Guidance for conference presenters, panel chairs, and discussants now available

12 Oct 2016 John Bennett

Responsibilities of Presenters

Presenters Should:

  • Register for the GPSA meeting at least three to four weeks in advance.
  • Send electronic copies of papers to panel discussants, chairs, and other presenters at least two weeks prior to the first day of the GPSA conference.
  • Prepare a short presentation of the paper for the panel discussion.
  • Refrain from indulging in extensive discussion of methods, statistics, and/or literature.
  • Refrain from reading large sections of papers.
  • Have available as appropriate some copies of the paper to hand out to audience members after the talk.
  • Accept the comments of the discussant and audience as constructive.
  • Refrain from indulging in ideological discussions of policy with the discussant and/or audience.

Responsibilities of Panel Chairs

Panel Chairs Should:

  • Assist the Program Chair, if necessary, with identification of appropriate discussant.
  • Register for the GPSA meeting at least three to four weeks in advance.
  • Send reminders, if necessary, of meeting and paper deadlines to presenters and discussants.
  • Arrive at the panel early to ensure the room is properly set up.
  • Introduce members of the panel.
  • Define the substantive area of the panel.
  • Instruct presenters on time allotment and maintain control of the time allotted to each paper presentation (based on the number of papers to be presented).
  • Allow appropriate time for discussant comments.
  • Allow for audience participation through questions and answer period.
  • If appropriate, forward high quality papers for review to be included in online proceedings and/or for award nominations.
  • Finally, within three days of the conclusion of the conference, inform the Program Chair in writing (an e-mail is fine) which panelists participated in the panel.
  • Take note of who did not attend and send to Conference Program Chair.

Responsibilities of Discussants

  • Register for the GPSA meeting at least three to four weeks in advance.
  • Read panel papers thoroughly and prepare constructive comments and appropriate questions to stimulate discussion during the panel.
  • Refrain from indulging in entertaining comments and focus on research guidance and alternative hypotheses to those offered by author(s).
  • Note gaps in literature in the papers presented.
  • Comment on alternative methodologies.
  • Comment on possibilities for paper submission for publication, if appropriate.
  • Recommend high quality papers to the panel chair for inclusion in online proceedings and/or award nominations.
  • Make written copies of comments for panel presenters if appropriate.
  • Please take special note if a presentation is by a student. If you have a student paper, remember to be encouraging in your comments, and not degrading.

Contacting Panel Members