2020 SSP Annual Meeting Submission Guidelines

SSP is once again using ScholarOne Abstract to manage the submission process. All proposals must be submitted through this system.

SUBMIT NOW

Account Setup: To submit an abstract, please create an account or log in with your ScholarOne User ID and Password.
If you have a ScholarOne account but do not remember your login information, choose Forgot Password. If you are logging in for the first time, choose Create an Account to begin.
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Important dates and deadlines:

Annual Meeting Concurrents: Submissions are open now and will close November 15, 2019 at 11:59 PM ET. Notifications will be emailed by December 9, 2019.
Sponsored Sessions: Submissions begin are open now and will close January 10, 2020 at 11:59 PM ET. Notifications will be emailed by January 17, 2020.
Previews Session: Please watch for notice from SSP!
Posters: Submissions will open shortly. Please watch for more information soon!
If you do not receive your notification, please contact Tracy Mitchell.

To ensure that your data is entered correctly, please follow all directions carefully. We recommend that you proceed through the system in a step-by-step fashion, carefully completing each screen in turn.

Tips for submitting a compelling session proposal:

Your session should appeal to a broad range of attendees in an engaging way. SSP Annual Meeting attendees value networking opportunities, insight into new developments, and practical applications they can use to advance their careers. Attendees include executives, editors, salespersons, marketing and product managers, librarians, technologists, vendors, academics, and more. With this year’s specific focus on new perspectives, the best proposals will appeal to new audience segments and/or groups that have historically been less represented at publishing events, as well.
Concurrent sessions should promote audience engagement, ideally throughout.
We will NOT consider concurrent session submissions that are focused on a single solution, a single organization, or material that is commercial in nature. Such content is more appropriate for the 5-minute previews session or for sponsored sessions.
SSP deeply values the provision of a variety of viewpoints from an inclusive pool of speakers. Session speakers must reflect diversity of geography, race, and cultural background as much as possible. We strongly encourage gender balance in particular. Single-speaker concurrent sessions will NOT be considered.
The strongest proposals will include the voices of key stakeholders (researchers/academics, librarians, students), will cross formats (books, journals, etc.), and will include perspectives across STEM, social sciences, and humanities, and will feature participants from organizations of different size and scope.
For concurrent sessions, your submission must be in by the November 15 deadline! Our committee will begin reviewing proposals immediately after this deadline, so we regret that we cannot accept late submissions this year. Please see the submission guidelines for all the important deadlines.
Please be sure to reach out to us if you have any questions while submitting a session proposal.

Information required for your submission:

SUBMISSION TYPE

There are four possible types of session proposals. Submitters must select their session type at the beginning of the submission process for each proposal. This cannot be changed once you confirm your selection. Organizers are permitted to submit more than one proposal or proposal type:

Concurrent session: 60 minutes or longer in length (length of longer sessions TBD), held on May 28 and 29. Concurrent sessions are designed for multiple speakers to present a specific topic that will benefit SSP attendees. Successful proposals will include concrete plans for interactivity, the inclusion of a variety of perspectives , a diverse panel (with respect to gender, race, background, organization type, subject area), and clear learning objectives for the audience.
5-minute preview session: Brief, back-to-back presentations given during a plenary on Friday morning, May 29, showcasing new products, platforms, and/or content from publishers and vendors. Preview session submissions will be accepted at a later date. Keep an eye out for an announcement from SSP!
Posters: In the tradition of academic conferences, SSP is introducing posters for the 2020 Annual Meeting. Poster submissions will be accepted at a later date. Keep an eye out for an announcement from SSP with additional information.
Sponsored session: Each session is 45 minutes in length; up to 4 sessions may run concurrently; space can accommodate up to 80-100 attendees; held in the afternoon on Wednesday, May 27. These sessions offer value by means of education, information, or professional development to attendees. Fees apply.

Organizers may share information about a product or service, but sessions will be most effective if presenting case studies/use cases, customer testimonials, timely information about industry issues, best practices, innovative solutions to everyday challenges, roundtable discussions, etc.
Sponsored sessions can also be used to facilitate a focus group, user group session, market research, or product demonstration if space is available. However, sessions of this nature will not be rated as highly as those that offer educational and/or professional development value to attendees.
No more than 12 proposals will be selected.
These sessions are free to any registered attendee, unless you select the invitation only sponsorship type. SSP cannot guarantee attendance at sponsored sessions.
Sponsored Session Options/ Pricing:

Open to all attendees: $2950, exhibitors/sponsors=$2360
Invitation only: $3950, exhibitors/sponsors=$3160

For more information about sponsored sessions, click here.

