Author guidelines

General guidelines

All abstracts should be submitted electronically through the abstract submission system.

The deadline for the submission of abstracts is February 15, 2023, 12:00 Central European Time.

Abstracts received after closing of the abstract submission system will not be accepted.

All abstracts should be submitted using the online application form.

After submitting your abstract, you will receive an automatic email confirmation (this may take several minutes).

Submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee and all authors will be informed about the acceptance of their submission throughout the process or by March 1st, 2023 at the latest.

Upon review, the Scientific Committee will make recommendations regarding the type of presentation (oral or poster).

Please note that submitting an abstract does not mean you are registered for the ERFCON 2023. Conference registration is a separate process that is mandatory for all presenters.

Registration fees of the presenting author must be paid by April 15, 2023 at the latest to secure the presentation during the conference and the publication in the Book of Abstracts.

 

Preparation of a Live presentation

The duration of presentation is 15 minutes plus 5 minutes of discussion time.

About PowerPoint:

The aspect ratio of slides should preferentially be 16:9. Please include an introductory slide with your title, name, co-authors, affiliation(s) and contact details.
The minimum font size you should use for body text on slides is 24pt or 18pt for minor text. Use fonts such as Arial, Calibri, Verdana, or Helvetica that are easier to read.

Please also consider the following:

  • ensure that there is sufficient contrast between your text and the background (you can check this with online tools e.g., at: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/).
  • colour schemes suitable for participants with colour vision deficiencies (e.g., red-green colour blindness). You can check this with online tools such as https://www.color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator/.
  • PowerPoint offers an in-built accessibility checker (Tools>Check Accessibility), which can draw attention to accessibility issues in your presentation.
  • do not include third-party intellectual property (such as copyrighted imagery) unless you have permission from that party or are otherwise legally entitled to do so. Please make sure that you include the required credits or acknowledgements in your presentation.

About speaking:

Make sure that you speak clearly and not too quickly, aim for about 140-150 words/minute.

If your presentation includes visuals e.g., images or videos, make sure you describe what people are seeing as part of your spoken presentation.

PowerPoint presentations and multimedia attachments to accompany the presentation should be sent to adrian@conventuscredo.hr by May 2, 2023.

Abstract must be written in English, can have up to 250 words (excluding the title of the paper, name of the author, institution and contact address) and include a brief theoretical description of the topic, a clear definition of the aim of the presentation, a description of research methods used, results obtained or expected, a brief conclusion and 4-5 keywords.

 

Preparation of an Online presentation

For the preparation of the online presentation as well as the abstract, the same instructions apply as for the live presentation.

About recording:

There are several video conferencing tools available to easily record a presentation. In this method, you can show your face via webcam and display your slides as you talk. You can use any meeting software if you get a good quality recording and your final file is in the MP4 format. Here are some links to instructions on recording a meeting on common platforms:

  • WebEx: Video Conferencing – Record a Cisco Webex Meeting
  • Skype: Skype for Business: Recording a Meeting | Information Technology Services | Bemidji State University
  • Google Meet: Record a video meeting – Meet Help
  • Zoom: Local Recording – Zoom Help Center
  • Gotomeeting: How to Record a GoToMeeting Session | Techwalla and How to Convert and Open the GoToMeeting Recordings
  • Microsoft Teams: Record a meeting in Teams – Office Support
  • For Authors located in China who are unable to access Zoom for free, use free software OBS, which allows also to capture simultaneously yourself while speaking and your slides: https://obsproject.com/
  • You can also use the two-step method covered here: Create Voice Over Power point and convert to MP4

Video Specifications:

  • Duration: 15 minutes
  • File size: 250MB max
  • Video file format: mp4
  • Dimensions: Minimum height 720 pixels, aspect ratio: 16:9

Please note that final specifications will be checked at the time of submission and files not compliant may not be uploaded.

Authors who will present virtually will be asked to turn on their microphone and camera and share their screen when it is their turn to present.

Video presentation should be sent to adrian@conventuscredo.hr by May 2, 2023.

 

Preparation of Posters

Authors are free to organise poster layout, but a potential structure is the following:

  • Title/author details; abstract/overview of key results
  • Introduction and necessary background
  • Methodology and results
  • Discussion, conclusions
  • Acknowledgements/references

Poster should be printed in A0 format and portrait oriented.

Authors are responsible for preparing, printing and positioning of the poster. Posters will be attached using special, easily removable, double-sided tape provided at the information & name badge pickup counter.

Graphic materials should be readable at 1.5-2.0 metres. The font size should be at least 1 cm high. Lines in illustrations should be thicker than normal.

The use of colours for emphasis is necessarily, but 3 colours are usually sufficient (patterns or open bars in histograms are less visible). Authors should remove all non-essential information from graphs and tables (data curves not discussed in the poster, superfluous grid lines in tables, etc.)

Graphs and tables should have a complete title and legend.

Please also consider the following:

  • ensure that there is sufficient contrast between your text and the background (you can check this with online tools e.g., at: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/).
  • colour schemes suitable for participants with colour vision deficiencies (e.g., red-green colour blindness). You can check this with online tools such as https://www.color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator/.
  • do not include third-party intellectual property (such as copyrighted imagery) unless you have permission from that party or are otherwise legally entitled to do so. Please make sure that you include the required credits or acknowledgements in your presentation.

It is not necessary to submit the poster in advance.

Abstract must be written in English, can have up to 250 words (excluding the title of the paper, name of the author, institution and contact address) and include a brief theoretical description of the topic, a clear definition of the aim of the presentation, the description of research methods used, results obtained or expected, a brief conclusion and 4-5 keywords.

