Presentations
STATEMENT RELATING TO PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH AND SCHOLARLY WORK
AT MERGA CONFERENCES
1. SCOPE OF SCHOLARLY WORK INCLUDED IN THE CONFERENCE
2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES AND DISCIPLINARY FRAMEWORKS
3. KINDS OF CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS: RESEARCH PAPERS, RESEARCH SYMPOSIA, SHORT COMMUNICATIONS, ROUND TABLES, AND POSTERS
----------3.1 Requirements For Research Papers
----------------i. Empirical investigations
----------------ii. Theoretical or position papers
--------------------The "Early Bird" process
------------------- Research paper guidelines -Author checklist and keywords
----------3.2 Requirements for Research Symposia
-------------------Symposium guidelines Author checklist and keywords
----------3.3 Requirements for Short Communications
-------------------Short Communication guidelines Author checklist and keywords
----------3.4 Requirements for Posters
-------------------Poster guidelines Author checklist and keywords
-------------------Poster proposal guidelines
-------------------Author checklist and keywords
----------3.5 Requirements for Round Table presentations
-------------------Round Table guidelines Author checklist and keywords
4. SUBMITTING MULTIPLE PAPERS
5. TIMELINES
6. ETHICS
7. REPUBLISHING MERGA CONFERENCE PAPERS AND JOURNAL ARTICLES
1. SCOPE OF SCHOLARLY WORK INCLUDED IN THE CONFERENCE
MERGA is concerned with the promotion of quality teaching of mathematics and mathematics education at all levels, through critical study and reflection on practice and theory. Work accepted for presentation at the conference will be related to mathematics education whether at pre-school, primary, secondary, vocational, and/or tertiary levels or within informal and workplace settings. Relevant topic areas include:
- mathematics teaching, learning and assessment;
- mathematics teacher education;
- the policy environment of mathematics education practice;
- emerging cultural, political, economic and technological contexts of mathematics education; and
- the practice of mathematics within various cultural, sociological, philosophical and technological contexts.
Works will be expressed in a variety of scholarly forms, including those relating to empirical studies, position papers, reflective reports and critiques of developments in educational practice, confirmatory studies, research-in-progress, reviews of literature, theoretical studies, meta-studies, and so on.
Works will meet conventional standards of scholarship as practised within the research and scholarly community. Accordingly, the expression of authors’ comments, analyses, opinions, ideas, arguments and experiences together with an emphasis on the critical examination of ideas, a reasoned interrogation of assumptions and informing principles, and a respect for the place of evidence, will be a hallmark of the conference proceedings.
2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES AND DISCIPLINARY FRAMEWORKS
MERGA acknowledges the equivalent value of research and other forms of scholarly inquiry. As such, a broad range of research methodologies and their methods will be accepted. These will include, for instance, quantitative approaches such as experimental and quasi-experimental investigations, qualitative studies such as case studies or ethnographies, participatory projects and postmodernist inquiry.
MERGA also acknowledges, and encourages, scholarship in mathematics education that draws on a wide range of theoretical paradigms and interdisciplinary analyses. MERGA acknowledges the importance of opportunities for sharing emerging ideas in mathematics education and teacher development.
3. KINDS OF CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS:
PUBLISHED PAPERS, RESEARCH SYMPOSIA, SHORT COMMUNICATIONS, ROUND TABLES
The conference program will allow for the presentation of published papers, research symposia, short communications, posters, and round tables. Details relating to each of these are set out below.
3.1 Requirements For Research Papers
Guidelines
Author checklist
Due date
Research papers can take two major forms:
- reports of empirical investigations; or
-
reports that are not based on empirical research including:
- a theoretical discussion;
- a position paper;
- a report of scholarly enquiry in progress;
- a literature review, a meta-study;
- an account of a new initiative;
- a reflective critique of practice; or
- any mixture of these or other recognised scholarly forms.
All papers for publication in the conference proceedings should contain the following:
- a statement of the problem/issue and a discussion of its significance;
- a critical analysis of the research literature as it relates to the topic of the paper; and
- conclusions and implications for mathematics education derived from the study.
All papers must respect MERGA’s ethical guidelines relating to research work. Papers should be not more than the set length. (Formatting details and WORD template are available from the submissions). In addition, papers must be: readable; free of grammatical, spelling and typographical errors; and adhere strictly to style requirements advertised by the conference proceedings Editorial Team.
i. Empirical investigations
When empirical investigations are reported (such as in an experimental intervention, confirmatory study, or action research, etc.), the paper should also include
- a statement of rationale for methodologies used in collecting and analysing data;
- a critical discussion of data findings in the light of the research literature; and
- in the literature review, prior work in the area should be acknowledged and an explanation of how the work reported in the paper builds on that earlier work should be included.
ii. Theoretical or position papers
When the work is a theoretical discussion, a position paper, a report of scholarly inquiry in progress, a review of literature, a theoretical study, a meta-study, an account of a new initiative, a reflective critique of practice or any mixture of these or other recognised scholarly forms, the material presented must be discussed critically, and alternative points of view relating to themes presented should be appropriately argued.
