New Scholars
New Scholars are defined as either research students, typically doctoral candidates, or post-doctoral researchers whose PhDs have been completed less than three years previously. Researchers without PhDs who have been in an academic post for less than three years also qualify as New Scholars. If you have queries concerning whether you qualify as a New Scholar please contact Vice President, Professor Maria Delgado: maria.delgado@cssd.ac.uk.
New Scholars’ Forum
The New Scholars’ Forum, aims to give new scholars and especially doctoral students an opportunity to present their research in a supportive environment that also encourages lively debate. To this end, forum sessions will be chaired by an experienced academic and scheduled to avoid overlap with general conference panels so that all delegates can attend. The Forum also provides an excellent opportunity to make contacts with other new scholars.
Papers for this forum do not need to follow the specific themes given for the annual conferences, and while they are expected to be shorter than papers in regular sessions, the time allocated for response is longer. Each participating scholar will be given 10 minutes to present his/her paper to allow maximum discussion and feedback.
Abstracts should give a brief account of a research project and outline the methodology, sources and conceptual approach. Please state clearly that the paper is proposed for the New Scholars’ Forum. New Scholars may participate in the Forum a maximum of three times in different annual conferences, after which they should consider joining an IFTR working group and/or presenting a paper in one of the main panel sessions.
Guidelines for submitting an abstract to the New Scholars Forum:
1. Only complete applications will be considered. A complete application includes: a. Your name and academic and/or artistic affiliation (if any); b. The title of your presentation; c. The abstract of your presentation (200-250 words); and d. Your brief biography (100 words in narrative form).
2. For the New Scholars Forum your presentation may be on any topic or on the conference theme.
3. Please remember that your presentation will last only 10 minutes (approximately 4 A4 pages double-spaced). Please ensure that your topic is appropriate to the time allowed so that you can reach the heart of your argument in the allocated time. Time limits will be strictly enforced.
4. Given the time constraints, try to ensure that your topic is usefully covered in your paper. Do you know what is at the heart of your research enquiry? What question or issue are you trying to address? What theoretical framework are you applying? What empirical instance illuminates your enquiry? While it is important to contextualise your enquiry for your audience, keep your information and description of the problem, or circumstances, fairly short.
5. At a conference with an international uptake of delegates, it is likely that many people will not be familiar with your particular theatre or performance research focus. Please bear in mind that your presentation cannot fully address that. Be sure instead to direct your presentation to those delegates who have interests in similar contexts, styles or theoretical approaches. The key aim is to generate discussion rather than cover a topic exhaustively.
6. Writing the abstract: a. Your abstract should be no longer than 200–250 words in length. b. Your abstract should clearly state your subject, main argument, and specific plans for your presentation. It should make clear what it is you are attempting to explore, what theoretical or conceptual approaches are informing your research, and what contextual factors affect your area of study. c. Avoid describing your area of research in general. Rather, succinctly set out the problem or question to be addressed within the scope of this particular paper. d. Remember: the abstract is only 200-250 words in length; submissions that exceed this limit will not be considered.