Guidelines

Conference format
Application process
Stage 1: Call for Sections
Stage 2: Call for Panels and Papers
Final Academic Programme
Registration
Paper upload
Conference timetable
Visas
Further information

Conference Format

The Academic Programme will be organised in the format of Sections and Panels, with each Section Chair organising a variety of Panels in a given field. There will also be an Open Section, consisting of stand-alone Panels and Papers which do not necessarily fit within any of the accepted Sections. The programme will be very broad, with up to 30 Sections covering all the main areas of political science, including Comparative Politics, Public Policy and Public Administration, Political Theory, International Relations and European Studies. 

The Conference is open to graduate students only: those who are studying for a Master’s or a PhD, or who hold junior postdoctoral positions.

Application Process

There is a two-stage selection process for submitting proposals to the Academic Programme:

Call for Section Chairs: 1 July – 30 September 2015 (midnight GMT)

Call for full Panels and individual Papers: 28 October 2015 – 20 January 2016 (midnight GMT)

There will not be a separate call for Papers. All Panel proposals must include 5-6 Papers. (Papers submitted as part of a Panel do not need to be resubmitted individually). Anyone wishing to propose a Paper individually will need to propose it to a specific Section. If accepted, the Section Chair will then allocate it to an appropriate Panel.

Individuals may perform each conference function - Section Chair and Paper Presenter (only once) and Panel Chair or Discussant (more than once) within the Academic Programme. Each Section should have two Chairs.

Stage 1: Call for Section Chairs

Deadline 30 September 2015 (midnight GMT)

Anyone from a Full-ECPR member institution may Chair a Section. Co-Chairs may come from Full, Associate or non-member institutions. You can check your institution’s membership status here. Only the proposed Section Chair can submit a Section proposal but Co-Chairs have viewing access
Standing Groups can only endorse one Section proposal; however, this does not guarantee the Section’s acceptance. The proposed Section Chair and Co-Chair must both have a MyECPR account (please create an account here if you do not already have one). Section Chair proposals should be written in English.

You should have the following information to hand to complete the Section proposal form:

• The title of the Section you are proposing to organise. The full list can be found here.
• A proposal, containing an abstract of 3-8 Panel ideas summarising the key aims and objectives of the Section (maximum of 1000 words).
• The Section Co-Chair’s email address as registered in their MyECPR account.
• The number of Panels you wish to suggest (3-8).

Academic Convenors use the following criteria to judge Section Chair proposals for acceptance:

• Quality of the proposal.
• Participation potential.

All proposals to organise Sections must be submitted online by 30 September 2015. The number of Panels in each Section is determined by the Academic Convenors. Proposers will be notified of the outcome of their Section submission by 28 October 2015. Any queries regarding the academic content of the proposed Section should be addressed to the Academic Convenors via graduateconference@ecpr.eu before the 30 September deadline.

Stage 2: Call for Panels (with Papers) and Individual Papers

28 October 2015 to 20 January 2016 (midnight GMT)

The second stage of the process is open to anyone wishing to propose a complete Panel with Papers, and those wanting to propose individual Papers to a particular Section. Panels that have been provisionally proposed as part of accepted Sections must also be submitted through this procedure. Panels should include 3-5 papers. There are no rules requiring proposers of Panels to belong to an ECPR member institution, but they must be a Graduate Student and have a MyECPR account.

Panel and Paper proposers have to complete the proposal process through the MyECPR area of the ECPR website. Once logged in, they will be asked to select which Section their Panel or Paper should be considered for. Panel proposers are also required to select up to three key words. There is also an Open Section welcoming full Panel and individual Paper proposals that do not fit into any of the listed Sections.

When completing their application, Panel proposers must include details of the Panel title, abstract, Panel Chair, Papers and Paper Presenters.

You should have the following information to hand to complete the Panel proposal form:

• The Section you wish to propose to. The full list can be found here.
• The title of the Panel (no more than 20 words long).
• The abstract (no more than 500 words).
• Selection of 3-8 keywords from the list provided.
• The Panel Co-Chair’s email address as registered in their MyECPR account.
• The Discussant’s email address as registered in their MyECPR account.
• The title of 3-5 Papers.
• The abstract of each Paper (no more than 500 words).
• The Presenter’s email address as registered in their MyECPR account.
• The Co-author’s email address as registered in their My ECPR account.

