AAAL 2023 Call for Proposals

March 18 - 21, 2023
Portland, Oregon
Call for Proposals

The 2023 conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) will be held in Portland, Oregon, at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, March 18-21, 2023. The theme of the conference is “Collaborating and Mentoring in Applied Linguistics”.

Nationally and internationally, the AAAL conference has a reputation as a comprehensive and stimulating conference. Conference participants can look forward to in-depth colloquia, paper, poster, and round-table sessions, as well as topical and thought-provoking plenary presentations, excellent book exhibits, and plentiful opportunities for networking.

Table of Contents

  1. Plenary Speaker and Invited Colloquia Information
  2. Strands
  3. Submission Policies
  4. Proposals
    1. Individual Papers
    2. Posters
    3. Roundtable Discussions
    4. Colloquia
  5. Proposal Format
  6. Evaluation of Proposals
  7. Submission Process
  8. Requests for Meeting Spaces
  9. AAAL Travel Policy

The Call for Proposals is Closed.

Submission Deadline: July 14, 2022, 4:00 pm EDT

Acceptance/Rejection emails will be sent out in October 2022.

You must have a AAAL Account to submit a proposal. Current members, past members, and past guests may log in here. If you are new to AAAL and would like to submit a proposal without becoming an AAAL member, please click here to create a guest account. Please note: Initial AAAL.org account setup requires email verification according to our association management system’s digital security protocols.  This process can take up to 24 hours.  Compliance with these protocols requires that access to the proposal system be given after the verification process has been completed. Please email info@aaal.org if you are having difficulty creating your account, logging in, or need additional assistance with account creation.

Plenary Speaker and Invited Colloquia Information

We have created an exciting program for the 2023 conference, reflecting the wide range of research interests in applied linguistics. Check out the plenary speakers and invited colloquia below: 

Plenary Speakers

Invited Colloquia

Pre-conference Workshops

Strands

Proposals are welcome in the following topic strands:

You must select a primary strand for your submission. This is the strand in which your submission will very likely be reviewed and grouped. If applicable, please choose a secondary strand that also characterizes the submission. This will help conference organizers in preparing the conference program and in some instances, balancing the size and coherence of strands. You must choose a primary strand; the selection of a secondary strand is optional (but recommended).

Submission Policies

Submissions are welcome from AAAL members as well as non-members, and from scholars based inside and outside the United States. Graduate students are also welcomed to submit.   All proposals must represent original and unpublished work that is not yet available to the AAAL membership (with the exception of material from publications in press).

AAAL 2023 accepts four types of proposals: individual papers, posters, roundtable sessions, and colloquia. An individual will only appear once as a single or first author-presenter on the program, as per the following submission rules:

  1. The same individual may submit a maximum of only one proposal in which they appear as a single or first author, across all four proposal types (i.e., whether it is for an individual presentation, a poster, a roundtable session, or a paper in a colloquium).
  2. There is no limit for an individual to appear as a co-author/co-presenter.
  3. An individual proposing to organize a colloquium may submit one colloquium proposal only. The colloquium organizer role can be in addition to submitting (only) one proposal as first author of an individual paper, a poster, a roundtable, or a paper in a colloquium. 
  4. An individual can serve as a discussant on only one colloquium. If asked by multiple organizers of a colloquium proposal to serve as a discussant, we request that the person choose one and decline all other such discussant roles. The colloquium discussant role can be in addition to submitting (only) one proposal as first author of an individual paper, a poster, a roundtable, or a paper in a colloquium.

 

Proposals for all presentation formats will be double-blind peer-reviewed. Please ensure that any reference made to your previous work within the proposal does not include self-reference information that clearly identifies you or one of your co-authors. Avoid, for example, statements such as In a previous study, we (YOURNAME, date). Any proposal that does not respect the blind review format will be rejected.

Registration Upon Acceptance Policies

If your proposal is accepted, you will be asked to register for the conference in order to confirm your acceptance into the program. Failure to register will result in the proposal acceptance being rescinded.

For each accepted multi-authored presentation, the First Author must register. Failure to register will result in the proposal acceptance being rescinded. For accepted proposals with more than one author, all authors are encouraged but not required to register, attend the conference, and share in the presentation of co-authored research.

Accepted presenters who know that they cannot attend the conference are asked to withdraw their proposals as soon as possible to give another presenter a place on the program. Please read our policies for unforeseen circumstances at the last minute where a presenter cannot attend the conference.

The author’s confirmation of attendance and presentation signifies that the author will present the paper on the day and time assigned by the conference program committee. AAAL will not respond to or consider requests for a specific time slot.

