As things are getting underway for the 22nd IPSA World Congress to be held in Madrid during 8-12 July 2012, please find below the procedures for participation at the Congress through RC25. These rules are based on the instructions from IPSA headquarters to all Research Committees-- and please note that the Program Chair (PC) for the World Congress is Wyn Grant who can be reached at W.P.Grant@warwick.ac.uk

1.    All RCs have the obligation of organizing a minimum of two (2) panels. One must be an independently organized panel. The second may be a joint session, co-organized with other research committees or sub-sections of national political science associations. Possible further panels are free of rules.  The ceiling of four panels per RC (effective until 2009) no longer applies.

2.    Non-members of RCs are encouraged to participate in RC sessions. The names of all RCs and an invitation to non-members to submit paper proposals to the RC Chairs will be displayed on the IPSA Congress website as of 31 August 2011. The deadline to submit RC panel proposals is 18 August 2011 (see below).

3.    The organization of RC panels -- including reviewing submitted paper proposals and deciding on their acceptance -- is the responsibility of the RC Chair. In case an RC Chair names a convenor different from herself or himself, the RC Chair must inform both the World Congress Manager and the RC Liaison Officer by 7 October 2011 at the latest.

4.    When a panel is completed and ready to be incorporated in the Congress Program, it must be sent via the panel submission form on the Congress website. The person submitting the panel must be the same person as in point 3.  In addition, each paper presented in the panel needs to be submitted individually by the paper giver. Individuals submitting a paper will have the opportunity at that time to indicate that their paper has already been accepted for an RC panel.

5.  Occasionally papers which seem appropriate for an RC session arrive through the open-call route used for congress sessions. The PC may submit some of the proposals that have been received to the consideration of the RC chairs for inclusion in their panels. The RC chair may decide to incorporate such a proposal into an RC panel or return it to the PC for inclusion in other congress sessions. The following note will be included on the Abstract Submission webpage: "Submitting to a Main Theme or Research Committee (RC) Session -- If you wish to submit your abstract to a Main Theme or Research Committee (RC) session, you must contact the Main Theme Chair or RC Chair to advise them of your intentions.  Non-members of RCs are encouraged to participate in RC sessions. You should send a copy of your abstract to the RC Chair or convenor, indicating the appropriate panel. All proposals must still be submitted via the online submission process.  All such abstracts will be carefully considered."

6.    All the RC panel proposals should be submitted by 18 August 2011.  RC panels must be completed by 10 November 2011 with all chairs, co-chairs, discussants and papers assigned. 

Deadlines for RCs

     16 May            Congress website open for call for papers and panels

     18 August        Deadline to submit RC panel proposals

     07 October      Deadline to name convenors and submit to IPSA

     07 October      Deadline for all paper proposals

     10 November  Deadline for RC panels to be completed