file of your paper if anyone requests a copy. If you are a graduate student, you should consider submitting your paper for one of the graduate student awards. See the conference’s Graduate Student Awards page for a full list of awards, submission information, etc.

Useful Links

Submitting a Proposal

Registering & Paying

Attending the Conference

Code of Conduct

Presenting Your Paper

Serving as a Moderator

Becoming an Area Chair

Contact Us