After you create or log in to your account, you will be able to submit a proposal. On your account dashboard, click on “Proposals” left-hand menu. Then, click on the “Submit New Proposal” button on the upper-left.

Due to time and space constraints, each participant is limited to ONE 15-minute paper presentation per conference, plus a creative writing piece and/or roundtable participation. Co-presenting a paper counts as one presentation. The system will not permit multiple paper submissions.

When submitting a proposal, you will be asked to indicate the following:

• Title: the title of your paper/roundtable
• Topic: the Subject Area that you are submitting to
• Submission Type: “Paper” for a 15-minute paper presentation, “Roundtable” for a 90-minute session featuring 3-6 speakers discussing a singular topic, and a “Screening” for special film events. More on submitting Roundtables and pre-formed panel of 3-4 individual presentations can be found below. 
• Add Presenters: if you have a co-presenter for a paper, add them here (presenters must have an account, or you will be asked to create a placeholder account for them). If no co-presenters, leave blank.
• Willingness to Moderate: more about moderator duties can be found here
• Brief Summary: a condensed version of your abstract, for use in our conference app to preview your work
• Full Length: the full abstract, no more than 500 words, of your work, which should include your argument, methodology, examples, etc.

After submitting, you will receive a confirmation of receipt. This is not an acceptance email. Within two weeks of your proposal submission, you should receive an updated notification with the status of your proposal.

For creative writing pieces, please submit your first proposal in the system, and then email your second proposal to klacey@southwestpca.org.

A proposal should be for original work that has not been published or presented elsewhere.

Yes! However, unless you are applying to co-present a paper with a professor, you will need to submit your proposal to our Undergraduate Presentations area. After an initial review, your paper will be moved to an appropriate area.

When creating a proposal, you will see a drop-down menu under Submission Type. The different types you can choose from are as follows:

• A paper is the most common presentation type–a traditional paper presentation, for which you have 15 minutes to present your work. These are typically presented solo unless you have co-researchers/-authors. Three-to-four papers sharing a topic/Subject Area are then placed together on a panel.
• A roundtable is a full 90-minute session during which 3-6 speakers, including a moderator, discuss a specific topic.
• A screening is a special session during which a full-length film is shown. This often includes a post-screening discussion.

To submit a pre-formed panel of 3-4 individual papers, see the “How do I submit a pre-formed panel proposal?” FAQ item below.

If you have a pre-formed panel that includes 3-4 individual papers/presentations, each member of the panel must create an account and submit an individual proposal for their paper. In addition, within the abstract, each member should make clear that their paper is part of a pre-formed panel, and include the following: a) the proposed title of the panel; b) the other presenters on the panel; and 3) the proposed panel chair. After all proposals have been submitted, the proposed panel chair should email the appropriate Area Chair to confirm receipt of panel information. (Find Area Chairs’ contact information at https://swpaca.org/subject-areas/.)

Note that panels must include 3-4 papers/presentations. Panel proposals with less or more presentations will be integrated or split up into other panels.

A roundtable is a session made of 3-6 speakers who come together to discuss a predetermined topic (5 panelists maximum, plus the session moderator) for a full 90-minute session time. The moderator’s responsibility is typically to facilitate discussion among the speakers and with the audience.

To submit a roundtable, click on “Submit Proposal,” and designate “Type” as “Roundtable.”

In the abstract, note that that your proposal is for a roundtable. When prompted to add users, add the additional members of the roundtable discussion. (All presenters must have an account within the database, or you will be prompted to create a placeholder account for them.)

NOTE: Due to time and space constraints, the number of roundtables are limited per Subject Area. Area Chairs may not be able to accommodate every roundtable proposal.

If you have an idea for a workshop or a screening, please email Kathleen Lacey (klacey@southwestpca.org) to discuss further.