 

Preparation of a Workshop

The duration of a workshop is 60 minutes.

Abstract must be written in English, can have up to 1000 words (excluding the title of the paper, name of the author, institution and contact address).

To propose a workshop, in addition to providing an abstract outlining the purpose of the workshop, please complete the abstract with the following information.

  • Title of the workshop
  • Workshop type (Brainstorming/tutorial/hackathon/demonstration)
  • Purpose of the workshop including specific learning objectives
  • Instructions for participants – materials required (laptops, pre-workshop preparation)
  • Detailed description of your event (including workshop agenda and description of how the workshop organiser will promote participation in his workshop)

We encourage workshop organisers to have a high degree of interaction between the participants, rather than a sequence of presentations! Each room is equipped with a laptop/projector and audio system. Any additional materials (flipcharts, post-it, pens, etc.) required for the running of workshops should be provided by the workshop organisers.

Workshop organisers will be asked to prepare a workshop report directly after the workshop. The report should outline the outcomes of the workshop and in particular any issues identified relevant to assessing the impact of ERFCON to date.

Before the conference, the organising committee will contact workshop organiser to discuss the format and logistics of the workshop.

PowerPoint presentations and multimedia attachments to accompany the workshop should be sent to adrian@conventuscredo.hr by May 2, 2023.

It is not possible to register an online workshop.

 

 

Preparation of a Roundtable

The duration of a roundtable is 60 minutes.

Roundtable should have at least 3 moderators who will introduce other participants to the topic of discussion with short introductory presentations of 5 minutes each, which must end with the adoption of specific conclusions and/or guidelines.

To facilitate participants’ participation in the discussion, prepare a hand-out. The suggested content of the handout is the following:

  • Format ISO A4, single-sided.
  • Title is the shortest, yet informative summary of the roundtable presentation.
  • Authors: List the name(s) of the author(s) (the presenting author will be listed as the first author), affiliation, contact address(es) and country.
  • Problems raised: The issues that you have encountered in your research and would like to present to your audience. Depending on the issues raised, certain illustrations, graphs or figures can be added to clarify the issues at hand.
  • Roundtable questions: One or two specific questions (relevant to your study) that you would like to ask the audience regarding the issues you have raised.

Handouts are intended to support the short five-minute presentation, as well as support the discussion which follows. Ideally, a new reader should be able to read the handout in one or two minutes and be able to take part in the discussion. To reach this aim, make it clear, structured, concise and attractive. Avoid long texts and use diagrams, graphs and/or tables to visualize your information effectively. Make sure you bring enough handouts; there may be people who do not attend your session but who may still be interested in it.

Roundtable organisers will be asked to prepare a roundtable report directly after the roundtable. The report should outline the outcomes of the roundtable and in particular any issues identified relevant to assessing the impact of ERFCON to date.

Abstract must be written in English, can have up to 1000 words (excluding the title of the paper, name of the author, institution and contact address) and include brief theoretical description of the topic, a clear definition of the aim of the presentation, the description of research methods used, issues that you come across in your research and want to present to your audience, one or two specific questions (relevant to your study) you want to discuss with the audience.

PowerPoint presentations and multimedia attachments to accompany the roundtable should be sent to adrian@conventuscredo.hr by May 2, 2023.

It is not possible to register an online roundtable.

 

Preparation of a Symposium

The duration of a symposium is 90 minutes.

Symposium should consist of at least 5 speakers giving short presentations of 10 minutes each. Speakers will present on the complementarity of the subtopics, their importance within one of the specified conference topics and their contribution to the future development of the scientific field. Presentation should include purpose, methods, results, and conclusions for each topic.

Symposium must end with specific conclusions and/or guidelines.

The symposium organiser is listed as the chair of the symposium. All speakers are required to register. Organisers must ensure that all speakers are committed to participating in the symposium before submitting a proposal.

Symposium registration refers to the registration of the entire symposium, but also of each individual presentation separately. The registration form indicates which symposium the abstract belongs to.

PowerPoint presentations and multimedia attachments to accompany the symposia should be sent to adrian@conventuscredo.hr by May 2, 2023.

Abstract for symposium must be written in English, can have up to 1000 words (excluding the title of the paper, name of the author, institution and contact address), a brief theoretical description of the topic, a clear definition of the aim of the symposium, the description of research methods used, results obtained or expected, a brief conclusion and a common theme, issue, or question of relevance.

Symposium organisers will be asked to prepare a symposium report directly after the symposium. The report should outline the outcomes of the symposium and in particular any issues identified relevant to assessing the impact of ERFCON to date.

 

Review procedure

All submitted proposals will be reviewed by the International Scientific Committee (ISC). Each proposal will be reviewed by 3 to 4 reviewers and scored based on the following criteria:

  • Does the proposal follow the guidelines?
  • Is the subject matter appropriate for the Conference?
  • Are the presentation / workshop / roundtable /symposium objectives clearly stated?
  • Can the objectives be achieved in 60 minutes allotted for this workshop / roundtable?
  • Can the objectives be achieved in 90 minutes allotted for this symposium?
  • Is the information new enough and innovative?
  • Is the overall quality of the proposal sufficient?
  • Is there an interactive element for the audience in the workshop /roundtable?
  • Does the information have relevance for the rest of the Europe?

The organisers reserve the right to change preferred method of presentation only between live presentation and a poster.

Poster papers minimise clashes caused by parallel sessions and there is more time reserved for the presentation and for the viewing of posters than for oral papers.