SESSION TITLE

The session title should be descriptive of the content being covered.

SESSION DESCRIPTION (ABSTRACT BODY)

In 250 words or less, describe what will be covered in this session. The session description will be included in the online and printed programs. There will be an opportunity to revise it later if accepted. DO NOT include speaker names in the session description.

IDEAL AUDIENCE

Describe the ideal audience for this event (publishers, editors, academics, librarians, marketers, production personnel, etc.)

SUGGESTED ORGANIZERS/SPEAKERS

List the suggested speaker(s) or organizer(s) you think have the relevant experience for presenting in this session. Speakers/organizers do not have to be confirmed at this time. If you are moderating/speaking, please include yourself. Please consider the diversity (gender, ethnicity, etc.) of your panel when recruiting speakers; SSP seeks to provide a balanced program in this respect.

ADDITIONAL SESSION INFORMATION – LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Please include a brief summary of specific learning objectives and what you hope attendees will learn from this session. You may also use this space to share any other details that you feel are relevant for the selection committee.

PRESENTATION TYPE

Indicate the type of presentation that will be used for the session and the level of audience engagement you envision: Q&A, roundtable, flash talk, panel, interactive, unsession, workshop, other. All ideas will be considered.

SPEAKER/ORGANIZER

Indicate if you are submitting this proposal as a speaker, session organizer, both, or other.

PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS

Indicate if this session has previously been presented at other conferences or industry meetings.

TRACK

Select which track(s) or topical areas this session fits best. Check all that apply. Not all submissions need to fit within one of these tracks; all ideas will be considered.

SESSION LENGTH

(Concurrent Sessions only)
Please indicate the ideal length for your session. Concurrent sessions are either 60 minutes or longer in length (length of longer sessions TBD). This year’s meeting will feature fewer longer sessions than have been offered in the past, so please consider carefully whether your proposed session requires more than minutes.

FORMAT

Please indicate whether there is anything interactive or particularly innovative about the format of your session.

EDUCATION LEVELS

Indicate the Educational Level that best fits your proposal.

Foundational: Focus on awareness and relaying information; appropriate for those with limited experience of the subject seeking introductory understanding of the content area(s).
Applied: Focus on understanding and comprehension; appropriate for those with some experience seeking to build on, apply, or enhance existing knowledge using content in practical applications/implementations.
Strategic: Focus on analysis, evaluation, and decision-making; appropriate for those with substantial prerequisite knowledge seeking the most up-to-date information to heighten expertise and advance best practices.
Mixed-learning: Includes both applied and strategic perspectives on an issue; appropriate for those with at least some experience of the subject area seeking a mix of immediate/practical and future/planning information.
Networking: Provides an opportunity for peer-to-peer interaction among groups with similar interests and/or geographical locations, for all career levels. May be purely social in nature, have a specific topic (e.g. speaker or panel), or focus on an element of career development (e.g. mentorship).
Unsure or not applicable

SPEAKERS (AUTHORS)

Please enter all confirmed organizers/moderators/speakers for this session.

For Sponsored or Preview Sessions Only:

DISCLOSURES

You may be asked to complete one or more disclosures depending on the submission type. These disclosures confirm that you understand the requirements of each applicable submission type (non-commercial, fees apply, etc.).

ATTENDEE VALUE

Sessions that offer value by means of education, information, or professional development to attendees will be given preference in the selection process. While you may share information about your product or service, your session will be most effective if you present case studies/use cases, customer testimonials, timely information about industry issues, best practices, innovative solutions to everyday challenges, roundtable discussions, etc. Describe how you will provide educational/professional development value to attendees.

SESSION ATTENDANCE

Indicate if you prefer your sponsored session to be open to all attendees or by invitation only.

ORGANIZATION TYPE

Indicate the type of organization presenting the session (publisher, technology provider, etc.).

Submitting your proposal:

Once you have provided the required information, a submit button will appear at the bottom of the Review and Submit step. You can continue to make changes until you submit. We encourage you to view a proof of your submission before submitting. Once you submit, your submission will move from the drafts table to the submission table on the dashboard. You can continue to make changes to your proposal until the corresponding deadline by returning your submission to draft. You will not be able to make changes after the deadline.

Selection criteria:

The Annual Meeting Program Committee will review proposals and rate them on the following criteria:

Topic is timely and relevant
Original concept and/or fresh analysis
Represents broad and diverse speakers and ideas
Focus and learning outcomes are well defined
Sufficient interactivity with the audience is planned

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