How to organise a paper session
Paper sessions are made up of at least one presenter presenting their conference paper as an oral presentation.
This is followed by questions/discussion, which may involve a discussant and/or the audience.
Suggested session format
A paper session is usually organised around a central challenge or topic. Presenters are invited to submit paper proposals responding to that topic. This session type typically has one or two organisers, one of whom will act as the 'session chair'.
We usually consider any presentation with its own title and abstract as a 'paper', even if it is not written as a full paper.
For a session length of 100 minutes (1 hour 40 minutes), session organisers can consider the following formats:
- Multiple papers
- Keynote presentations
- Interactive short papers
Multiple papers
Five 15-minute presentations each with five minutes for questions. Questions can either immediately follow the paper or be at the end of the session.
If the session takes place online, factor in time for moving between presenters and consider having four 15-minute presentations instead.
Alternatively, this session format can consist of three or four 15-minute presentations each with five minutes for questions, followed by a 15-20 minutes discussant.
This usually works best if the papers can be sent to the discussant in advance.
Keynote
One or two ‘ keynote’ presentations of up to 30 minutes each, addressing different aspects of a challenge/topic.
This format is usually followed by a chaired discussion involving presenters and audience.
Interactive short papers
Up to ten short presentations of five minutes each, followed by a chaired interactive discussion involving all the presenters and the audience to explore common themes from the papers.
Preparing the session
Session organisers may choose to:
- Make an open call for papers, in which anyone may submit a paper proposal to the organisers.
- Invite presenters to give papers in the session on a particular topic without advertising the session.
Making an open call for papers
If you choose to put out a public call for papers, include:
- A short title and abstract for the session.
- Explain the challenge or topic that you are organising the session to address, and the conference for which it is being organised
- Include a link to the conference website).
- Make the title and abstract inviting as they 'market' your session.
- A brief description of the session format, if you have already decided, e.g. number of papers you plan to accept.
- Names and email addresses of the session organisers.
- Submission guidelines for presenters: what information should they send, to whom, and by when.
You can also send us a copy at ac2026@rgs.org to add to the list on the conference website.
Choosing papers
We recommend prioritising papers with an original perspective, or which have not been previously presented at other conferences.
When selecting papers, organisers should aim for a balanced session with papers approaching the topic in different ways. They should also encourage contributions from researchers at different career stages and from underrepresented groups.
Keeping in touch with presenters
After selecting your papers, it’s crucial to keep in touch with presenters before the conference. Remind them of their allotted speaking time and the deadline for submitting their paper or presentation.
Have a back-up plan in case a presenter withdraws from the session. For example, invite someone else to take their place or ask a discussant to comment on the other papers.
For audiences, allocating more time for questions and discussion is usually better than extending presentations.
Running the session on conference day
The session chair should keep the session running to time.
Presenters who over-run their allotted time will reduce the time available for the remaining presenters.
Suggest that presenters pre-load their presentations onto the PC before the session starts, and keep things running by making only a short introduction of each presenter as they stand up to speak.
For chaired discussions, we encourage session chairs to prepare a few questions for each presenter to help open up the session topic or theme.
