Student Participation
Undergraduate Scholars Conference
Competitive Graduate Posters
Student Ambassador Program
James C. McCroskey and Virginia P. Richmond
Undergraduate Scholars Conference
held concurrently with the
Eastern Communication Association annual convention Hyatt Regency, Buffalo, NY
March 26–30, 2025
Submission Deadline: December 16, 2024, 11:59 PM (PST)
Register today!
Call for undergraduate submissions: We invite you to attend and present your scholarly work at the 15th annual James C. McCroskey and Virginia P. Richmond Undergraduate Scholars Conference (USC), to be held concurrently with the ECA’s 116th annual convention. The USC runs from Thursday evening through Saturday evening. Students are invited to a welcome reception on Thursday evening, a dinner/awards ceremony on
Friday evening, a graduate student fair, and the president’s reception on Saturday evening.
The 2025 USC will incorporate the convention theme, Contemporary Problems, Creative Solutions, to share great ideas and research that offer innovative solutions to the ever-changing world. While the USC welcomes all creative research in communication studies, please consider addressing some of the contemporary problems and potential solutions in various areas including social justice, artificial intelligence, higher education enrollment, undergraduate and graduate program development, curriculum changes, current political climate, health disparities, and workplace communication issues, among other areas.
This is an exciting opportunity to showcase your undergraduate work and share some of the great projects you have been working on in your classes. On top of sharing your work, these sessions will offer opportunities to receive beneficial feedback, network with other students and scholars, and learn more about the many opportunities within the Communication Studies discipline.
There are two submission options for this year’s conference: paper submissions and poster presentation submissions, which are explained below. All submissions, whether a paper or a poster presentation, will be blind reviewed as part of the selection process for the USC. You can submit a maximum of one paper and a maximum of one poster presentation.
Paper submissions should be finished papers (i.e., NOT a work in progress & NOT a research
paper prospectus). Accepted paper submissions will require a 10 – 12-minute oral presentation and will be scheduled as part of a panel consisting of 4-5 papers. These presentations will be followed by a brief question/answer discussion or a response from a communication scholar who has read each submitted paper.
Each paper should (a) be a maximum of 25 double-spaced pages (not including the references and any tables or figures), (b) be typed in Times Roman 12-point font with 1-inch margins, and (c) follow the American Psychological Association style for reference citation.
In conjunction with the National Communication Association, the USC will recognize the Lambda Pi Eta Top Paper Award. Created in 2017, the Lambda Pi Eta Top Paper Award recognizes the outstanding research of undergraduates at the regional level. This award will be presented to the highest ranked student paper authored by a current member(s) of Lambda Pi Eta.
Poster presentation submissions can be a finished research paper OR a research project currently in progress. Poster presentations are ideal for those research projects that would benefit from a visual display. Accepted poster presentation submissions will be scheduled as part of a poster session of 15-20 posters.
For all submissions, make sure that any identifying information (i.e., your name, school, faculty mentor or course instructor, contact information) is NOT contained anywhere within the document. Be sure to also inspect the document and remove all personal information from the document properties, including file names, before submitting for review; but of course, this information is encouraged to be on your poster you submit at the conference.
Submission Guidelines: All submissions must be uploaded through Attendee Interactive, which can be accessed at https://ww4.aievolution.com/eca2501/. If you do not already have an ECA Attendee Interactive account, you will be prompted to create an account with a new User ID and Password to submit your work.
When submitting a paper for consideration through Attendee Interactive, the following fields must be completed:
- Title (select Undergraduate Paper as the option);
- Author(s);
- A 100-150 word abstract of your paper, followed verbatim by the ECA Statement of Professional Responsibility: In submitting the attached paper or poster presentation, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional I/We agree to present this paper or poster if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend and present at ECA’s annual meeting must register and pay required fees;
- Categories, which is where you indicate whether you (and any coauthors) are all members of Lambda Pi Eta;
- Additional Information (e.g., LCD projector, Internet access; at this time, please note that any technology request is not guaranteed);
- Documents (i.e., the paper; accepted file types are Word and PDF);
- Preview, which enables you to review the information you provided in the prior fields; and
- Finalize, which directs you to upload your submission
When submitting a poster presentation for consideration through Attendee Interactive, the following fields must be completed:
- Title (select Undergraduate Poster as the option);
- Author(s);
- A 100-150 word abstract of your poster, followed verbatim by the ECA Statement of Professional Responsibility: In submitting the attached paper or poster presentation, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional I/We agree to present this paper or poster if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend and present at ECA’s annual meeting must register and pay required fees;
- Additional Information (e.g., any special request; please note that this request is not guaranteed);
- Documents (i.e., a 1-2 page outline of the major points you plan to display on your poster; accepted file types are Word and PDF);
- Preview, which enables you to review the information you provided in the prior fields; and
- Finalize, which directs you to upload your submission
If you have questions about the submission process or the conference, contact Dr. James Baker (james.baker@missioncollege.edu) and Dr. Sara Pitts (sarapitts@alc.edu), the 2025 Undergraduate Scholars Conference Planners.
You can donate to the USC Scholarship fund here.
