Guidelines for proposals – paper presentations, symposia, posters, and roundtables:
Abstract text
A NERA proposal for presentation must be written in English. The abstract must have between 450 and 500 words (incl. references, if you have any) and should include the following sections:
- Research topic/aim
- Theoretical framework
- Methodology/research design
- Expected results/findings
- Relevance to Nordic educational research
Presentation types
When you submit your abstract, you can choose one of the following types of presentation:
Paper presentation
Paper sessions consist of a presentation and a discussion of papers about ongoing or completed research projects. The time frame for each paper presentation is 20 minutes including discussion. In each parallel session, maximum of four papers will be presented (in sessions with three papers, the time for each paper will be 25 minutes including discussion). In the abstract submission, it must be specified to which NERA network the author wants to submit the paper. A conference attendee will be limited to present a maximum of two papers at the NERA congress.
The timetable for the sessions will be set by the organising committee. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to consider individual requests for presentation time or day of the presentation.
Poster sessions
Poster sessions offer a more informal opportunity to present a project visually rather than orally by means of a poster. During poster sessions, participants can meet the poster presenter at the poster stations. The poster session is thereby a format maximizing interaction between participants and presenters.
The abstract proposal (450-500 words) must describe the focus of the poster. In the abstract, it must be specified to which NERA network the poster is assigned. Posters should be prepared for the Conference in A0 portrait (84.1 cm wide × 118.9 cm high).
Symposia
A symposium session builds on a theme and is proposed and planned by a symposium organiser. The papers focus on a common theme. A symposium has a chair (often the organiser) and one or more discussants, who have read the papers in advance. Some symposia will overlap more than one session. The congress organisers decide how many symposia are feasible at the congress. The symposium organiser will decide how the symposium is to be organised and the time allotment for each presentation. It is recommended that at least two different countries/national perspectives must be represented in the symposium. In the proposal submission, it must be specified to which NERA network the symposium is assigned.
The organiser of the symposium should submit a symposium proposal (as organiser’s text) including all of the following elements:
- The title of the symposium
- An abstract describing the entire symposium (450-500 words)
- The names of the contributors, titles of their presentations and each of their abstracts (450-500 words)
Roundtable discussions
A roundtable session is a forum for the presentation and discussion of developmental work and research plans. Roundtable sessions are intended for focused discussions in small groups of research in progress, practitioner experiences, educational improvement initiatives and issues in institutional effectiveness and improvement.
The organiser of the Roundtable discussions submits a proposal (as organiser’s text) with a plan for the Roundtable including all of the following elements:
- The title of the Roundtable
- An abstract describing the entire Roundtable (450-500 words)
- The names of the contributors and each of their abstracts (each 450-500 words)
The abstract proposal must describe the focus and purpose of the session and ways in which participants will be engaged. In the abstract, it shall be specified to which NERA network the presentation is assigned.