Symposium Submission Guidelines
Symposia are organized by a chair who also moderates the session. Symposia focus on empirical, conceptual, historical, or methodological research. Symposia in the applied research or basic research domains require a data attachment.
Symposia are comprised of:
- Two presentations, a chair, and a discussant (50 minutes), or
- Three presentations and a chair (50 minutes), or
- Four presentations, a chair, and a discussant (110 minutes)
The Program Board values symposium submissions that are (a) organized around a central theme, (b) involve submissions from multiple institutions rather than from a single laboratory, department, or organization, (c) are 110-minute symposia, and (d) include submissions from multiple domains (are translational). Symposia that include presentations from multiple domains will be given priority for acceptance and scheduling. Applied research symposia are encouraged to recruit discussants with basic science expertise to increase exchange within the discipline.
Symposia should reflect work that is well advanced and is presented in an integrated way. Work that is just beginning (e.g., only baseline data provided) will not ordinarily be approved for symposium presentations, nor will a series of individual data presentations that do not provide an integrated view of advanced work. Presentations not reaching this level may be reclassified as posters (which may be posted together if they cover similar content).
SUBMIT NOW
The following information is required in order to make a complete submission:
Title
Please use title case when entering the title (e.g., Clinical Applications of Behavior Analysis: A Two-Part Study), not all lowercase or all capital letters. Please limit titles to 15 words (200 characters). Please spell out all acronyms. No ending punctuation or quotation marks around the title are necessary.
Program Area
Select the most appropriate program area for your submission as the primary area; this information will help to avoid scheduling conflicts. A secondary area also may be selected as additional information.
Complete descriptions of the program areas can be found here.
Submission Domain
Categorize each submission as applied research, basic research, service delivery, theory, or translational, as defined here. Designating a domain for each submission allows conference attendees to make informed decisions about which presentations to attend.
Instruction Level
Please provide the anticipated instruction level for your presentation.
Basic: Basic sessions are appropriate for:
- BCaBAs
- Individuals offering direct therapy
- Beginning training in behavior analysis
- Recently completed baccalaureate-level work
Intermediate: Intermediate sessions are appropriate for:
- junior BCBAs.
- Behavior analysts within their first 5 years of practice, including practitioners, supervisors, etc.
- Currently enrolled in or recently completed graduate-level work
Advanced: Advanced sessions are appropriate for:
- BCBAs and BCBA-Ds.
- Completed graduate-level work
- Licensed or certified individuals
- Training is focused on specific area or need
Audience Size Anticipated
Providing this estimate will assist the Program Committee in scheduling your presentation in a room of suitable capacity.
- 1-25
- 26-50
- 51-75
- 76-100
- 101-200
- 200+
Abstract
The abstract must follow American Psychological Association style guidelines and be no fewer than 150 words and no more than 200 words. Abstracts should begin with a sentence stating why the topic is important and end with the general conclusion, relevance, or potential impact. All acronyms must be spelled out at first mention.
Data-Based Submission Abstracts
The abstract for a data-based presentation also must include (1) an overview of the types of participants, (2) an overview of the types of procedures, and (3) a statement of what the data showed, with what degree of confidence.
Symposium abstracts should include a brief summary that provides a unifying theme between the individual symposium presentations submissions.
Supporting Graph or Table
Please check "yes" or "no" in answer to the question, "Is your submission data based?". If yes, each individual symposium presentation must upload a supporting data file. A data file for the overall symposium is not required.
Keywords
Please include up to four keywords (single words or two-word phrases) with each submission. Keywords should be as specific as possible (e.g., "reinforcement" or "autism" would be too general; "CPT," "insurance," or "telehealth" would be acceptable). Along with the domains, keywords will allow conference attendees to search for topics most relevant to them.
