Category: Events

How does ASWM’s program committee read and review proposals? We start by focusing on the written proposal that you submit. We look for a clear and succinct statement of your work. We have more than a hundred proposals to review for each event, so we are serious about the 250-word limit for an individual proposal. In this case, giving us more information than that word limit works to your disadvantage. If you exceed the word limit, you will probably be asked to submit your proposal again, following the guidelines. (Some organizations would reject such a proposal on the basis of guidelines alone.)

It will be this 250-word abstract that is made available to attendees. Your proposal enables people to make a choice of what to attend during the conference. It is your best chance to present your work, so it needs to be spelled out clearly. (Remember that you are presenting the proposal to an intelligent general audience, who may not be familiar with the jargon of your field.) See below for a checklist for proposal form and content.

Your 70-word bio will need to have enough information so that people can find you after the event if they want to make contact about your work. Biographies are included in the conference program book. Accepted proposals will be available on the website, alphabetical by author last name.

Film Proposals

If you are proposing to show a film, know that, at the first stage, our proposal readers will not look up films on websites. That’s the job of the film subcommittee, which doesn’t see proposals until we have determined whether/how the film fits with our themes. The general proposal readers recommend films to the subcommittee. What is the subject of your film (be specific)? How does it fit with our themes? How long is the film? Is it a documentary, scripted story, non-narrative, or something else? How do you want to show your film at the conference, and how much time do you need for discussion and response? And, finally, include a link to your film or video.

Hints and Tips

Does your proposal

• stay within the word limit?
• start with your best one-sentence summary of your work?
• make a clear and succinct statement of what your work is about?
• explain any unfamiliar or esoteric terms?
• show how the work fits our conference theme(s)?
• highlight what makes your work stand out from other work on the same topic? (ex. unique perspective, new information, synthesizing theories, etc.)
• state your goal for the presentation? (What idea do you want people to take away from your work?)
• include a 70-word bio with current contact information?

Thank you for submitting your work for an ASWM event, and best wishes for success in your work.