APA Meeting Submission and Guidelines

The submission guidelines and format descriptions below apply to the Annual Meeting and APA's fall meeting. Please follow the same guidelines and procedures when submitting to either meeting.

• Courses

  How to Submit a Course

  Format Description

  • 4-hour session
  • Courses explore a major topic in greater depth than any other format, with a focus on development of real-world skills attendees can put into practice upon completing the course
  • Minimum four faculty (director can also serve as faculty)
  • Maximum six faculty

  Checklist for Submission

  • Course title (maximum of 150 characters, with spaces)
    • Title should be brief, unique and interesting
  • Participant information*
    • Completed profile
    • Financial disclosure form
    • Presenter release forms
    • Please note that your submission will not be finalized and sent to grading until all presenters complete their financial disclosure and presenter release forms
    • Use the "Add Co-Presenter" button to add faculty to your submission
  • Educational objectives (maximum of 200 characters, with spaces, per objective)
    • Three to five learning objectives
    • Each objective will complete the statement “At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to:”
    • Use active verbs like “understand,” “demonstrate,” and “provide” to begin each objective
  • Course abstract (maximum of 3,000 characters, with spaces)
    • The abstract should be a concise description of the content your course will cover and the specific skills your audience can expect to gain from the session.
  • Agenda
    • Indicate what content will be covered during each portion of the course and how time will be allotted for activities and interaction with participants.
    • Include at least 15 minutes for audience Q&A at the end of each topic covered on your agenda.
  • Topic
    • Select one to two topics that best describe the overall focus of your proposed session.

  Course Submission Examples

  • Course Example 1
  • Course Example 2

  *All presenters must create a profile and complete the required forms prior to submitting a proposal for review by the Scientific Program Committee. All presenters must be available to present at the meeting and must register for the meeting prior to the date of their presentation.

• General Sessions

  How to Submit a General Session

  Format Description

  • This format includes the formats previously referred to as workshops, symposia, case conferences, forums and advances in psychiatry.
  • 90-minute session
  • Clinically oriented presentations (including research-/data-driven presentations) should encourage audience participation through discussion and Q&A between the presenters and audience.
  • Minimum two speakers
  • Maximum five speakers

  Checklist for Submission

  • General session title (maximum of 150 characters, with spaces)
    • Title should be brief, unique and interesting
  • Participant information*
    • Completed profile
    • Financial disclosure form
    • Presenter release forms
    • Please note that your submission will not be finalized and sent to grading until all presenters complete their financial disclosure and presenter release forms.
    • Use the "Add Co-Presenter" button to add co-presenters to your submission.
  • Educational objectives (maximum of 200 characters, with spaces, per objective)
    • Three to five learning objectives
    • Each objective will complete the statement "At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to:"
    • Use active verbs like "understand," "demonstrate," and "provide" to begin each objective.
  • Overall session abstract (maximum of 3,000 characters, with spaces)
    • The abstract should be a concise description of your session and how you plan to engage with your audience.
    • For research-focused presentations, a structured abstract is permitted.
  • Agenda
    • The agenda should outline details about your lesson plan, teaching methods, and timing of your proposed session.
  • Topic
    • Select one to two topics that best describe the overall focus of your proposed session.

  Download Examples

  • General Session Example 1
  • General Session Example 2

  *All presenters must create a profile and complete the required forms prior to submitting a proposal for review by the Scientific Program Committee. All presenters must be available to present at the meeting and must register for the meeting prior to the date of their presentation.

• Posters

  How to Submit a Poster

  Format Description

  • 90-minute presentation
  • Posters present new research and case findings
  • Only one presenter per poster

  Checklist for Submission

  • Poster title (maximum of 150 characters, with spaces)
    • Title should be brief, unique and interesting
  • Presenter information*
    • Completed profile
    • Financial disclosure form
    • Presenter release forms
    • Please note that your submission will not be finalized and sent to grading until the poster presenter and all co-authors complete their financial disclosure and presenter release forms
  • Co-authors
    • Use the "Add Co-Author" button to add any co-authors to your submission
  • Overall poster abstract (maximum of 3,000 characters, with spaces)
    • The abstract should be a concise description of results, findings, and conclusions.
  • Topic
    • Select one to two topics that best describe the overall focus of your proposed session.

  Download Examples

  • Poster Example 1
  • Poster Example 2

  *All presenters must create a profile and complete the required forms prior to submitting a proposal for review by the Scientific Program Committee. All presenters must be available to present at the meeting and must register for the meeting prior to the date of their presentation.

  Policies and Guidelines for Poster Presentations