My WEDC

Review process

Extended abstracts

All abstracts are reviewed by a panel of specialist researchers and sector professionals.

Reviewers assess the acceptability of the abstract to the conference audience, in terms of quality, subject matter and level of detail. The reviewers may also assist the author in improving their abstract and hence the subsequent submission of the recorded presentation, by providing comments and suggesting issues for inclusion, although the author is still responsible for ensuring quality. Abstracts will not be rejected simply because the reviewer thinks they are 'right' or 'wrong', however, unorthodox viewpoints do need to be explained.

Click here to view the criteria by which your abstract will be reviewed.

An abstract is accepted on the condition that at least one of the authors will attend the conference to answer any 'live' questions that may rise from the recorded presentation. If an author is not able to attend, then s/he can ask someone else to answer questions on his or her behalf. Abstracts accepted but not presented will not be included in the Conference Proceedings or appear in the Institutional Repository.

Amendments

Often an author is asked to amend a paper. Common reasons for this are:

• the writing style is poor;
• there are unclear arguments or descriptions;
• the content is too complex for an informed but general audience;
• there are unsubstantiated or one-sided arguments that do not mention alternative viewpoints;
• there are no or few learning points or conclusions; and/or
• the content is not supplied according to the required formatting specifications.

You can avoid the necessity to amend your abstract if you take note of the review criteria as laid out in the table available here. If amendments are required, they should be made by the deadline given to ensure the abstract and presentation are included in the conference programme.

Rejection

If an abstract is rejected, it will be for one or more of the following reasons:

• The abstract still does not conform to the template.
• The content is a repetition of existing work.
• The content presents a very general discussion rather than specific case studies or projects.
• The content is poorly written to the extent that the meaning is obscured.
• There is a lack of new material.
• Secondary sources are not adequately referenced.
• The author is not willing for their presentation to feature in the online edition of the Conference Proceedings.

The presentation may be rejected if after repeated requests it does not conform to the requirements as specified in the Guidance for Authors and Presenters. However, should you face difficulties in submitting your presentation as a recording, there will be an opportunity to discuss with the Conference Manager appropriate means of doing so.

Posters

Posters should be submitted in the same way as papers but using the poster template format. The review team will assess a poster's acceptability to the conference audience in terms of quality, subject matter and appropriateness of format. Again, they will not be rejected simply because the reviewer thinks they are ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, however, unorthodox viewpoints do need to be explained.

A poster is accepted on the condition that an author or a nominated representative will attend the conference.

Click here to view the criteria by which your poster will be reviewed.

Feedback

The organizers will contact the author(s) to advise if the paper has been:

• accepted;
• accepted subject to amendments; or
• rejected.

Please note:
Authors and other contributors should note that a condition of submission of a presentation will be that they consent to this appearing online as an item in the Proceedings. The Proceedings will be stored in Loughborough University's Institutional Repository indefinitely, as a publicly accessible resource.