06/25/2013

ECA 2014 Convention - Nonverbal Communication Interest Group Call for Submissions

The Nonverbal Communication Interest Group of the Eastern Communication Association invites you to submit your papers and panel proposals for ECA's Annual Convention to be held in Providence, RI, April 23-27, 2014. This year's convention theme, Communities of Dissent: A “Lively Experiment” in 
Dialogue, Diversity, and Discourse, is inspired by the tradition of dissent that has marked Providence’s long and notable history of discourse and disagreement. This theme invites us to explore the expression and suppression of dissent across communication contexts. While submissions focusing on the convention theme are encouraged, all submissions will be considered.  Submissions must be RECEIVED by October 15, 2013. 

The Nonverbal Communication Interest Group invites program proposals and research papers exploring any aspect of issues related to nonverbal communication.  Appropriate topics include, but are not limited to:

• Nonverbal Expressions of Dissent
• Nonverbal Communication in Special Contexts
• Nonverbal Teaching Behaviors

Accepted papers and programs that relate to the convention theme of Communities of Dissent: A '"Lively Experiment" in Dialogue, Diversity, and Discourse will receive priority scheduling. Panels co-sponsored with other interest groups will receive special consideration. All people submitting a proposal either for a panel or a paper are encouraged to make themselves available to chair or act as a respondent in other panels.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES. All papers and panel proposals should be sent ELECTRONICALLY (in MSWord) to the interest group chair, Christopher J. Claus at cclaus@towson.edu. All submissions must be received by October 15, 2013 in order to be considered. Please include “ECA submission” followed by your paper/proposal title in the subject line of your submission(s). Please use the following guidelines to name the files:

1. Choose a descriptive word from the title. Do not use your first or last name.

2. For the main manuscript or program proposal, use the descriptive word followed by “-main.” and the file type after a period.

3. For the title page, use the descriptive word followed by “-title.” and the file type after the period. Acceptance of a paper or panel proposal obligates authors and/or presenters to attend the conference and present the paper.

Competitive Paper Submissions:

A. Competitive papers should not have been presented previously at another conference, (with the exception of a student-only conference), be accepted for publication, or have been published (with the exception of a student-only publication).

B. Submitted papers should include:

a.  A detachable title page with the title of the paper and the author’s affiliation, mailing address, telephone number, and email address. Authors must NOT be identified on other pages. If the paper has multiple authors, please provide contact information for each author. Indicate which author will present at the convention.

b.  Please label all debut papers with the phrase "DEBUT PAPER" in the upper right-hand corner of the title page. To qualify as a debut paper, the author or co-authors should not previously have presented a paper at a state, regional, national or international convention, or published in any academic journal. The paper also should not have been accepted for presentation or publication. Papers presented at student-only conferences are exempt from this requirement. All authors of a co-authored paper must meet these eligibility requirements for a paper to be considered a Debut Paper. Please indicate whether each author is a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral student.

c.  When appropriate, put "STUDENT" in the upper right-hand corner of the title page; indicate whether the paper comes from a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral student. All authors must be students to be considered a student paper.


d.  A one-page abstract on the second page.

e.  A statement of professional responsibility on the second page: “"In submitting the attached paper or proposal, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional responsibility. I/We agree to present this panel or paper if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend or present at ECA's annual meeting must register and pay required fees."

f.  The text of the paper is limited to 25 pages (double spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins) not including the abstract, references and appendices. No information in the paper that identifies the author(s) beyond that which appears on the title page. Please remove any identifiers, such as the author's name, from the paper and electronic file from the header or on the file label. Any paper that exceeds 25-pages will not be reviewed or considered for presentation. Please follow APA 6th edition format guidelines.

Program/Panel Proposals:

A.  Program proposals should focus on some unifying theme or concept relevant to research, theory, or practice in the area of instructional communication.

a.  Programs may consist of a chair, individual presenters, and a critical respondent; however, round-table discussions, performance venues, or other unique formats are encouraged.

b.  In alternative program formats, respondents may be included or omitted as appropriate.

c.  Innovative program proposals, especially those that provide opportunities for interaction among participants and attendees, are encouraged.

d.  Programs co-sponsored with other interest groups are also welcome. Programs that relate to the convention theme, Communities of Dissent: A '"Lively Experiment" in Dialogue, Diversity, and Discourse, are encouraged.

e.  The panel organizer is expected to take responsibility for communication with the interest group chair, alert him to any changes or problems and to ensure that panelists register for the conference and deliver their papers.


B.  Program proposals should include the following:

a.  A thematic title of the program.

b.  A detailed, one-page rationale for the panel and explanation of how the papers are thematically linked.

c.  Names of the chair and respondent.

d.  The name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and institutional affiliation of ALL participants.

e.  The title and brief (1-2 paragraph/s) description of each presentation.

f.  A program copy description of the panel (no more than a 75-word description) as it should appear in the final program.

g.  A statement of professional responsibility: “"In submitting the attached paper or proposal, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional responsibility. I/We agree to present this panel or paper if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend or present at ECA's annual meeting must register and pay required fees."

ECA has a Technology Policy (available on the ECA website at this link ECA Technology Policy).  Technology use is EXPENSIVE.  Please read this policy statement carefully before requesting any audio-visual equipment.  All technology requests should be submitted with your original paper/panel proposal and should include a statement that explains why this equipment is essential to your presentation.

Please contact the Nonverbal Communication program planner, Christopher J. Claus (cclaus@towson.edu), if you have any questions about submission requirements, programming ideas, or suggestions for this interest group.  Additional information about the convention, including short courses and other programming, is available at the ECA website, www.ecasite.org. 

Please send papers and program/panel proposals by email in a Word attachment by October 15, 2013.  If you choose to send print copies, they must be RECEIVED by October 15, 2013. 

Dr. Christopher J. Claus, Assistant Professor
Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies
Towson University
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252
cclaus@towson.edu