21st Islands of the World Conference

What to submit

Abstracts are submitted in English. The form is organised into four short sections — background, methods, results, and conclusions — each with its own word limit. For empirical work these map onto a conventional structured abstract; conceptual, theoretical, and humanities-based contributions are welcome to read “methods” as their approach or sources and “results” as their central arguments or findings. Panel and session proposals can use the same sections to set out the rationale, contributors, and expected contribution. Author names and affiliations are removed before review, so your work is judged on its merit alone.

Key dates

• Abstract submission opens1 August 2026
• Submission deadline15 October 2026
• Notification of acceptanceDecember 2026

Presentation formats

Indicate your preferred format when submitting. The programme committee may suggest an alternative if it better serves the programme.

• Oral paper — 20-min presentation + 10-min discussion. Standard format for individual or co-authored papers.
• Organised panel — 3–4 papers on a shared theme, submitted together by a panel coordinator. 90-minute session including discussion. Include a brief panel rationale (max 200 words).
• Poster — Visual presentation during a dedicated poster session. A0 portrait format. Well-suited to work in progress or visual research.
• Roundtable — Structured discussion without formal papers. Suitable for emerging debates or policy conversations. Up to 6 participants, 60–90 minutes. Describe topic and format in your abstract.

How abstracts are reviewed

Each abstract is assessed independently by three reviewers against six criteria. Scores are combined as a weighted average, so the criteria below carry different weight in the final result.

• Relevance to the conference theme×1.5
• Originality and contribution×1
• Scholarly quality and methodology×1.5
• Strength of findings or argument×1
• Relevance to island contexts and practice×1
• Clarity and structure×1