Proposals

Attendees are encouraged to submit an organized session and/or individual abstract or poster. Proposals for abstracts and sessions should focus on the overall conference themes. Please adhere to the guidelines found on this website when preparing your submission.

Conference attendees are invited to present in one of three ways:

1. Organized Session, Workshop, and Panel Discussion Proposals (Symposia)
2. Individual Abstracts
3. Poster Presentations 

If you are submitting, please click here to view the theme and topics of interest for the Pathways 2027 conference.

TIMELINE

Please follow the instructions carefully and include all requested information. All submissions must be in English. Participants will not be allowed more than one oral presentation but may be listed as a co-author of several abstracts.

DATE — Submissions Open

DATE — Organized Session Deadline

DATE — Individual  Abstract and Poster Deadline

DATE — Notification of Acceptance

DATE — Revision & RSVP Deadline

DATE — Preliminary program released on website

DATE — Pathways 2025 Conference

Oral / Poster Presentation Guidelines

If you are submitting an individual abstract (not a panel/organized session), follow the guidelines below:

1. Under Tracks, select “Individual Presentation Abstract”
2. Under Format, select whether you would like to present an “Oral” presentation or a “Poster” presentation. Please note that authors are allowed to present one oral presentation.
3. Enter the title and abstract. The abstracts must be ≤300 words in order to submit. Abstracts that exceed the word limit can’t be submitted through the online submission system. Each abstract should include a clear statement of the problem or objectives, give brief methods and substantive results, and end with a clear conclusion. Do not use vague statements such as “results will be discussed.”
4. Enter authors and their affiliations. All co-author’s email addresses must be included. You must also designate “corresponding authors” and “presenting authors.”
5. Choose 1-3 topics that accurately categorize your abstract. These topics will be used to place your abstract in an appropriate session if your submission is not part of an organized session.
6. There are a few additional questions for us to gather information but you are not required to answer these.
7. Click “Done” to save and submit your abstract proposal.

If your abstract is selected, you will be notified with an acceptance email no later than 14 February 2026. Those who are selected to present will be required to submit their PowerPoint files no later than 12 June 2026.

Organized Session Guidelines

Panels are a new feature in Ex Ordo, and, for our purposes, will refer to organized sessions (also known as symposia). Panels offer the opportunity for attendees to organize a series of presentations related to any of the conference themes. Organized sessions can be organized as coordinated paper presentations, roundtable discussions, panel discussions, workshops, or other formats to convey your research. Speakers are scheduled according to the organizer’s preferences. Organized Sessions are scheduled to run concurrently with other conference sessions.

Chairs of all types of sessions will be responsible for:

• Being the primary point of contact with the Pathways Conference Planning Committee.
• Completing the Organized Session Submission Form and submitting that sheet with the session proposal on Ex Ordo.
• Identifying and inviting their session participants, ensuring that they have uploaded their abstracts to Ex Ordo and that those abstracts have been noted as being a part of that Organized Session, and ensuring that they are registered for the conference and will attend the Organized Session.
• Serving as the chair (or designating a person to chair) for each symposium.

Session Organizers are responsible for identifying and inviting their session’s participants. Organizers are encouraged to seek a geographically and intellectually diverse group of participants. We strongly encourage all organizers to identify contributors whose work will allow for comparisons across different theoretical or disciplinary perspectives, methodological approaches, and geographic and/or cultural contexts.

If you are chairing/submitting a panel/organized session, follow the below guidelines:

1. Under Tracks, select “Panel/Organized Session Abstract (90-120 min)”
2. Under Format, select  “Oral.”
3. Provide a title and detailed description (purpose and content) for the organized session (≤500 words). Enter this into the online form. For panel discussions, round tables, or other (i.e., not oral presentations), the proposal should indicate the proposed session format and list the panelists (with their associated title, affiliation, country, and email address). This should be indicated within the organized session abstract description.
4. Provide the name and affiliation information for the Session Organizer(s) in the online system under the “Authors” step. Only provide session organizer information here, do not list the presenters/authors included in your session.
5. Choose 1-3 topics that accurately categorize your abstract. These topics will be used to place your abstract in an appropriate session if your submission is not part of an organized session.
6. Upload your Organized Session worksheet and respond to the query regarding special equipment/room layout.
7. Click “Done” to save and submit your abstract proposal.

If your organized session is selected, you will be notified with an acceptance email no later than 14 February 2026. Those who are selected to present will be required to submit their PowerPoint files no later than 12 June 2026.

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