Categories of Presentation

Back to call for papers

PREORGANIZED PANELS on a common theme or problem are strongly encouraged. Preorganized panels should have four or five paper presenters, a chair and discussant. It is preferable that neither the chair nor discussant be paper presenters. Panels with fewer than four papers are discouraged. The program committee reserves the right to add papers to preorganized panels that include fewer than five papers. Sessions will be accepted or rejected in their entirety.

A complete submission includes a panel abstract, a data sheet for the panel (list of panelists, affiliations, paper titles, info. on the organizer, etc.), abstracts for each of the papers, and individual data sheets for each participant (for the MESA database).

INDIVIDUAL PAPERS accepted by the program committee will be grouped into panels and assigned a chair.

A complete submission includes an abstract and an individual data sheet.

ROUNDTABLES promote informed discussion and debate concerning the current state of scholarship in particular fields, work currently in progress or the particular problems involved in the employment of new approaches, new models, etc. The outline may not include the name of any roundtable participant or organizer. If it does, it automatically will be rejected. The roundtable format lends itself to open discussion in an atmosphere where participants provide their points of view and engage the audience in active discussion. Participants do not prepare papers and do not lecture to the audience. Rooms are set in a manner to facilitate discussion and to allow for group interaction. Only a limited number of roundtables are placed on the program in any given year. Seating is restricted to 25-30 maximum.

A complete submission includes a roundtable outline (prepared by the organizer), a data sheet for the roundtable (list of participants, affiliations, titles of presentation-optional, info. on the organizer, etc.), a description of each individual's participation, and a individual data sheet for each participant.

THEMATIC CONVERSATIONS provide a place to pose new questions for research, explore new trends and approaches to old questions, meet like-minded scholars, and engage in open academic exchange in an unstructured space. There are two assumptions underlying proposals: that the “conversation” is a dialogue already in progress, perhaps on an electronic discussion list, and that it will be a multi-meeting “conversation,” spanning a minimum of two MESA annual meetings, although not necessarily directed or attended by the same individual(s).

A complete submission includes a typed position paper prepared by the organizer, one page of responses or further elaboration by discussants, a data sheet for the conversation (list of participants, affiliations, info. on the organizer, etc.), supporting materials indicating that the conversation is on-going, and individual data sheets for the participants.

SPECIAL SESSIONS, including current issues presentations, are meant to supplement the annual meeting program. They should be of interest to people in all disciplines and should be set apart from the rest of the program by their compelling and unique nature. Organizers are strongly cautioned not to submit for special session status proposals that would more appropriately be regular panels, nor should organizers look upon the special session option as a way to circumvent the deadline and policies that apply to proposals for panels. If a session looks and sounds like a regular panel, it should be reviewed as such. MESA members are welcome to propose special sessions in writing, submitting a letter to the Secretariat including information on the proposed topic, presenters, sources of funding, and a statement explaining why the session deserves special status on the MESA program. The letter will be shared with the program chair and a subcommittee of MESA's Board of Directors and others as deemed appropriate. Only a very limited number of sessions will be accorded special status on the program. Special session proposals must reach the MESA Secretariat by April 1 of the year of the meeting in order to be considered. Current issues presentations are not subject to the April 1 deadline since they are developed only as issues arise.