In paper sessions, authors present abbreviated versions of their papers, followed by comments/critique by the chair and audience discussion. All paper sessions must have chairs. A discussant or (discussants) is optional and to be included as part of a Paper Session only if a discussant’s expertise can add to the understanding of the papers. A typical structure for a session with four or five papers is approximately 5 minutes for the chair’s introduction to the session, 10 minutes per author presentation, 20 minutes of critique, and 15 minutes of discussion. Individuals must be attentive to the time allocation for presenting their work in paper sessions or roundtable sessions. In the case of multiple-authored papers, more than one person may present, but multiple presenters are urged to be attentive to the total time available to them and to take steps to ensure that more than one speaker does not detract from the overall presentation of the work or others presenting their work.
Poster sessions combine the graphic display of materials with the opportunity for individualized, informal discussion of the research throughout a 1½-hour session. Individual presenters set up displays representing their papers in a large area with other presenters. Detailed instructions on preparation of posters will be available at http://www.aera.net. Because of the physical configuration of this type of session, no additional audiovisual equipment, such as a screen or overhead projector, is provided. Authors wishing to use a PowerPoint-type presentation may plan on displaying the presentation from their own laptop computer screens. If you plan to use a laptop, please be sure the battery is charged, as AERA cannot provide power.
Roundtables allow maximum interaction with the presenters by eliminating the formal presentation. The roundtable format will be a table of researchers clustered around shared interests. Each roundtable will have a chair knowledgeable about the research area to facilitate interaction and participation. Because the emphasis is on interaction, there will be no discussants. Each table at a Roundtable session will be comprised of 3-5 presenters discussing their work together and with others who may with to hear the exchange and serve as an engaged audience. Each Roundtable session will be scheduled for a 90-minute timeslot. In this format, papers of relevance will be considered together with more opportunity for meaningful discussion by authors and audience by virtue of longer sessions and more presenters. Authors must bring copies of the full paper and should remain available for discussion throughout the 90-minute session. Because of the physical configuration of this type of session, no additional audiovisual equipment, such as a screen or overhead projector, is provided. Authors wishing to use a PowerPoint-type presentation may plan on displaying the presentation from their own laptop computer screens. If you plan to use a laptop, please be sure the battery is charged, as AERA cannot provide power.