Session Organizer Information
The Canadian Sociological Association appreciates the work of Session Organizers in coordinating panels and workshops as well as reviewing submissions to the paper presentations sessions. The following information will assit those in this role and additional information will be added as the event approaches.
Contact us at any time for assistance
- Abstract Submission System User Guide
Sessions open to the Call for Abstracts or Panelist Participation
We utilize 'My Conference Suite', an online conference management system for the abstract submission and review process. This system integrates all session and participant information allowing for efficient communication and program coordination. Therefore, all abstracts must be submitted through this system by the January 29 deadline.*
*Exceptions (Sherry Fox will contact the applicable session organizers)
• Joint or co-sponsored sessions that are accepting submissions from more than one association
• Invited presenter or panelist informationSubmitting an abstract to your own session
If you intend to submit an abstract to your own (or another) session, please note that you must do so through the online conference system by the January 29 deadline.
Your session co-organizer(s) or another member of the affiliated Research Cluster may review your abstract. If this is not applicable to your session, please send a copy of the abstract to us (office@csa-scs.ca) by January 29 so our Conference Committee may complete the review.
Access the System
As a session organizer, you will access abstracts submitted to your session through My Conference Suite. This system allows you to review submissions to your session(s) and submit abstracts as an author.
The system has sent a username and password from 'Abstract Manager Mailer' to all session organizers. Please contact me if you have not received it.
Reviewing Abstracts
A step-by-step userguide is availabe for all session organizers.
Download Session Organizer Instructions
The CSA will be contacting you on January 31 to advise on the final status of your session and will work with you to reorganize if required based on the following guidelines.
Sessions with less than 3 submitted/accepted abstracts will be cancelled or merged. This policy also applies if a presenter withdraws or fails to comply with the Conference registration requirements by April 15.
Sessions with 3 or 4 accepted abstracts may be asked to consider similarly themed abstracts from cancelled or merged sessions to create a full session of 5 presentations
Sessions with 7 or more accepted abstracts will be considered for one or more additional sub-sessions pending space and time availability in the program. Sub-session details must be sent to the CSA office by February 19; sub-session titles and description, presentations to be assigned to each sub-session, and order of presentations.
**Note that the abstract review process must be completed by February 15**
Communications
The system will automatically notify authors about your decision to approve or decline on February 16.
We suggest that you email authors directly to request revisions to the abstract.
Declined abstracts
If you do not have room for an abstract or you feel that it is not a good fit for your session but worthy of presentation, please contact our office for a possible reassignment to another session. - Session Formats
Keynote Lectures
• 1 speaker and 1 moderator
Paper Presentation sessions
• May be open to the Call for Abstracts or include pre-arranged presenters
• Between 3 and 5 paper presentations on a particular subject will be included in the session
• Speakers will be allotted between 12 and 20 minutes depending on the number of presentations in the session
• Papers must be presented in the order listed in the program
• A discussant may only be included in sessions with 3 presentations
Panel Sessions
• May include up to 5 panelists panelists and a moderator for a group discussion on a particular subject
Roundtable Sessions
• May include up to 8 participants discussing research proposals, work in progress, or literature reviews
• Multiple roundtable sessions will be held in one large room
Workshop Sessions
• May include facilitators and participants
• Pre-registration through the Canadian Sociological Association is possible – contact us for details
Scheduling
All sessions are allotted 90 minutes (with the exception of Keynote Lectures which are allotted 60 minutes) and must include at least 15 minutes at the end for audience questions.
The scheduling below is based on Eastern Daylight Time.
Virtual sessions - Monday, June 3 to Friday, June 7, 2024:
11:00am – 12:30pm
1:00pm – 2:30pm
3:00pm – 4:30pmIn-person sessions at McGill University - Monday, June 17 to Friday, June 21, 2024:
9:00am – 10:30am
11:00am – 12:30pm
1:30pm – 3:00pm
3:30pm - 5:00pmResearch Cluster meetings and special events will be scheduled after 5:00pm
- Research Cluster Affiliation
Sessions have the option of being affiliated with one or more of the Canadian Sociological Association’s Research Clusters (RCs), however, this requires approval from the RC(s).
- Interdisciplinary Sessions
The Canadian Sociological Association welcomes session collaboration with other associations, research groups, or organizations participating in Congress.
