Abstracts

Call for Abstracts

Abstracts of papers are now invited for the AUCEA National Conference 2009 to be hosted by the University of South Australia

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Conference Theme

Strategic Directions in Regional Engagement: Industry, Business and Community Partnerships

Conference Date

8-10 July 2009

Submission Categories

Authors must select one of the following Categories for their submission. Abstracts will be considered for inclusion in the conference program using the criteria shown in each Category.

Research paper - a proposal for a full paper framed by a one or more research questions, theoretical or conceptual framework, sufficient literature review, description of research design and methodology summary of analysis and findings, and a conclusion that informs further research and demonstrates impacts on theory and/or practice.
Case study - a descriptive paper or presentation on specific community engagement projects and partnerships that summarizes the project purposes, goals and benefits for each partner, the activities of the project, funding sources, lessons learned, evidence of impact on each partner, plans going forward, recommendations for others who may replicate the case model. Case study impacts, outcomes, recommendations should be relevant to the conference theme and be supported by evaluations or other evidence.
Essay/Reflection/Opinion on Engagement Issues - a paper or presentation providing a critical analysis of an important issue/topic related to community engagement such as higher education policy, public issues, partnership relationships, engaged student learning or research practices, academic culture issues, etc. Essays must have a clear theme or premise related to engagement and the conference theme, a well-framed argument supported by references to appropriate literature and practice examples, and a well-reasoned conclusion including recommendations for next actions, studies, policies or processes that would lead to action, research, proposals or further dialogue.

If Your Abstract is Accepted

Acceptance means you should fully develop your presentation and/or paper according to the following guidelines. When notified of acceptance, you will be required to submit a confirmation form acknowledging your intent to prepare a full paper or presentation and your understanding that presenters are required to register for the conference.

Research papers - Research papers are presented as formal papers and author(s) must prepare a fully developed research paper that meets the stated criteria. Research papers will be refereed by at least two academic referees to determine acceptance for the conference. Papers presented at the conference will be peer reviewed afterward by the editorial team for possible publication in the AUCEA e-journal. Papers not accepted for the e-journal will appear in Conference Proceedings.
Case studies - Case studies can be presentations supported by handouts or a full paper. Case studies that are developed into a full narrative paper will enter the journal referee process and reviewed for fit with the criteria shown above. Accepted papers will appear in the "case studies" section of the AUCEA e-journal. Case study papers not accepted for the journal will appear in the Conference Proceedings.
Essay/Reflection/Opinion on Engagement - Essays can be presentations supported by a handout or PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the author(s) argument, evidence, and conclusions sufficient to document the line of reasoning. Essays that are developed into full papers will enter the journal referee process and reviewed for fit with the criteria shown above. Accepted papers will appear in the "essays" section of the AUCEA e-journal. Essay papers not accepted for the e-journal will appear in the Conference Proceedings.

Abstracts and subsequent submissions in all Categories will be reviewed by individuals with appropriate academic qualifications who are members of the Conference Host Committee, the AUCEA Conference Committee, the AUCEA Editorial Committee, the AUCEA Committee of Management, or other AUCEA members. Full papers being considered for inclusion in the e-journal will be refereed after the conference by members of the Editorial Committee and other qualified individuals.

Conference structure

In addition to keynote addresses, there will be concurrent sessions organised according to presentation formats and topics. Two to three presenters will participate in each concurrent session.

Format Instructions for Abstracts

Abstracts should be double-spaced, indented paragraphs, ample margins. Word limit = 750 words. Appropriate citations should be given in the text but full references are not required. The abstract should be constructed to allow reviewers to consider your proposal in the context of the criteria described above.

Format Instructions for Papers

If your abstract is accepted and you indicate intent to provide a full paper, the paper must be written with the following specifications. Papers not conforming to the standard format will be rejected.

Single-sided, double spaced, indented paragraph, ample margins
A cover page with title of the paper, author(s)' names, university (if applicable), address, telephone and email addresses. Cover pages will be available on the conference website. Cover page details will not be forwarded to referees.
Papers should be between 3,500 and 5,000 words
The text should start on page two with the title, up to five keywords and abstract of 300-400 words. The abstract must stand alone and not contain underlined abbreviations or references. Authors' names should not appear. Footnotes should be not be used.
All tables and figures should be mentioned in the text and numbered by Arabic numerals (0-9). Figures and line drawings should be of a quality suitable for printing.
References should be indicated in the typescript by the author's name with year of publication in parentheses. Multiple publications by the same author in the same year should be appended by (a), (b), etc. Titles of journals should not be abbreviated. The references should be listed in full (including all authors) in alphabetical order at the end of the manuscript using the following formats:

Evans, A.W. (1990) the assumption of equilibrium in the analysis of migration and interregional differences: a review of some recent research. Journal of Regional Science, 30(4), pp. 515-532

Jensen, R.C., Mandeville, T.D and Karunaratne, N.D. (1979) Regional Economic Planning. Croom Helm: London.

Putman, S.H. (1990) Equilibrium solutions and dynamics of integrated urban models. In L. Anselin and M. Madden (eds), New Directions
in Regional Analysis. Belhaven: London.

Instructions for Presentations

All presentations, including those relating to full papers, must be in MS PowerPoint and need to take into account the time available in the program for presentation. Presentations in panel sessions must not exceed 15 minutes. PowerPoint presentations will not be eligible for publication in the AUCEA e-Journal but may be published in conference proceedings.

Deadlines for Papers

Authors of accepted abstracts who choose to write full papers in any of the Categories must submit final papers by 15 April 2009 to allow time for peer review.

Publication

The AUCEA Editorial Committee will referee full papers after the conference for publication in the e-journal The Australasian Journal of Community Engagement. Papers that are not accepted for the journal will appear in conference proceedings with other papers and presentations.