How to Submit MLA ’24 Proposals/Abstracts

How do I submit a proposal?

Submit abstracts for papers, posters, and lightning talks using MLA’s online abstract submission site. You may continue to make changes to your abstract until the specific submission deadlines, noted below. There will be no extensions of these deadlines. You are encouraged to submit your abstract before the deadline to avoid the last minute rush and allow time for technical assistance, if needed.
- Paper deadline: October 26, 2023, 11:59 p.m., eastern time
- Poster and lightning talk deadline: January 26, 2024, 11:59 p.m., eastern time
To use the system, you need provide your name and email address.
You do not need to be an MLA member to submit content.
Your full abstract submission includes multiple areas where you will need to provide information. Please see additional FAQ entries on these specific topics.

What is the required format for a paper, poster, or lightning talk abstract?

To ensure anonymous peer review, author names, institution affiliations, locations, and any address information should NOT be in the title or the body of your abstract.
Program description submissions MUST use structured abstract format and include Background, Description, and Conclusions.
Research submissions MUST use structured abstract format and include Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Please refer to the MLA Research Section page for guidance on writing a structured research abstract.
Please consult the MLA Style Manual for guidance on style, spelling, and grammar.
When completing your submissions, please include results or conclusions (if complete). These will be included in the peer review process. See the question below for more information on adding results and conclusions after the submission process.

What MUST be included in my submission?

Your submission MUST include the author/main contact, background, and description sections of the structured abstract.
Titles and abstracts will not be formatted or edited. It is your responsibility to check for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. You will be judged in the review process on the professionalism of your submitted abstract. The abstract as submitted will be put into the online meeting scheduler and abstract supplement.
The background section should include program objectives and/or purpose, background description and setting. Word limit is 120 words.
The description section should include the process of developing, implementing, and evaluating your new service, program, or initiative and may not exceed 200 words.
If your program has already been completed, you may opt to enter your outcomes at this time in the conclusion section. Otherwise, include outcomes of the program you expect to measure. Word limit is 120 words.
For the author block, please be complete and accurate with author information. If your abstract is approved and you need to update author information, you will access your abstract in the Conference Harvester site to make the necessary changes.
Please examine the criteria (rubric) to be used to evaluate abstracts to ensure your abstract includes the level of detail needed to permit review.

What else needs to be included with my submission?

Area of practice

Categorize your submission based one of the MLA Areas of Practice, which will provide the NPC and meeting planners a common taxonomy for organizing and scheduling contributed content. If your submission is accepted, your selections will also help attendees to identify content of most interest to them.

Authors should choose a primary Area of Practice per abstract and may choose an optional secondary area if relevant.
If you are unsure which specific area of practice listed best fits your abstract, you can contact the Contributed Content Work Group with questions.

Other areas

Additional authors, if any, (optional)
Speaker release (applies to the use of your presentation, if accepted)
Disclosure policy agreement
MLA ’24 presenting preference
Research award consideration (if you submit a research abstract)
JMLA Virtual Project Section Consideration (does not guarantee publication)
Reviewer feedback preference

May I enter my results and conclusions when I submit my abstract?

Yes, you may enter either results or conclusions (or both) with your initial abstract submission. The results section may not exceed 100 words; the conclusion section may not exceed 120 words.
Reviewers will be sent all sections of your submission, including the abstract.
Authors MAY postpone entering results (for research abstracts only) or conclusions until after the peer-review process is completed. Please share any available information about your results or conclusions at the time of submission.
Authors with selected abstracts will need to add the results and conclusions sections if they did not already do so in the initial abstract submission; please add by late February 2024.

May I include tables, figures, or citations in my abstract?

No. Structured abstracts should NOT contain tables, figures, or bibliographic references.

What do I need to do to anonymize my proposal/abstract?

IMPORTANT: To ensure anonymous peer review, author names, institution affiliations, locations, and any address information should NOT be in the title or the body of your abstract.

The National Program Committee (NPC) reserves the right to edit abstracts containing any author, institutional, location, or company names for the purpose of eliminating identifying information before sending the abstract to reviewers. You are urged to anonymize your abstract yourself, because the NPC cannot guarantee the resulting quality if changes must be made after submission.

How will I know if my abstract is accepted?

Authors of paper abstracts will receive by email an automated acceptance or rejection notification letter on/after December 6, 2023. If you are a paper author and have not received the notification email by December 15, please contact Debra Cavanaugh.
If you submit a poster or lightning talk abstract, you will receive notification by February 28, 2024.

How do I withdraw or cancel an abstract/proposal?

If you have COMPLETED and submitted your proposal and it is BEFORE the submission deadline, contact Debra Cavanaugh, director, Professional Development. Be sure to include the full title of your abstract and author name.
If your proposal has been ACCEPTED, withdrawal or cancellation must be in writing and emailed to Debra Cavanaugh, director, Professional Development. Be sure to include the full title of your abstract, abstract control number, and author name.
If you have been working on a proposal and do not submit it, your proposal will not be considered. MLA may (but is not obligated to) contact you regarding your plans, if your proposal appears to be complete but was not submitted.

My paper or immersion session abstract was not accepted. Can I resubmit for a poster or lightning talk?

Yes, please do! Please note that the focus and requirements for each type of presentation abstract are different. If a primary author wishes to resubmit an unsuccessful paper or immersion session topic, the submission must be changed to meet the requirements for the new presentation type (poster or lightning talk). Primary authors have access to their previous submission data and a “Preview Abstract” button to enable easier resubmission.

Submit an immersion session proposal Submit a paper presentation proposal FAQ: About MLA ’24 Proposals