- All submissions must be made via the relevant online submissions portal. Emailed and incomplete submissions will not be considered for review.
- Submissions will not be accepted after the deadline.
- Submissions should be grounded in current or emerging quality evidence-based research, or reflect the latest best practices in skill development in the field, in line with SPA’s guidelines on Evidence-Based Practice for Speech Pathology in Australia.
- Submissions should contain new information not previously published or presented unless there is a substantial update of data. This ensures the conference remains a platform for fresh, innovative ideas and promotes the sharing of new knowledge.
- All submissions must adhere to SPA’s privacy policy and also comply with the Privacy Act 1988 and any applicable state, territory, and Commonwealth legislation throughout the execution and reporting of the project/work.
- Submissions should take into account SPA's Position Statements and ensure they reflect SPA’s commitment to inclusivity, diversity, anti-discrimination and anti-racism.
- Submissions must be reflected in the Scope of Practice for speech pathologists in Australia, and as such may not include partisan commentary or political positions that fall outside the scope of speech pathology practice.
- Submissions should use strengths based, inclusive, affirming, and respectful language that reflects how individuals and communities identify and describe themselves.
- All submissions that involve or consider Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples or their data, must adhere with the AIATSIS Code of Ethics.
- Submissions that focus on, involve, or represent Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples, cultures, or Communities must be presented by, or in conjunction with, an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander presenter.
- Submissions of a commercial or marketing nature will not be considered for the main program, and should in no way endorse a product, service, or program of any kind other than what is reasonably required for the purposes of education on your submission’s topic or presenter’s professional identification.
- Submissions reporting on research also constitutes formal confirmation of adherence to:
- Submissions reporting on quality improvement, evaluation, or other projects/work constitutes formal confirmation of adherence to:
The Conference Organiser will not be held responsible for submission errors caused by internet service outages, hardware or software delays, power outages or unforeseen events.
All submissions should follow the conference submission template. Please adhere to the following guidelines when preparing your submission:
- Submissions should be no longer than 300 words.
- Submissions should be text only. No diagrams, illustrations, tables, or graphics.
- Submissions should adhere to Australian English spelling and grammar conventions e.g. Colourful lorikeets flew over the harbour in the centre of Melbourne.
- Format the presentation title in sentence case, using capitals where appropriate. e.g. An exploration of sentence structure: Understanding how meaning is built
- Use third-person narrative when describing your work e.g. Treatment of xxx will be presented, rather than I will discuss.
- When using abbreviations in the body of the submission, spell out the full term at the first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Please ensure that all subsequent references use the established abbreviation.e.g. First mention: The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funds important health research projects in Australia. Subsequent references: NHMRC-funded studies have led to significant advancements in medical science.
- To ensure a blind review process, avoid including any product names, affiliations/organisation names, or information that may identify you or your organisation in the submission.
NB. The submitter is responsible for ensuring that the submission adheres to all guidelines and is free from typographical and grammatical errors prior to submitting. The provided submission will be utilised in its submitted form within the conference app/program.
Program scheduling
Accepted submissions will be scheduled together with other thematically related submissions. By submitting, you agree to be available for the duration of the conference. Any time constraints relating to the presentation date/time must be brought to the attention of the Conference Organiser when submitting.
Due to the large number of presentations included in the program, any request to alter allocated time slots cannot be guaranteed and will be considered on a case-by-case basis with respect to the impact on the whole program and other presenter(s).
The Conference Organiser reserves the right to change presentation dates and times if needed. In this instance every effort will be made to find an alternative presentation slot that is suitable to the presenter(s).
Conflict of interest and disclosure
Conflicts of interest (COI) are common and generally considered inevitable. COI are secondary interests (e.g., personal, commercial, political, academic, or financial) that may influence judgements of participants receiving the presentation. COI have been described as those which, when revealed later, would make a reasonable participant feel misled or deceived.
Financial interests may include employment, research funding, sponsorship, stock or share ownership, payment for lectures or travel, consultancies, company support for staff commissioning/funding/ sponsoring of any element of the paper, any financial or potential financial benefit, or PR firm involvement. This is not an exhaustive list of potential conflicts, rather an indication of the range of potential conflicts of interest.
The Conference Organiser takes the view that any potential COIs must be recognised and stated. If there is doubt about the existence of a conflict, it is preferable to err on the side of caution and make a disclosure. The intent of the disclosure is not to prohibit presenters from presenting, but rather to inform participants of any possible bias that presenters may have.
