The Conference Program Committee is inviting full refereed papers and abstracts for the ACEN 2018 Conference ‘WIL: Creating Connections, Building Futures’ to be held in Brisbane, 3 – 5 October, 2018

Interested researchers, academics, practitioners and industry partners are invited to submit papers, abstracts and posters for the Conference. Papers that involve joint authorship with students, industry and community partners are encouraged. Early career researchers and research students are also encouraged to contribute papers.

You may submit more than one full-refereed paper or abstract for showcase presentations, roundtable discussions and posters. (No abstract submission for full-refereed papers.)  You may only be the lead on ONE full-refereed paper or abstract for showcase presentations, roundtable discussions and posters.

With a rolling review and acceptance, early submissions are highly recommended.

The Committee invites submissions across four categories:

1. Full refereed papers
2. Showcase presentations
3. Roundtable discussions
4. Poster submissions

1.     FULL REFEREED PAPERS

Full refereed papers may be either empirical studies or theoretical reviews. These papers should provide detailed description of appropriate literature, methodologies, and analytical methods, demonstrating a thorough and rigorous analysis of current issues in work-integrated learning, leading to well-argued conclusions.

Submission

Papers should be no more than 2,000 words (excluding abstract and references) in length. Papers must be submitted using the ACEN style guide for papers. Submissions which do not follow these guidelines will be returned to authors.

Full papers for review, including abstract, will be accepted until 30 April, 2018 (midnight, EST Australia).

A suggested structure for full refereed papers is:

• Title
• Author(s)
• Affiliation
• Keywords (4 -6)
• Abstract
• Background, including reference to appropriate literature
• Research aims and intent
• Methods / approach
• Results / discussion
• Conclusions / Implications
• References, using APA 6th Edition

Review

Full papers will be blind peer reviewed by reviewers selected by the Conference Program Sub-committee. Peer review is a reciprocal process, therefore submission of a paper means that you may be requested to review other submissions. The program committee will support reviewers through this process with resources and other assistance as needed. Full paper submissions will be reviewed against the extent to which they meet the following criteria:

• alignment with a conference sub-theme
• originality of the research
• quality / rigour (e.g. research method and/or literature review)
• contribution to the scholarship of co-operative education and WIL
• an academic standard of writing and presentation

Presentation

Full papers will be allocated 25 minutes presentation time, which will include 10 minutes for questions and discussion.

Publication

All papers accepted in this category will be published in the Conference Proceedings that will be made available to all conference participants and online through the ACEN website. Papers in this category meet the criteria for E1 category publication in ERA.

Best paper

All papers accepted for the conference program will be eligible for consideration for an award of ‘best conference paper’.

2.     SHOWCASE PRESENTATIONS

Showcase presentations provide an opportunity for delegates to share aspects of good practice, emerging research projects, and topical issues that are being developed.  Submissions should outline the initiative, practice or issue being showcased and its relevance to one of the conference sub-themes.  Presentations in this category are NOT considered to be refereed papers.

Submission

Proposals should be submitted as a 150-200 word abstract using the ACEN style guide for abstracts.  Proposals submitted not using this template will be returned to the authors and may not be included in the conference program. The abstract should address the background/context, initiative/practice, method(s) of evaluative data collection and analysis, evidence of effectiveness and theme(s) addressed.

Showcase presentation abstracts submissions will be accepted until 30 April, 2018 (midnight, EST Australia).

Showcase presentation abstracts should contain the following:

• Title
• Author(s)
• Affiliation
• Keywords (4-6)
• Conference sub-theme(s) addressed
• Background / context
• Overview of practice / initiative
• Discussion / results / evaluation
• Conclusions / implications
• Key references, using APA 6th Edition

Review

Abstracts will be evaluated by the Conference Program Sub-committee.  Abstracts will be reviewed against the following criteria:

• alignment with a conference sub-theme
• adherence to the required submission structure
• originality of the practice/ research/ topic or issue
• contribution to new knowledge about co-operative education and WIL

Presentation

Showcase presentations will be allocated 10 minutes to present. Each showcase session will also include question and discussion time.

