Steps to Submit a Conference Proposal

Step 1: Brainstorm an Idea

Brainstorm an idea that you'd want to present. There are a variety of forums to present at with the Virtual Conference Day, Council Pre-Conference(s), and the General Conference in Denver, Colorado. 

Step 2: Consider Collaborators

Do you want to complete the project solo or do you have collaborators who could help you with this? This could be a colleague or someone who shares your research interests. Presenters are only able to be on four submissions for the conference (excluding pre-conferences). You'll want to make sure, well in advance, that your collaborators have an ASHE account, either a current membership or a guest account. If not, encourage them to create an account so this doesn't hold you up during the submission process. It can take 5-60 minutes for a new record to be carried over from our membership system to the conference submission portal.

Step 3: Select the Appropriate Section or Pre-Conference

Think about which section or pre-conference your proposal would fit best. Picking an initial affinity area now is a good start although it may change as you write your proposal. For example, your proposal may fit both in the CPPHE Pre-Con and the Policy, Economics, and Finance Section. You'll need to decide which section or pre-conference to submit to as you can only submit to one for consideration.

Step 4: Decide on the Presentation Format

Decide how you want to present your work. There are eight ways, called formats, in the call for proposal process to present your work during the conference. Below are each of the formats linked with their 2024 short informational video about each type:

• a research paper 
• a scholarly paper 
• a performance, visual, or digital presentation (which can be submitted to be part of a larger session or as a full session)
• a poster
• a works in progress paper
• an interactive symposium
• a self-designed paper session

Step 5: Review Submission Requirements

Once you decide on the format, review the submission requirements for your format. There are different word counts for each type. Be sure to review this so you don't miss important pieces.

Step 6: Begin Writing Your Proposal

If you're working with others, often times a shared document such as a GoogleDoc works best. A great way to start is to take the components of the format submission from the Call for Proposals document and add these as headers to your shared co-working document.

Step 7: Proofread

Ask a friend or colleague to proofread your proposal.

Step 8: Submit Your Proposal

We estimate if you have all of the information ready before you log in, you'll need about 20-30 minutes in the system. Everyone on a proposal will need an ASHE account to be added to the proposal in the system (e.g., the submitter will search the system for co-authors/presenters to add). For full instructions, please check out "Logging In" under the section "Submitting Your Proposal" in the Call for Proposals document.

Step 9: Confirmation and Celebration

Once you receive the submission confirmation e-mail, celebrate your submission! We appreciate you being part of our scholarly community and look forward to providing you feedback on your proposal in the coming months. Decisions will be sent out in early July.