Add Symposium Chair, Discussant, and Presentations
Select which type of symposia you are submitting:
- Two presentations, a chair, and discussant (50 minutes)
- Three presentations and a chair (50 minutes)
- Four presentations, a chair, and a discussant (110 minutes)
Add a Chair/Add a Discussant
A chair is required for all symposia, while a discussant is optional for symposia based upon the number of symposia included in the submission. A detailed explanation of all roles can be found here.
You will be asked to add a chair and discussant (if applicable) by searching for a contact. You must provide a last name and full or partial email address. If the contact you search for is not found, you can add a new contact. The following information is required:
- Name
- Affiliation (if including more than one affiliation, separate with a semi-colon [e.g., Affiliation One; Affiliation Two])
- Valid email address (all correspondence will be sent to this address)
- Country
- Province/State
- Citizenship
Please do not add a new contact if the displayed email or affiliation is out of date. After completing your submission, please contact ABAI (convention@abainternational.org) with the submission ID number and the corrected information for your contact. This ensures that there will not be multiple contact records for the same person.
Add an Individual Symposium Presentation
Title
Please use title case when entering the title, not all lowercase or all capital letters (e.g., Clinical Applications of Behavior Analysis: A Two-Part Study). Please limit titles to 15 words (200 characters). Please spell out all acronyms. No ending punctuation or quotation marks around the title are necessary.
Submission Domain
If you indicated the overall symposium was translational, designate each submission as basic research, applied research, service delivery, or theory.
Abstract
The abstract must follow American Psychological Association style guidelines and be no fewer than 150 words or more than 200 words. Abstracts should begin with a sentence stating why the topic is important and end with the general conclusion, relevance, or potential impact. All acronyms must be spelled out at first mention.
Note: Submissions in the basic research or applied research domains must include data attachments. Submissions in the service delivery or theory domains may include data attachments if appropriate.
The abstract for a data-based presentation also must include: 1) an overview of the types of participants, 2) an overview of the types of procedures, and 3) a statement of what the data showed, with what degree of confidence.
Supporting Graph or Table
Data-based submissions must include a graphic or tabular summary of obtained data. Data-based submissions without a supporting graph or table will be rejected. The data does not need to be complete at time of submission, but the abstract and graph/table must establish that the project is well under way. Graphs and tables submitted must be of professional quality and formatted according to APA Style. Attachments must be in a PDF file format and are limited to a single page. To avoid upload errors, limit your PDF file size to 1MB.
Funding (Optional)
Submissions must include a description of the type of funding received for this submission. (e.g., NIH or other research grants). Please use N/A if this is not applicable to your submission.
Conflict of Interest Notice (Required)
Submissions must include a declaration and identification of any potential conflict of interest (e.g., commercial support or sponsorship or any other relationship that could reasonably be construed as a conflict of interest.) Please use N/A if this is not applicable to your submission.
Add Presenting Author/Author(s)
A presenting author is required for every individual symposium submission. Seven additional authors may be added, for a total of eight authors per individual symposium submission. A detailed explanation of all roles can be found here.
You will be asked to add a person by searching for a contact. You must provide a last name and full or partial email address. If the contact you search for is not found, you can add a new contact. The following information is required:
- Name
- Affiliation (if including more than one affiliation, separate with a semi-colon [e.g., Affiliation One; Affiliation Two])
- Valid email address (all correspondence will be sent to this address)
- Country
- Province/State
- Citizenship
Please do not add a new contact if the displayed email or affiliation is out of date. After completing your submission, please contact ABAI (convention@abainternational.org) with the submission ID number and the corrected information for your contact. This ensures that there will not be multiple contact records for the same person.
Continuing Education
Continuing Education Information (Optional)
If you wish, your submission may be considered for continuing education credit. The following information is required for the submission to be considered for CE credit.
CE Type
Please select which type(s) of CE this event will offer.
Event Information
Please provide the following information about your submission.
