Roles
Types of Roles
Presenter*
Chair*
Moderator
Discussant
*Individuals may only hold the role of presenter and chair once per meeting.
Number of Roles
Participants are limited to holding three participant roles (presenter, chair, moderator, or discussant) during the Annual Meeting. The web-based submission system will provide each participant with a role summary page. Coauthor does not count as an official participant role.
The only exceptions to the review process and the three-role rule are the opening session and “SAA sessions” that are mandated by the SAA Board.
Coauthors
Only one of the coauthors on any paper/poster may be identified as the “presenter” (a.k.a first author). The presenting author (“presenter”) should submit and register for the Annual Meeting through the submissions portal. Non-presenting coauthors are not required to attend or register for the Annual Meeting, as coauthor does not count as an official participant role. No abstract may list more than five authors (first author/“presenter” and 4 coauthors)
Those coauthors who wish to attend the meeting should register through the advance registration process which is available December through March.
Abstracts
An abstract is required from each "presenter" for either a paper or poster presentation, therefore coauthors should not submit a duplicate abstract. Individuals can only submit one abstract for consideration. No abstract may list more than five authors (first author/“presenter” and 4 coauthors). The author is responsible for clarity, content, spelling, grammar, and upholding the SAA Principles of Archaeological Ethics. Titles of abstracts should be presented in lowercase letters with initial letters of key words in capitals.
The maximum abstract length is 200 words.
Submission Formats
General Session Formats
Any individual who would like to
participate in the Annual Meeting can submit to a General session.
Contributed papers, reports, and posters are organized by the Program
Committee into general sessions around a theme, method, or region.
Contributed papers or research reports are submitted individually by the presenter. Research reports describe the results of a recent field or laboratory research project, while contributed papers generalize, synthesize, and/or address topics in theory, method, culture history, or culture process.
Research reports and contributed papers are organized by the Program Committee chair into general sessions around a theme, methodology, or region. General session chairs are designated by the Program Committee chair.
Length: 15 minutes
The poster presentation is particularly appropriate for research results that can be described graphically. Posters are especially encouraged and are particularly effective for presentations communicating quantitative data. Contributed poster presentations are submitted individually by the presenter and grouped by the Program Committee chair into a poster session based on the theme.
Display time: 2 hours
Organized Session Formats
Individuals may create an organized session around a theme, method, or region and invite participants to join. The chair or moderator that submits the session abstract is considered the primary chair/moderator.
A symposium consists of 15-minute presentations, including discussion, introductory and closing comments and question and answer slot(s) (if applicable), on a well-defined theme submitted together by an organizer. Symposia may have a maximum length of four hours; day-long symposia are not permitted.
Minimum: 1 chair, 4 presenters/discussants
Maximum: 3 chairs, 16 presenters/discussants
Length: 1-4 hours
Q&A Slots: For each 7 presenters (not discussants), the chair can include one 15 minute question and answer period, inserted at the discretion of the chair. The session cannot in total exceed the 16 available time slots. In other words, if you have 7-13 presenters, you can include one Q&A slot in your 16 slots, depending on the number of discussants you have. If you have only 1-6 presenters, no Q&A slot will be available to the chair. If you have 14 presenters and no discussants, you can have 2 Q&A slots. If you have 14 presenters and 2 discussants, technically you have earned 2 Q&A slots, but you do not have any space for them, as the session cannot exceed the 16 slots.
An electronic symposium consists of up to 16 papers which will be made available on the web by the session organizer at least one month prior to the Annual Meeting, so that both the participants and the attendees may read the papers before the meeting. No papers will be read during the session; all meeting time will be spent in in-depth discussion of the issues raised by the papers. Participant roles for this format: presenters and chair. No separate discussant roles are intended.
Minimum: 1 chair, 4 presenters
Maximum: 3 chairs, 16 presenters
Length: 2 hours
A poster symposium consists of a group of posters organized around a well-defined theme and submitted together by a chair. Posters are especially encouraged and are particularly effective for presentations communicating quantitative data.
Minimum: 1 chair, 4 presenters
Maximum: 3 chairs, 16 presenters
Length: 2 hours
A forum is an interactive format organized around a tightly focused theme. Formal presentations are kept to a minimum to encourage open discussion between presenters and audience. The submitter of the forum will be the primary moderator and it will not be possible to change this. No papers are listed with the session and forums run concurrently with the paper sessions.
Minimum: 1 moderator, 3 discussants
Maximum: 2 moderators, 12 discussants
Length: 2 hours
A Debate is a format to encourage debate and discussion of current issues. A debate consists of a moderator and discussants representing at least two different perspectives. No papers are listed with the session.
Minimum: 1 moderator, 4 discussants
Maximum: 1 moderator, 6 discussants
Length: 2 hoursA Lightning Round is analogous to a forum format with a moderator(s) and discussants. Each Lightning Round will be organized around a topic or an area. Each Lightning Round will be 2-hours long with the first hour consisting of 3-minute presentations (with 3 slides maximum). The second hour will be for discussion in groups with individual presenters or discussion with the group as a whole.
Minimum: 1 moderator, 3 discussants
Maximum: 2 moderators, 15 discussants
Length: 2 Hours
SAA Sessions
“SAA sessions” are sessions mandated by the Board in furtherance of key Society goals.
The President’s Invited Forum is an “SAA session.” “SAA sessions” are exempt from the review process and the three-role rule. Non-SAA members who participate only in SAA sessions may be exempt from the membership. If you are chairing an exempt session, contact the SAA office (meetings@saa.org) prior to setting up your session so staff may designate the session as “exempt.” This will give exempt session participants who have reached their maximum number of roles the ability to participate in the session.
Sponsored and Invited Sessions
The designation “sponsored” indicates the support of an SAA internal entity (i.e. committee, Task Force, interest group) or an outside organization that has received explicit approval from the SAA Executive Director. For example, the Fryxell Symposium is a sponsored symposium by the Fryxell Award Committee. Outside organizations will need to contact Oona Schmid (oona_schmid@saa.org) to discuss session sponsorship approval. The designation “invited” reflects a special status and role within the meeting, as defined by the Program Committee chair. All sponsored and invited sessions are subject to review by the Program Committee and must conform to Annual Meeting policies. These sessions must also conform to regular scheduled deadlines.
Because numerous groups wish to sponsor sessions, the Program Committee must balance such requests with other program goals; as a result, in some circumstances, requests for sponsored sessions may be rejected. Typically, a group may sponsor one session. Additional sponsored sessions by the same group are solely at the discretion of the Program Committee.
Requests for Special Scheduling
Given the size and complexity of the annual meeting, SAA does not accept special scheduling requests.