Our 15th annual conference will be held at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

15th Annual Convention July 26, 2025

The Alabama Communication Association invites submissions of scholarly papers, practitioner and student projects, and panel presentations for its 15th Annual Convention, hosted by the Department of Communication at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in Huntsville, Alabama on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

We especially welcome original research by undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty/professional members and practitioners from Alabama and the surrounding area. Individuals may submit a variety of projects from Communication centered disciplines such as communication studies, journalism, media studies, advertising, public relations, mass communication, etc. Disciplines intersecting with Communication (such as sociology, marketing, English, etc.) are also welcome.

Submission deadline: May 1, 2025 (midnight CDT)

This conference is committed to focusing on the following submission types:

Completed Papers: Submit research papers of no more than 25 pages including tables, figures, and other material, but not including references. Papers exceeding this page limit will not be reviewed. We will recognize the top faculty/professional paper, top graduate student paper, and two top undergraduate papers.

Research-in-Progress: Faculty and student authors should submit 500 to 700-word abstracts of research that will not be completed before the conference. Research-in-Progress abstracts should include a clear purpose statement, an overview of the literature driving the research, and the method or approach. Research-in-Progress submissions are not eligible for ACA Awards. Participants in Research-in-Progress panels will present an overview of the work in progress and receive feedback from attendees.

Great Ideas for Teaching Students (G.I.F.T.S): Instructors may submit teacher and student-tested ideas for effectively teaching a wide variety of communication concepts and contexts (e.g., health communication, research methods, theory, gender, organizational communication, PR). We encourage presenters to bring handouts of the activity for the audience.

Project Panels: Panel ideas that explore applied and scholarly experiences from multiple perspectives are encouraged. Topical roundtable discussions from scholars and/or practitioners or applied communication practices in communities or the classroom are ideal. Individuals from a variety of institutions and backgrounds may submit ideas. We also encourage students to submit capstone course work and other class projects. Creative projects are also welcome.

Submission Guidelines: Papers should be prepared for anonymous review; please remove all identifying information from the body of the paper, title page, and file information. Submissions including identifying information will be rejected. Put title, author name(s), and complete contact information in the body of the submission email.

All submissions should include a title page indicating whether the author(s) is FACULTY, GRADUATE STUDENT, or UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT. Papers including faculty coauthors are not eligible for student paper awards.

G.I.F.T.S. submissions should include a brief abstract of the activity and up to two pages of supporting materials articulating the goal, rationale, directions, and explanation of how the activity connects to/with communication concepts, theories, and/or various skills.

Please limit paper submissions to two per individual.

Send all submissions to lsherrill2@una.edu by May 1, 2025. Please include the email subject line: ACA CONVENTION SUBMISSION.

Call for Respondents, Chairs, and Reviewers: We invite faculty members who would like to serve as respondents and graduate students who would like to serve as chairs to contact Dr. Lindsey Sherrill, ACA vice president and 2025 conference planner with their areas of interest and expertise. Faculty who are willing to serve as paper reviewers should also contact the conference planner at lsherrill2@una.edu no later than May 1, 2025.