The academic content of the Annual Meeting of the Archeological Institute of America is composed of Organized Sessions, such as Colloquia and Workshops; a Poster Session; Open Sessions formed from individually submitted papers; Roundtables; and Lightning Sessions. This Call for Papers includes AIA Submission and Presentation Policies, submission guidelines for each type of Organized Session and for individual Open Session submissions, and links to the online submission forms.
The AIA’s Program for the Annual Meeting Committee accepts proposals for:
The Lightning Session is organized by the Student Affairs Interest Group.
All submissions are made using the AIA’s online submission forms. In order to access the online submission forms, you must create and login to a registered account on the AIA Website.
All submissions are blind reviewed by the AIA’s Program for the Annual Meeting Committee. To facilitate blind review, names of participants should not be included in abstracts, overview statements, or titles.
Any submission including accented Greek characters in a title or text must email a PDF or fax a legible hardcopy to the AIA’s Boston office on or before the submission deadline.
At the time of submission, organizers and participants must affirm appropriate Statements of Compliance concerning AIA policies, including those regarding Presentation and Publication of Undocumented Antiquities, Academic Integrity, Permissions Requirements, and Use of Images of Human Remains.
Presentation and Publication of Undocumented Antiquities
In accordance with the AIA Policy on the Presentation and Publication of Undocumented Antiquities, the Annual Meeting will not serve for the initial scholarly publication or announcement of any object in a private or public collection acquired after December 30, 1973, unless its existence is documented before that date, or it was legally exported from the country of origin. An exception may be made if, in the view of the Program Committee, the aim of presentation is to emphasize the loss of archaeological context or acquisition history.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism and other forms of scholarly dishonesty are actionable under the AIA Codes of Conduct. Consequences may include withdrawal of the paper from the program. Any reference to earlier scholarship should be brief and clearly demarcated as such. This can be done either by reference to particular scholars by name, or with such phrases as “earlier scholarship” and “others have argued.” On the submission form, individual presenters must affirm: “The abstract I have submitted is my own original work, in accordance with accepted scholarly and professional standards.” The AIA Style Guidelines for Annual Meeting Abstracts includes detailed instructions for formatting in-text references to secondary scholarship as well as classical literature.
Permissions Requirements
All presenters must be sure to obtain proper permissions for their presentations. The phrase “all necessary permissions” includes, but is not limited to, permission to use others’ unpublished photographs and drawings, permission to use images of objects in a museum collection, and permission from field directors to discuss recently discovered material that has not yet been published. In seeking such permissions, presenters should adhere both to legal requirements and to the ethical standards of the profession
If an abstract or proposal includes unpublished material or presents data from an archaeological project that you do not direct, the presenter must affirm: “I have received permission to present this unpublished material from the project director or other authority (such as a government authority).”
Use of Images of Human Remains
If a presentation will use images including human remains, the presenter should inform the audience prior to beginning the presentation. The full policy is online at https://www.archaeological.org/about/governance/policies/images-remains/.
Number of Submissions and Presentations
No individual may serve as presenter or principal presenter for more than one presentation at the meeting. This includes the following categories of presentations: Open Session presentation, Colloquium paper presentation, Joint AIA-SCS Colloquium presentation, and Workshop presentation. Individuals should thus make no more than one submission as presenter/principal presenter.
Exception: An individual who is included as a presenter or principal presenter in a submission made for a Colloquium Session, Joint AIA-SCS Colloquium Session, or a Workshop Session may also make a submission as presenter or principal presenter for an Open Session. The two submissions may be identical. If the Organized Session is accepted to the Annual Meeting, the individual must withdraw from consideration their Open Session submission.
Number of Roles
In order to promote the diversity of viewpoints at the Annual Meeting and to limit scheduling conflicts, it is expected that no individual will serve in more than two participant roles. Participant roles include: Open Session presenter; Organized Session organizer; Organized Session presenter; and Organized Session discussant. Co-authorship of a paper or poster, when one is not the primary author, does not contribute towards an individual’s number of roles.
