The Sport Marketing Association welcomes the submission of abstracts for its 14th SMA Annual Conference to be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Indianapolis, IN, on November 2-4, 2016. Authors may submit abstracts for one of the following categories:
- Oral presentation (25 minutes, including questions)
- Panel discussion, symposium, or roundtable (75 minutes)
- Poster presentation
Author Categories
Authors should submit abstract(s) under one of two categories:
- Professional
- Student (All authors must be current students; any professionals can only be on paper as advisor.)
Submissions can be conceptual or empirical in nature, and do not need to be completed at the time of submission. However, for any work in progress, there needs to be assurances that the research will be completed in time for the conference presentation should it be accepted.
To be considered for the prestigious award of SMA Conference Best Professional Paper, studies will need to have been completed at the time of submission. Further, to be considered for the SMA Conference Best Student Paper, abstracts must feature only one student author—any professional authors must be clearly identified as advisors.
Key Dates
Authors should be mindful of the following key dates when preparing and submitting their abstracts (please note that official submissions are effective as of this announcement provided authors abide by the guidelines provided:
- Submission Deadline: April 3, 2016 (11:59 PM, PST)
- Notice of Acceptance: May 27, 2016 (11:59 PM, PST)
Abstract Submissions
Submissions must conform to the format instructions. Please keep an exact copy for future reference. Submissions will be subjected to blind peer review. Authors will be notified of acceptance, rejection, or suggested modifications as soon as the review process has been completed. Please see key dates below for submission and revision deadlines. It is a condition of acceptance that at least one of the authors must attend the conference and present the research.
The abstract submission process includes a maximum two-page (single-spaced) competitive submission explaining the proposed presentation in detail. All abstract formatting and references must conform to APA Style (6th edition) in the event your submission is accepted and published in the SMA Conference Proceedings (published by Fitness Information Technology; note authors will retain copyrights so the submission can be published elsewhere). Below are bulleted instructions detailing the correct format for abstract submissions:
- Two-page maximum; single-spaced
- Times New Roman; 12-point font
- 5 x 11-inch page size; 1-inch margins on all sides
- Include text only; figures and tables not acceptable
- APA Style (6th edition)
Abstracts must be submitted by e-mail to smaoffice@mountunion.edu using the subject 2016 SMA Abstract Submission (LASTNAME, FIRSTNAME). Authors must include two Word files as attachments:
- Cover sheet (presentation title; list of names, affiliations, and e-mail addresses for all authors; keywords)
- Abstract (presentation title; body of abstract; list of references; APA Style; no identifying information)
Prior to submission, files should be named using the name of the first author such that the cover sheet is named as LAST_FIRST_COVER.docx, and the abstract is named as LAST_FIRST_ABSTRACT.docx. In the event a first author is submitting two abstracts, additional files for the second submission should be attached as follows: cover sheet file named LAST_FIRST_COVER 2.docx and abstract file named as LAST_FIRST_ABSTRACT 2.docx.
Number Of Submissions
There is a limit of two presentations per listed author regardless of co-authorship or type of presentation. Exception to this limit will be given for advisors to current students, in which case advisor positions must be clearly designated in the author section of the submission.
Reviewing Submissions
The reviewers for the SMA Annual Conference will judge all submissions on the basis of their contributions to the development and advancement of theory or practice in the field of sport marketing. All submissions will undergo a double-blind review and will be judged on their overall quality and contribution to the SMA Annual Conference.
Abstract submissions should not be concurrently submitted for consideration to another conference and should not have been previously presented at another conference. In addition, submissions should not be of work published or in press prior to the abstract submission deadline (April 3, 2016).
Conference Information
The hotel for year’s SMA Annual Conference is the Sheraton Hotel in Indianapolis (click here). More information about the conference, including registration information and travel accommodations for Indianapolis can be found by visiting the SMA website (www.sportmarketingassociation.com).
Questions/Contact
Any questions about the abstract submission process can be sent to Dr. Khalid Ballouli, Vice President of Academic Affairs for the SMA, at ballouli@sc.edu. For further information, visit the SMA Homepage!
