Guidelines for Refereed Proceedings

1. Nature of the publication: The Proceedings include all the accepted papers (and preferably keynote addresses) submitted to the LOC by a given date, usually July 31. The proceedings serve a number of purposes:

a. They provide a publication outlet for TASA members that meets HERDC requirements

b. They serve a professional development role in providing referee feedback, especially to early career academics and postgraduate students

c. They aim to improve the quality of presentations by requiring early submission of a written paper (presenters are also given a longer time to present during the conference, ie, 20 minutes)

d. They aim to facilitate early paper submission and registration.

2. Production: It is generally expected that the Proceedings be produced as a CDROM (in pdf) and included in delegate satchels. Registration fees should cover the cost of production.

3. Editorship: LOC members (and others) can be listed as editor/s. Subject to these guidelines being followed, the editors/LOC retain full control of the refereeing of papers and the production of the Proceedings.

4. Publication details: The proceedings should be noted as being published by 'The Australian Sociological Association' and can also include the details of the host institution as a co-publisher.

5. Copyright: Authors retain copyright of their own work and publication in the Proceedings does not preclude publication elsewhere.

6. Paper format: Paper length should be a maximum of 3000 words, including a 200 word abstract. The referencing and layout format should follow the guidelines of the Journal of Sociology.

7. ISBN requirements: The Proceedings are required to have an ISBN and the LOC must lodge a copy with the National Library. ISBN numbers can be purchased from ISBN Agency Australia.

8. HERDC requirements: To ensure the Proceedings count as a formal publication they must be available for sale after the conference. In the publication details it should be stated that papers have been independently peer reviewed. Details of the contact person for purchase and price are to be supplied to the TASA office so that they can be placed on TASAweb.

9. Post-conference: After the conference, an electronic copy of the proceedings (in pdf) is to be provided to the TASA office so that it can be placed online in the members' section of TASAweb. Please also provide the bibliographic details of the conference papers, for example:

TASA 2008 Conference Proceedings: Re-imagining Sociology Edited by: Majoribanks, T; Barraket, J; Chang, J-S; Dawson, A; Guillemin, M; Henry-Waring, M; Kenyon, A; Kokanovic, R; Lewis, J; Lusher, D; Nolan, D; Pyett, P; Warr, D; Robins, R; Wyn, J. (Eds) Published by: The Australian Sociological Association ISBN: 978-0-7340-3984-2 CDROM version: $20 (Includes p&h and GST) - Contact TASA Office for details.

The referee process should be undertaken online to minimise the administrative burden in producing conference proceedings.

1. Referees:

1. The TASA Manuscript Review Form should be used as a template to provide a consistent format for review of papers and feedback to authors
2. A paper should generally be refereed by 2 people
3. Where possible it is useful to invite  thematic group conveners to coordinate the refereering process for aligned conference themes (or nominate a willing thematic group member to take on this role)

2. Grounds for accepting papers:

1. Papers should be accepted where they meet acceptable scholarly standards and submission requirements.
2. It should be noted that the standards required for a conference paper are not as high as that for a journal article, and that the proceedings be viewed as a collegial exercise in professional development.
3. It is generally expected that most papers will be accepted, subject to minor corrections.

3. Feedback to authors:

1. The outcome of the refereeing process should be communicated to authors (via email where possible) by the end of September. Summarised comments drawn from the TASA Manuscript Review Form are to be sent to paper authors
2. Given that many of the submitted papers are likely to be authored by early career academics and postgraduate students, the refereeing process should be viewed as a professional development exercise that provides constructive feedback to authors in a sensitive manner
3. It is acceptable to ask authors for minor revisions where required, though papers requiring substantial revision should normally be rejected
4. Rejected authors should be invited to submit their paper in the non-refereed section of the conference

4. Appeals: Where an author disagrees with the decision of referees, they should:

1.Be allowed to submit a written response to the referee feedback

2.Have their paper reviewed by a third party who is nominated by the Convenor/LOC, but is not a member of the LOC.

If this process fails to resolve the issue, then the author should refer to the TASA Grievance Procedures

5. Author requirements: It is a requirement that the authors of accepted papers register for the conference by a certain date (preferably the early-bird deadline), otherwise their paper should be removed. It is the responsibility of the LOC to remind people who have their paper accepted of this point.

The General Guidelines and Refereering Guidelines documents are available in Word (46kb) and Pdf (24.2kb).

This form has been adapted from one used for the Journal of Sociology thematic issues.

ID number:

Title of paper:

1. Overall recommendation

[ ] Accept as submitted
[ ] Minor revisions required
[ ] Reject

2. Clarity of argument, organisation and presentation

3. Methodological competence and/or theoretical contribution

4. Any other comments

5. If you consider that this paper should be included in the proceedings subject to minor revision, please specify as precisely as you can how the paper should be revised (dot points are fine)

The review template is available in Word (33.5kb) and Pdf (26.6kb)