The Annual Meeting features four organized session formats: Colloquia, Joint AIA-SCS Colloquia, Poster Colloquia, and Workshops. Each has a distinct submission procedure. Organized session proposals (except the AIA’s Gold Medal Session) are due by the March deadlines.
Inclusivity: Session Organizers are responsible for fostering inclusivity and must affirm that participant diversity in terms of gender, race / ethnicity, and career stage has been taken into account when composing the session.
Funding: Colloquium Session and Joint AIA-SCS Colloquium Session organizers may nominate one presenter who resides outside the United States of America and Canada as an applicant for a non-resident scholar travel grant. For more information, see Funding section below.
Timing considerations for Organized Sessions: Organized sessions must fit within the allotted time for sessions, thus may include a maximum of six papers. Time must be reserved for: an introduction (10 minutes); up to six papers (15 or 20 minutes each); 5 minutes between papers for presenter changeover; a 10-minute break for sessions with four or more papers; and 15 minutes for each discussant (maximum two). The maximum session length is 180 minutes, though most sessions are shorter. Any organized session proposal longer than 180 minutes will require revision. If you have questions about the time a proposed organized session will require, email annualmeeting@archaeological.org.
A Colloquium Session consists of a group of up to six papers concerning a common topic or theme. The papers in a Colloquium should form a coherent and clearly focused group that, when combined, provide significant new insights into the session topic or theme. Colloquium Session Proposals must be submitted by the March submission deadlines.
All proposed Colloquia, even those sponsored by the AIA’s Special Interest Groups, must undergo blind review. Colloquia can be accepted as proposed or provisionally accepted upon revision (e.g., exceeding the maximum session length; eliminating a paper tangential to the session topic or theme; reducing or combining repetitive content; and the like).
Colloquium Overview Statement
This is a 400-word overview of the proposed session which must not include the names of participants, due to the blind review process, but should:
Colloquium Organizer Responsibilities
Colloquium Participant Responsibilities
A Poster Colloquium Session consists of a group of posters concerning a common topic or theme. The posters should form a coherent and clearly focused group that, when combined, provide significant new insights into the session topic or theme. Poster Colloquium Session Proposals must be submitted by the March submission deadlines.
All proposed Poster Colloquia, even those sponsored by the AIA’s Special Interest Groups, must undergo blind review. Colloquia can be accepted as proposed or provisionally accepted upon revision (e.g., exceeding the maximum session length; eliminating a paper tangential to the session topic or theme; reducing or combining repetitive content; and the like).
Poster Colloquium Overview Statement
This is a 400-word overview of the proposed poster session which must not include the names of participants, due to the blind review process, but should:
Poster Colloquium Organizer Responsibilities
Poster Colloquium Participant Responsibilities
A Joint AIA-SCS Colloquium Session consists of a group of 4 to 6 papers concerning a common topic or theme of interest to members of both the AIA and the Society for Classical Studies (SCS). The papers in a Joint AIA-SCS Colloquium should form a coherent and clearly focused group that, when combined, provide significant new insights into the session topic or theme. As a Joint AIA-SCS Colloquium Session, the colloquium is expected to include both archaeological and non-archaeological papers. Joint AIA-SCS Colloquium Session Proposals must be submitted by the March submission deadlines.
Proposals for a Joint AIA-SCS Colloquium must be submitted to and accepted by BOTH the AIA and SCS; acceptance by one organization does not guarantee acceptance the other.
Joint Colloquium Organizer and Participant Responsibilities
Session organizers may nominate up to one paper presenter residing outside the United States and Canada for a non-resident scholar travel grant. Nominations require the candidate’s name, institutional affiliation, email address, and a brief biography of the nominated individual. These materials must be included when the colloquium is submitted initially.
Workshops are flexible sessions intended to allow time and space for participant and audience interaction, debate, discussion, demonstrations, hands-on activities, small group work, and break-out sessions. Workshops are allotted between two and three hours of time and convene in venues set up classroom style with a maximum audience of 40 people. Unlike Colloquia and Open Sessions, Workshops do not include 15- and 20-minute papers. Workshop proposals must be submitted by the August deadlines.
