Proposal Instructions:

Acceptances of Poster and Papers will be sent in early February.

The instructions for completing your submission are presented below. Please read the instructions carefully before you begin. We also urge you to read our article on preparing abstracts for submission to WPA: Click on this link to view Writing a Conference Abstract: Some Suggestions and Common Errors. All correspondence regarding your submission is completed via email -- to make sure that you receive emails from WPA, please add JodieUllman@westernpsych.org to your Safe Senders in your email account.

Ask All Authors to Complete a "Profile" Form: Before you begin your submission, you should prepare by asking each of the authors of your proposal (including yourself) to fill out a "profile" (contact) form on the WPA website. Each author only needs to do this once even if the person is listed on more than one proposal. 

Most authors will "Click Here to Create a New Profile" but some may have done this before. If so, they could log in to update an existing profile or simply decide their profile is just fine. We recommend an update if the profile was created last year. Make sure names and institutional affiliations are typed exactly as they should appear in the convention program.

Registration and Membership:

All authors planning to present the poster, paper, or symposium must complete registration when registration opens in January next year.

There is only one type of registration for students.

Professionals may submit as a member or non-member. Members receive a discounted registration fee. Professional membership applications/renewals must be completed prior to registering for the convention. When you complete a registration form, an invoice is generated and you are given the option to pay online via credit card.

Note:

In the event that your proposal is not accepted for presentation and you then elect not to attend the convention after registering, you may request a FULL refund. See the WPA website for the refund schedule.

Types of Proposals:

Our convention is designed to provide a forum for the exchange of research and ideas. You may submit proposals for poster presentations, one-speaker papers, or symposium sessions. You must select a type of proposal when you complete the submission form.

There are two special categories of poster presentations:

1) posters submitted for consideration for inclusion in the Psi Chi poster session -- the first author must be a student and Psi Chi member; 2) posters submitted for the Society for the Teaching of Psychology Poster Exchange. Details on the types of presentations are provided below.

Posters:

Poster presentations are organized by topic in sessions with 40-60 posters per session. Each poster session lasts for 60 to 90 minutes. Most poster submissions describe empirical work. We recognize that research may not be complete when submitted in November. However, it is expected that there will be data collection and results ready for the conference. Thus, posters that do not reflect data collection and results are not acceptable and should be withdrawn. For more information on the guidelines for partially completed research, see Writing a Conference Abstract: Some Suggestions and Common Errors.

One-speaker Papers:

These oral presentations are organized into sessions consisting of 3-5 individual papers. Each paper is given 15 minutes of presentation time, including time for questions. Undergraduate students must submit posters rather than one-speaker papers. Only professionals and graduate students may submit one-speaker papers.

Symposia:

Usually 3-5 papers are presented in a topical session organized by the Symposium Chair. Symposia are limited to a maximum time of 90 minutes. See special instructions below for submitting a symposium proposal. Only doctoral level professionals and graduate students may submit a symposium proposal.

Submitting a Symposium Proposal:

The chair of the symposium should fill out the Symposium Submission Form. A synopsis of the symposium (as you wish it to appear in the WPA Program) is required. The proposal form asks for information on each of the presentations: 1) Title, 2) Name and Affiliation of Presenter(s)/Author(s), 3) a brief abstract of the presentation. The chair of the symposium normally obtains this information well in advance of the submission deadline and pastes the information into the submission form. Please contact the WPA Office if you have questions about this process.

Psi Chi Poster Session Submissions:

Students holding membership in Psi Chi may elect to submit proposals for a special poster session that WPA has reserved for Psi Chi (usually held on Friday at 8am). Psi Chi members presenting in the Psi Chi Poster Session will also be eligible for a Psi Chi Research Award. Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, sponsors and organizes the Psi Chi Poster Session.

Please Note the Following when Submitting a Proposal to the Psi Chi Program:

  • Psi Chi has requested that these presentations be in poster format only. Submissions should be empirical research that has been completed.
  • Be sure to indicate on the Submission Form that you wish to have your poster considered for presentation in the Psi Chi Session. When selecting the "Type of Proposal" on the submission form, choose the Psi Chi poster option -- not the regular poster or one-speaker paper.
  • Like every other individual who submits a proposal to the convention, members of Psi Chi must register for the Convention at the time their proposal(s) are submitted.
  • Poster submissions that are not accepted for the Psi Chi Poster Session will be reviewed for inclusion in the regular WPA program.

STP Teaching Activities Exchange:

WPA and the Society for the Teaching of Psychology will again organize the STP Teaching Activities Exchange. The purpose of this poster session is to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of innovative ideas that are of interest to those concerned with quality teaching. If you wish to have your poster in this session, please select the STP EXCHANGE option when indicating the type of proposal on your submission form.

