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2007 Annual Meeting
Abstract Guidelines and Specifications
download this as a printable pdf file here
Deadlines for receipt of abstracts: Friday, 1 September 2006, 5:00 PM EDT
All abstracts and completed Abstract Submission Forms (available on-line after July 1) must be submitted to the LSA website by the deadline. Late abstracts will not be considered, whatever the reason for the delay.
The Program Committee requires 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 neither an 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. This year, each abstract will be reviewed by members of the Program Committee and by three external expert reviewers. When the Program Committee meets, members discuss the ratings that have been assigned to each abstract, and on the basis of these ratings and their collective knowledge, they make decisions about acceptances and rejections. Then, they arrange each session, assemble the final program, and select session chairs.
General Requirements
1. All abstracts must be accompanied by a completed Abstract Submittal Form (available on-line after July 1).
2. All authors must be members of the Linguistic Society. Payment for 2006 may accompany the abstract. 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 by completing the “Membership Waiver Request Form” which is part of the Abstract Submittal Form file.
3. Any member may submit one 20-minute abstract or one poster abstract as sole author or as co-author. Any member may submit a second paper or poster abstract only as a 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 20-minute or poster proposal on the author's behalf.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Papers must be delivered as projected in the abstract or represent bona fide developments of the same research.
7. Papers must not appear in print before the meeting.
8. Handouts, if any, are not to be submitted with abstracts but should be available at the meeting for those listening to the paper.
9. Abstracts for 20-minute papers and for posters must be submitted electronically and must be accompanied by a completed Abstract Submittal Form to be eligible for review.
10. Presenters must register for the meeting.
Abstract Format Guidelines
1. Abstracts must be submitted in PDF format. For information about PDFs, click here.
2. An abstract, including a bibliography, if needed, and examples, must be no more than 500 words. All words in examples including glosses and numbers in tables, references, and so on are counted in the 500-word limit. Abstracts longer than 500 words will be rejected without being evaluated.
3. Your name should only appear 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 that do not conform to the format guidelines will not be considered.
5. A short abstract, intended for 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. 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 and 20-minute papers should follow the instructions for abstract format and content carefully. Submissions in these two categories will be reviewed anonymously.
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 a 20-minute paper 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.
20-Minute Papers
The bulk of the program will consist of 20-minute papers, with 10 minutes for discussion of each paper.
Organized Sessions
Deadline for receipt of preliminary proposal: Friday, 14 April
2006, 5:00 PM EDT
Deadline for receipt of final proposal: Friday, 1 September, 2006, 5:00
PM EDT
NOTE: Organized session proposals MUST be sent to the following address: Linguistic Society of America, 1325 18th St., NW, Suite 211, Washington, DC 20036-6501. Electronic mail submissions will NOT be eligible for review.
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. Session formats:
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.
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, email addresses, institutional 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 suggest 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 .
For the fullest consideration, organizers are strongly urged to submit a written proposal by 14 April 2006 in order to receive comments and suggestions from the Program Committee. The deadline for the final version of written proposals is 1 September 2006, 5:00 PM EDT.
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.
