Submission guidelines

For those who have had their submissions accepted as full paper presentations, you should now log back in to the submission site and upload your full paper as a Word document by the 11th May deadline. Log in and click on 'amend', scroll down your abstract information and then click to upload your paper.

Papers should be 6,000- 10,000 words including references, table and figure text. References can be in any style or format as long as the style is consistent.

Although we don’t plan to publish the papers, it is our intention to make them available via the conference website.

Click here to upload your full paper.

Conference tracks

We invite scholars and stakeholders to submit abstracts to one of the following conference tracks (track 1 is the conference theme; tracks 2-11 are from the STRN research agenda):

1. Whole system reconfiguration across production and consumption

2. Theoretical contributions to transition frameworks

3. Politics and power in transitions

4. Governance and policy instruments for stimulating transitions

5. Civil society, culture and social movements

6. Organizations and industries in sustainability transitions

7. Transitions in practice and everyday life

8. Local and urban transitions

9. Transitions in low income and developing countries

10. Methodological advances to study transitions, including modelling

11. New frontiers –new directions

Session Formats

IST2018 follows previous conferences by providing a range of formats to stimulate scholarly debate:

Full papers: A 90 minute session for presentation and discussion of 3 original research papers. Allocation to a full paper session requires authors to submit a full paper in advance of the conference. Otherwise, presenters will be allocated to speed talk sessions.

Speed talks: A 45 minute session for 3-5 speed talks, which briefly introduce new research ideas, data and analytical insights to provide a basis for collective discussion. We specifically invite contributions from industry and policy actors, as well as PhD students and early career researchers, providing an opportunity to discuss ideas at an early stage. Submission of full papers is not required for speed talk sessions.

Posters: Posters will be displayed for the duration of the conference; there will also be a dedicated poster session in the conference programme.

Dialogue sessions: A 90 minute session which aims to stimulate discussion and debate around a particular thematic focus. These sessions are proposed by an external session organiser / chair, with pre-agreed speakers. Dialogue sessions should be conceived to maximise audience participation. Submission of full papers is not required for dialogue sessions.

Submission Requirements

Extended abstracts (max 600 words) should be submitted by 18 January through the abstract system, which can be accessed here.

Abstracts for full papers, speed talks and posters should clearly identify the most relevant conference track and should describe the key research questions, theory, method and findings and a short (max 4 line) biography for the author(s).

Abstracts for dialogue sessions should describe the thematic focus, the contributions of speakers and explain how the session will be organised to maximise audience participation. The session organiser should propose the precise format of the session, which could be a panel, a sequence of speakers, a debate or workshop. Proposals for alternative innovative formats are also welcome. Dialogue session proposals should include brief (4 line max) biographies for the session organiser and speakers.

Scientific Review

All submissions will be reviewed anonymously and outcomes will be communicated by 12th March, based on novelty, quality and fit to the conference theme and STRN research agenda. Please note, that depending on the volume of submissions and to ensure we have a viable and lively conference programme, the organisers may choose to allocate submissions to any of the alternative formats set out above.

Key dates

11th January 2018 – Deadline for abstracts

18th January 2018 - Extension to deadline for abstracts

12th March – Communication of decisions

11th April - Early–bird registration deadline

11th May – Standard registration deadline

11th May – Submission of full papers

11th June - Conference

Click here to submit your abstract