paperspresentations

Papers and Presentations - Getting your Good Ideas out into the World
Teachers have an interesting social predicament: They are constantly surrounded by students, but they are rather isolated from their peers. Have you ever discovered an exciting technique or idea that worked really well for the kids in your room? You probably want to SHARE IT as widely as possible. Writing a paper or making a presentation at an educational conference offers you an excellent opportunity to share your expertise and get some recognition for your talents.

This page provides details about submitting your ideas for either publication or presentation to the teaching community, with an emphasis on organizations that focus on science education. We will assume that you already have an excellent idea to share that is suitable for the education community! How do you decide whether a paper or conference presentation is more suitable forum for your contribution? The table below summarizes several aspects you will want to consider.


 * Aspect || Journal Article || Conference Presentation || Other Considerations ||
 * Topic || Journals feature articles on a wide variety of areas: novel demonstrations or low-cost equipment for doing an old stand-by, classroom management skills, student research results, and reviews of a concept. || Conference presentations are nice when it is helpful to demonstrate a new process or technique. Presentations allow for some flexibility in your approach, depending on the audience. || Papers and presentations frequently address similar topics, but it is far easier to demonstrate some things in person. ||
 * Length || Even a short article is likely to be 2-3 pages in a journal, and they can be substantially longer. They require a significant investment of time to write, as a result. || Most conference presentations last 30-45 minutes, with additional time for questions. You may have less time to elaborate on tricky points than you would in a paper. || Although teachers speak in public all the time, presenting in front of an audience of your peers can seem substantially more stressful! You can write your paper over several days or weeks, improving it gradually. A conference presentation requires strict attention to time, good presentation skills, and comfort when under scrutiny. Even a 30 minute talk can feel very long if you are nervous. ||
 * Cost || Many journals require authors be members of the organization. There are no travel costs, however. || Travel and hotel expenses will be necessary, and they may not be covered by your school system. Even presenters must pay for admission to a conference in many cases. || For educators with young children, an additional "cost" is the time away from family, if travel to and from the conference site is required. ||
 * Longevity || Libraries that maintain journal collections keep them for yours, allowing educators to access your ideas long after you publish. Online availability allows you to reach a potentially enormous audience over the years. || Although many conferences print abstracts of the presentations, libraries are less likely to hold copies of the conference proceedings, in general. Your work is most likely to impact those in attendance. || You can improve the dispersion of your ideas (and continue to improve them) by maintaining relevant material on a website or other school system resource. Some journals restrict self-publication of articles they publish, but you may be allowed to link to an electronic copy they maintain. ||

Know what format you would like to pursue? Use the links below to access more information on the process!

 * Guidelines for Submitting a Paper


 * Guidelines for Preparing a Presentation

 For Publication ||
 * [[image:Paper_Newton.gif width="263" height="239" align="center" caption="Image credits: Public domain images from Wikipedia Commons"]] || Submitting an Article

You will want to visit the websites of the publications you are interested in submitting an article to. They usually have a //Call for Papers// page describing the type of articles they seek. Submission deadlines can be important, since some organizations establish deadlines for issues related to a specific topic, while others are ongoing. Several examples are listed in the table below. [] Contact current officers: [] || It is rather difficult to figure out exactly how to submit an article. The names (without emails) for the editors are listed on the website; email the director. It comes out four times each year. ||
 * = Title ||= Publisher / Organization ||= Audience || Website with Call for papers || Notes ||
 * = The Science Teacher ||= NSTA || High school science teachers (all disciplines) || [] || TST announces a theme for each edition: Reading and Writing in Science Class, or Critical Thinking, for example. ||
 * = The Physics Teacher ||= AAPT || High school physics teachers, 2 and 4-year college teachers || [] || TPT includes articles on pedagogy, novel demonstrations, puzzles and brain-teasers for students, and student contest announcements. You can view selected articles online for free each month. ||
 * = The Georgia Science Teacher ||= GSTA || All grade levels have representation at GSTA. || Previous issues of TGST:
 * = Science Scope ||= NSTA || Middle school science teachers (all disciplines) || [] || Science Scope is the middle school partner to The Science Teacher (listed above). It also has previously announced themes for several issues in advance. ||

Need more information on this process? Follow the link below to learn about the logistical details for submitting your article and responding to reviewers' comments.

 * Technical Details for Article Publication

 Presentation ||
 * [[image:Presentation_Feynman3.gif width="262" height="238" caption="Image credit: Public domain from USPS"]] || Making a Conference

Submission Guidelines for Conference Presentations
Presenting at a conference is a MAJOR event in an educator's career. The two examples below are both well-attended, but the NSTA conferences are definitely among the highest profile events we have for science teachers. Whether attending or presenting, these multi-day affairs provide you with excellent opportunities to improve your skills by learning and discussing new techniques with other participants. Be sure to make travel arrangements in advance with your school system if you hope to get reimbursed.
 * Organization || Audience || Website with Conference Announcement || Notes ||
 * NSTA || All grade levels || [] || NSTA sponsors several conferences each year. Some are Area and others National in extent. These are a big deal, bringing together around 15000 science educators! ||
 * GSTA || All grade levels || [|http://www.georgiascienceteacher.org] || GSTA posts a Call for Presentations during a limited time on its website. Typically, they accept submissions between July and September of each year. ||

Need more information on this process? Follow the link below to learn about the logistical details for making an excellent presentation.

 * Making a GREAT Presentation