Affiliated Groups

Affiliated Groups
Description
An affiliated group is a group having an organizational structure independent of the SCS. The affiliated group has a common purpose and/or scholarly interest, usually representing a special field or ancillary discipline. Affiliated groups maintain membership lists, and the majority charge dues and circulate newsletters. Affiliated groups are chartered for five-year periods for participation in the SCS/AIA Joint Annual Meeting. The five-year charters are of two types: Category I and Category II.

For a list of all current affiliated groups, see our affiliated groups page.

A Category I charter entitles the affiliated group to meeting space, on a space-available basis, at the SCS/AIA Joint Annual Meeting for a business meeting and/or reception, provided the affiliated group has no outstanding financial obligations to the SCS. The business meeting and/or reception will be noted on the SCS Annual Meeting Program.

A Category II affiliation, in addition to all the privileges of a Category I charter, also entitles the affiliated group to organize a panel, seminar, workshop, or lightning talk session for the SCS Program, provided the contributions for these sessions are anonymously refereed by the affiliated group. Abstracts for affiliated group panels are submitted directly to the designated organizers, and should follow the SCS guidelines for abstracts. Affiliated groups wishing to present a panel should submit an affiliated group report. Affiliated groups wishing to present a seminar should submit a seminar proposal. Those wishing to present a workshop or lightning talk panel should submit a workshop proposal.

Please note the following regulations regarding Affiliated Group Panels:

• Panel organizers have the right to cancel their panels if submitted abstracts are, in their judgment, insufficient in number, quality, or relevance to constitute a valid panel. The panel must be canceled if the organizers receive fewer than 4 abstracts for consideration or accept fewer than 3. Organizers may accept a maximum of 6 papers.
• Only papers submitted anonymously by the announced deadline and accepted through a process of anonymous review may be presented.
• Although the organizers may appoint presiders and discussants/respondents for their sessions, invited talks are not permitted.
• Reviewers and organizers may not present papers although they may serve as discussants/respondents.
• At least two reviewers must be appointed by the organizer(s), and all reviewers must review every abstract submitted for the session. The organizer who receives the abstracts cannot serve as a reviewer.
• If a paper is accepted for an Affiliated Group Panel, a member may not submit another abstract for consideration by the Program Committee for a regular paper session. Members wishing to present a paper in a panel organized by an affiliated group should have paid SCS membership dues for 2023. A presenter who is responding to a call for abstracts from an affiliated group may eligible for a waiver of the membership requirement in certain circumstances. See this summary of eligibility requirements and related policies.

Submission Requirements for Affiliated Group Panels

• Please see this summary of eligibility requirements and related policies for submitting a proposal or abstract to the Program Committee.
• You will be required to provide the following information to the SCS submission web site:

• The number of abstracts you received and the number you accepted for presentation
• The name and academic institution of the organizer who received abstract submissions
• The name and academic institution of every reviewer of these abstracts
• The member number, name, academic institution, paper title, and length of presentation (in minutes) for each speaker
• The member number, name, academic institution, and length of presentation (in minutes) for any discussant or respondent
• An abstract for every paper to be presented in your session. Before the speakers in your session prepare their abstracts, please ask them to become familiar with the SCS's instructions for authors of abstracts.
• Speakers' audio-visual needs (if any)

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