How to write a better abstract for the JALT2024 Conference call for presentation proposals

Post event note: Example files used in the workshop are available at the bottom of this page as PDFs. The workshop was recorded and uploaded to YouTube.

Conference presentation proposals for JALT2024 are due March 10. Every year, the JALT conference receives many more submissions than it is possible to accommodate, so many submissions must be rejected. Acceptance or rejection depends entirely on the quality of the abstract, so understanding the submission and vetting process is essential to improving your chances of acceptance. In this workshop, I will review the submission process and different categories of submission, including common mistakes that will result in rejection. I will then explain the vetting process and rubric that reviewers use and show some sample abstracts to illustrate common weaknesses in submissions. Participants are encouraged to bring their own abstracts for peer-review following the presentation.

Trevor Holster is the Vetting Committee Chair for the JALT International conference. He teaches English at Fukuoka Jogakuin University and has a Masters of Applied Linguistics degree from the University of Southern Queensland and a Professional Certificate in Language Assessment from the University of Melbourne. His research interests include formative classroom assessment and peer-assessment.

Online participation:
Zoom details will be posted to fukuokajalt.org on the day of the event. Zoom will start at 5:30 PM for a half hour of socializing and networking, and the presentation will start at 6 PM.

This event is co-sponsored by the College and University Educators (CUE) SIG and the JALT Writers' Peer Support Group.

JALT2024: The 50th Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) International Conference will be held November 15 - 18, 2024 at the Shizuoka Granship, in Shizuoka, Japan.