Disclosure must be done verbally and displayed in writing on a presentation slide at the beginning of a presentation. It may also be included in written conference materials.
Please note that the Conference Organiser reserves the right to rescind or withdraw any submission at any time, including after publication, if undeclared concerns with authorship, COI, plagiarism or content veracity and accuracy arise.
Presenter commitments and obligations
- Submitting constitutes a formal commitment to present the work in-person at the conference.
- The submitter signs for all co-presenter(s) and accepts responsibility for the present rules for submission and presentation on behalf of all co-presenter(s).
- There are no reduced fees for presenters. All costs associated with presenting, including conference registration, travel, and accommodation, are the responsibility of the presenter.
NB. Only the accepted submissions of fully registered presenters will be included in the final conference program. Registration is required by March 2026. Failure to register by this date will result in your presentation being removed from the program.
Review process
To ensure an equitable and fair process, all submissions will be blind-reviewed by experienced reviewers, evaluating their scientific quality and relevance. The specific review criteria, in addition to adherence to the specified submission requirements, collectively determine the overall rating. Submissions will then be selected based on their scores and reviewers' feedback. Decisions reached during this process are considered final, without an appeal process available.
To maintain the integrity of the review process, it is the policy of the Conference Organiser not to release the details of those who reviewed the submissions. Due to the volume of submissions received, individual feedback is not feasible. As submissions are double-blind peer-reviewed, requests for reconsideration of the rating cannot be accommodated.
The Conference Organiser retains the right to accept or decline submissions based on reviewers' final decisions. Given the limited availability of presentation slots and our dedication to maintaining a high-quality conference program, we will not be able to accommodate all submissions. Submitters should anticipate the potential need for alternative presentation formats due to space constraints or other considerations.
Review rubric
| |
% of overall score |
Criteria
|
3 (100%)
|
2 (66%)
|
1 (33%)
|
0 (0%)
|
|
Contribution to speech pathology practice
|
40% |
- Submission outlines how this topic will advance knowledge in speech pathology,
- Submission outlines the importance of this knowledge for the profession,
- Submission outlines the potential use or application for the profession.
|
A detailed description is provided of all listed criteria.
|
A detailed description is provided of two listed criteria.
Submission may address more than two listed criteria but is lacking detail/ relevance or otherwise does not adhere.
|
A detailed description is provided of one listed criterion.
Submission may address more than one listed criterion but is lacking detail/ relevance or otherwise does not adhere.
|
Minimal or no description is provided of the listed criteria
|
| Evidence 4 Based Practice |
35% |
- Submission outlines Research /
empirical evidence,
- Submission outlines service user
preferences evidence,
- Submission outlines practitioner
expertise evidence,
- Submission outlines context
evidence,
- Evidence is highly relevant to the
topic, and
- Evidence represents contemporary,
best practice evidence.
|
Excellent description of all relevant E4BP parameters and evidence is both highly relevant and contemporary best practice evidence.
|
Submission details most relevant E4BP parameters, and evidence is both relevant and contemporary best practice evidence.
|
Submission either details aspects of E4BP or provides some relevant and best practice evidence.
|
Submission provides little or no reference to E4BP, it is missing important details, and evidence is not contemporary and/or is minimally, or not relevant to the topic.
|
| Current relevance and unique perspective |
15% |
- Submission is about a topic that is innovative and currently impactful for the field.
- Submission is written in an engaging way / you feel interested in it, and
- The presentation provides a novel or unique perspective on the topic.
|
Submission details all of the listed criteria.
|
Submission details two of the listed criteria.
|
Submission details one of the listed criteria.
|
Submission does not clearly address the listed criteria.
|
| Adherence to submission guidelines |
10% |
- Submission is relevant,
- Adheres to word count,
- The structure covers objectives, methods, results, conclusions,
- Submission has a logical presentation,
- Submission contains key messages, and
- Submission contains limitations.
|
Submission details all of the listed criteria.
|
Submission details five of the listed criteria.
Submission may address more than five criteria, but is lacking detail / relevance or otherwise does not adhere.
|
Submission details four of the listed criteria
Submission may address more than four criteria, but is lacking detail / relevance or otherwise does not adhere.
|
Submission details three or fewer of the listed criteria
Submission may address more than three criteria, but is lacking detail / relevance or otherwise does not adhere.
|