Doctoral students are invited to submit a two-page extended abstract for review and possible inclusion in the PhD Forum program. The content of the paper should focus on one’s own research work and future thesis contribution (not the work of the research team or project as a whole).

Important dates

June 7, 2021: Extended Abstracts, Due
June 21, 2021: Notification of Acceptance
[New date!] June 28, 2021: Registration
[New date!] June 30, 2021: Final Camera-Ready Abstracts,  Due
July 2, 2021: PhD Forum session within the ConTEL program

Step-by-step guide for participation

Step 1: Extended abstract for review

The extended abstracts should be formatted according to the ConTEL 2021 regular paper format. The length of the extended abstract is limited to two (2) pages in total.

The extended abstract should contain the title, the name and the affiliations of the student and her/his advisor(s), the summary of research goals/results (of maximum 150 words), the research topic presentation, graphical illustrations to aid the presentation, and the list of references.

The extended abstract should be submitted electronically before the submission deadline, via the direct link to EDAS (PhD Forum track) (or, if starting from the ConTEL 2021 main submission page, make sure to select PhD Forum track).

If the paper is accepted, the authors will be invited to submit the final version of the paper, revised according to the reviewers’ comments, to be published in the ConTEL 2021 PhD Forum Book of Abstracts, after the conference. The final version should be submitted in the same way as the initial version for review, by using EDAS.

Quick links:

• paper (2-pg extended abstract) formatting instructions
• how to use EDAS for paper sumbission
• direct EDAS submission link to the PhD Forum track.

Step 2: Poster

The authors of accepted submissions will be asked to prepare a poster, to be personally presented (by the doctoral student) at the Forum.

The poster should be formatted according to the template, allowing it to be printed on standard A1 size paper (594 x 841 mm), portrait orientation), as well as exported to PDF format (using a standard A4 paper size), for virtual/online presentation.

Quick links:

• poster template.

Step 3: Live or online presentation

The PhD Forum will be organized as a poster session, preceded by a fast-paced introduction by each student that offers a preview of the posters. Each student will be given a strictly-timed 2-minutes’ slot to present a “pitch talk” about her/his research. The purpose of the pitch talk is to provide a brief outline of one’s doctoral research work, with the goal to raise awareness and generate further discussion over the poster session that follows next.

Quick links:

• instructions for preparing the slides,
• presentation template.

Step 4: Poster session

The conference as a whole, as well as the PhD Forum, will take place in hybrid format. Depending on the ability of the participants to travel, presentations will be either: 1) face to face in the conference venue and location, or, 2) online via zoom.

In any case, the audience will have the opportunity to view the posters and informally discuss their content with the PhD student authors. This may take place in the physical or virtual space. Instructions on how to attend will be sent to all registered participants.

Best poster and best presentation awards

All posters will enter the competition for the best poster and best presentation. The winners will be elected by popular vote.