Information for Authors

Note: Authors are strongly advised to read this information in full to ensure they understand requirements for conference presentation and journal publication.

 

Submission Types

Submissions are invited for consideration at Data for Policy 2024 in the following categories:

  • Individual Abstract Submissions (policy and practitioner submissions on EasyChair)
  • Individual Full Paper Submissions (research contributions that go into the Data & Policy ScholarOne system)
  • Panel Session Proposals (on EasyChair with 3-5 abstracts and/or full paper proposals.

We will use two different platforms for submission – EasyChair (abstracts and panels) and ScholarOne (full papers, including those that are part of panels). The details of each submission type are below:

  • Full research paper (individual research proposals):

To further enhance conference – journal integration, for the 2024 conference authors can submit their full papers to Data & Policy, to be simultaneously reviewed for both conference presentation and journal publication, with peer review milestones aligned to the conference timetable

Authors wishing to take advantage of this integrated process should follow these two steps:

1. Prepare an article via one of these templates, also available for download on Data & Policy website (6,000 words, not including references).

2. Submit the article via the Data & Policy ScholarOne site (account needed) using the Data for Policy Conference Paper category and select the Special Track (if relevant) from the dropdown menus in the submission form when prompted. See this short guide for how to ensure your paper is recognised as a 2024 conference paper

Please note that conference and journal acceptance are also integrated; thus to be accepted for conference presentation, full papers must have completed their peer review cycle and be accepted for publication. This will require quick turnaround for revisions in response to peer review comments (see important dates).

3. If the full paper is part of a panel submission, the author should note on the first page of the paper that it is part of a panel.

  • Extended abstract (individual policy/practitioner proposals):

This should be 1,000 words maximum, including a title, research/policy question, research methodology and data used, and key findings. There are no formatting requirements for abstracts, so they can be typed directly into EasyChair. Please note that authors of abstracts will have the option of submitting a full paper to the journal after the conference.

  • Panel proposals

Panel proposals should comprise a combination of 3-5 abstracts/full papers from researchers and/or practitioners. An overall abstract for the panel must be submitted to EasyChair, together with a single document comprising abstracts from all submissions (1,000 words maximum). Full papers that form part of a panel must be submitted to Data & Policy for peer review as detailed above; in addition papers from the same panel should be submitted to Data & Policy at a similar time, so that they are received together, rather than days or weeks apart.

Please note we are not accepting any other type of proposal at this time.

Use of AI contributions in material submitted: Please read our policy on this page.

 

Submission Process

Abstract and panel proposal submission is through EasyChair via this link.

 

Full paper submission (including those that are part of a panel proposal) is through Data & Policy’s ScholarOne system via this link.

Submission deadline and other important information

The deadline for all submissions is 27 November 2023. Please ensure you have read information on dates and registration before submitting.

 

     Review & assessment

    Process for extended abstracts and panel proposals: These will receive two reviews via EasyChair, arranged by the local organising committee (standard tracks) or special track chairs (special tracks).

    Process for full papers, including those that are part of a panel proposal: These will receive two reviews, via ScholarOne system, arranged by the relevant Area Committees (standard tracks) or special track chairs (special tracks).

    Assessment criteria: All submissions are assessed for their suitability for inclusion in the conference programme, with reviewers asked to comment on the following:

    For extended abstracts and panel proposals:

    • Potential contribution to the debates in the field
    • Potential for stimulating debate in the Conference
    • Freshness of the content, novelty and originality
    • Formulation of the research/policy question
    • Data and methodology
    • Quality of writing and presentation

    For full papers:

    Criteria as detailed above for abstracts and panel proposals AND

    • the paper’s significance, noting what is original / interesting
    • the overall quality
    • the technical correctness and scientific soundness
    • the clarity and length
    • the suitability for the journal

    Final Decisions: Following peer review, the final decision on inclusion in the conference and publication in Data & Policy will rest with the General and Local Chairs, who have an overview of the Conference programme as a whole. This is to ensure a varied and balanced programme for the benefit of all conference attendees.

