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Submissions

Call for Submissions

The International Society for Contemplative Research invites individuals to submit Abstracts for the 2027 ISCR Annual Meeting In Kyoto, Japan from May 18-22. Individuals can submit through our Abstract submission system to present in the following formats:

  • Pre and post conference workshops
  • Individual presentations
  • Concurrent panel presentations
  • Poster presentations

Before submitting your proposal, please carefully review the “What to Submit” information below, including the requirements and guidelines for your chosen presentation format.

Submission limitations:

  • 2 presenter roles/oral or poster
  • Members and Non-Members are limited to Two Presenting Roles.
    – Presenting Roles are: Presenting Author of an Individual Poster
    – Presenting Author of an oral Presentation
    – Panelist in a self-organized panel or plenary panel
  • The roles of Chair and Discussant do not count as presenting roles; however, these roles are protected from schedule conflicts.
Guidelines - Please read before submitting

Guidelines for Submissions to the 2027 International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) 4th Annual Conference

  • Word Count: Keep the text strictly within the limit.
    • Focus on the Problem & Research Question: State the core issue or broader topic in 1–2 sentences. Define the exact research question or primary objective.
    • Data Gap: Explain what is missing in current literature or practice. Show why your specific study is needed.
    • Key Findings (Preliminary Findings): Summarize your primary data, trends, or results gathered so far. Be specific rather than vague.
    • Implications & Takeaways: Conclude by explaining how your results contribute to the field. Highlight the broader application or “so what” factor of your work.
  • Language: Write in clear, accessible English. Avoid heavy jargon so interdisciplinary reviewers across science, education, and humanities can understand your work.
  • Interdisciplinary Focus: Align your abstract with core ISCR themes. These include neural processes, contemplative traditions, clinical/social sciences, or first-person approaches.
  • Work-in-Progress Policy: ISCR accepts ongoing studies or “trials in progress” as long as you include clear, presentable preliminary findings.
  • Formatting Constraints: Do not include figures, photographs, tables, or references inside the abstract text block unless explicitly permitted by the submission portal.

ISCR is committed to the principles of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (see our statement) and other diversity of thought, including diversity of perspectives and approaches to contemplative research. Preference will be given to Abstracts that address diversity in all its forms.

Key Dates

Submissions Close

November 30, 2026

Submit now!

Pre- and post-conference workshops (90 or 180 minutes)

What it is: Individuals or groups may submit abstracts for interactive workshops that include opportunities for didactic, experiential, discursive, and/or skills-based engagement with contemplative topics of scholarship and practice. Authors may submit a proposal for one 90-minute workshop or a two-part 180-minute workshop. Proposals for two-part workshops will be accepted based on time availability. If the topic is of interest to the conference reviewers, but time is not feasible for a two-part workshop, authors may be advised to modify their proposal.

What to Submit
  • The title of your proposed workshop (max 250 character limit)
  • 500-word abstract and presenter information.
  • In the “Submission Details” box include: A description of the general topic of the workshop and the contributions of each speaker. Please also highlight how the presentation contributes to the diversity of ISCR’ Conference speakers and topics.
  • The submission can be up to 500 words (3,000 characters including spaces).
  • Please provide a submission summary for the program. The summary should not exceed 500 characters (including spaces).
  • For two-part workshops, include a brief description of how the two sessions build upon one another.

Individual Presentations (20 minutes)

What it is: Individuals may submit abstracts for 20-minute oral presentations (15-minute talk + 5 minutes Q&A), which may be grouped together thematically into 90-minute oral sessions. Due to space and time limitations, a limited number of individual presentations will be accepted. Applicants are therefore encouraged to coordinate a panel or submit a poster presentation when appropriate. Work in progress, study protocols, and preliminary findings are better suited for posters. 

What to Submit
  • Names, emails, and affiliations of all authors (Primary and secondary)
  • The title of your presentation (max 250 characters)
  • Your submission should be up to 250 words (up to 1500 characters including spaces) and should include the following sections as relevant within the submission details box below (identify section headers with CAPS then a colon)
    – BACKGROUND AND AIMS:
    – METHODS:
    – RESULTS:
    – CONCLUSIONS:
    – ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND FUNDING:
  • Please provide a submission summary for the program book. The summary should not exceed 500 characters (including spaces)
  • If you wish to copy and paste your submission, please ensure it is in basic text format using Word format. Once your submission is entered in the text box, you can format as needed. All submissions must be via the text box provided.
  • Applicants may indicate upon submission whether they would also be willing to present their work as a poster.

Concurrent Panel Presentations (3-4 people, 90 minutes)

Groups may submit abstracts for 90-minute presentations or discussions with 3-4 presenters organized around a common topic or theme. Each panelist will offer a brief opening perspective on the common panel topic, with all opening perspectives together lasting approximately 40 minutes. The presentations should make distinct but complementary contributions to the overall panel theme. Depending on the number of presenters, individual presentations may be between 12-15 minutes, leaving at least 30 minutes at the end for discussion and audience Q&A. One presenter is responsible for moderating the discussion and as timekeeper. Interdisciplinary representation will be prioritized and should clearly bridge at least two distinct domains (for example: humanities/contemplative practice; developmental science/neuroscience; social/clinical science). 

What to Submit
  • The title of your proposed panel (max 250 character limit)
  • The names, emails and affiliations of the presenters/speakers (3 to 5 people) added in Step 3 of the submission form
  • A proposal that will include a 150-word overview describing the overall theme and how the panel will integrate the different perspectives. This should be followed by a 150-word abstract from each presenter describing the perspective they will bring to the panel, along with presenter information. Diversity of methods, perspectives, and identities among presenters is strongly encouraged
  • Please provide a submission summary for the program. The summary should not exceed 500 characters (including spaces)

Posters (May be considered for a Research Spotlight [Mini-Presentation of 5 minutes])

What it is: Individuals may submit abstracts for a poster presentation to be presented during concurrent 90-minute poster sessions. Posters may include new research results as well as theoretical, historical, textual, methodological, or other relevant scholarship, including work in progress and study protocols. Selected posters may also be considered for a 5-minute Research Spotlight presentation.

What to submit: 300-word abstract plus presenter information.

What to Submit
  • Names, emails, and affiliations of all authors (Primary and secondary)
  • The title of your presentation (max 250 characters)
  • Your submission should be up to 250 words (up to 1500 characters including spaces) and should include the following sections as relevant within the submission details box below (identify section headers with CAPS then a colon)
    – BACKGROUND AND AIMS:
    – METHODS:
    – RESULTS:
    – CONCLUSIONS:
    – ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND FUNDING:
  • Please provide a submission summary for the program book. The summary should not exceed 500 characters (including spaces)
  • If you wish to copy and paste your submission, please ensure it is in basic text format using Word format. Once your submission is entered in the text box, you can format as needed. All submissions must be via the text box provided.
Submit now!

Submission portal information

ISCR submissions are now managed by Conference Manager 2.0, a management application that is also used by other organizations. Due to this shared system, you may already have an existing account. Please review the instructions below carefully so as not to create duplicate user accounts.

If you do not have a user account, please click the button below and create an account. On the landing page, select “create user profile” under the “New Users” heading. After you create your account, you will use your email, and new password to log into the system. These credentials will be required for submitting your work. Once you have created your account, and logged in, you will be taken to your account dashboard. One of the tiles on the dashboard will say Abstract Submission- click the link that says, “Submit Now”.

Submit now!