Call for Papers, Panels, and Research in Progress
2021 AJHA National Convention

The American Journalism Historians Association invites paper entries, panel proposals, and abstracts of research in progress on any facet of media history for its 40^th annual convention to be held online Oct. 8-9, 2021.

The deadline for all submissions is  June 15, 2021.

The AJHA views journalism history broadly, embracing print, broadcasting, advertising, public relations, and other forms of mass communication that have been inextricably intertwined with the human past. Because the AJHA requires presentation of original material, research papers, research in progress, and panels submitted to the convention should not have been submitted to or accepted by another convention or publication. Research submitted for the conference must be significantly different than previous work, meaning the submitted research would represent new archival research, interviews, or content analysis that has not been presented before at a conference and represents a new departure from prior presented or published work. Research that previously was presented as a research in progress presentation at an AJHA convention or the Joint Journalism and Communication History Conference or as a paper at the AJHA Southeast Symposium, however, may be submitted as a research paper. Each author may submit at most one paper, one Research in Progress abstract, and one panel proposal.

Research Papers

Authors may submit only one research paper. They also may submit one Research in Progress abstract but only on a significantly different topic than the paper. Research entries must be no longer than 25 pages of text, double-spaced, in 12-point type, not including notes. The Chicago Manual of Style is recommended but not required.

Papers must be submitted electronically as PDF or Word attachments. Please send the following:

• Completed paper with author identification in the file name only.
• ŸA separate 150-word abstract as a Word attachment (no PDFs) with no author identification.
• ŸAuthor’s info (email address, telephone number, institutional affiliation, student or faculty status) in the text of the email.

Send papers to ajhapaper@gmail.com. Authors of accepted papers must register for the convention and attend in order to present their research.

Accepted papers are eligible for several awards, including the following:

• David Sloan Award for the outstanding faculty research paper ($250 prize).
• Robert Lance Award for outstanding student research paper ($100 prize).
• Jean Palmegiano Award for outstanding international/transnational journalism history research paper ($150 prize).
  
• J. William Snorgrass Award for outstanding minority-journalism research paper.
• Maurine Beasley Award for outstanding women’s-history research paper.
• Wally Eberhard Award for outstanding research in media and war ($50 prize).

Questions about paper submissions can be directed to AJHA Research Chair Gerry Lanosga of Indiana University (glanosga@indiana.edu). Authors will be notified in mid-July whether their papers have been accepted.

Panels

Panels may relate to any original topic relevant to journalism history, presenting a variety of perspectives that will draw the audience and panelists into meaningful discussion or debate. Preference will be given to panels that present diverse perspectives on their topics, and organizers should consider diversity in race and gender in selecting panelists. Panel participants must register for and attend the convention.

This year, AJHA will accept panel proposals through an online form that requires the following:

• A title and brief description of the topic.
• The moderator and participants’ information (name, institutional affiliation, student or faculty status).
• A brief summary of each participant’s presentation.

Submit proposals at this link: https://bit.ly/3bpVwyA.

No individual may be on more than one panel or in more than one panel proposal. Panel organizers must make sure panelists have not agreed to serve on multiple panels. Panel organizers also must secure commitment from panelists to participate before submitting the proposal. Moderators are discussion facilitators and may not serve as panelists. Failure to adhere to the guidelines will lead to rejection of the proposal.

Panel proposal authors may make separate submissions in the paper and research in progress competitions.

Questions about panel submissions can be directed to Rob Wells of the University of Arkansas (rswells@uark.edu), who is coordinating the panel competition. Authors of panel proposals will be notified in mid-July whether their panels have been accepted.

Research in Progress

Each author may submit only one Research in Progress abstract. The research in progress category is for work that will NOT be completed before the conference. Research in progress must be significantly different than previously presented or published research. Participants will give an overview of their research purpose and progress, not a paper presentation, as the category’s purpose is to allow for discussion and feedback on work in progress. RIP authors may also submit a research paper on a significantly different topic.

For research in progress submissions, send a blind abstract of your study. Include the proposal title in the abstract. The abstract should include a clear purpose statement as well as a brief description of your primary sources. Abstracts must be no longer than two pages of text, double-spaced, in 12-point type, with one-inch margins, excluding notes.

Primary sources should be described in detail in another double-spaced page.

Entries that do not follow these guidelines will be rejected.

The AJHA Research in Progress competition is administered electronically

• Proposals must be submitted as PDF or Word attachments, with author identification in the file names only.
• Each proposal must be submitted as an attachment, with author’s info (name, project title, telephone number, email address, institutional affiliation, and student or faculty status) in the text of the email.

Send research in progress proposals to ajharip@gmail.com. Authors will be notified in mid-July whether their proposals have been accepted.

Authors whose work is accepted must register for and attend the convention.

Questions about submissions can be directed to Jane Marcellus of Middle Tennessee State University (Jane.Marcellus@mtsu.edu), who is coordinating the Research in Progress competition.