ECA USC Poster Guidelines - PowerPoint
ECA USC Poster Guidelines Word Document
Call for Competitive Graduate Posters
116th Eastern Communication Association Annual Convention
“Contemporary Problems, Creative Solutions”
Hyatt Regency, Buffalo, NY
March 26-March 30, 2025
****Submission Deadline: December 16, 2024 at 11:59 P.M. (PST)****
Planner Email: jkw3tu@uvawise.edu
2025 ECA Graduate Poster Session Planner: Julia K. Weiss, University of Virginia’s College at Wise
Submission Format:
ECA uses Attendee Interactive to manage submissions and reviews. The deadline for submissions is December 16th, 2024 at 11:59 PST. All submissions must be uploaded through Attendee Interactive, which can be accessed at https://ww4.aievolution.com/eca2501/. Please note that your Attendee Interactive login and your ECA Membership login may be different. If you do not already have an ECA Attendee Interactive account, you will be prompted to create an account with a new User ID and Password to submit your work.
Poster presentation submissions can be either a finished research paper or a research project that is currently in progress. Poster presentations are ideal for those research projects that would benefit from a visual display. Accepted poster presentations will be scheduled as part of a poster session consisting of 15-20 posters. For all submissions, be sure that any identifying information (i.e., your name, school, faculty mentor or course instructor, contact information) is NOT contained anywhere within the document. Also, be sure you inspect the document and remove all personal information from the document properties, including file names, before submitting.
Submission Guidelines for Completed Submissions for Poster Presentation:
- A title page.
- Author(s).
- A 100-150 word abstract of your paper, followed verbatim by the ECA Statement of Professional Responsibility recognizing that you (and your coauthors) have read and agree to the following statement: “In submitting the attached paper or poster presentation, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional responsibility. I/We agree to present this paper or poster if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend and present at ECA’s annual meeting must register and pay required fees”.
- Mark "Debut" if the author(s) has not presented previously at a regional, national, or international convention – to be considered a Debut, each author must have not presented previously.
- If you are not submitting a completed paper, please submit a 1 – 2-page description of the research to be depicted, including ideas/questions that will be discussed during your poster session and recommendations for future research. If you have questions about the submission process or the conference, contact Julia K. Weiss (jkw3tu@uvawise.edu), the 2025 Graduate Poster planner.
General Poster Q&A:
(1) What is a poster session?
- A poster session is a display of multiple research papers in poster/discussion format. Rather than a formal presentation, poster sessions allow authors to display their findings through both text and illustrations and – at the same time – discuss their research with participants attending the session. The idea is to get a large number of people to see your work in a quick, efficient, clear, organized, and professional manner.
- Posters are comprised of small amounts of text along with charts, graphs, photographs, diagrams, and other visual representations of data and findings. The author(s) of each manuscript/poster stands adjacent to his/her poster, ready to discuss what is displayed in further depth with conventioneers who attend the session. Although there are formal starting and ending times to the session itself, attendees may visit the posters at any time throughout the session.
(2) Will there be awards?
- The Top Posters in the Graduate Poster Division will receive awards. No posters will be considered for these awards if they do not adhere to the “Poster Session Absolutes” listed below. Judges will pass through the poster sessions on both days to evaluate the posters. All judge's decisions are final.
(3) What must my poster have? (“Poster Session Absolutes”):
- The paper title (at the TOP of the poster), which must be the same title you submitted with your accepted paper, even if you’ve made revisions since then.
- The author(s) name(s) and affiliation(s).
- The main findings of the paper – typed text and graphics.
- Absolutely NO handwritten text or free-hand drawings.
- Further suggestions for research are recommended but are not necessary.
(4) Should I have a handout as well?
- Although it is not necessary, we do recommend handouts for a more effective experience with your audience. Handouts should be no more than half a page to one page to provide to those interested in your poster. This assists in creating conversations after the poster session is over if you include contact information for all authors on the handout. This also can help you reach individuals you may have not been able to interact with.
- Minimally, the handout should have the author(s) name(s) and contact information, the title of the paper, and the abstract. Images may be included but are not required. It is recommended to note on the handout that this was presented at the ECA 2025 Graduate Poster Session.
- Bring anywhere between 15-25 handouts and a sign-up sheet in case you run out of copies.
(5) Any other information I should know about?
- The theme of the 2025 ECA conference is “Contemporary Problems, Creative Solutions” meaning that scholarship in Communication Studies can offer both theoretical and practical insights to address contemporary issues in our ever-changing world. Although not required, it is strongly encouraged that your poster submission relate to the theme of the year. See the ECA Convention website for more information about this year’s theme.
- Information regarding your poster will be sent out once posters are accepted. This will include poster format, materials, dos and don’ts during the poster session, and professionalism. Should your poster be accepted, please look out for a follow-up
email regarding this information.
Student Poster Session Guidelines
Application for Student Ambassador Program
The ECA Student Ambassador Program is designed to provide Undergraduate students with the opportunity to, without paying registration fees, attend and participate in the ECA convention and experience an academic service opportunity. It is a wonderful chance to learn about academia while adding a service element to the Ambassador’s résumé or graduate school application.
This is a competitive selection process and a limited number of Ambassador slots are available.
Complete your application for the Student Ambassador Program
Submission Deadline: Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 11:59 PM PST