     

       Post-Acceptance Actions

       

      Register for conference: Presenting authors must register to attend in-person. Please note that each speaker can only present at one session during the conference. If you are an author with more than one submission accepted for oral presentation, co-authors will then need to present. If this cannot be arranged, please get in touch with our team as soon as possible to make a final decision on which paper(s) to include in the final programme. The registration deadline for presenting authors is 7 June 2024.

      Please read the important information on our registration page.

      Prepare and submit video presentation (compulsory multimodal dissemination): Presenters including those who are part of a panel, must submit a video of their presentation before the conference. This will be shared with all registered attendees via the Data for Policy YouTube channel . There are playlists of 2022 videos available for examples. Panel contributors should submit individual videos.

      At the conference, presenters will give a summary presentation, lasting 5 – 7 minutes. This format has been used very successfully at the last three conferences, and aims to maximise time for discussion and audience questions. Please note that the full-length video will not be played during the conference.

      Poster presenters are not required to prepare a video.

      Please note that after the conference, all video presentations will be published on our YouTube channel with no viewing restrictions, unless you inform us that you do not want this.

      Preparation and submission guidelines for videos: The following are absolute requirements* which we ask you to adhere to:

      • Videos must be made in landscape orientation using a neutral virtual or natural background with adequate lighting.
      • Presenter must start the video by introducing themselves, and giving the submission number and title.
      • Videos must be 15-25 minutes in length.
      • Videos must be at least 720p resolution. The optimum resolution for YouTube is 1080p. Videos do not need to be higher resolution than this.
      • Videos must be in YouTube supported format (see YouTube page for details).
      • Videos must be named in the format [submission number]_[family name of presenter], e.g., 1_gardner

      Videos must be submitted by 10 June 2024, by upload to the Data for Policy OneDrive. Instructions on how to do this will be sent to the submission’s first author by email at the beginning of June 2024. Videos may also be uploaded to the Data for Policy community on Zenodo.

      Please notify us as soon as possible if you cannot meet any of these requirements.

      Submit updated abstract (compulsory multimodal dissemination): In 2024, we are producing a book of abstracts in collaboration with our partner journal Data & Policy (Cambridge University Press). All authors are asked to review, update and submit their abstract for inclusion in the book by 10 June 2024.

      Authors of extended abstracts should update their entry to EasyChair. If attaching the abstract as a separate document, please use Word format only. 

      For full papers, we will use the version of the abstract included in the version of the paper accepted for publication.

      For poster presentations, please submit a Word document, containing title, author names and affiliations, and a description of your work in up to 1,000 words by email to [email protected]

      Submit discussion paper and other pre-conference material to Zenodo (optional multimodal dissemination): Authors of extended abstracts and posters are encouraged to upload a discussion paper to the Data for Policy community page on Zenodo.  For all authors, other materials that they wish to share can also be uploaded – such as their presentation slides, or any related data sets. Any material submitted to Zenodo is citable, so it can be referenced in any future publications.

      Zenodo templates and formatting instructions:

      Instructions for uploading to Zenodo:

      • After logging in to Zenodo click on the ‘Upload’ tab. Following this select the ‘New Upload’ option.
      • After ‘Dragging/Choosing files’, search ‘Data for Policy’ under the ‘Communities’ section (users will need to scroll down the options and identify the Data for Policy logo).
      • The next step is to select from the ‘Upload Type’. Here, those submitting Discussion/Forum Papers should select the ‘Publication’ option. Then, select ‘Conference Paper’ from the ‘Publication Type’ option. Those submitting Presentations should choose the ‘Presentation’ option.
      • Zenodo will generate a DOI, as such under the ‘Basic Information’ section authors should fill only the ‘Tile’, ‘Authors’, ‘Description’ and ‘Key Words’.
      • The default option under ‘Licencing’ is Open access. This option is encouraged, however, when appropriate authors can select the restricted options.
      • At this point, authors will be able to ‘Publish’, all other information is optional.

      Submissions should align with the instructions provided by the Data & Policy Journal. Please name your file as [submission number]_[family name of corresponding author] for the paper, e.g., 1_gardner.

      The deadline for all submissions to Zenodo is 10 June 2024.

      Poster presentation instructions: We are still considering the format of posters and poster sessions. This category has been added to the conference following the review process. We apologise for a short delay while we finalise the details.

      Please refer any questions to our team at [email protected]