The E-Submission Primer

History.

HSS first began offering the e-submission option for paper and session proposals in 1998. Since then its use has grown dramatically as we continue striving to better serve our membership.

The Process.

Contributed Paper Proposals.
So you have decided that you want to give a paper at HSS. Well, you need to come up with a title and a short abstract (c. 300 words) and then you're ready to visit the HSS Web site. Fill out all the personal information so we know who you are and how to contact you concerning your acceptance status. Type in your paper title and your abstract into the appropriate boxes. If you have already typed your abstract in your favorite word processing program and intend to copy it and paste it into the Abstract Text Box, that's ok. But, it helps us if you save it first as text-only!

You're now ready to submit your masterpiece! After you click submit, an e-confirmation page will appear on your screen. Print this out for your records. A confirmation e-mail will also be sent to the e-mail address you provided on the form. This e-mail ensures that we received your masterpiece and it will be sent to the program chairs for consideration on the annual meeting program. That's all there is to it! No need to pay for postage or fax the materials to us! ! Not only does e-submissions save you money but it's great for the procrastinators among us who like to wait until the absolute last minute! (Remember that the last minute is 3 April 2000.)

Session Proposals.
So you have decided to take on the task of organizing a session for HSS. You've located individuals to give papers on your panel, have found someone to chair your session and perhaps you have even ambitiously located a commentator. Now all you need is to do is visit the HSS Web site and send friendly reminders to your participants to do the same.

As session organizer, you are responsible for ensuring that your proposal is complete. The first step is electronically submitting a session proposal form. Fill this out with your personal information, since you're in charge, and include the names, institutions, and paper titles of all your participants. If you've located a chair and commentator, include their names, institution, and e-mail address in case we need to contact them. Don't forget to mark what kind of session you're proposing! After you hit submit, an e-confirmation page will appear. Print this out for your records. You will also receive a confirmation e-mail that assures that HSS has received your session proposal.

But you're not quite done yet. Since you're in charge, you need to ensure that we receive individual paper proposals from every participant giving a paper. They need to fill out the paper proposal form (including the abstract) and indicate that it's part of a session by marking the appropriate box with your last name. After they fill out the online paper proposal form, they will receive an e-confirmation page to print out and also a confirmation e-mail. As session organizer, encourage your participants to forward those confirmation e-mails to you so you can be assured that your session proposal is complete before the deadline.

That's all there is to it! How could organizing a session with people at different institutions or in different countries be any easier? No need to pay for postage, fax the materials, or spend money on expensive phone calls!! After all, each participant are can submit their abstracts to us, using the online paper proposal when it's convenient for them. And all you need to do is make sure we receive everything by the appropriate deadline.

What If? Scenarios.

What if you don't receive a confirmation e-mail?

You may not receive a confirmation e-mail immediately. If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail in two days, contact us by e-mail at hssexec@u.washington.edu.

What if you forgot a vital part of your proposal?

Instead of electronically resubmitting the entire proposal, just e-mail us your paper title, address, or whatever other small, but vital information you forgot to include on the proposal and we'll take care of it.

What if one of your session participants is unable to submit their proposal by the deadline?

The deadline is firm. No excuses, no exceptions, and absolutely no whining! Each year, we receive many more proposals than can possibly fit on the program so all late contributed paper proposals or incomplete session proposals WILL NOT be considered for the program.

What if my abstract contains mathematical symbols or other funky characters?

Why E-Submissions?

Have we mentioned the money you will save in postage, last-minute faxes, or expensive phone calls? Or, how E-Submissions work so well for procrastinators? If you need additional reasons for electronically submitting your proposals, it saves HSS time and money and ensures accuracy of the materials submitted. Processing E-Submissions takes dramatically less time here in the HSS office and you don't have to rely on our ability to translate your abstract from a garbled fax. As a result, all proposals will be sent to program chairs sooner in a uniform, organized format, so they can begin assembling the preliminary program right away. Because E-Submissions helps us complete the program sooner, we are able to place it on the Web quickly for your perusal and you can begin searching for those discount airfares to the meeting!

The Future.

We're always looking to improve this process. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let us know!!