The International Communication Association's current and prospective members can, beginning 6 September, submit full papers and abstracts-as well as interactive papers and panel presentation proposals. In addition, for the 2012 conference, ICA has created a new 2.5-hour extended session and each Division will be seeking proposals for innovative panel or workshop structures with some sort of interactivity and variety built into the design.

The online submission window will stay open for 8 weeks, closing at 11 pm EST on 1 November. Note that this year, members may only make a maximum of five submissions. To read about the 2012 Conference setting (Phoenix), theme ("Communication and Community "), and submission guidelines, check the ICA website at http://www.icahdq.org/conferences/2012/2012CFP.pdf.

Please pay careful attention to certain guidelines that, should you fail to adhere, may cause your submission to be disqualified from consideration. This includes a new guideline adopted by the ICA Board of Directors limiting the number of submissions an individual can put forward: Each submitter/presenter is limited to five (5) peer reviewed submissions including papers and panels. This policy applies to all submissions, regardless of whether the submitter is listed as a first or seventh author. Submitting more than five submissions will disqualify the individual from consideration.

Authors may also face disqualification if any identification is included in the submissions, including file properties. Before submitting, make sure that your name is not included on a title page, header, footer, etc.

One of the most common problems ICA staff encounters during the submission period is the creation of duplicate records. If a submitter has more than one account with ICA, that submitter will not be able to gain access to submissions, read completed paper reviews, or upload revised papers. There are two very simple things a submitter can do to avoid creating a duplicate record: 1) When starting the submission process, always search for your name and record. By searching, you will know that you have located your record and also verify that no duplicate exists. Should you find more than one record for yourself, contact the ICA staff to merge these accounts before any of the aforementioned issues comes to pass. 2) If you are adding a coauthor or member of a panel to your submission, be sure to search thoroughly for his or her record before creating a new one. If the listed affiliation is not up-to-date, you should still add the record if you know it is for the same person. That individual can easily update the affiliation when signing into the Paper Management System.

Submit your papers soon and avoid the last-minute rush!