It is expected that presenting authors will have 40 minutes to present their work at the conference. At least 10 minutes must be allowed to field questions and comments from the audience.
Originality
Only research papers that are substantially different from work that has been published previously will be considered for publication in the conference proceedings and/or presentation at the conference.
Reviewing of research papers
Research papers will be blind reviewed by a panel of peers approved by the conference committee. The main purpose of the refereeing process is to contribute to the growth and development of quality practice in mathematics education research. Thus reviewers are asked to assist authors by providing helpful feedback and to comment on the suitability of papers for presentation at the conference. Accordingly, it will not be assumed that published papers presented at the conference will be as polished as articles in scholarly journals. Referees will be asked to assess papers being reviewed against the accepted norms for scholarly works presented at MERGA conferences, as set out above.
Each conference proceedings’ Editorial Team will exercise discretion over the reviewing process.
Reviewers’ comments will be returned to the authors. Authors whose papers are not accepted for publication may be invited by the editorial panel to present their paper at the conference, with an abstract (only) being published in the proceedings. Papers may be rejected outright, with no opportunity for presentation at the conference in an alternative form.
The MERGA website has detailed advice about criteria for reviewing of MERGA papers, review forms, and examples of strong and poor reviews of different types.
Presentation of research papers
Research papers are presented by author(s) only. A maximum of 30 minutes may be used for presenting the paper, and at least 10 minutes is then used for audience questions and open discussion.
3.2 Requirements for Research Symposia
Guidelines
Author checklist
Due date
Presentation of groups of published papers related by theme in the form a research symposium is encouraged. The symposium forum will be particularly suitable for presentations relating to a single large project or presentations that explore topical themes from different and/or related perspectives. Special Interest Groups [SIGs] are encouraged to consider the symposium option as a means for sharing and discussing current research.
A symposium should consist of no more than four presentations of about 15 minutes duration each. The written papers should be half the length of research papers as desribed for research papers. Both research report types – empirical or non-empirical – are acceptable as published symposium papers.
A brief overview of the symposium (limit one page), including a title, the names of presenters, an introduction to the theme/project, and a short introduction to each of the 3-4 contributions, must be submitted with the set of short papers.
The symposium proposer will also nominate a person to chair the symposium, and a discussant can also be named if desired. This information should accompany the collection of papers submitted for review.
The set of symposium papers (and the overview) will be blind reviewed by a review panel. The main purpose of the reviews is the same as for published papers, and the same criteria are used. The reviewers will be asked to consider the cohesiveness of the set of symposium papers. They will indicate whether the symposium as a whole, and each paper within it, should be “accepted”, “rejected” or if it “requires revision”. If it is deemed that one, some or all of the papers are in need of revision, the reviewers will outline which papers need to be revised and provide suggestions for the required changes. When the revisions are made, the symposium papers will be re-submitted and the set of papers will be sent to the same review panel for further consideration. As with research papers, the final decision about which symposium papers will be published is at the discretion of the Editorial Team.
The date for submission of the collection of symposium papers is the same as for Early Bird papers. This date has been set for the benefit of the group of authors of symposia papers. Should the symposium papers require revision, the authors will have the time to make the corrections and resubmit the set of symposium papers to be re-reviewed by the original reviewers.
Presentation of symposia
Symposia are presented by author(s) only. At least 10 minutes must be allocated for audience questions and open discussion.
3.3 Requirements for Short Communications
Guidelines
Author checklist
Due date
Short communications are suitable for reports that do not fully meet the requirements for published papers. These might include works in preliminary stages, reports of pilot projects, initial reviews of literature, ideas or suggestions for future study, and briefer discussions of particular issues. Short communications allow new researchers to obtain feedback on projects in a constructive and supportive environment, and foster the building of links between researchers with similar interests.
Abstracts are required for short communications. They must be prepared using the conference template. The abstracts will be reviewed by the Editorial Team and, if accepted, will be published in the conference proceedings. Presenters are invited to prepare a paper for distribution at the conference, but these papers will not be included in the proceedings.
Presentation of short communications
Short communications are presented by author(s) only. At least 5 minutes is to be allocated for audience questions and open discussion.
