Skip to content

ARST@NCA 2010 Main Convention Call for Proposals

ARST@NCA Main Convention CFP

NCA Annual Meeting
Submission deadline: Feb. 17, 2010

The Association for the Rhetoric of Science and Technology invites submission of papers and panel proposals. Submissions may cover any area of rhetoric of science and technology, including but not limited to the rhetorical analysis and critique of (1) scientific and technological texts, practices, and genres; (2) the production, deployment, invocation, and contestation of scientific ideas and technological visions in political, professional or disciplinary, and literary or social contexts (e.g., policy debates, scientific controversies, popular culture); and (3) discourses of reason and rationality, including reflexive engagement with the rationality of rhetoric of science as a discipline. Alternative panel formats that encourage interaction, as well as panels on the conference theme, “Building Bridges,” are welcomed.

Individuals may present only one paper in ARST-sponsored panels, whether submitted as an individual paper or as part of a panel. Individuals may chair or respond to panels, and/or participate in non-traditional panels in addition to presenting a single paper.

General Submission Information

To avoid submittal and review difficulties, please adhere to the following guidelines:

  1. Papers and panels must be submitted electronically to the All Academic web site linked from the 2010 NCA Convention information at www.natcom.org.
  2. Submissions must be in one of the following file formats: Microsoft Word or .pdf format. The .pdf format is strongly recommended because it is the most reliable.
  3. Compressed or zipped files will not be accepted.
  4. A paper or panel may be submitted only to one division or NCA-affiliated organization.
  5. Please identify student submissions.

Submitting a Competitive Paper

Completed papers should include:

  1. A title
  2. An abstract of 250 words or less
  3. Maximum of 25 pages of text
  4. Be prepared for blind review, with no identifying information in the body of the document or in associated electronic information (e.g., Word document “Properties”).

Completed student papers are eligible for the Joanna Ploeger Award, honoring the life and work of our late colleague and former Association president.

Extended abstracts should include:

  1. A title
  2. An abstract of 100 words or less
  3. Maximum of 5 pages of text
  4. Be prepared for blind review, with no identifying information in the body of the document or in associated electronic information (e.g., Word document “Properties”).

The abstract should be forthright about the degree of work completed and in progress. If the work is substantially incomplete, please emphasize the nature of the argument to be developed or the theoretical expectations to be explored at length in the finished work.
Submitting a Thematic Paper Session

Paper session submissions should include:

  1. A title for the session
  2. A list of presenters, their institutional addresses, and e-mail addresses
  3. Titles and abstracts (250 words maximum) for each presentation or paper
  4. A panel rationale (250 words maximum) justifying the significance and theme of the session
  5. A panel abstract (75 words maximum) for the convention program

Submitting a Panel Discussion

Submissions for a “roundtable” panel discussion should include:

  1. A title for the panel
  2. A list of presenters, their institutional addresses, and e-mail addresses
  3. A panel rationale (500 words maximum) justifying the significance and theme of the panel
  4. A panel abstract (75 words maximum) for the convention program

Audiovisual Equipment

Participants are encouraged to keep equipment requests to a minimum. Requests for specific equipment must be submitted online and meet the same submission deadlines for papers and panels.

Additional Information

The NCA website (www.natcom.org) contains extensive information about the 2010 convention, plus instructions for using All Academic and a description for alternative panel formats, including Scholar-to-Scholar.