The Proposal Submission Window Has Closed

All Papers due April 27, 2016; Finalized papers due by June 27, 2016; ProComm 2016 – October 2-5, 2016

Download the Call for Participation as a PDF

ProComm 2016 welcomes papers, panels, and workshops on the teaching, learning, and practice of communication in engineering and technical contexts.

We also welcome papers that address this year’s conference theme, Communicating Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Entrepreneurs, as creators of knowledge and opportunity, are seen as major drivers of today’s economy. Universities, colleges, industry, and governments at all levels seek to support and encourage entrepreneurship and design thinking. Clearly, as practitioners and teachers of professional communication, we are uniquely positioned to understand and work in the new spaces created by entrepreneurs as they move beyond STEM and across disciplinary boundaries to design, develop, test, and communicate their new ideas. At the same time, technical communicators are themselves innovators and entrepreneurs, leading the development and use of new communication technologies. Possible topics could include these areas and others:

  • Theory and practice of entrepreneurship communication
  • Case studies of innovations, entrepreneurship, and creativity
  • Case studies of innovation ecosystems, open innovation platforms, and value chains
  • Information design approaches
  • Techniques and methodologies for designing, co-designing and co-creating information, such as Design Thinking and canvas-based heuristics
  • Teaching and training for innovation
  • Creating best communication practices for engineers who innovate
  • Entrepreneurship and innovation in technical and professional communication.

 

Participate in ProComm 2016 in one of three main ways (in addition to attending the conference):

  1. Propose a paper
  2. Propose a panel
  3. Propose a workshop

 

Details concerning each of these options are provided below. Please note: Authors may submit no more than three proposals for participation in total, including as first author, co-author, panelist, or workshop leader.

A. Paper Proposals (Full Papers, Brief Papers, or Extended Abstracts)

Choose the submission type most appropriate for your current work. Opting to propose a full paper, a short paper, or an extended abstract neither advantages nor disadvantages your proposal. At least one author from each paper must register for and attend the conference.

  • Full Paper. To propose a Full Paper, submit a proposal of approximately 700 words. At the time of final submission, the paper should be 6-8 pages maximum, ready for publication in the conference proceedings. Full Papers are appropriate for late-stage research projects with conclusive results; mature, theoretically-grounded position papers; or papers reporting on a well-tested professional or teaching practice.
  • Brief Paper. To propose a Brief Paper, submit a proposal of approximately 350 words. At the time of final submission, the paper should be no more than 4 pages, ready for publication in the proceedings. Brief Papers are appropriate for research and position papers that are works-in-progress, or papers reporting on short-term or experimental professional or teaching practices.
  • Extended Abstract. To propose an extended abstract, submit a proposal of approximately 700 words. Extended Abstracts are for participants who want to present at the conference, without the task of writing a Full Paper in the Proceedings. However, the extended abstract itself will be published in the Proceedings.

All paper proposals and paper drafts will undergo double-blind review.

NOTE: For Full Papers, Brief Papers, or Extended Abstracts, speakers will have 15-20 minutes to present their work. Topics will be grouped along thematic lines during a 75-minute session.

B. Panel Proposals

Panels are 75-minute sessions with multiple presenters. Panels may be comprised of multiple speakers organized around a general topic, or they may include multiple perspectives on a more specific topic. All members of the panel must register for and attend the conference.

To propose a panel, the leader of the panel should submit a proposal of approximately 700 words that provides a brief description of 1) the panel’s overall goals and 2) each participant’s contribution to the panel discussion. If the panel is accepted, individual panelists may, if they wish, submit a paper (Full, Brief, or Extended Abstract) for review and possible publication in the proceedings. For such submissions, the panel leader must submit a single file with all papers for the April deadline. Each paper will then be reviewed individually. If the panelists wish to co-author a single paper for review and possible publication in the proceedings, the panel leader must submit a single co-authored paper from all panelists for the April deadline.

Panel proposals and papers will undergo double-blind review.

C. Workshop Proposals

Workshops include one or more facilitators presenting a 75-minute “how to” or “about” session addressing relevant practices, issues, or technologies of interest to professional engineers, technical communication specialists, and/or people teaching in those fields. To propose a Workshop, submit a proposal of approximately 700 words that includes the following information:

  • An overview of the workshop topic and its relevance/importance to technical communicators
  • An overview of the desired learning outcomes for the workshop
  • A description of the intended target audience
  • A description of projected activities
  • A description of qualifications of the facilitator(s) for delivering this workshop

 

All workshop facilitators must register for and attend the conference. Note that because facilitators’ qualifications are part of the submission, workshop proposal reviews will be single-blind rather than double-blind.

Schedule

  • Now through February 8 (15), 2016: Proposals will be accepted for all submission types via the conference website.
  • March 7, 2016: Proposal submitters will be notified of acceptance status.
  • April 27, 2016: Full Papers and Brief Papers (fully written and ready for review) for accepted abstracts are due. Authors of Extended Abstracts may be asked to revise and resubmit their abstracts by this date.
  • June 6, 2016: Paper authors will receive comments and notes on their work.
  • June 27, 2016: Final versions of all submission types, along with copyright releases, are due for publication in the proceedings.
  • October 3-5, 2016: ProComm 2016

Program Chairs: Carolyn Labun (carolyn.labun@ubc.ca) and Marie Paretti (mparetti@vt.edu)

Rosh Hashanah: We sincerely regret that this year’s conference dates coincide with Rosh Hashanah. If you would like to participate in the conference, but are experiencing conflicts because of the holiday, please contact one of the program chairs to discuss possible options.