CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

After reviewing the materials below, should you have additional questions please contact us

Submission Guidelines:

• Publishable abstracts, extended abstracts and papers are due after original 250-word abstract has been accepted
  • Abstract Deadline: February 15, 2018 (recently extended!)
  • Draft Extended Abstract/Paper: April 1, 2018
  • Final Abstract/Paper: May 15, 2018
• Oral Presentation: final acceptance is contingent on receipt of either a completed paper or extended abstract for publication in the conference proceedings by April 1, 2018 AND completed conference registration
  • Extended Abstract – edited original abstract, optionally extended up to 4 pages (template forthcoming)
  • Paper – no page limit (template forthcoming)
• Poster Presentations: require a publishable abstract (250 word-limit) AND completed conference registration.
  • Approved abstract will be resubmitted on the conference template (forthcoming) for publishing
• Publication: all submissions will be published in the Digital Commons publication system as proceedings from the iEMSs 2018 conference
  • The conference proceedings will receive an ISBN
  • Published online proceedings will be organized by session however, abstracts/extended abstracts and papers will be flagged accordingly

General Requirements:

• There is no limit to the number of abstracts that may be submitted by an individual, company, organization, or institution.
• Abstracts are submitted to sessions only. Workshop presentations are organized by each workshop coordinator individually.
• Membership in iEMSs is not a requirement for submission and/or presentation.
• All participants must register for iEMSs 2018 and are responsible for their travel and lodging expenses and registration fees for the conference.
• If you need an invitation letter to secure a travel visa, please contact us as soon as possible.
• English is the official language of iEMSs 2018

Abstract Formatting Tips:

• The length should be to approximately 250 words.
• Graphics/photos should not be included.
• The submission form has separate fields for the title and authors.
• You must copy and paste the body of your abstract into the online system.

Content Suggestions:

• Abstracts should succinctly define the objectives, status, methodology, findings, and significance of the work to be presented.
• You will need to select a session for your abstract from the list of sessions.

Abstracts are submitted to sessions only. Workshop presentations are organized by each workshop organizer individually.  If you discover an abstract that appears to be workshop related please contact us promptly so we can resolve the issue.

Review Instructions

This year we are using an updated system for abstract and paper tracking.  An abbreviated version is listed below, but please review the complete detailed instructions.

Abbreviated Review Workflow:

1. Abstract Assignments – using the session number entered by the author during submission, abstracts are assigned via iEMSs to session organizers listed on original proposal
   • The Local Organizing Committee and iEMSs Conference Committee (LOC/CC) will be in contact to acquire missing email addresses for any session organizers
2. Abstract Review – all reviews are due within 2-weeks of assignment and will be submitted via BePress Digital Commons
   • LOC/CC will assess all reviews once registered
3. Papers & Extended Abstracts – authors of accepted abstracts will be required to submit “publication ready” versions of either a technical paper or extended abstract
   • Submitted using required template
   • Deadline for draft submission: April 1, 2018
4. Final Review – reviewers will be expected to read final extended abstracts and full papers.
   • Deadline for final review: April 30, 2018
   • Final resubmission deadline: May 15, 2018
5. Publication – all submissions will be published in the Digital Commons publication system as proceedings from the iEMSs 2018 conference
   • The conference proceedings will receive an ISBN
   • Published online proceedings will be organized by session however, abstracts/extended abstracts and papers will be flagged accordingly

Rating Guidelines

The main factors considered by the review panel and Scientific Committee in qualifying abstracts for acceptance are:

• The quality of the research, scholarship, or creative work
• The content of the abstract
• Adherence to submission criteria

Below we provide general guidelines to help the reviewers in the reviewing process. The guidelines are not binding.  Ultimately, we have trust in the judgment of the reviewers as experts in the corresponding field.  We suggest that the evaluation of each abstract be based on the following criteria:

• Advancement of field: The abstract should present a significant contribution to the field, and the authors must specify how the paper will contribute to the development of global knowledge
  • Is the significance of the work clearly stated?
  • If relevant, are the methods, data collection, and analysis procedures well-designed and appropriate to the question addressed?
• Quality: The quality of an abstract will be considered indicative of the quality of the final presentation by the reviewers. Authors should prepare their abstracts with care, assuring that the reader will understand the background of the issue(s) and the objectives of the presentation.
  • Is the abstract written clearly and organized well?
• Relevance: Material presented in abstracts must be concise and coherent, with the focus of the abstract and its relevance to an international audience stated clearly.
  • Is the abstract of particular relevance to the session; or would it be better suited in another session?
• State of Completion: The abstract should show substantial results indicating that the work has been, or is nearly completed.
  • Does the abstract clearly state the aim of the project (i.e., a research question, theoretical issue, or problem)?
• Novelty: The abstract should demonstrate innovative information, or present a new topic or application in the field of interest.
  • Is the topic of scientific, methodological, or theoretical importance?

Abstracts may be rejected by the reviewers for the following reasons:

1. The abstract does not clearly indicate the reason for conducting the project. There is no rationale for the importance of the project or it’s relation to the session.
2. If applicable, there is no or insufficient summary regarding the data, results, methodological plan, and/or theory.
3. Duplicate Abstract- The abstract contents substantively overlap with the contents of another submitted abstract by the same author or co-author.
4. Poorly written – Improper use of the English language renders the abstract incomprehensible.

Review Tips

• You may find it helpful to first print the abstracts out, read all of them and then rank order them.
• You may consider creating a quick spreadsheet that allows you to check off (yes/no) whether each abstract meets individual criteria and use this information to finalize your scores.

Listed below is useful information regarding the presentation format for iEMSs 2018.

Presenters

• All presentations are 20 minutes long, inclusive of questions and transitions. Please plan to use 17 minutes to speak, leaving 2 minutes for questions and 1 minute to transition to the next speaker
• Presenters should take their presentations to their presentation room at least 10 minutes before the start of the session on a flash drive
• All presentations must be delivered in English
• Speakers should NOT plan to use a personal computer for their presentation
• Speakers should end their presentation with the words, “Thank you” not “I will now take questions” because there may not be time for questions. The moderator will determine if there is time for questions

Moderators

• All presentations are 20 minutes long, inclusive of questions and transitions
• Moderators will introduce each speaker
• One computer with Acrobat Reader, PowerPoint, and a Chrome or Firefox web browser will be used for all presentations in a single session
• Student volunteers will be there to help the speakers load their presentation onto the computer
• Student volunteers will raise signs indicating when the speaker has 3 minutes left, 1 minute left, and time to stop (at 17 minutes).
• A block of presentations will be 1 hour and 20 minutes – comprising 4 presentations. In a few cases, a final block of the day may be comprised of 5 presentations