ASA annual meeting presentation rules

[idk]

Another question of etiquette--how seriously do people take the ASA Annual Meeting paper submission guidelines about not submitting work that you've presented elsewhere or that is already accepted for publication?

I always felt like these were tough conditions, given how early you need to submit for ASA, and now I actually have a personal problem with them.

I ask because I had something conditionally accepted much earlier than I anticipated, and a couple days before I was going to submit (a since-revised version of it) to ASA. So now, technically I think I'd be violating that policy.

The other work in progress that I could possibly submit was already submitted to ESS, and I'm still waiting on hearing from them, so for all I know it might not be accepted, but I assume it will be at some point, which would again violate ASA's policy, or would it not be a violation as long as I submit to ASA before I've heard from ESS?

Am I screwed here or do folks not take that stuff super seriously?

[notreally]

I don't think people take it that seriously -- it's not the "same" presentation if you've revised the paper, for instance, and plenty of people have presented the same paper in progress two years in a row at conferences. I think there's a stronger preference not to present work that's already published, since the comments won't help and people can just read it themselves.

If I was you, I would submit the ESS paper. You don't even know yet if it will get accepted there. If you do get accepted at both, I think it's fine to present twice.

[whocares]

I don't see it as being a big deal either way. People regularly violate this rule as well as those concerning page limits etc.

Also maybe its just me but conferences are increasingly becoming an utter waste of time. I have never received any useful feedback through presentations, nor have I really been introduced to any interesting work that I wasn't already aware of. Attendance to talks is also generally pretty abysmal.

This is especially true of ASA which is extremely cliquish and for many of the sections (PEWS, Culture, etc) the panels have already been determined well in advance.

[agreed]

Conferences are an excuse to get a free vacation to get drunk with colleagues.

[new rules]

It seems like the page limits have actually become more flexible; best I can tell it is now 15-35 pages. Last year I remember painstakingly cutting my paper down to 20 pages to meet the limit (and only later learning that so many people break the rule.)

[idk]

Yeah, this year its 15-35 pages, which is a welcome change.

Anyway, I agree with whocares to an extent--I don't think the ASAs are ever going to be some launching pad into a higher echelon of academia or anything. But they're part of playing the game for many of us, so I'm trying to do it the right way.

Thanks for the helpful advice all.

[stupid question]

Pardon the stupid question here, but I'm a second year grad student and my department is pretty uninvolved in ASA. Last year I was the only representative there - no other grad students or faculty members! Anyway, I have a paper in mind that I want to write, and I could present it at next summer's ASA meeting. Am I able to propose a paper with an abstract using the online system, or do I have to actually upload a complete draft of a paper when I apply by the January 9th deadline? In other words, do I have to already have a finished paper by January to present it in August?

Yes, I'm a newbie, please don't make fun of my ignorance.

[yes full papers]

hi,
yes, you are supposed to upload a full paper by 1/9/13.

more info here:
www.asanet.org/AM2013/Call_for_Papers_Policies.cfm

you could send in an extended abstract and see how it goes, but a 250-word abstract most likely won't suffice.

[competitive]

my two cents...you can try to do the extended abstract, but it seems to me like ASA has become ridiculously competitive as of late, and the NY meetings are some of the most well-attended. I am at a top-3 program, and I know people here with great projects who have trouble getting anything better than roundtables with full-on papers.

Rather than an abstract, I'd give it to old college try and go for a paper. Unless you really don't care. In which case, don't apply to go to a conference in the most expensive American city just on a whim...


security check: "haters gonna hate"

[An idea]

A few years ago I just the a short abstract because I didnt have the time to sub it a full paper; my submission was "incomplete", but then The system gave a few weeks more, enough to buy the time to finish the draft.
That's what i'm planning to do this year, I hope it works again!