Workshop Formats
Forum Format: In this format, participants and the audience interact in an informal setting, with the organizer acting as a facilitator, fielding questions, guiding debate, and directing the discussion. Forum sessions combine brief, informal oral presentations (5 minutes or less) concerning a common topic or theme with discussion and debate that includes the organizer, the participants, and members of the audience.
Demonstration Format: This format is intended for the consideration of new teaching, research, and publication technologies and methods that require the demonstration and use of equipment, computer software, and the like. Demonstration sessions combine brief presentations (5 minutes or less) that explain and/or demonstrate the new technology and audience participation via break-out sessions, small group work, and hands-on activities. Demonstration Workshops may also include an introduction by the organizers and facilitated discussion.
This is a 400-word overview of the proposed Workshop which must not include the names of participants, due to the blind review process, but should:
Workshop Participant Responsibilities
Joint AIA-SCS Workshop Session submissions follow the guidelines for AIA Workshop Sessions, but must be submitted by the March deadlines. As a Joint AIA-SCS Workshop Session, the presentations are expected to engage both archaeological and non-archaeological audiences.
Proposals for a Joint AIA-SCS Colloquium must be submitted to and accepted by BOTH the AIA and SCS; acceptance by one organization does not guarantee acceptance the other.
Joint Workshop Organizer and Participant Responsibilities
Open Sessions include five formats for individual submission:
Accepted individual submissions will be grouped into sessions of related papers or posters. Open Session Proposals are accepted at both the March and August deadlines.
Open Session Presenter Responsibilities
Open Session Submission Form
All submitters must create/login to a registered account on the AIA Website in order to use the online submission forms. The Open Session Submission Form requires you to:
Open Session Abstracts
This is a 300-word summary of the content and significance of the proposed Paper, Poster or Field Report. Abstracts must conform to the AIA Style Guidelines for Annual Meeting Abstracts.
Abstracts for Papers and Posters will clearly state the:
Abstracts for Field Reports should include, to the degree possible:
Abstracts which omit expected content will not summarize your research accurately and thus are less likely to be accepted for presentation at the Annual Meeting. Especially problematic are abstracts that do not include conclusions or results and those that fail to acknowledge existing research on a topic. Abstracts should not include extensive citations, but brief parenthetical or in-text references should be included where necessary and follow the formats in AIA Style Guidelines for Annual Meeting Abstracts.
The Annual Meeting includes an Open Session dedicated to Undergraduate research papers, whereas Undergraduate Posters are included in the general Poster Session. Undergraduate students follow the same submission requirements and deadlines as Open Session Paper and Poster Submissions, with one addition: on the Open Session Submission Form identify the presentation type as an “Undergraduate Paper” or “Undergraduate Poster.” Undergraduate Session Proposals are accepted at both the March and August deadlines.
Roundtable Sessions designate a topic for discussion over the course of an informal brown-bag lunch. Roundtables are moderated by the proposer(s) and are open to all registered attendees of the Annual Meeting. The Roundtable topics can center on academic questions; on work or career concerns; on issues pertinent to local societies; or on anything else relevant to the field. Roundtables can be used to plan future colloquium and workshop sessions. Roundtable space is limited, and proposals for roundtables must be submitted by November 1st.
Roundtablesessions are usually scheduled for the mid-day break on the second day of the Annual Meeting. Sign-up sheets for individual participants will be posted in a public area of the convention venue. Spatial constraints do limit the number of places at each roundtable, and seats is usually allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants are expected to bring their own lunch.
Lightning Session submissions are reviewed by the Student Affairs Interest Group. Please see the Lightning Session Info Page for full details. Proposals for Lightning Sessions are due by November 1st.
The AIA is North America's largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to archaeology. The Institute advances awareness, education, fieldwork, preservation, publication, and research of archaeological sites and cultural heritage throughout the world. Your contribution makes a difference.
