Proposal Types & Requirements

• Participants may appear on one scholarly session (e.g. paper, roundtable, book, performance sessions, etc.), may be the session chair or commentator for one scholarly session, and may present on one or more professional development sessions.  
• Members may also appear on presidential sessions. At the discretion of the Program Committee, participants may appear on sessions organized outside of the regular timeline of programming to address emergent issues or conditions or in relation to site-specific events. Participation in these kinds of sessions is considered exempt from the usual appearance rules. Please note that presidential sessions are originated exclusively by the ASA President; conference participants may not submit proposals for, request, or seek designation as presidential sessions.
• A caucus or committee may officially sponsor two scholarly sessions along with up to two professional development sessions.  
• If you have not already agreed to chair or comment on a session and are interested in being assigned to chair or comment, you can indicate this interest through the proposal submission site.  
• Your proposals will be eliminated from consideration if your name appears on more than one scholarly proposal as presenter. Failure to comply with this rule may adversely impact other members listed on each proposal. 

All sessions run for 90 minutes.

Paper Sessions 

Traditional sessions for presentation and discussion of individual research papers. Presenters write papers, and distribute them to the chair, commentator, and other panelists by the deadline. 

Organized Paper Panels: 

• Include 3–4 papers with a designated chair and commentator. 
• Each paper must have an abstract. 
• Almost all paper sessions will be scheduled for rooms without video equipment.  
• Sessions proposing fewer than three papers are unlikely to be accepted.  

Constructed Paper Sessions  

Presenters submit their own individual papers, and accepted papers are then compiled into sessions built by the Program Committee. A limited number of individual papers will be accepted to the program, which not only need to pass the test of excellence but also must fit with other individual papers to form a session with internal coherence. 

Requirements for individual paper submissions:  

• Individual paper submissions must designate two topical categories for their papers at time of submission. 
• In order to facilitate the Program Committee’s work of constructing sessions from accepted individual paper submissions, individual papers submitted without a category or submitted to a category that does not align with the paper’s topic will be disqualified from consideration.  

Book Sessions 

A unified category for sessions focusing on one or more books, including book roundtables, Author Meets Readers, and Author Meets Critics sessions. 

• Book sessions generally have 5 or more participants and include one or more featured titles per session as well as respondents and/or discussants.
• Books sessions usually focus on recent publications.  

Film Sessions 

Screenings of films or media works followed by discussion. May include filmmakers and/or scholars as discussants. 

Retrospective / “Field-Changing” Sessions 

Sessions honoring a major scholar, publication, or body of work that has significantly influenced the field. Retrospectives could also include sessions that look back on significant events on their anniversary or other milestone. Format may vary, including paper sessions, roundtables, etc.   

Roundtable Discussions 

Conversation-based sessions focused on dialogue rather than formal presentation, with the chair facilitating discussion. Larger numbers of participants are welcome. 

• No presentations, papers, slides, or PPTs are allowed and no video equipment is provided.
• Room setup may be in a round or half-round.
• Opening remarks limited to 15 minutes total.

Performance Sessions 

Live performances such as music, dance, spoken word, drag, improv, or other creative expressions. 

• Specify content, duration, and setup needs in your proposal abstract.
• May be scheduled in a Performance Room, ballroom, or off-site venue.
• Video equipment may be provided. 

Professional Development Workshops 

Participatory workshops focused on mentoring, skill-sharing, or professional networking for the audience.  

• Session formats may include mentoring, collaboration, or peer exchange.
• Sessions should thoughtfully consider the impact of PD sessions for those attending, and descriptions must specify 2–3 concrete outcomes for participants. 

Any members can propose professional development sessions, but ASA caucuses and committees are particularly encouraged to sponsor these sessions. In addition to two scholarly sessions, caucuses and committees may sponsor up to two professional development sessions. Participation in a professional development session is distinct from scholarly sessions and do not count toward a member’s scholarly session(s). 

Off-Site Sessions 

Events located outside the main conference venue (e.g., community centers, museums, cultural sites). 

• Provide full logistical details, if known: day and time, location, community partner(s) if applicable, accessibility, and capacity.  

