Invitation

The organising committee for The Australian Sociological Association 2009 Conference is pleased to invite for abstracts, papers and posters for presentation at the 2009 Conference.

Submissions have now closed

Announcement

ANU is relaunching the Sociology Program in the Research School of Social Science in 2009 and we see this Conference as a good opportunity to take stock and address two important questions:

  • What is the current state of Sociology and what is the way forward?
  • What is the relationship between Sociology cognate disciplines, Biology, Economics and Psychology and how is that likely to affect the development of the subject?

Another feature of this Conference will be different than in previous years. We will continue with refereed paper system, qualifying for DEST points. However, we will reduce the number of formal presentations, and replace them with parallel poster sessions, in order to allow more opportunity for broader discussion in plenaries and round tables.

Themes

Submissions are invited around the following themes, groups and keywords:

  • Applied Sociology
  • Crime and Governance
  • Critical Disability Studies 
  • Culture 
  • Economic
  • Environment and Society
  • Families, relationships and gender 
  • Health 
  • Indigenous 
  • Media 
  • Migration, ethnicity and multiculturalism 
  • Mobilities 
  • Science, technology and knowledge 
  • Teaching Sociology 
  • Work and Labour Studies 
  • Social Stratification 
  • Sociology of Youth 
  • Sociology of Education

Presentation Types

Authors can submit for the following presentation types:

  • Refereed Papers — An oral presentation within a concurrent session allocated 15 minutes presentation plus 5 minutes Q&A
  • General Papers — An oral presentation within a concurrent session allocated 10 minutes presentation plus 5 minutes Q&A
  • A Work-In-Progress Paper — An oral presentation within a concurrent session allocated 10 minutes presentation plus 5 minutes Q&A
  • Conference Workshops — A concurrent session workshop allocated 1.5 hours

Key Dates

  • Call for Papers & Abstracts - OPENS Tuesday 5 May 2009
  • Registration - OPENS May 2009
  • Referred Paper and Workshop Submission - CLOSES THURSDAY 13 August 2009
  • General Paper, Work-in Progress Paper and Poster Submission - CLOSES Monday 28 September 2009

Paper Guidelines, Requirements and Process

Authors intending to present a refereed paper, a general paper, work-in-progress paper or workshop must submit as per the following guidelines for consideration to be included in the 2009 Conference Program

  • A Refereed Paper — A paper for referee and inclusion in the conference proceedings CD is to be submitted by Thursday 13 August 2009. Refereed papers should be no more than 3000 words with a 200 word abstract and have no identification of the author on the paper or abstract body.
  • A General Paper — A General Paper (not for referee nor inclusion in the conference proceedings CD) is to be submitted by Monday 28 September 2009. Submissions should be no more than a 200 word abstract and have no identification of the author on the paper or abstract body.
  • A Work-in-Progress Paper — A work-in-progress paper (not for referee nor inclusion in the conference proceedings CD) is to be submitted by Monday 28 September 2009. Submissions should be no more than a 200 word abstract and have no identification of the author on the paper or abstract body.
  • A Workshop — A submission for a workshop is to be submitted by Thursday 13 August 2009. Submissions should include a 200 word abstract, list of contributors, a proposed format and theme.
  • Abstracts and papers must be submitted using the format guidelines for preparation provided in TASA Abstract and Paper Format Guidelines.
  • Abstract and paper submissions will only be accepted via the TASA Conference website. Once the abstract/paper is uploaded via the website an email confirmation of receipt will be sent.
  • Submissions received after the closing dates will not be accepted.
  • Where there are co-authors, only one abstract/paper is to be submitted. The presenting author is responsible for ensuring the co-authors agree with and are aware of the content before submitting.
  • Responsibility for the accuracy of abstracts/papers rests with the author.
  • Abstracts and papers will be reviewed by the organising committee. The committee's decision is final.
  • You will receive notification of your submission results by the following deadlines:
    • A Refereed Paper and Workshop — Monday 12 October 2009
    • A General Paper, Work-in-Progress Paper and Poster — Monday 19 October 2009
  • Authors of successful abstracts/papers need to register and pay to attend and present at the 2009 Conference
  • If successful, you will be required to:
    • Confirm your acceptance of the invitation;
    • Confirm the name of the presenter;
    • Register the speaker to attend the Conference

Further instructions on presentation requirements will be provided in the invitation letter and in additional correspondence.

 

Poster Guidelines

Deadline for poster submissions: Monday 28 September 2009

Instructions to Entrants

If you already have a prepared and printed poster:

  • Don’t worry if your poster is not A1 in size
  • If you have an electronic version of your poster (eg. PDF file, etc) submit that file.
  • If you don’t, take a good, well-lit, clear digital photo of your poster, and submit the photo
  • Submit the image or PDF of your poster. Ignore the request for a main photo.

If you want to create your own format:

  • Look at the example poster
  • Submit your poster (as a PDF file). Ignore the request for a main photo

Advice to Entrants

  • The poster should convey effectively a distilled message
  • Font size and type must be legible from approximately 2-3 metres (avoid BLOCK letters and italicized words)
  • There should be a title
  • Colour selections should be simple, complementary, and pleasure to the eye. Use colours wisely. Too many colours will obscure the message
  • Uncomplicated layout and organization of the material will ensure the main message of the poster is clear
  • Text should be balanced with graphics, so that neither overwhelms the other
  • Check typography, avoid abbreviations, acronyms, and jargon.
  • Check correct spelling – no typos
  • Eye movement should be natural so that the visual grammar of the poster easily leads the viewer through the message
  • Less rather than more text is desirable
  • Use simplicity. Don’t overload the poster; more material could mean the viewer will read less.
  • Look at the example posters on the site and the layout.

Poster Examples

Please click here for a TASA poster template or view the two below poster examples and critiques.

CRITIQUE OF POSTER 1

Visually outstanding which is very important. However, there is too much text which means it is difficult to take in quickly. Obviously, the balance between more and less text is not easy, but too much, and therefore small, text is not advisable.  In addition, in this poster, the sections, which are well broken up, don’t follow logically, so the eye has to move around to follow the narrative.

CRITIQUE OF POSTER 2

This is good visually but not as good as Poster 1.  Obviously, the topic does lend itself to interesting visuals, but they are well used here.  Having the images at an angle also helps, but the text in single columns is a bit pedestrian.  The text itself is about the right length (compare it to Poster 1).