You should have the following information to hand to complete an individual Paper proposal form:

• The Section you wish to propose to. The full list can be found here.
• The title of the Paper (no more than 20 words long).
• The abstract of the Paper (no more than 500 words).
• Selection of 3-8 keywords.
• The Co-author’s email address as registered in their My ECPR account.

The deadline to submit complete Panels (with Papers) and individual Paper proposals is 20 January 2016 (midnight GMT).

From 28 October 2015, Section Chairs can view Panels and Papers being proposed to their Section via MyECPR. From 21 January 2016 they may accept and decline Panel and Paper proposals to their Section. Section Chairs have until 17 February 2016 to finalise their Sections via MyECPR.

Besides Panels provisionally indicated in their original Section proposal, Section Chairs will have received additional Panels (with Papers) and individual Paper proposals to their Section. These Panel proposals should be evaluated equally alongside any already suggested by the Section Chairs.

When judging Panels and Papers for acceptance, Section Chairs should use the following criteria:

• Quality of proposal.
• Fit with Section theme.

From 18 February 2016 the Academic Convenors will review the accepted Panels and Papers in order to finalise the Academic Programme. The deadline for Academic Convenors to complete their review is 2 March 2016.

The Academic Convenors may use their discretion to reallocate Panels and Papers to Sections and Panels where this is required. Section Chairs may, therefore, be asked to accommodate new Panels in their Sections and Panel Chairs may be asked to accommodate extra Papers within their Panels.

Section Chairs, Panel Chairs, and Paper givers will be contacted with the Academic Convenors’ decision by 9 March 2016.

Final Academic Programme

The Academic Programme will be available on the ECPR website by 9 April 2016 and participants will be notified of the outcome of their proposal by this date. A full timetable will be available by 23 May 2016. 

Amendments to Section/Panel/Paper information must be sent to the Events Team by 1 June 2016 in order to be included in the programme.

Registration

Online registration opens on 9 May 2016. Please see the conference home page for course fees and the cancellation policy. Participants attending and appearing in any capacity in the Academic Programme must register and pay before midnight UK time on 20 April 2016. Registration and payment takes place through MyECPR. Anyone not registered and paid by this date will not be included in the conference and automatically withdrawn and replaced.

Attendance and withdrawals

If your Paper is accepted but you do not plan to attend the conference you must formally withdraw your Paper in writing to the Events Team. Failure to do so could result in Panels being withdrawn which impacts on the overall programme.

Co-Authors who do not intend to register and attend the conference should email the Events Team by midnight UK time on 23 May 2016 to ensure their names appear in the conference programme.

Paper upload

Accepted Papers may be uploaded to the ECPR website via MyECPR from 4 May 2016. Please note, only the person listed as Presenter can upload the Paper. Papers should be uploaded in Pdf format, in English. There are no specific requirements other than these. For specific preferences, please contact your Panel Chair directly. Please be aware that the uploading of your paper to the MyECPR system constitutes a right to publish the paper on the ECPR website

Conference timetable

Panels are scheduled in seven time slots commencing 11:30 Monday 11 July and closing at 18:00 on Wednesday 13 July. All participants should ensure their availability for ALL seven time slots. Please check travel times before making travel arrangements, as it may be necessary for you to arrive the day before your Panel session.

Visas

Please note all visas are the responsibility of the individual participant. Visa letters will only be supplied once the registration fee has been received in full by ECPR.

Further information

Please contact the Events Team with questions about any aspect of the Graduate Student Conference. The ECPR website will be updated regularly with information about the academic and social programmes, registration, hotel accommodation, etc. We will also make regular announcements in ECPR e-bulletins. Participants should ensure they are subscribed to the ‘Conferences and Events’ mailing list via MyECPR.

Key Dates and Deadlines

Top of page