General:
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Citing research and presenting data (original or a review of data) is highly encouraged for all submission types.
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Make sure that your submission for a workshop/panel/etc. is appropriate for that format. Panel submissions that sound more like workshops are unlikely to be accepted and vice versa.
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Submissions should weigh the value of diverse voices against too many presenters to make it coherent. ACBS encourages (and depending on topic may require) panels/workshops to include a diverse complement of presenters (demographic diversity as well as diversity in areas of expertise), but not to the detriment of a coherent, we'll crafted session. Please consider the practicality of coordinating a quality session among too many presenters.
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Please accurately indicate if your submission is beginner, intermediate, or advanced. Please craft your submission to fit the audience you indicate. You do not have a better chance of being accepted if you choose all 3.
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If your expertise is in a very narrow area (ex. 55-57 year olds with trauma history), we encourage you to craft your workshop/panel submission to meet the needs of a wider audience. Your examples/demonstrations should of course be from your area of expertise, but we encourage that your abstract and title be accessible to more potential attendees.
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Make sure your abstract is clear and well written (have multiple people proofread it before submitting). Unclear or poorly written abstracts have a lower chance of being accepted.
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Make sure your abstract explains skills or information an attendee will walk away with at the conclusion.
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Background like “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a behavioral-based…..” isn’t necessary in your abstract. If you feel you need to persuade reviewers that your topic is important (but that background information isn’t relevant for an abstract to entice attendance) please add that to the “additional information” field at the end of the submission form.
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Create actual educational objectives - what the attendees should be able to do as a result of attending your session. (Read the examples/descriptions of what an objective is in the submission form before writing yours.)
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Post-test questions (required so that Continuing Education credit may be earned by those watching recordings of the live sessions), can often be developed (at least in part) from your education objectives. You can do up to 2 true/false questions and the remainder need to be multiple choice. These questions don't have to be "extra tricky", they're just intended to gauge comprehension of information presented.
Specific to Workshops:
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Be realistic about what you are going to be able to do in the time available and about the time you need (don’t try to squeeze a 2 hour workshop into a 1 hour slot; adjust for the time).
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Workshops should not be didactic with a single exercise included at the end. This is a common mistake. Please consider multiple components (experiential exercises, role-plays, case conceptualizations, etc.) to make your workshop more appealing and useful. These should be woven thoughtfully throughout your workshop.
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Consider the unique opportunities available in the online format (if applying to present online). Not only can you plan for break out rooms, you can create polls, and ask people to indicate understanding/interest through the use of emoticons (thumbs up, etc.).