- Please ensure your abstract does not contain objectifying language. Use ‘he/she/they’ and NEVER ‘it’ to refer to a non-human animal.
- Read the EASE position statement: https://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/ease/about/
Anyone who is interested in the study of human-animal relations is welcome to submit an abstract, provided they are a student or recent graduate (less than 12 months from sitting a successful PhD viva/defence). This includes undergraduates, masters, and PhD students/candidates, as well as those ‘in-between’ or currently applying for masters or PhD programmes. The main criterion for suitability is that you consider all animals to be ethically significant beings and aspire to research outcomes that benefit more-than-human animals.
Anyone, including senior academics and professionals are very welcome to attend (as non-presenters), provided they understand this is a student conference and frame any questions or feedback in a nurturing and constructive manner.
Yes! (Providing it was not a PhD/DPhil degree)
The list is not exhaustive and intended to provide ideas to those who might be unsure if their topic fits! Basically, any topic that addresses human-animal relations is welcome providing it aligns with the EASE position statement: https://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/ease/about/
Absolutely! Anthrozoology is a relatively new discipline and only a minority of researchers have studied it as a distinct field.
Most PhD submissions will be from Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, History, Psychology, etc., programmes because there is currently only one Anthrozoology PhD programme in the world (at Exeter University, UK).
Providing your research prioritises the physical and mental wellbeing of the more-than-human animal and does not objectify them, it is likely to be suitable.
Upon acceptance we will ask you to register eligibility and declare your interest when you confirm attendance.
We strongly advise you to at least inform your supervisor that you plan to submit an abstract, especially if your project is research based. However, this is not a requirement from our end!
We cannot answer that question for you.
Different universities and supervisors have different ideas and expectations, so it is best that you check with your supervisor/institution to be sure. Most likely an acknowledgement during your presentation is enough, but additional authors can also be added upon acceptance of your paper if you feel it is necessary.
Absolutely!
However, the submission form is currently set up for single primary author submissions. To get around this, use the optional ‘additional authors’ section to list their name(s) AND state they are ‘joint presenters’. Please provide emails (so we can message all of you if accepted).
We encourage live presentations, but pre-recordings will be an option providing you plan to be present for questions and answers.
Don’t worry, ‘I don’t know’ or ‘my best guess is XYZ’ are perfectly acceptable answers. No one can know everything, and some questions don’t have answers! This is a learning experience.
If you are particularly anxious or require extra accommodations, we encourage you to contact the organisers and/or the session chair to help you navigate any difficulties.
An abstract is a summary of your proposed paper or presentation. You do not need to have your paper/presentation completed when you submit the abstract (summary)!
A paper and a presentation are essentially the same (‘paper’ is more of a humanities term and ‘presentation’ more of a natural sciences term). Basically, your paper/presentation will be you talking – either with or without PowerPoint slides (your choice!).
If you are planning to present a completed undergraduate or master’s dissertation you will likely have already written an abstract! Probably this will require very little modification!
Please note that your abstract will be assessed based on your career level, and PhDs held to higher standards than undergraduates.
For a paper based on empirical research a typical abstract will outline your research question, why you did this research, methods, data, and key findings/conclusion. Theoretical papers would state your research question, theoretical framework, and conclusion.
References are generally not required for an abstract and should be kept to a minimum.
What works best will depend on your discipline (abstracts from history, philosophy, behavioural science, and anthropology generally look different from each other).
You can download last year’s abstract book here:
Here are a couple of links to help you:
https://history.ncsu.edu/grad/conference_abstracts.php
https://www.eventact.com/blog/conference-abstracts
https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/writing-resources/different-genres/writing-an-abstract
Absolutely! If you plan to have finished your project by November, then you can write an abstract based on the expected outcome.
You can also present a proposed project. This option might be especially useful if you are considering applying for a PhD and feel you might benefit from constructive feedback from your peers!
The presentations will be recorded and shared (with presenters’ permission) but not the questions and answers sessions.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that. However, we will do our best and provide an opportunity to list preferred times upon acceptance.
If you can only attend part of the conference, we urge you to contact us ASAP so we can prioritise inability to attend over preferences / inconvenience.
Please email us: aipconference21@gmail.com