Submit a Proposal to Speak
Submit a Research Poster
Read our latest blog here to learn how to increase your chances of your proposal being accepted!
Q. What type of proposals are the IOCDF accepting this year?
A. Members of the OCD community are able to submit a proposal to one of 6 different categories: General Presentations, Youth Program, Evening Activities, Support Groups, IOCDF Research Symposium, and Research Posters. Please note: The Youth Program was not previously its own separate category. Submitters now have the option of selecting this category if their proposal is geared toward elementary-aged kids, middle schoolers, or high school-aged teens.
Q. What is the IOCDF looking for in a presentation proposal?
A. Interest in attending and speaking at the Annual OCD Conference grows every year, so it gets more and more difficult to choose between so many excellent proposals. We have developed a list of tips on our blog here to help you maximize your chances of getting your proposal accepted for the 2019 Annual OCD Conference program, located. View previous years’ schedules and Program Guides on our past conferences page here for more ideas about the type of talks that typically get accepted.
Q. Do you have any tips for how to write a strong Presentation or activity description/abstract?
A. A good description/abstract will help the selection committee to know exactly what you plan to cover in your talk, but it will also be posted in the online schedule and the Program Guide that attendees will use to decide whether or not they want to attend your talk. When submitting a description/abstract for your proposal, please make sure to highlight 4-5 specific topics you are planning to cover. More specific presentation proposals will make it easier for the Conference Planning Committee to understand what you will be doing/talking about during your presentation/support group/etc. Proposals with a specific abstract/description will be given preference over those submitted with vague descriptions. Also, try to avoid too many jargon-y terms, especially if your talk is intended for an introductory or consumer audience.
Q. Do I have to include a biography for myself, as well as all of the other presenters on my presentation/support group/evening activity/etc.? If so, who will be seeing this bio?
A. Yes, you will need to submit a short biography (up to 100 words) about yourself, as well as anyone co-presenting with you. This bio is helpful for the Conference Planning Committee to better evaluate your proposal. If your proposal is selected for this year’s Conference, your bio will also be made available to the public through Conference marketing and outreach materials (via our online program guide, for example). Your speaker bios will also be read to the audience at the Conference when the Room Monitor introduces your presentation. Please only include information that you are comfortable with being made public.
Q. Do I need to be a member to submit a proposal for the Annual OCD Conference?
A. While you do NOT need to be a member to submit a proposal to speak at the Conference, if your proposal is accepted, you WILL need to be an active member of the IOCDF by the time of the Conference weekend. Your active IOCDF membership (Foundation, Professional, and Student/Trainee levels only; excluding Community Membership) will allow you and any members of your immediate household also attending the Conference to register at the member-discounted rate. Click here for more information about becoming a member of the IOCDF.
Q. If my proposal is accepted, do I need to register for the Conference as an attendee? Or is my registration fee waived?
A. Yes, all Conference presenters/facilitators will need to register for the Annual OCD Conference if they are accepted to speak. Presenter registration will be separate from attendee registration and the type of proposal you are accepted for will determine how you go about registering. If you have presented at the Conference in past years, you know that this is a newer policy.
The 2019 Speaker Registration and Discount Policy is as follows:
For individuals who have a proposal accepted to the Annual OCD Conference and/or Annual Hoarding Meeting (Note: this does not include pre-Conference trainings), you will receive a discounted or complimentary registration based on the number of Presentations, Evening Activities, and/or Support Groups in which you are participating. The discount structure will be as follows:
All minors (18 years old or younger) will receive a complimentary registration, regardless of their level of participation.
IOCDF leadership, along with members of the Conference Planning Committee, are excited to be able to continue to offer discounts to speakers. Our goal is to keep registration costs down for all attendees while at the same time acknowledging the time, experience, and expertise offered by our presenters.
Research Poster presenters do NOT receive complimentary registrations for the Conference. ALL Research Poster presenters will need to register for the Annual OCD Conference in order to attend (registration will open in March 2019).
Presenters for the IOCDF Research Symposium (taking place Thursday, July 18, 2019) will receive complimentary registrations for the Research Symposium only . Research Symposium presenters who are interested in attending the full Annual OCD Conference beginning on Friday, July 19, 2019 will need to register as a general attendee in order to attend (registration will open in March 2019).