There are two categories of interdisciplinary sessions:
Cross-listed Sessions
• Sponsored by one primary association with promotion among other associations
• Abstract submissions processed by the primary association
• Session will be listed in the programs of cross-listed associations
• Session will be hosted and scheduled by the primary association with details communicated to the cross listed associations
• Participants must be members and registered congress delegates of the primary association
• Congress delegates from all associations are welcome to attend as observers
Joint Sessions
• Partnership between multiple associations or organizations participating in Congress
• Session will be listed in the programs of co-sponsors
• Session will be hosted and scheduled by one of the associations as mutually agreed upon
• At least one session organizer and one additional participant in a session hosted by the Canadian Sociological Association must be members and registered delegates of our association
• Other participants must be members and registered congress delegates of at least one of the partner associations
• Administrators will consult organizers to validate memberships
• Abstract submissions accepted by partner associations
• Any applications for Congress funding with the Canadian Sociological Association listed as co-organizers are required to be pre-approved by our association. The allocation of funds must also be mutually agreed upon by the partner associations.
- About Abstracts and Presentations
Abstracts
An abstract is a summary of research and/or presentation. For the CSA Conference, we are requesting that abstracts be between 500 and 700 words (up to 1,400 words if both English and French versions are included) to give the session organizers a greater understanding of the research and presentation.
Abstracts should include the following elements;
1. an overall description of the topic explored
2. the theoretical, historical, or methodological framework used
3. an outline of the main argument(s)
4. a brief summary of the conclusion(s)
5. relevance to the theme of the session the abstract is being submitted to and/or CSA Conference (optional)The CSA Conference utilizes an online abstract submission system. Abstracts are submitted to a specific session open to the Call for Abstracts. A participant may submit a maximum of two (2) different abstracts to two (2) different sessions.
The sessions will indicate if the organizers will be considering in-person presentations, virtual presentations, or both presentation formats.
Please note that space in the virtual Conference section is limited and the CSA cannot guarantee that all requests for virtual presentations can be accommodated.
The Conference Program Committee reserves the right to re-assign abstracts to a different session for consideration based on feedback from the session organizers.
If an abstract is declined, it may then be considered for another session or omnibus session upon the author’s or session organizer’s request.
Approved abstracts and presenter details will be posted on the CSA Conference website as well as the archived Conference Program (pdf version).
Presentations
All Conference Paper Presentation Sessions are 90-minutes in length and must include at least 15 minutes at the end for audience engagement. The session organizer will contact participants to confirm the length of their presentation. The time will range from 12- 20 minutes depending on the number of presentations in the session.
In-person participants typically present orally with slides (using a projector and screen as well as a computer set up in the room) or handouts to illustrate their findings.
Virtual participants will be utilizing Zoom to share their screen and slides while presenting orally.
Presenations may also take a more creative approach such as a film showing or performance art.
A participant may be the sole or primary presenter in up to two (2) different paper presentation sessions. The participant may participate in a third session as a panelist. Assuming the role of session chair, discussant, or co-presenter does not count in this three (3) session limit.
The CSA must be notified immediately by the author if there are changes to a presentation title or abstract and or if the presentation has been withdrawn from the session to ensure accuracy of the Conference Program.
Session organizers may request a copy of the paper and/or presentation prior to the Conference for an opportunity to review and provide feedback. This material will be sent directly to the session organizers and may be distributed amongst the presenters in the session.
The CSA recognizes that there may be situations in which there are pedagogical and professional benefits to presenting the same research at multiple associations at Congress. The Association encourages its members, as a matter of good practice, to inform both associations of their plans to present the research in multiple association conferences.
Failure to maintain communication with, or provide information requested by, the session organizer or the CSA may result in the removal of the presentation from the Conference program.
Full papers will not be posted on the CSA Conference website nor within the Conference Program. Virtual sessions and presentations will be recorded if all participants approve and may then be posted on the CSA YouTube Channel.
- Conference Participation Policy
All presenters, panelists, chairs, and discussants must be CSA-SCS members as well as Congress delegates by April 15, 2024.
Please feel free to direct your session’s participants to me if they have any questions or concerns regarding the registration policies.
Note:
● Paper co-authors neither presenting nor attending the CSA Conference are exempt from these registration requirements.
● Exceptions may apply in the case of interdisciplinary sessions (contact us for further information).Learn more about the Conference Participation Policies; membership requirement, in-person Conference delegate registration through Congress, and virtual Conference registration through the CSA.