Proposals

Proposals are invited for individual papers, colloquia, posters, and roundtable discussions. The deadline for proposal submission is 4:00 p.m. on July 14, 2022 (EDT; UTC-4). If you need to renew your membership or create a guest account, you should do so at least 3 hours before the submission deadline to allow for changes to take place in the system. Requests relating to membership or guest accounts later than this may mean that you are unable to submit your abstract by the deadline. 

Abstract submissions for our conference, March 18-21, 2023, are invited from June 1 to July 14.  

Three important things to note:

  1. As per AAAL’s Standing Rule 17, individuals may submit a maximum of one abstract as first author, whether a paper (including papers presented in a colloquium), a poster, or a roundtable session.
  2. There is no limit on submitting as a co-author/co-presenter of another paper, provided they are not first author. 
  3. An individual who is submitting as first author may also appear in other submissions in the additional role of a colloquium organizer or a discussant.

 

INDIVIDUAL PAPERS: Papers are formal presentations on a contribution of original knowledge by one or more authors within a thirty-minute period, including 20 minutes for presentation and 10 minutes for discussion.

POSTERS: Posters are especially effective for information that can be presented visually (e.g. charts, graphs, tables, diagrams). Prospective presenters are encouraged to consider posters, because of the opportunity they provide for extended discussion with other researchers.

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS: Roundtable discussions are an opportunity for informal, in-depth discussions between presenters and attendees on a specific topic. They are particularly well suited for works-in-progress and are not meant to be formal paper presentations.  The purpose is not to present on a finished project but rather to address a specific topic in such a way as to engender whole-group discussion.  The advantage of roundtable sessions is that they allow for stimulating conversations and networking opportunities among participants on shared research interests.

Presenters will be allocated 30 minutes: 10-15 minutes to speak on their topic and 15-20 minutes for group discussion. There will be a time-keeper assigned to each roundtable session.  

COLLOQUIA: Colloquia allow for extended discussion on a particular topic, achieved through the organization of individual presentations that are clearly linked to the colloquium theme and to each other.  A number of colloquia are invited by the conference chair, but most are proposed by AAAL members. Proposals for colloquia can be for either a one-hour or two-hour block of time. 

Two-hour colloquia: The number of presenters and length of each presentation is left up to discretion of the colloquium organizer, as is the decision to include one or more discussants.  Because the purpose of this format is to foster dialogue among attendees, generous time allowance should be made throughout the colloquium for extended audience discussion of the papers presented. Colloquium proposers should, in addition to describing the content to be discussed and the coherence across the individual papers/presentations, state how time will be allocated across paper presentations, discussant remarks (optional), and audience discussion; this should be done without identifying presenters by name in order to preserve anonymity.

One-hour colloquia: One-hour colloquia consist of three individual 10-minute papers within a one-hour time slot proposed by the colloquium organizer(s). Like the 2-hr colloquium proposals, the papers should be closely connected to the same topic. A discussant may (or may not) be invited to provide some brief remarks. Each paper is typically allocated up to two minutes for clarification questions, followed by brief discussant comments (if any), leaving approximately 10 minutes for general discussion.

The advantage of a 1-hour colloquium is that the AAAL program can potentially accommodate more of these than 2-hour sessions, and they allow for a more concise presentation of topics and accommodate more presenters at AAAL.

For both 2-hour and 1-hour colloquia, their organizers are responsible to submit the proposal on behalf of all colloquium participants and they serve as the liaisons between participants in the colloquium and the AAAL conference program committee. Colloquia organizers are therefore also responsible for all communication among the presenters and discussants.

Proposal Format

Please note the following word limits for all proposal types, including the colloquia components:

Title: 15 words (please use sentence case)
Abstract: 300 words

  1. Please note that for a colloquium proposal:
    The primary colloquium organizer must provide an overview of the entire colloquium, including title (15 words) and abstract (300 words), as well as information about the format/timing of presentation and discussion as noted above.
  2. Each individual panelist must also provide a title (15 words) and abstract (300 words) for their paper in the colloquium to the organizer.  
  3. Each colloquium submission must be done by the colloquium organizer, who should prepare and submit a title and abstract for the colloquium and titles and abstracts for the presentations within it. It is also important that the organizer have the names, affiliations, and emails of all speakers participating in the proposed colloquium, for submission into the system.