3.4 Requirements for Posters
Guidelines
Author checklist
Due date
Posters are also suitable for reports that do not fully meet the requirements for published papers. They also provide an alternative to short communications as a means to have constructive interaction and feedback on mathematics education research in its preliminary stages, pilot studies, or ideas for future research. Posters may be two dimensional (maximum A1 size paper), computer based, suitable for a 3D display of a table, or other. Please supply all necessary equipment and notify the conference secretariat of any special requirements (e.g. power socket, table, area on display board and fixative, screen). Come prepared to mount your poster on the first day of the conference and leave it up until after the scheduled poster presentation time, when you should be available to talk to people viewing your poster. If you are bringing a handout we suggest you have 20 copies plus a sheet to list addresses of other interested persons.
Brief, 100 word, descriptions of posters - abstracts - are required. They must be prepared using the conference template. The descriptions will be reviewed by the Editorial Team and, if accepted, will be published in the conference proceedings.
Presentation of posters
Poster authors will be allocated an area where all posters will be displayed. There will be an allocated time when they should stand beside their poster for audience questions and open discussion.
3.5 Requirements for Round Table presentations
Guidelines
Author checklist
The round table presentation is a research forum that will provide opportunities for presenters to:
- report on specific aspects of a mathematics education project;
- discuss research in progress or a proposed project;
- seek support and/or collaborators for research projects, monographs, journal articles, or other publications related to mathematics education; and
- lead discussions on philosophical issues, methodological issues, political issues and activities, and other issues related to mathematics education or teacher education and development
Forty minutes will be allocated for round table sessions. Sessions will involve a number of round tables being set up in a large space with 8-10 chairs around each. Presenters will initiate the discussion bu not resent a paper and not dominate the discussion. Unlike formal paper presentation, the round table is a forum in which a conversation takes place. Those attending will be free to move around the room, joining conversations that are taking place at the various tables.
Extended abstracts must be prepared using the conference template. The abstracts will be reviewed by the Editorial Team and, if accepted, will be published in the conference proceedings. Presenters should bring with them 20 copies of discussion papers or other relevant materials for participants to take with them.
4.0 SUBMITTING MULTIPLE PAPERS
Do not submit the same (or very similar) content in different papers or different formats.
In order to ensure that the conference program is as inclusive as possible, authors will normally be restricted to TWO published regular research papers carrying their name. Authors may also have their names on TWO symposium papers. Authors may also wish contribute to TWO short communications, posters, or round tables (but not two of each). If program slots are limited, conference organising committees have the right to select from multiple contributions carrying the name of any author.
If more than two of any type of paper/symposium/communication are submitted, the organisers will send only the first two received to reviewers, with no further consultation.
5.0 TIMELINES
For all research formats – regular research papers, symposia, short communications, posters, and round table presentations – submissions must be received by the advertised due dates. It is usually not possible to accept late submissions.
The Early Bird process
Anyone may submit papers by the due date for early bird papers. Papers will be reviewed by a panel of experienced MERGA members. Papers that are not accepted for publication at that stage will be returned to authors, along with reviewers' comments. The authors must resubmit their papers by the due date for Research Papers so that they may be re-reviewed along with the other Research Papers.
If you are applying for the Early Career Award, you must submit your paper using the early bird process. Please indicate in the covering email that you are applying for the ECA.
If you are applying for the Research Graduate Award, please indicate in the covering email that you are applying for the RGA.
MERGA recognises the need for research to be ethical, and for all participants to be fully informed and to have given their written permission for their ideas, images, work (including students’ work) and responses to be used in publications. Note that subjects may not be actively participating in research activities, but it is still expected that permission be obtained.
Any research reports submitted to MERGA and any conference presenters must uphold the principles laid out by the Australian Association of Research in Education (AARE) in its Code of Ethics for Research in Education and/or the New Zealand Association for Research in Education Code of Ethics.
Most Education Departments and most pre-school, school and tertiary institutions have ethics requirements that cover students, teachers and other employees. MERGA expects that all of the relevant permissions will be obtained from such institutions by researchers and/or teachers who contribute to MERGA conferences and workshops, as well as journals and other publications.
7.0 REPUBLISHING MERGA CONFERENCE PAPERS AND JOURNAL ARTICLES
Conference paper and symposia authors sign a publication agreement to give MERGA copyright and the benefits for the association that flow from that. However, it is easy to get permission to republish their work.There are several forms of republication, including the following.
- MERGA encourages all authors of conference papers to develop them into journal articles for submission in MERJ, MTED, or another appropriate journal. It is assumed that this requires extra writing.
- Authors may wish to use the whole or parts of their paper(s) in their own institutions in a reader or study guide for students, or to give a colleague in another institution permission to use a paper for this purpose.
- Editors may seek to include the paper in an edited collection.
Any author who wishes to re-publish conference papers in the above or similar ways should contact MERGA’s Vice President (Publications) by email, for written permission. Normally, permission is given readily. It is expected that acknowledgement of the original publication will be included by footnote.