CONFERENCE on INNOVATIONS in TRAUMA RESEARCH METHODS
November 16-17, 2008
Hotel Orrington
Chicago's North Shore

CITRM 2008

CALL FOR ORAL AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Extended Deadline: July 15, 2008

The fifth annual Conference on Innovations in Trauma Research Methods (CITRM) welcomes submissions for presentations and posters by conference attendees. Consistent with the goals of CITRM, submissions should emphasize research methods, not content. The research method can be illustrated using a data set or examples from research on psychological trauma, although presentations that use data from other content areas also will be considered. Presentations/posters can address issues related to research design; sampling and recruitment; measurement and assessment; data analysis; ethical issues in trauma research; or a key theoretical issue in trauma research methods. Presentations/posters can focus on a totally new research method or issue, or a research method that has been used in other disciplines but rarely in trauma research. The presenter does not need to be the person who developed the method, but does need to have personal experience using the method and understand it well.

Submission types
Submitted presentations will conform to one of two formats:
1. Seminar: Seminars will be 90 minutes. At least 20 minutes should be allocated for questions and group discussion. At the presenter’s discretion, this can occur throughout the didactic oral presentation or can be left for the end. Seminars may be offered by a single presenter or several presenters.
2. Poster: Posters will be displayed for one-half day. In addition, there will be a one-hour poster session the evening of the first day of the conference.

The number of oral presentations that can be accepted is limited, due to space and time constraints. Accordingly, if you submit a seminar, you will have the option of having your submission considered for a poster presentation. In making your decision, please consider whether your submission will be adaptable to a poster format. We are not able to accept proposals for symposia (a group of papers on a similar topic).

Evaluation criteria
A committee of reviewers blinded to the identity of the author(s) will evaluate submissions using the following criteria:
1. Potential utility for trauma research
2. Innovation
3. Primary focus on teaching or demonstrating methodology over content
4. Clarity of abstract

Timeline and submission procedure
The deadline for receipt of submissions is June 30, 2008. Proposals received after June 30th will not be reviewed. You will be notified of the decision by August 1, 2008. Since presentation space at CITRM is limited, the number of proposals that can be accepted is limited. You may submit (as first author) more than one proposal, but no more than one proposal will be selected for any one person (acting as first author). A computer and projector will be available for presentations. CITRM does not have the capacity to accommodate presentations that use videotape. Multiple copies of hard-copy handouts are the responsibility of the presenters. Authors should submit proposals to Dlauterba@emich.edu as email attachments, with the following subject heading for the email message: CITRM SUBMISSION. You will receive a confirmation of receipt of your submission within two days.

Format for submissions
The proposal should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document. The document should have 1-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides, and use 12-point Arial font. The proposal should be single-spaced, and must not exceed two pages.

The first page should include the following identifying information that will not be sent to the reviewers:
1. TITLE:
2. NAME(S) AND AFFILIATION(S) OF PRESENTER(S):
3. CONTACT INFORMATION (mailing address, e-mail, work phone, fax of lead presenter):

The second page of the proposal should include the following information:
1. TITLE:
2. ABSTRACT: (maximum 400 words) Please include the following information:
a) Rationale for presentation
b) General description of issue or research method
c) Specific topics that will be covered in the presentation
d) Source of data used for illustration (if applicable)
3. TYPE OF SUBMISSION (seminar; poster):
4. (If seminar): IF YOUR SUBMISSION IS NOT ACCEPTED FOR ORAL PRESENTATION, WOULD YOU LIKE IT TO BE CONSIDERED FOR POSTER PRESENTATION?: Yes/No/Not applicable
5. (If seminar): METHOD USED TO GENERATE AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION:
6. PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE:
7. REFERENCES (up to 3; note: The presenter need not be the author of the references.):

A sample proposal appears below

(PAGE 1, SAMPLE PROPOSAL)

1. TITLE: Key issues in the assessment of domestic violence
2. NAME(S) OF PRESENTER(S): John Doe, Ph.D., University of Upper Slobovia
3. CONTACT INFORMATION:
Address: 1000 Main Street, Department of Psychology, University of Upper Slobovia, Upper Slobovia, New York, 12221
Email: jdoe@slobovia.edu
Phone: 212-123-4567

(PAGE 2, SAMPLE PROPOSAL)

1. TITLE: Key issues in the assessment of domestic violence
2. ABSTRACT: (Less than 400 words): Most trauma researchers receive strong training in the assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder and a broad array of disorders that emerge following exposure to a traumatic event. However, the assessment of victims of domestic violence requires a much more specific knowledge base and consideration of ongoing safety issues. This presentation will focus on teaching the audience key challenges in the assessment of intra-familial violence. It will begin with a brief overview of contemporary issues including, but not limited to, a discussion of the definitional issues of domestic violence. A brief description of currently available self-report measures will also be provided, including a discussion about their reliability and validity for different assessment purposes. In addition, two innovative, alternative assessment strategies will be presented - the timeline followback method and experience sampling methods. The timeline followback method is a calendar-based method of assessing past experiences and behaviors. Experience sampling methods are ways to assess the frequency, intensity, and patterns of cognitions, emotions, and behavioral experiences over time in an ecologically valid way that also minimizes retrospective recall biases. We will discuss briefly data analytic techniques to address respondent bias and the serial dependence of intensively-collected experience sampling data. Throughout the seminar, we will emphasize a practical, rather than a theoretical, understanding of issues involved in the assessment of domestic violence and other forms of abuse. All of the methods described in the seminar will be illustrated using data from an on-going longitudinal survey of domestic violence victims.
3. TYPE OF SUBMISSION (seminar; poster): Seminar
4. CONSIDER FOR POSTER PRESENTATION: No
5. METHOD USED TO GENERATE AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Handouts of examples of self-report instruments, digital video clips of observational techniques. Audience members will be asked to interpret the model and assess model performance.
6. PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE: General background in the area of trauma and PTSD assessment (e.g., through a one semester graduate course in psychopathology).
7. REFERENCES:
Feindler, E. L., Rathus, J. H. & Silver, L.B. (2003). Assessment of family violence: A handbook for researchers and practitioners. Washington, DC, US; American Psychological Association

Procedures following acceptance
If your proposal for a seminar is accepted, you will be asked to confirm your acceptance. If you accept, we will expect:
1. Receipt of an electronic copy of your completed Power Point presentation approximately 1 month prior to CITRM, for inclusion in the program booklet given to all attendees.
2. Agreement to allow us to post a pdf format copy of your slides on the CITRM web page after the conference.
3. Digital picture of you and a brief biosketch for the CITRM website.

If your proposal for a poster presentation is accepted, you will be asked to confirm your acceptance.

All presenters of seminars and posters and any attending co-authors are required to register for the conference.

 

For more information, contact Lauren McSweeney at: Lauren.McSweeney@va.gov.