Individual Paper proposals are submitted individually and arranged into sessions by the Proposal Review Committee. In paper sessions, authors present 10-12-minute papers followed by audience discussion. A typical structure for a session with four papers allows approximately 5 minutes for the moderator to introduce the session, 10 minutes for each presenter, and 30 minutes for discussion. 

If you intend for more than 2-3 authors to attend the conference and present a co-authored paper, we request that you consider switching your submission type to a panel presentation or a poster. 

Should your submission be accepted to the 2025 Conference, your individual paper submission will be grouped into panels based upon alignment with our conference sub/themes and area(s) of focus.

Poster proposals present research or analysis on a topic by combining graphics and text on a poster board. We schedule poster sessions together in a gallery-style time block in order to make space for presenters to interact on a one-on-one basis with the attendees viewing the poster. A well-planned poster communicates its message in a visually and textually powerful way, allowing the attendees to grasp the information quickly with the author(s). 

We understand that many of our applicants are traveling across the United States of America and across human-made borders; we understand traveling with a poster board is no easy feat for some. Therefore, we do not impose specific guidelines for re: design and poster size, we want you to have as much flexibility as you need.

Panels provide an opportunity for examining specific problems or topics from a variety of perspectives given that they include 3-4 participants. Panels may present alternative solutions, interpretations, or contrasting points of view on a specified subject or in relation to a common theme. Panel members are expected to prepare papers addressing central questions described in the proposal. The National Women’s Studies Association and the Proposal Review Committee especially encourage complete panel submissions.

Roundtables typically include a moderator and 4-6 presenters who make brief, informal remarks about a specific idea or project. They allow for extensive discussion and audience participation. 

Workshops provide an opportunity to exchange information or work on a common problem, project, or shared interest. Workshops are typically experientially oriented, grounded in a Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies anchored research agenda, and include brief presentations that allow adequate time for reflective discussion and interaction.

NWSA’s members often create and introduce incredibly interactive and exciting sessions that lean outside the ‘standard’ academic conference proposal model. We ask that should your session involve movement, sound activities, or what may be considered a ‘non-traditional’ activity, that you select this category. This designation allows our Proposal Review Committee to meaningfully evaluate the proposed general conference session and how to best assign meeting space to meet the needs of our presenters.

Authors Meet Critics sessions are designed to bring authors of recent, cutting-edge books, deemed to be important contributions to the field of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies (WGSS), together with discussants chosen to provide a variety of viewpoints.  

A maximum of five such sessions may be included in the program and NWSA members are invited to nominate books published between 2023 and 2025.  Both single- authored books and edited collections that are the result of collaborative engagement among the contributors will be considered. Only NWSA members may submit nominations, including self-nominations; nominations by presses will not be accepted.  

Constituency Group ​​Sponsored Sessions may be submitted by all NWSA Constituent groups on topics of particular interest to group members and NWSA members as a whole. One sponsored session per group will be offered space in the Conference Program if submissions are received by the proposal deadline and proposals meet review criteria. Constituency Group Sponsored Sessions may be panels, roundtables or workshops. 

A number of Constituency Groups may develop particular themes, areas of focus, or criteria for their 2025 Sponsored Session; particular Call for Proposals for our 45th Annual Conference will be provided as our Constituency Groups finalize their relevant materials !