Q. What audio visual (AV) equipment is provided to speakers/presenters? What about art supplies for the Youth Program?
A. The AV equipment provided to speakers depends upon the proposal type to which you are submitting (Presentation, Youth Program, Support Group, Evening Activity, or IOCDF Research Symposium):
Presentation: A large screen, projector, podium/lectern with microphone, and a table with 3-5 tabletop microphones are standard for Presentations. We also provide laptops (with audio) for presenters to use for your PowerPoint Presentations (you must bring your PowerPoint file with you on a USB flash drive). Wireless lapel microphones are available upon request (and are encouraged for experiential talks). Please note that most breakout rooms will NOT have internet availability (i.e. you will not have access to YouTube), so we request that you bring any videos you plan to include in your presentation on a USB jump drive (DVD players will NOT be provided).
Youth Program: Standard art supplies in the youth rooms include markers, crayons, colored pencils, construction paper, printer paper (plain white), stickers, glitter, glue, scissors. Please note that all youth will be given a 3-ring binder in which to keep their projects, worksheets, etc. that they receive and/or create throughout the Conference weekend. As such, each room will also have a 3-hole punch. AV accommodations for the Youth Program are the same as the general presentations, so please reference above.
Support Group: NO AV supplies are provided. You must request these separately if they are needed.
Evening Activity: NO AV supplies are provided. You must request these separately if they are needed.
IOCDF Research Symposium: A large screen, projector, and a podium/lectern with mic are standard for the IOCDF Research Symposium. We also provide laptops (with audio) for presenters to use for your PowerPoint Presentations (you must bring your PowerPoint file with you on a USB flash drive). Please note that most breakout rooms will NOT have internet availability, so we request that you bring any videos you plan to include in your presentation on a USB jump drive (DVD players will NOT be provided).
Q. What is the deadline for submitting a proposal?
A. The deadlines for all the various proposal systems are the same with the exception of the Research Poster proposal system. Presentations, Evening Activities, Support Groups and IOCDF Research Symposium proposals are due by Monday, February 4, 2019 at 5pm EST. At that time, all of these systems will close. The Research Poster proposal system will close on Monday, April 1, 2019.
Q. What is the deadline for making changes to my proposal?
A. If you need to make changes to your proposal, you can log into the online system and make the changes any time BEFORE the submission deadline listed above. All changes submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
Q. When will I find out whether my proposal was accepted or not?
A. If you submitted a proposal for a Presentation, Support Group, Evening Activity, or the IOCDF Research Symposium, you should expect to receive notification of acceptance or rejection by the early March 2019. If you submitted a proposal for a Research Poster, you should expect to receive notification of acceptance or rejection by mid-May 2019.
Q. I already submitted my proposal, but I need to make last minute changes. How do I do this?
A. If you need to make changes to your proposal (changes in speaker lineup, description, biographies, track submitted for, contact information for speakers, etc.), you MUST do so before the submission deadline of Monday, February 4, 2019 at 5pm ET. To submit changes, you will need to log in to the Proposal Submission System via your profile credentials, and select on the proposal to which you wish to make changes.
Q. I submitted a proposal but I have not heard whether or not it was accepted yet. When will I hear about this, and how?
A. All lead presenters (the first person who submitted the proposal) will receive an email from the IOCDF Conference Planning Team, by the deadlines below, stating whether your proposal was accepted or rejected.
If you submitted a proposal for a Presentation, Youth Program, Support Group, Evening Activity, or the IOCDF Research Symposium, you should expect to receive notification of acceptance or rejection by early March 2019.
If you submitted a proposal for a Research Poster, you should expect to receive notification of acceptance or rejection by mid-May 2019.
Q. I am a child or teen under the age of 18. Can I still submit a proposal to speak at the Conference?
A. Yes, you are welcome to speak at the Conference; however, you must receive permission from your parent/guardian to do so and they must submit your proposal on your behalf through the online Proposal Submission System and sign the Minor Waiver form.
Q. I am over the age of 18; however, someone on the proposal I am submitting is a minor. Can I sign the waiver for them?
A. No, you must first get permission from the minor’s parent/guardian, and the parent/legal guardian must both create a profile in the Proposal Submission System for the minor and sign the electronic Minor Waiver form.
Q. I am planning to submit a research poster and heard that there are two events that I can submit to again this year. Can you tell me more about these events?
A. Yes! There will be two opportunities for researchers to present a research poster at the Annual OCD Conference. You can submit to one or both of these events through the Research Poster Proposal Submission System.
Q. I have a question that was not answered by this Q&A article. How can I contact the IOCDF Conference Planning Team to ask my question directly?
A. You can reach us by email at conference@ocd2019.org , or by phone at (617) 973-5801. Email or call us today — we are happy to help!