It is a hallmark that presentations made at SMS Conferences are on the cutting edge of research. Therefore, we are inviting proposals rather than finished, complete papers for the 2023 SMS Annual Conference. The deadline for proposal submission to the conference is February 20, 2023 at 11:59PM CST. 

Originality 

We seek original, unpublished work to move the scholarly conversation forward. Contributions may be rooted in or derived from prior work, but the submitted proposal must reflect significant development. If your submission is similar to a previous SMS presentation, you may be asked to demonstrate the development your work has undergone. Any proposal submitted that is judged to be identical or substantially similar to work already published, presented, or under review for any conference or publication may be subject to exclusion at any time. 

Proposal Guidelines 

An SMS Conference proposal submission has two components: completion of an online submission form that collects information about the proposal, and the uploaded proposal document. Below are the requirements for each. Only submissions of proposal(s) through the online submission system will be accepted. 

• Proposal documents should: 
  • Not exceed a total of 7 pages or about 4000 words, inclusive of  references and any charts, graphs, diagrams, etc. Submitted proposals exceeding 7 pages or 4000-word risk desk rejection. 
  • Use single spacing and 10-point font or larger. 
  • Be formatted in one column or two columns. 
  • Be submitted as a PDF..  
  • Include references. References are required and must be included in the proposal document. References should be formatted in APA style. Proposals submitted without references risk desk rejection 
  • Include a title that matches the title entered into the submission system form. This title should not exceed 15 words.  
  • Not include an abstract. The abstract will instead be entered directly into the submission form.  
  • Not list author names, in order to preserve anonymity. Instead, authors will be entered into the submission form. Please refer to authors in the document text in the third person only. Proposal documents that list author names risk desk rejection. 
• The online submission form requires: 
  • A title, not to exceed 15 words, that matches the title listed in the header of the proposal document. 
  • A 125-word abstract for inclusion in the Conference Program 
  • All co-authors be listed in the submission form in the order of contribution.  
  • No author or a co-author be named in more than two (2) submitted proposals. The system will not allow you to name an author who has already been listed in two proposals and any attempt to circumvent this block will result in desk rejection. (See Authorship below for additional information.) 

Proposals for Panel Sessions 

We also welcome proposals for panel sessions. There are different guidelines for panel submissions.  Click here to learn more about this submission type and review the new panel submission guidelines. 

Authorship 

If you are not the sole author of a proposal, you must name all co-authors in the submission system. A maximum of two (2) proposals, either as an author or a co-author, may be submitted. Authors should not be omitted from a proposal they contributed to as a means to avoid the two-proposal maximum. Submissions with omitted authors may be subject to exclusion at any time. Co-authors will be asked to confirm their involvement by February 27, 2023. Submissions with unconfirmed authors by this deadline risk desk-rejection. 
 
Track and Session Format 

When submitting a proposal please indicate a conference track that you think is the best fit for your work. Please note that the review committee may make track reassignments at its discretion. You are invited to indicate if your proposal represents early-stage work or more developed research, as this classification helps the conference committee assign proposals to Paper or Common Ground sessions. Track, session, and session format assignments are made at the committee’s sole discretion; submitters may indicate their preferences, but these are not guaranteed. 

Revisions 

All proposals received by the submission deadline date are deemed original and final. Therefore, the following will not be accepted after the deadline has expired: 

• No rewrites 
• No changes to authorship (order, additions, or removals) 
• No changes to titles or abstracts 

Before the deadline has expired, you can delete a submission you have made and resubmit it. It will be treated as a new submission, which means - if applicable - the co-authors must confirm their involvement again. 
  
Blind Review Process 

To preserve anonymity, author names should NOT be identified in the header/footer or in the body of the proposal. Authors should be referred to in the text or notes in the third person only. 

• Review Committee: All proposals will be reviewed by at least two (2) reviewers. 
• Reviewers will be invited to supply review comments to authors, but these comments are not required of reviewers. 

Notification of Review Status 

Authors will be notified of the Program Review Committee’s decision in mid-April, 2023.   

Program Inclusion Requirements 

Authors who submit a proposal(s) and whose proposal is accepted by the Review Committee will be expected to register to attend the conference by the specified author registration deadline in mid-May, 2023 and present in-person at any time during the conference dates of September 30 - October 3, 2023. At least one author from each proposal will be required to register in order for the research to be included in the conference program. Authors will be notified of session assignment information, including date, time, track, and format, in mid-July, 2023.