Guidelines for Presenters

Eligibility

To present a research paper, collaborative session, demonstration, or work-in-progress at the annual meeting, you must be a current member of the Religious Education Association and registered for the annual meeting by June 1. Event registration and membership are available through the REA website at www.religiouseducation.net.

Research Interest Group Presentations

Presenters of research papers must submit a full manuscript to the Executive Secretary at secretary [at] religiouseducation [dot] net by June 1. Papers are limited to 6500 words (not including the title, abstract, and references), the restriction for Religious Education journal submissions. Papers sent to the Executive Secretary should be in this format:

  • ‘doc’, ‘docx’ or ‘pdf’ file
  • Author(s), institution (if applicable), and email address in upper left hand corner of first page
  • Paper title followed by abstract (100 words or less)
  • US or UK English
  • Consistent scholarly citation format

Presenters of research papers are invited to prepare a 15 minute presentation that quickly summarizes the basic argument of the paper and suggests a few key issues for discussion. Screen sharing is available, including for video and audio files, if desired. Presenters will typically share a Research Interest Group session with one or two other presenters. All papers will be posted on the website prior to the meeting and participants are expected to read papers before the session. A facilitator will be assigned for each session and will discuss with presenters whether to invite discussion after each presentation and/or after all presentations are completed.

Collaborative Sessions

These 60 minute sessions model collaborative academic inquiry around a particular topic through a panel presentation, a dialogue or interview, or other modes of embodied engagement. Collaborators who are not presenting formal papers are required to submit a descriptive framework outlining the session plan to the Executive Secretary at secretary [at] religiouseducation [dot] net no later than June 1.

Descriptive frameworks sent to the Executive Secretary should be in this format:

  • ‘doc’, ‘docx’ or ‘pdf’ file
  • Collaborators, institutions (if applicable), and email addresses in upper left hand corner of first page
  • Session title followed by session description (100 words or less)
  • US or UK English
  • Consistent scholarly citation format

Additional resources or handouts for session participants may also be submitted by June 1 for posting to the website.

Demonstrations

Demonstrators will walk participants through a particular method or practice. Before or after the experience, they will discuss how the method or practice has been used in context, how past participants have responded, and in what other ways the method or practice might be used in the field of religious education. They should plan to make space for 15-20 minutes of discussion during their 60 minute session.

Demonstrators are required to submit a short (250 words or less) description of the demonstration to the Executive Secretary at secretary [at] religiouseducation [dot] net no later than June 1.

Works-in-Progress

Works-in-progress sessions provide established and newer researchers with an opportunity to interact with other interested participants, networking and exchanging ideas. Brief presentations will be shared in advance of the meeting and may use words, images, graphs, charts and/or tables. Presenters are required to submit a slide deck, poster, Prezi, audio recording or other short (5-6 minute) presentation piece to the Executive Secretary at secretary [at] religiouseducation [dot] net by June 1.

Works-in-Progress presenters will share a session during the meeting, with each presenter in a breakout room and session participants circulating through the rooms at 15 minute intervals. Presenters might offer a 1-2 minute summary or distribute a handout of their presentation before inviting conversation.

Additional resources or handouts for breakout room participants may also be submitted by June 1 for posting to the website.

Zoom Sessions

All presentations will take place on Zoom. To become familiar with some basic Zoom features, such as screen sharing, chat, reactions, etc., please see these resources: 

A week before the meeting, Zoom meeting links will appear on the schedule under the menu to the left of each session (where the microphone symbol is). Presenters can use the link to practice using Zoom tools. If you need technical assistance sharing your presentation via Zoom, please contact info [at] religiouseducation [dot] net.

Presenters should arrive for their session 15 minutes early to test their connection, camera, microphone, and screen sharing (if needed).

Scroll to Top