Western Psychological Association

2009 Call-for-Papers and Online Submission Forms
(Please read carefully before beginning submission)

Please Note: At the end of this set of instructions, you will find a link that will take you to the online submission forms. This link will be operative after we have completed a project to improve the submisstion forms, approximately September 1, 2008. Please read the instructions below before entering your abstract(s) on the submission forms. The submission process requires one 350-word abstract for each proposal. We also urge you to read our new article on preparing abstracts for submission to WPA: Writing a Conference Abstract: Some Suggestions and Common Errors.

At least one author on each proposal must be registered for the convention at the time of submission or by November 15, 2008 (online via credit card or postmark for those mailing in registrations). All persons who attend the convention must register for the convention. Mail-in and Credit-card registration forms are available here. Please note that if you are an author on multiple proposals, you need to register only once. Proposals that do not have at least one author registered for the convention on November 15 (online via credit card or post mark for those mailing in registrations) will not be reviewed.

Please consider participating in the 2009 WPA Convention by submitting a proposal on or before the November 15, 2008 deadline. If you are interested in doing this, it is important that you first read this document carefully and then pay close attention to the instructions while you are preparing your proposal(s). If you have questions, please call the WPA Office.

Types of Presentations

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 symposia.

Posters: Poster presentations are organized by topic in sessions with 40-50 posters per session. Each poster session lasts for 75 or 90 minutes.

One-speaker papers: These oral presentations are generally organized into 3-5 paper sessions. Each paper is given 15 minutes of presentation time, including time for questions.

Symposia: Usually 3-5 oral 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 symposia.

Who May Submit Proposals and Registration Fees
Members of WPA and interested non-members may submit proposals for the 2009 convention, with the stipulation that every person who plans to make a presentation must pay the appropriate member or non-member Convention Registration Fee at the time that his/her proposal is submitted or by November 15, 2008. Please note that $15.00 of each registration fee is collected as a non-refundable proposal processing fee. In the event that your proposal is not accepted for presentation and you then elect not to attend the convention, the remainder of your convention fee will be refunded promptly upon receipt of your written request, provided that your request is received prior to March 15, 2009.

Please note that persons who submit more than one proposal are required to pay only one convention registration fee. The instructions for completing your submissions are presented on the following pages. Please read them carefully.

Convention Registration Fees

The following table lists the Convention registration fees for Members of WPA and Non-members. Convention registration and WPA Membership forms are provided on the WPA web site. Members are those who have paid their 2008-2009 dues. Prior members who have not paid their current dues are considered non-members. WPA members who have not paid their 2008-2009 dues may do so using the forms on the WPA web site. Individuals who wish to become members of WPA may also do so by completing these forms. Please note that Convention pre-registration ends on March 15, 2009.

2008-2009 WPA Professional Member $75
Professional Non-Member $150
2008-2009 WPA Student Member $35
Student Non-Member $75
Non-Professional Spouse of Registrant $35

Please Note: Convention Pre-registration ends on March 15, 2009. After March 15, 2009, registration is on-site only. On-site registration fees will increase by $15 in each registration category. Current year memberships (2008-2009) are also not accepted after March 15, 2009 and are not accepted on-site at the 2009 Convention.

Student Scholarships

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 a Student Member of WPA
Be a registered student
Be the first author of the submitted paper

Please indicate on your Submission Form that you are a Student Member of WPA and that you qualify for a scholarship. Recipients of these scholarships will be determined on the basis of a blind 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 award winner attending the Convention and presenting the research. Winners (only) will be notified by mail on or about February 15, 2008. The names of these scholarship recipients will be published in the Convention Program and checks for these awards will be presented at the WPA Awards session during the 2009 convention.

Submitting a Symposium Online

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 chair of the symposium should enter the e-mail addresses of the first authors of the presentations in the symposium on the Symposium Submission Form. Chairs will be given a Symposium ID number (WPAS followed by a number) in this process. Chairs must communicate this Symposium ID to other presenters in the symposium. The first authors of the presentations in the symposium should each subsequently fill out a Presentation Submission Form. They will be asked, during this process, if their submission is part of a symposium. At this point presenters MUST enter the Symposium ID so that the program can link these individual presentations with the symposium. Please contact the WPA Office (cozby.wpa@gmail.com) if you have questions about this process.

Psi Chi Submissions

Students holding membership in Psi Chi may elect to submit proposals for posters only for presentation in either a special poster session that WPA has reserved for Psi Chi or in the WPA Regular Program. As has been the case in previous years, Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, will sponsor and organize 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 the appropriate option on the Submission Form for your preference for presentation in the Psi Chi Session Only or the WPA Regular Program.
Like every other individual who submits a proposal to the 2009 Convention, members of Psi Chi must register for the Convention at the time their proposal(s) are submitted.

CTUP Teaching Activities Exchange

WPA and the Council of Teachers of Undergraduate Psychology will again organize the CTUP 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 CTUP EXCHANGE option on your submission form.

Request For 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 which 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 either by mail or e-mail (cozby.wpa@gmail.com) 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 no later than November 15, 2008. 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 will register for the WPA Convention.

Submitting Your Proposal

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 ten 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 should appear in the program (be careful of abbreviations), and e-mail address.
350-word abstract with text only--no figures.
Telephone number of the person to contact if there are questions.

Submission Forms: To enter the site containing the submission forms, please click on this link.