FREEDOM
The Association for the Rhetoric of Science, Technology, and Medicine (ARSTM) invites submission of individual papers, paper sessions, and panel discussions for the 2023 NCA convention. We invite submissions that respond to the convention theme–FREEDOM–as it pertains to the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine.
The purpose of ARSTM is to promote research, teaching, and civic engagement that explores the communicative and persuasive dimensions of scientific, technical, and medical texts, genres, practices, materials, and settings. ARSTM is concerned with how scientific, technological, and medical discourses shape and are shaped by broader rhetorical, cultural, historical, and material forces.
Submissions may cover any area of the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine, including but not limited to the rhetorical analysis and criticism of (1) scientific, technological, and medical texts, materials, practices, and genres; (2) the production, deployment, invocation, and contestation of scientific ideas and technological visions in political, professional or disciplinary, and literary or social contexts (e.g., policy debates, controversies, popular culture); (3) discourses of reason and rationality, including reflexive engagement with the rhetoric of science as a field; and (4) issues of social justice as they intersect with scientific, technological, and medical problematics.
General Submission Information
All submissions must be made electronically through NCA Convention Central. Emailed or mailed submissions will not be considered.
- All submitters are encouraged to review the Professional Standards for Convention Participants before submission.
- Please visit the Convention Resource Library for resources like definitions of submission times and “how to submit” guides.
Submission Types
Submissions may take the form of individual papers, paper sessions, or panel discussions.
- Individual Paper submissions are for a single paper, which may have one or more authors. If accepted, the individual paper will be scheduled on a panel with other individual papers.
Individual paper submissions should include a title, a paper description for the online convention program (75 words maximum), and an extended abstract of 500-1000 words (inclusive of footnotes/endnotes and references/works cited). The extended abstract should clearly outline connections to relevant scholarly conversations pertaining to the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine, the contributions of the proposed project to that scholarship, the project’s methodology, and the texts or evidence (however broadly defined) on which claims will be based. Only PDF files will be accepted.
TOP STUDENT PAPER AWARD INFORMATION: To be considered for the Ploeger Award for top student paper (detailed below), Submitters must submit a complete paper of no more than 25 pages of 12-point and double-spaced text, excluding references or endnotes, including a maximum of100-word abstract. All authors must be students at the time of submission to be considered for this award. Submitters should indicate they are students by selecting the appropriate box on the electronic submission form. - Paper Sessions are pre-conceived and complete sessions of papers. The papers are not submitted or reviewed individually and are not submitted by the author(s) but rather by the person submitting the paper session. The entire paper session is reviewed for consideration as a whole. Paper sessions must include chairs; respondents are optional.
Paper Session submissions should include a title for the session, a session description for the online convention program (75 words maximum), a list of presenters, their institutional affiliations, and e-mail addresses, titles, and descriptions (250 words maximum) for each paper, and a session rationale (500 words maximum) justifying the theme of the session and the session’s significance to scholarship addressing rhetoric, science, technology, and medicine. - Panel Discussions are submitted as pre-conceived and complete sessions of presenters discussing a topic/issue. There are no papers presented at a panel discussion.
Panel Discussion submissions should include a title for the panel, a panel description (75 words maximum) for the online program, a list of presenters, their institutional addresses and e-mail addresses, and a panel rationale (500 words maximum) justifying the theme of the panel and its significance to scholarship addressing concerns related to rhetoric, science, technology, and medicine.
Joanna Ploeger Memorial Essay Award
Established in 2007 in honor of the late ARSTM past President Joanna Ploeger, this award recognizes the top student papers submitted to ARSTM in a given year. Each year the award recipient’s work will be featured on the ARSTM top papers panel at NCA. Award recipients also receive a plaque and are recognized at the ARSTM business meeting.
- To be considered for the Ploeger Award, applicants must submit a completed individual paper following the submission guidelines above. Proposals and works-in-progress submissions cannot be considered for the Ploeger Award.
- Ploeger Award submissions must be marked as “student-authored” on the electronic submission form at NCA Convention Central. Submissions not marked as “student-authored” will not be considered for the Ploeger Award.
Additional Notes
- A paper, session, or panel may only be submitted to one NCA unit.
- Individuals may present only one paper on ARSTM-sponsored panels, whether submitted as an individual paper or as part of a session. However, individuals may chair or respond to other panels in addition to presenting a single paper.
- Individuals should serve only one role on a panel (i.e. a chair should not also serve as a respondent; a presenter should not also serve as a chair).
- Paper Sessions and Panel Discussions should be comprised of individuals from multiple institutions. ARSTM highly encourages the papers and panels of diverse presenters at different stages in their careers.
- Papers should not have been accepted for publication before the time of submission.
- Each submission should express a coherent project that addresses relevant concerns related to scholarship in rhetoric, science, technology, and medicine. Submissions should exhibit sound methodology. Extended abstracts should clearly outline the contributions of the proposed project, and its methodology, scope, and texts.
- Student papers should be marked as “student-authored” on the electronic submission form. Debut submissions should clearly indicate “Debut” status on the cover page of the uploaded document.
- Equipment requests are available, and we encourage you to make any requests you require for accessibility. Requests for specific equipment must be submitted online and meet the same submission deadlines for papers, sessions, and panels.
Deadline for Submission
Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time
Program Planner
Dr. Aimee Kendall Roundtree, Texas State University
Email: akr@txstate.edu