The deadline for receipt is 1 September 2004 at 5:00 PM EDT. Post office delivery is erratic. When mailing abstracts, allow sufficient time for delivery delays; priority mail service often takes more than two days. All abstracts must arrive by the deadline. Late abstracts will not be considered, whatever the reason for the delay.
The four categories of presentations are: organized sessions, 30-minute papers, 15-minute papers, and poster sessions. Abstracts of poster presentations, papers and descriptions of organized sessions will be reviewed with the most stringent criteria being applied to the longer presentations. The Program Committee will, of course, require that the subject matter be linguistic, that the papers not be submitted with malicious or scurrilous intent, and that the abstract be coherent and in accord with published specifications.
There is no upper limit on the number of papers that can be accepted for the program nor an upper limit on the number of papers in any subarea. There is, therefore, no predetermined limit on the number of sessions scheduled. When the Program Committee meets, members discuss and judge each abstract on the basis of their collective knowledge and, when appropriate, on reports from consultants. Then, they arrange each session, assemble the final program, and select session chairs.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
1. All authors must be members of the Linguistic Society. Although LSA membership is on a calendar year basis, payment for 2004 may accompany the abstract; all in print issues of Language and the LSA Bulletin will be sent after payment is processed. The membership requirement may be waived for co-authors from other disciplines. Requests for waivers of membership must be made by a member of the Society and must accompany the abstract.
2. Any member may submit one 15-minute abstract, 30-minute abstract, or poster abstract as sole author and a second as co-author, or two as co-author. He or she may also present a paper in one organized session proposal, but if this proposal is accepted, the Program Committee may withdraw the 15-minute, 30-minute, or poster proposal on the author's behalf.
3. Authors who will be unable to present their papers personally should specifically name a proxy who will both read the paper and respond to questions that follow.
4. After an abstract has been submitted, no changes of author, affiliation, title, or wording of the abstract, other than those due to typographical errors, are permitted.
5. Papers must be delivered as projected in the abstract or represent bona fide developments of the same research.
6. Handouts, if any, are not to be submitted with abstracts, but should be available at the meeting for those listening to the paper.
7. Submissions by electronic mail and/or facsimile cannot be accepted.
8. Presenters must register for the meeting.
ABSTRACT FORMAT GUIDELINES
1. An abstract, including a bibliography, if needed, and examples, must be no more than 500 words and on one side of a single page. All words in examples including glosses and numbers in tables, references, and so on are counted in the 500 word limit. Submit 12 copies. Abstracts longer than 500 words or more than one side of a single page will be rejected without being evaluated. Please note the word count at the bottom of the abstract.
2. At the top of the abstract, outside the typing area, put the title, designated research area(s), and abstract category (15-minute, 30-minute, or poster).
3. Do not put your name on the abstract. Your name should be only on the abstract submittal form. If you identify yourself in any way on the abstract (e.g. "In Smith (1992)...I"), the abstract will be rejected without being evaluated.
4. Abstracts which do not conform to the format guidelines will not be considered. Abstracts not conforming to the content guidelines will be considered as reflecting the writer's ability to deliver an effective paper.
5. A short abstract, intended for photoreproduction and publication in the Meeting Handbook, will be requested from all authors of accepted papers. Specific instructions for the transmittal of this abstract will be included in the acceptance letters. These instructions, including the stated deadlines, must be observed or the paper will be withdrawn from the program.
ABSTRACT CONTENTS
Many abstracts are rejected because they omit crucial information rather than because of errors in what they include. Authors may wish to consult the abstract models prepared by the Program Committee on pages 68-73. A suggested outline for abstracts is as follows:
1. Choose a title that clearly indicates the topic of the paper and is not more than one 7-inch typed line.
2. State the problem or research question raised by prior work, with specific reference to relevant prior research.
3. State the main point or argument of the proposed presentation.
4. Regardless of the subfield, cite sufficient data, and explain why and how they support the main point or argument. When examples are in languages other than English, provide word by word glosses and underline the portions of the examples which are critical to the argument. Explain abbreviations at their first occurrence.
5. If your paper presents the results of experiments, but collection of results is not yet complete, then report what results you've already obtained in sufficient detail that your abstract may be evaluated. Also indicate explicitly the nature of the experimental design and the specific hypothesis tested.
6. State the relevance of your ideas to past work or to the future development of the field. Describe analyses in as much detail as possible. Avoid saying in effect "a solution to this problem will be presented." If you are taking a stand on a controversial issue, summarize the arguments that led you to your position.
7. State the contribution to linguistic research made by the analysis.
8. While citation in the text of the relevant literature is essential, a separate list of references at the end of the abstract is generally unnecessary.
CATEGORIES OF PRESENTATIONS
Members submitting abstracts of poster presentations, l5-minute, and 30-minute papers should follow the instructions for abstract format and content carefully. Submissions in these three categories will be reviewed anonymously.
A. Poster Sessions
Depending on subject and/or content, it may be more appropriate to submit an abstract to the poster session for visual presentation rather than to the15- or 30-minute session. In general, the sorts of papers which are most effective as posters are those in which the major conclusions become evident from the thoughtful examination of charts and graphs, rather than those which require the audience to follow a sustained chain of verbal argumentation. Therefore, authors will want to make points in narrative form as brief as possible. The poster paper is able to "stand alone," that is, be understandable even if the author is not present, and does not require audiovisual support.
B. 15-Minute Papers
The bulk of the program will consist of 15-minute papers, with 5 minutes for discussion.
C. 30-Minute Papers
30-minute papers with l0-minutes of discussion are papers addressing issues whose presentation justifies additional time. These abstracts are evaluated more stringently than 15-minute and poster abstracts.
D. Organized Sessions
Organized sessions typically involve more than one scholar and are expected to make a distinctive and creative contribution to the meeting. Proposals for organized sessions are NOT reviewed anonymously. These sessions may be:1. Symposia which include several presentations on a single topic
2. Workshops focused on a specific theme or issue
3. Tutorials which give intensive instruction in some subfield of linguistics or a related field
4. Colloquia which include a major presentation with one or more invited discussants
5. Sessions of any other kind with a clear, specific, and coherent rationale.
The organizer(s) must supply the information requested on the organized session submittal form, which is available from the LSA Secretariat. In addition, the organizer(s) must submit the following:
1. A preliminary version of the proposal including 500-word abstracts for each presenter by 15 April 2004, to be sent to the Program Committee for comments and suggestions.
2. A fully detailed proposal (typically 2-5 pages) which includes the purpose, motivation, length (1 1/2 - 3 hours), and justification for the session; the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all participants, including discussants; and a complete account, including timetable, of what each participant will do. The Program Committee reserves the right to select participants and discussants.
3. A 1-page description of the organized session for publication in the Meeting Handbook.
4. If appropriate, a short abstract of each participant's presentation.
Organizers must submit a first version of the written proposal by 15 April 2004 in order to receive comments and suggestions from the Program Committee. The deadline for the final version of written proposals is 1 September 2004.
Funding. The Program Committee does not have funds for organized sessions. If special funds are required, it is the responsibility of the organizer(s) to seek and obtain them. When submitting the proposal to the Program Committee, the organizer(s) should state whether or not special funds will be necessary. If so, include the source of the funds, with an indication of what alternatives will be pursued if special funds fail to materialize.
The deadline for receipt of abstracts for 15- and 30-minute papers, poster sessions, and the final version of organized session proposals is 1 September 2004 at 5:00 PM EDT.