Evaluation of Proposals

All proposals are evaluated through blind peer review by several reviewers. Each submission is rated by reviewers independently according to the criteria shown in this Table:

Criteria

Reviewer Response Options

Appropriateness and Importance of the Topic/Issue/Problem 

1 (poor) - 6 (excellent)

Original Research with Theoretical Basis

1 (poor) - 6 (excellent)

Research Design / Conceptual Framework

1 (poor) - 6 (excellent)

Organization and Clarity of Abstract

1 (poor) - 6 (excellent)

Potential to Contribute to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access

1 (poor) - 6 (excellent)

 

Overall Numerical Rating

Overall Recommendation (select one)

 

Average of the first 5 criteria

Accept, Accept if Space, Reject

Comments

Open-ended feedback for the submitter

 

The rationale for these criteria is as follows:

  • The topic/issue/problem is appropriate and important
  • The research is original and motivated by solid theories
  • If an empirical study, the research design is of high quality and sufficiently explained, including clearly stated questions, data sources, data collection procedures, and analytic approach
  • If a conceptual study, the conceptual framework is of high quality and sufficiently explained, including integration of topic into current thinking, clear exposition of treatment of topic, and meaningful connections to the relevant research communities
  • Abstract is written in an organized and clear style (indicative of a clear and well-organized presentation)
  • The research has potential to contribute to AAAL’s values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access

As indicated above, each reviewer also makes a holistic recommendation to accept, accept if there is space, or reject; and they are encouraged but not required to offer open-ended feedback for the submitter.

Final decisions are made by the Conference Program Team based on: (a) the responses across categories (see criteria above) provided by the reviewers on a given submission, (b) the overall global recommendation by Strand Coordinators, and (c) available space at the conference and balance across strands.

Additional Evaluation Criteria by Submission Type

Proposals for Roundtable Sessions will also be evaluated for:

  • Clarity of objectives and intended outcomes of the session
  • Methods planned to engage participants in the discussion

Proposals for 2-hour and 1-hour Colloquia will also be evaluated for each of the following categories:

  • Appropriateness and significance of the topic
  • Presentation of original and on-going research studies OR differing or dissenting perspectives on an important issue
  • Coherence and complementarity of the papers
  • Manner of presentation
    • Two-Hour Colloquia: clearly indicated schedule of activity with significant amounts of time allocated for discussion of the presentations and audience participation)
    • One-Hour Colloquia: i) three clearly indicated separate papers, each with content that lends itself to a 10-minute presentation; ii) a colloquium organizer (who must be one or more of the authors of the individual papers); and iii) a clearly indicated schedule that allows for a minimum of 20 minutes of discussion following the presentation of the three papers

Please note that if your colloquium proposal is accepted, the schedule of activity, including the order of presentations, will appear in the conference program as listed in the proposal and must be respected in the actual presentation of papers.

Submission Process

Before submitting a proposal, please read the brief descriptors for each strand, which are available through the Call for Proposals on the AAAL website. Try to submit your proposal to the strand that most closely relates to your main theme. If you are unsure, please ask a colleague, professor, or supervisor who is familiar with AAAL Conference procedures.

Before submitting a proposal, remember to check your membership status, since you need to be either a member or create a guest account in order to submit your proposal. PLEASE REMEMBER: If you need to renew your membership or create a guest account, you must do so at least 3 hours before the submission deadline.  Requests relating to membership or guest accounts later than this may mean that you are unable to submit your abstract by the deadline.

Requests for Meeting Spaces

Individuals or groups wishing to use rooms at the conference venue for meetings outside the conference program should make their requests using the Meeting Request Form, which will be automatically submitted to the conference team, no later than 11:59 p.m. on December 1, 2022 (EDT; UTC-4).  Such meeting spaces may be required for closed sessions with journal editors, editorial board meetings, to honor a colleague in retirement or passing, and other networking opportunities. Requests for meetings will be considered within the inevitable constraints of time and space available.

AAAL Travel Policy

As stated in the AAAL's Standing Rule 17: 

Adjudicated conference presentations may not be done solely by telecommunication procedures; at least one co-author must be physically present at the conference. 

i. Although in-person participation is prioritized, exceptions to this policy will be made in certain cases to allow for submission of a voice over PPT and speaker phone for Q&A segment with the session to be managed by a volunteer designated by the presenter who must be absent. Only if this is not possible, will the Conference Team designate a conference volunteer to do the task. These accommodations may be made in the following circumstances, with supporting documentation of eligibility:

1. Medical circumstance of self or immediate family member which prevents travel
2. Denial or rejection of visa beyond a time frame which reasonably allows for travel accommodations to the conference, at the Conference Chair’s discretion
3. Citizenship of or current residence in a “travel ban” country

In 2023, travel may still pose difficulties for some presenters due to COVID-19. Please read more here.

Questions

For questions regarding the procedural practicalities of how to submit a proposal or other technical questions, please contact info@aaal.org.

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