Publication

Accepted abstracts will be published in the Conference Program and will be available to all delegates and published online. Authors may consider having a copy of an associated paper available for sharing at the conference. Abstracts submitted in this category meet the criteria for E3 ERA category publication.

3.     ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS

Roundtable discussions are spaces within the conference program for detailed discussion around emerging issues of importance for the conference community.  Submissions should consider the importance of the proposed issue alongside how the presenters intend to engage delegates in discussion.  These presentations are intended as interactive engagements and should not be extended presentations of papers. Roundtable discussion can be either 60 minutes or 90 minutes in length.

Submission

Proposals should be submitted as a 350 word structured abstract using the ACEN style guide for abstracts.  Proposals submitted not using this template will be returned to the authors and may not be included in the conference program. The abstract should address the expertise of the convener/s, intended outcomes, overview of activities and details of intended audience.

Successful authors may consider having a copy of an associated paper available for sharing at the conference.

Abstracts for roundtable discussions will be accepted until 30 April, 2018 (midnight, EST Australia).

Roundtable abstracts should contain the following:

• Title
• Convenor/s
• Affiliation
• Area of expertise / interest of convenor / presenters
• Keywords (4-6)
• Conference theme(s) covered
• Intended aims or outcomes
• Overview of activities/discussion
• Intended audience
• Key references, using APA 6th Edition

Review

Abstracts will be evaluated by the Conference Program Sub-committee. Abstracts will be reviewed against the following criteria:

• alignment with a conference sub-theme
• adherence to the required submission structure
• originality of the practice/ research/ topic or issue
• level of engagement planned for participants
• contribution to new knowledge about co-operative education and WIL

Presentation

Roundtable presentations will be allocated 60 or 90 minutes to present/facilitate the session, which will include discussion and activities.

Publication

Accepted abstracts will be published in the Conference Program and will be available to all delegates and published online. Abstracts submitted in this category meet the criteria for E3 ERA category publication.

4.    POSTER SUBMISSIONS

Poster submissions will be evidence-based and should outline the background/context and outcomes. Posters allow participants with similar interests to interact by using the poster as a discussion point. Please note that presentations accepted in this category are NOT considered refereed papers.

Submission

Proposals are to be submitted as a 250 word abstract using the ACEN style guide for abstracts plus further information on how the proposal fits the conference theme (an additional 50-100 words).  Final poster presentations should be developed to an A0 size for presentation at the conference.

Poster presentation abstracts will be accepted until 30 April, 2018 (midnight, EST Australia).

Poster presentation abstracts should contain the following:

• Title
• Author(s)
• Affiliation
• Keywords (4-6)
• Conference sub-theme(s) addressed
• Background / context
• Overview of practice / research initiative
• Discussion / results / evaluation
• Conclusions / implications
• Key references, using APA 6th Edition

Review

Abstracts will be evaluated by the Conference Organising Committee. Abstracts for posters will be reviewed against the following criteria:

• alignment with a conference sub-theme
• originality of the practice/ research/ topic or issue
• contribution to new knowledge about co-operative education and WIL

Presentation

Posters will be available for viewing for the duration of the conference. An interactive poster viewing session will be held for authors to discuss their poster with other delegates. Authors can present their work using any layout /design but must present the poster on an A0 size format.

Publication

Submitted abstracts will be published in the Conference Program and will be available to all delegates.  Edited versions may also be published online. Poster abstracts submitted in this category meet the criteria for E3 HERDC Publications.

Best poster

All posters accepted for the conference program will be eligible for consideration for an award of ‘best conference poster’.

Further enquiries

For questions about abstract content and details contact the conference abstract committee:

Karen Robinson  karen.robinson@griffith.edu.au

Debra Khokhar  d.khokhar@griffith.edu.au

Having issues with the submission process? contact Craig at 2018conf@acen.edu.au