2020 National Discussion
on Sexual Assault and
Sexual Harassment

Abstract Preparation Guidelines

• Title: clear description of presentation and its contents
• Conciseness, coherence, clarity and focus of presentation
• The body of the abstract cannot exceed 250 words.
• Abstracts must be in English.
• Research studies must include the purpose of the research, subjects, data collection methodology, analytic procedures, and results.
• Theoretical and discussion studies should describe the central issue, identify highlights and list conclusions.

Abstract Topics

National Discussion organizers seek research and practice that address at least one of the following thematic categories:

• Healthy Relationships

  Healthy relationships may be hard to facilitate and even harder to measure and promote. National Discussion organizers seek research which attempts to define and identify healthy relationships, how to teach about them, and how to measure their impacts on preventing sexual assault and harassment.

• Prevention

  Organizers seek researchers and practitioners to discuss past, present, and future sexual assault and prevention strategies. Included in this discussion could be research on detection/identification of potential places of perpetration, individual perpetrators, perpetrator groups, etc.

• Student Involvement

  Student engagement is a key element in the institutional synergy for student-centered programming, community activism and academic engagement related to sexual violence prevention. Creating a space for student leaders to brainstorm ideas, share successes and challenges with the attendees will create a deeper appreciation for what institutions need to do to meet students where they are.

• Innovative Approaches

  Organizers seek researchers and practitioners who have pioneered unique policies, procedures, studies, or transformative programs to combat sexual assault and harassment. Work that considers how to overcome common pitfalls when implementing innovative social and cultural change is also desired.

• Assessment

  Organizers seek research from across multiple disciplines on how to measure prevalence and reporting, how to best evaluate reduction in sexual assault and harassment and allied behaviors, and the effectiveness and impact of prevention activities. Discussion will also focus on advantages and disadvantages of existing or prospective metrics and possibilities for new approaches.

• Culture and Climate

  Institutional Culture and Organizational Climate can impact prevention efforts either positively or negatively. Discussions will examine their role and degree of influence upon the environmental and social risk and protective factors for sexual harassment and sexual assault, with emphasis on the significance of leadership in shaping culture and climate

Abstract Acceptance Guidelines

The organizers of the committee will evaluate your abstract on the following criteria:

• Methodology: research design if an empirical study, including clearly stated questions, data sources, data collection procedures, analytic approach and results
• Relevance, currency, appropriateness and significance of the topic/issue/problem
• Theoretical orientation and/or practical application to the field
• Originality
• The organizers of the committee will further evaluate abstracts in relation to each other to ensure a proper distribution of topics and type of study.

Factors considered in submission selection

• Range and significance of topics
• Level of expertise
• Interests covered
• Relevance of the proposal to the needs of the research and the Conference's theme
• Clear and concise description of the proposal/poster presentation, conveying the proposal's importance and significance in the field

The organizers of the committee who will evaluate your abstract include subject matter experts and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response professionals from Army, Navy, Air Force, DoD and Civilian relevant organizations. The organizers may change the preferred format of your presentation (such as from proposal to poster) as necessary.

A proposal is the presentation of a research topic that stands on its own. Talks are scheduled for 20 minutes, comprising 10 minutes for the talk and 5 minutes for questions. PowerPoint or similar presentation medium may be used to showcase proposal findings.

Proposal Presentation Preparation Guidelines

• Title cannot exceed 10 words.
• Must be in English.
• Acronyms and abbreviations should be spelled out for the first time they are used and placed in parentheses.
• Title, author names and author affiliation should be centered above the body of the proposal.
• Author names should be provided in the order of the first name, middle initials and last name.
• Institutional affiliation should appear on the line following the author's name. If there are multiple authors, the institutional affiliation should appear on the line following each author's name, if the authors are from different institutions. If the authors are from the same institutions, then only a single mention of the institutional affiliation is required.
• Research proposals should include the purpose of the research, subjects, data collection methodology, analytic procedures, and results.
• Theoretical and discussion proposals should describe the central issue, identify highlights and list conclusions.

Posters will be posted in a public place during the conference for purposes of research presentation and discussion with the author(s).

Poster Preparation Guidelines

• Presenters are responsible for printing, bringing their posters, and posting them by the required time as well as removal at the conclusion of the conference.
• Posters must be 48" x 36", printed, and of horizontal orientation.
• Poster title cannot exceed 10 words.
• Posters must be in English.
• Acronyms and abbreviations should be spelled out for the first time they are used and placed in parentheses.
• Title, author names and author affiliation should be centered above the body of the poster.
• Author names should be provided in the order of the first name, middle initials, last name.
• Institutional affiliation should appear on the line following the author's name. If there are multiple authors, the institutional affiliation should appear on the line following each author's name, if the authors are from different institutions. If the authors are from the same institutions, then only a single mention of the institutional affiliation is required.