It is a hallmark that presentations made at SMS Conferences are on the cutting edge of research. Therefore, we again are inviting proposals rather than finished, complete papers for the Special Conference in Sao Paulo in 2018.

Proposals

• Should not exceed a total of 7 pages and 4000 words – 5 pages for the body which can include charts, graphs, diagrams, etc. and up to 2 pages of references. The word count includes all text in the charts, graphs, diagrams, etc. and references.
• Must be accompanied by a 125 word abstract for inclusion in the Conference Program.
• Only Electronic submissions of Proposal(s) will be accepted.
• Maximum of two (2) proposals, either as an author or a co-author, may be submitted.

Originality
Only original, unpublished work is sought. Any proposal submitted to present identical or substantially similar work already published, under review for another conference or publication will not be considered or might be subject to exclusion at any time before the conference.

Submission File Format
Files are easiest to handle if submitted in PDF format. MS Word (or equivalent) will also be accepted. The title should be listed in the header of each page. Please use single spacing and 10 point font or larger.

Revisions
All proposals received by the deadline date are deemed as original and final. Therefore, the following will not be accepted after the deadline has expired.

• No rewrites.
• No additional authors.
• No changes to titles, abstracts, or the order of authors.

Before the deadline is expired, you can delete a submission you have made and resubmit it in a changed form if you so choose. It will be treated as a new submission, which means - if applicable - the co-authors have to confirm their involvement again.

Track and Session Format
When submitting a proposal please indicate a conference track that you think is the best fit for your work. You are invited to indicate your preference for presenting in a traditional Paper Session or a Common Ground session, but please take note that the review committee may change the original presentation category at its discretion.

Blind Review Process

• To preserve anonymity, author names should NOT be identified in header/footer or in the body of the proposal. Please clear file macros to remove any identifying information.  Authors should be referred to in the text or notes in the third person only. 
• Review Committee: All proposals will be reviewed by at least two (2) reviewers.
• Reviewers will be invited to supply review comments to authors, there is no guarantee, however, that they will do so in every case.

Proposal for Panel Sessions
We also welcome proposals for panel sessions during the conference. These proposals will not go through the blind review process. They will count towards the limit of two proposals per author.

Notification of Review Status
Authors will be notified of the Program Review Committee’s decision in mid-December 2017.

Availability to Present
Authors who submit a proposal(s) and whose proposal is accepted by the review committee, will be expected to present at any time between March 15 and 17, 2018.