Registration Fees:

Every individual who plans to make a presentation must register for the conference.

Convention registration fees are listed under "Registration Fee" under the Convention tab on the website. Convention registration and WPA Membership can be completed online using the same site that is used for submission. Members are those who have paid their dues for the current July 1-June 30 academic year. Prior members who did not pay dues last year are considered non-members. Note the renewal deadline for membership is March 31 of each year.

Convention pre-registration ends 30 days prior to the scheduled start date of the conference. After that date, registration is charged at the regular, non-discounted rate. Current year professional memberships are not accepted after March 31 and are not accepted on-site at the convention.

Student Scholarship Awards:

WPA Student Scholarships are dependent on the availability of funds. We anticipate that we will be able to award a limited number of scholarships to eligible students. To be eligible a student must be 1) registered for the convention, and 2) the first author of the submitted poster or paper. Please indicate on your Submission Form that the first author is a student wishing to be considered for a scholarship. Recipients of these scholarships will be determined on the basis of a masked review by the Program Review Committee. These scholarships are intended to help defray the costs of attending the Convention and presenting the award-winning research. Receipt of the monetary scholarship is contingent on the scholarship recipient attending the convention and presenting the research. Scholarship recipients (only) will be notified by email prior to the start of the conference. The names of the scholarship recipients will be published in the Convention Program and awards will be presented at the WPA Awards session during the convention.

Requesting Space for Special Meetings:

As we have done in the past, WPA will make space available at no charge to organized professional groups who wish to hold meetings that are generally consistent with the purposes and goals of our association. If you wish space for a special meeting, submit a request to the WPA Office describing the nature of the meeting, who will host or chair it, and how you would like it to be listed in the program. These requests should be received by the submission deadline. Because the space available for such meetings is limited, these requests will be honored in the order in which they are received. All such meetings will be scheduled so that they do not conflict with the program. Your meeting will be listed in the program without charge. The WPA Executive Board expects that all persons who participate in these meetings are registered for the WPA Convention.

Submitting Your Proposal:

Many people wait until the deadline before starting the submission. We recommend planning ahead by starting your submission early. Even if your title is tentative or your abstract is not complete, you can start the submission and edit it later. Note that your job will be easier if all authors complete a profile early. Before you enter the submission site, we suggest that you have the following available, ideally in an open document so you can copy/paste into the submission form. Please proof for possible errors.

  • Title of presentation, limited to about 10-15 words.
  • Author information - for each author, you will need to have the name typed exactly as it should appear in the program, author affiliation/institution as it should appear in the program (be careful of abbreviations), and email address.

This will be easier if all authors have a profile in the system. When listing authors, do NOT use degrees (e.g., PhD) or licenses (e.g., LMFT) or titles (e.g., Dr.). The WPA format for authors is simply Firstname Lastname (with initials if appropriate). Do not use APA reference style. Use correct capitalization. Please check the preferred name and spelling with all authors as this will help us avoid having the same person listed by different variations of a name across of several proposals.

  • 350-word abstract.
  • Make sure the email address you use is spelled correctly (if you do not receive emails about your submission, check with the WPA office) and that the address will be valid for at least six months.

Submission Forms:

When you wish to submit, you will need to either create a new submission account or log in to your existing account using your email address and password.

After your submission account is active, you may log on to the account to create a new poster/paper/symposium submission or edit an existing submission. You will be able to log on until the submission deadline.

Note:

You will receive a confirmation receipt when you successfully submit your abstract or symposium. If you do not receive the confirmation, log on to check your submission and make sure you have provided the correct email address. Print your confirmation.

Submission Checklist:

  • Poster or One-Speaker Paper? Undergraduates must submit as a poster. Grad students and professionals may do either.
  • Poster or One-Speaker Paper? Undergraduates must submit as a poster. Grad students and professionals may do either.
  • Poster or One-Speaker Paper? Undergraduates must submit as a poster. Grad students and professionals may do either.
  • Review Writing a Conference Abstract: Some Suggestions and Common Errors
  • Prepare a document that includes 1) title (about 10-15 words), 2) a list of authors in the correct order (all authors should have a profile completed). No degrees or titles with author names.
  • Check with any co-authors and faculty research mentor to review document. Ask all authors to complete a Profile form (membership link on WPA website). Names should not include titles, degrees, licenses.
  • Poster or Paper Submission click button below
  • Symposium Submission click button below
  • Submit the convention registration prior to the submission deadline.
  • For symposium chairs: Ask presenters to provide you with title, list of authors and affiliations, and 150-word abstract.

PLEASE LOG OUT WHEN YOU ARE DONE.