Lightning Talks 

Structured, rapid-fire sessions of brief presentations (5–7 minutes each). 

• Each presenter responds to a shared theme or prompt.  
• Moderated by a session chair with strict timekeeping.  

Debate / Dialogue Sessions 

Structured discussions centered on opposing or divergent viewpoints.

• Two or more participants articulate different positions on a shared question, followed by audience dialogue.
• May be curated by the Program Committee or proposed by submitters. 

The American Studies Association invites members to post and browse working proposals for papers and session at the annual meeting in order to collaborate with interested colleagues. During the submission period, you can use the Collaboration Hub to help facilitate: 

• Sessions forming in need of, or open to, accepting additional panelists 
• Individual papers in need of a paper session  
• Ideas for a session to gather contributors 

You and your collaborators are responsible for designating submitter duties, finding a chair, etc.  

The ASA uses All Academic as our proposal submission and conference management site. 

Logging In to All Academic  

Members may submit proposals to All Academic by using their ASA username and password.  

• After logging into the ASA website, members will see an option to “submit a new proposal.”  
• Please note that prior to logging into All Academic, those submitting proposals must join or renew their ASA membership if they haven’t already.  
• Members who do not have current membership will receive an alert and will be redirected to renew their membership and update their profile prior to entering the proposal submission site. Once dues have been paid and your profile verified, you can login to the submission site to begin creating your proposal. Please note that all participants on a proposed session must be members in order to submit a proposal.  
• To add or update your institutional affiliation for the program, please log in your ASA membership account. Click on edit my profile, select my addresses, and edit institution.  
• If you have questions about your membership status and log-in credentials, please contact Johns Hopkins University Press, which manages ASA’s membership. You can reach a customer service representative at ASAsupport<at>jh.edu or by calling (800)548-1784 (1-410-516-6987 International). 

Submission Requirements  

For all sessions, you are required to submit the following as you would wish it to appear in the program:  

• Session title (maximum of 15 words) 
• Session abstract (maximum of 200 words) 
• Session keywords (2 required)  
• A 75-word (or less) biographical statement for each participant 
• Chair name, title, and institution  

For paper sessions:  

• Individual paper or presentation titles from each session participant (maximum of 15 words per title) 
• Paper abstract from each session participant (maximum of 200 words per abstract) 
• Session keywords (2 required)  

For professional development sessions:

• A clear statement of how the session will contribute to the professional development of the session audience
• 2-3 concrete outcomes for audience members  

For book sessions:

• Title, author, publisher, publication date, and publishers’ URL for all books to be discussed in the session  

For off-site sessions:  

• Format (roundtable, paper, performance, etc.)  
• If known, day/time, location/site, community partner(s), accessibility, capacity 
• Indicate if you need help finding a site or community partner(s)

Late submissions are not accepted for any reason; these submission tips will keep you on track to submit on-time.

1. Make sure your name and affiliation are correct. Your name and affiliation will appear in the program exactly as they are listed in your ASA account. To review or update this information, log into the ASA Member Portal, go to “My Account,” and click “Edit Address.” Make any necessary corrections before submitting your proposal.

If you run into problems, you can retrieve your username, reset your password, consult our user FAQs, or contact technical support at ASAsupport<at>jh.edu or 1-800-548-1784 (international: 1-410-516-6987).

2. Renew your membership. All participants submitting, revising, or reconfiguring a proposal must hold a current membership. We recommend renewing on the ASA website in advance to avoid last-minute issues.

3. Check in with your participants. As the organizer, it’s your responsibility to ensure all panel participants renew their membership by the submission deadline. All Academic will not allow you to select anyone who isn’t a current member as a participant on your panel, so it’s a good idea to check in with everyone ahead of time to make sure they’ve renewed.

4. Find collaborators. Still looking for a panel or participants? Submit a topic for or browse our Collaboration Hub.

5. Log into and familiarize yourself with All Academic. Only active members have access to the All Academic portal. If you can’t access your account but your membership is current, you can check your Order History in our Member Portal or contact ASAsupport<at>jh.edu to verify or correct purchases.