- This submission covers behavior analysis:
- Practice
- Theory
- Methodology
- This submission covers content related to:
- Ethics (please provide a rationale)
- Supervision (please provide a rationale)
- Neither
- Target audience
- If submitting in the "intermediate" or "advanced" instruction level, please specify the necessary prerequisite skills and competencies the audience should have. Please be aware that submissions with a target audience of "parents" or "undergraduates" are not appropriate for CE.
- Learning objectives (a minimum of three is required)
- Learning objectives are required and should take the following format: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) __________; (2) __________; (3) __________. Learning objectives should clearly define what the participant will know or will be able to do as a result of attending your presentation. Objectives must be observable and measurable and should focus on the learner.
Instructor Information
The CE instructor must be prepared to either directly give instruction or actively supervise the instruction when multiple presenters are involved. Provide the following information for the participant serving as CE instructor:
- Name of prospective CE Instructor
- Instructor’s Terminal Degree (e.g., Ph.D., M.S.)
- Instructor’s Credentials (BCBA, BCBA-D, Other)
- If "other," under what guidelines does the instructor qualify?
- Holds a doctorate and meets either the coursework or college teaching option for fulfilling BCBA eligibility requirements.
- Has completed all requirements for a doctorate except the dissertation, meets the coursework option for BCBA eligibility, and has completed graduate coursework or has published research in the subject matter on which Type 2 CE instruction is provided.
- Brief Curriculum Vitae (CV) of CE Instructor (if the instructor is not a BCBA, the CV must demonstrate how the BACB requirements have been fulfilled)
- Attestation of Experiential Training (By requesting this submission be reviewed for CE, you are attesting that the CE instructor and any co-instructors have completed substantial formal or experiential training in the subject matter of this submission.)
Assurances, Photography Release, Confirmation of Submission Received
Data Assurance (Required)
Your completed submission is verification that you have permission to present the data and information in the submission. If submitting via email, type the following statement: “In making this submission, I affirm that the presenters in this event have been authorized to present the content and data and that the correct authors have been credited for the work presented.”
Research Standards Assurance (Required)
You affirm that by making this submission, that all procedures described in this presentation conformed to the internationally recognized standards set forth for research involving human or animal subjects
Presentation Assurance (Required)
Your submission is acceptance of responsibility. If your submission is accepted, you guarantee that the presenting author (and chair, discussant, or panelist, as appropriate) will have current ABAI membership status, register for and attend the convention and deliver the presentation, as scheduled by the Program Board. Please note: Presenters who fail to deliver an accepted and scheduled presentation will not be permitted to present the following year. If submitting via email, type the following statement: “If my proposed presentation is accepted, I guarantee that the presenting author will register and attend the conference and deliver the presentation, as scheduled by the Program Board.”
Conduct Assurance (Required)
All presenters at ABAI events are expected to abide by ABAI’s Ethics and Diversity policies. Discriminatory and derogatory language with respect to individuals or groups based on their personal characteristics (e.g., race, gender) will not be tolerated in presentations at ABAI.
Photography Release (Required)
You acknowledge that while at the ABAI event, you may be photographed by an ABAI-approved photographer. By making a submission, you are granting the Association for Behavior Analysis International permission to use your likeness in photograph(s) in any and all of its publications and in any and all other media, whether now known or hereafter existing, controlled by the Association for Behavior Analysis International, in perpetuity, and for other use by the association. You will make no monetary or other claim against the Association for Behavior Analysis International for the use of the photograph(s).
Language Assurance (Required)
You affirm that your submission uses language that reflects our values of equity and inclusion of all cultures and groups. Please consider these guidelines when making your submission.
Submission Confirmation
For each submission, each author listed will receive a confirmation email containing a submission ID number; said email serves as confirmation that the submission has been received and saved in the convention database. Please keep the submission ID number for your records to reference when communicating with the ABAI office. You may review the submission at any time by returning to the “Call for Papers Entry” section of the portal. If you do not receive a submission confirmation email, do not resubmit. Please contact the ABAI office at convention@abainternational.org.