IPS ASP Chicago 2016



Deadline for symposium/roundtable proposals: Oct 1, 2015

Deadline for individual abstracts: Dec 1, 2015

This meeting will be among the largest gatherings of primatologists in the world. In order to maximize the number of presenters an individual can be a presenting author on only one oral presentation whether it be a free talk, symposium talk, workshop, or roundtable. If an individual proposes a symposium, he or she can give a talk in that symposium, but this will be their only oral presentation to be given at the conference. The first/presenting author is the individual who registers and submits the abstract associated with that talk and so she or he is also the submitting author; an individual can be a co-author on many talks and symposia, but can only be the submitting author for one. Separate from oral presentations, an individual can submit more than one poster abstract (with multiple co-authors).

Register for the conference here


Symposia may include up to 14 papers of 15 minutes each, and a 15 minute presentation by a discussant(s). A discussant is optional. Podium symposia proposals are recommended to conform to a half-day (14 presentations + discussant) or quarter-day (8 presentations + discussant) symposium.

Given the complexity of program scheduling, preferences for symposia format are not guaranteed.  Acceptance of the symposium proposal does not guarantee acceptance of the individual abstracts; individual abstracts are subject to the same review and submission deadlines as are all other abstracts.

Roundtable Discussion

In an effort to facilitate dialogue among our diverse memberships, the program will include roundtable discussion formats of 60-90 minutes. The roundtable format—which can be used for the discussion of professional concerns—offers short contributions from panelists around a common theme, and ample time for discussion with the audience facilitated by a roundtable moderator. 


Workshops are also less formal than symposia, can be theoretical or applied, involve audience participation/discussion, and address a defined goal.  The program will include workshop formats of 60-90 minutes.  There are no scheduled contributions from panelists, but moderators will identify at least two additional discussion facilitators who will attend and help lead the workshop in productive directions. 


The Program Committee is particularly interested in proposals that include diverse representation along multiple dimensions of both content and presenter. In terms of content, the program committee anticipates prioritizing proposals that include captive-setting and wild-living subjects, taxonomic diversity and/or methodological diversity (physiological, observational, experimental, etc). Organizers are strongly encouraged to include a diversity of presenters in terms of gender, nationality, race, career stage, and society membership (IPS, ASP), as this is a consideration in the selection of symposia by the Program Committee. After proposal selection, if your proposal is conditionally accepted for inclusion in the meeting program, the Program Committee may suggest ways to modify the composition of the session to ensure greater diversity among presenters. Our societies represent diverse and interdisciplinary members and we seek for our symposia and roundtable discussions to demonstrate those strengths.


Instructions for preparing symposia, round-table, and workshop proposals


Provide a clear, succinct synopsis of your proposed session (up to 1,500 characters, including spaces) as it would appear in the meeting program. Avoid the use of report or book references, abbreviations, or overly technical jargon. Describe the subject, highlighting the scientific issues, innovations, or research to be addressed. Do not name or reference presenters or the titles of their presentations in the synopsis. Presenters are listed separately along with their presentation titles and descriptions. Indicate if you are requesting a symposium, a workshop, or a round-table.


Organizer/Chair: Name, Affiliation

Co-Organizer/Co-Chair (optional): Name, Affiliation

Presenters: Name, Affiliation, Contact, Status: Invited or Confirmed (“Invited” means that you have contacted the speaker, and your invitation is under consideration. “Confirmed” means that the presenter has responded to your invitation and confirmed that she/he is both available during the dates of the meeting and will participate if the proposal is accepted).

For each presenter (including organizers & co-organizers if presenting), include a tentative presentation title (up to 85 characters, including spaces). Also, describe the proposed content or perspective of the presentation in a few sentences (up to 500 characters, including spaces). This is crucial to the reviewers’ understanding of why you are proposing a particular presenter. Please do not submit CVs, provide biographical information, or submit abstracts. A request to submit an abstract will be made AFTER the Program Committee has made its program selections. While recognizing that some changes will occur, the committee reserves the right to reconsider sessions if speaker substitutions after acceptance shift the focus away from the original proposal.

If the proposal is accepted, organizers will be notified in early November 2015. Organizers should communicate to their participants to submit their individual abstracts and register online at http://www.ipschicago.org/. This should be done only after their proposal has been formally accepted, but no later than December 1, 2015. If the proposal is accepted, the session abstracts and other materials are due at the same time as all other abstracts (December 1, 2015) and the submitting author should choose the appropriate named session from the drop-down menu. It is the responsibility of the organizer to ensure that all authors submit abstracts by the deadline.  Registration fee for the proposal organizer for symposia, roundtables, and workshop proposals are due at the time of proposal submission.  

Fees are only refundable (less a small administrative charge) if the session is not accepted. We will entertain requests for fee deferrals until the abstract submission deadline (December 1, 2015) on an individual basis.

Registration fees for individual abstracts are due at the time of abstract submission (December 1, 2015). The date for abstract submissions is a firm deadline.


Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes
All Content © Lincoln Park Zoo
2001 North Clark Street | Chicago, IL 60614