A call for papers (CfP) is a public or targeted invitation to submit contributions to a conference – usually as an abstract. It defines topics, submission formats, deadlines and selection criteria, making it the foundation of every scientific or professional conference program.
Also known as: Call for abstracts, call for submissions
Typical for: Scientific congresses, annual meetings, professional conferences, tech conferences
Published: Usually 9–12 months before the event
What is a call for papers?
A call for papers is the formal invitation from a conference, meeting or congress to researchers and practitioners to submit their own contributions. It is usually issued by the program committee or the congress presidency on behalf of a scientific society, association or university.
A well-designed CfP does three jobs at once: it is a marketing tool (it makes the conference known to potential speakers), a quality filter (it defines which contributions are wanted) and a management tool (it structures the entire process from submission to program publication).
Despite the name, the submissions are almost always abstracts – short summaries rather than full papers.
Call for papers, call for abstracts, call for sessions
- Call for papers: The common umbrella term. Depending on the discipline, abstracts or full manuscripts are submitted.
- Call for abstracts: An explicit call for short summaries only – typical for medical and natural science congresses.
- Call for sessions: A call to propose entire program blocks such as symposia, panels or workshops – including the speakers involved.
- Call for posters: A call specifically for contributions to a poster session.
What a call for papers includes
A complete CfP answers every question potential authors ask before they invest time in a submission:
- Conference and theme: Title, date, venue, overall theme and, optionally, a short foreword from the congress presidency.
- Topics and tracks: Which focus areas are wanted and how broadly or narrowly they are defined.
- Contribution formats: Talk, poster, workshop, panel or lightning talk – each with duration, language and on-site or online rules.
- Submission requirements: Character limit, structure, author details, keywords, file formats and templates.
- Deadlines: Opening and closing of submissions, notification, speaker confirmation, final materials.
- Review and selection criteria: How and by whom contributions are assessed, for example in a double-blind review.
- Speaker conditions: Whether reduced registration fees, travel grants or awards are offered, and whether speakers must register as regular attendees.
- Publication: Whether contributions will appear in a book of abstracts or proceedings, and which usage rights are granted.
- Submission link and a contact address for questions.
How to write a call for papers: checklist
- Phrase the theme and topics so authors can immediately see whether their work fits.
- State every deadline with a date – not just the submission deadline.
- Schedule notification before the early bird deadline so accepted speakers can still register at the lower rate.
- Make format requirements specific: maximum characters, mandatory fields, permitted figures.
- Disclose the review procedure and selection criteria – this raises the quality of submissions.
- Set rules on the use of AI when writing contributions.
- Clarify usage and publication rights in advance.
- Publish the CfP in more than one language if the conference is international.
- Collect submissions through an online form rather than by email.
Typical timeline
CfP deadlines are best planned backwards from the event date. For an annual meeting, these intervals have proven effective:
| Step | Time before the event |
|---|---|
| Publish the call for papers | 9–12 months |
| Submission period | 8–12 weeks, closing approx. 6–7 months before |
| Review | 4–6 weeks |
| Notify authors | approx. 4–5 months, before the early bird deadline |
| Speaker confirmation | 2–3 weeks after notification |
| Publish preliminary program | approx. 3 months |
| Final materials (abstract corrections, slides, posters) | 4–6 weeks |
Allow for a possible extension of the submission deadline: experience shows that a large share of contributions arrives in the last few days.
The CfP process step by step
- Submission: Authors enter title, abstract, topic, format, co-authors and affiliations in an online form.
- Formal pre-check: The organizing team checks that the requirements were met – optionally with plagiarism or AI checks.
- Review: Reviewers assess the contributions against defined criteria in peer reviewing, usually two to three per contribution.
- Decision: The program committee accepts, rejects or requests revisions and assigns the presentation format.
- Session planning: Optionally, session programme chairs build their sessions from the accepted contributions.
- Program planning: Contributions are assigned to rooms, time slots and tracks (see scheduling).
- Speaker communication: Notifications, confirmations, deadline reminders and organizational information up to the event.
Common call for papers mistakes
- Submission by email: Inconsistent formats, lost attachments and manual lists cost a great deal of time once submissions pile up.
- Notification after the early bird deadline: Speakers then pay the regular rate – a frequent source of frustration.
- Too little review time: Reviewers usually volunteer alongside their day jobs and need realistic deadlines.
- Vague format requirements: Missing character limits or structure guidelines lead to questions and rework.
- No promotion strategy: A CfP that only appears on the conference website reaches too few potential authors.
Success metrics for a CfP
- Quantity: Total submissions, submissions per topic and format, growth compared with the previous year.
- Quality: Average review scores, share of accepted and revised contributions.
- Diversity: Distribution by region, institution and career stage, share of first-time speakers.
- Process: Drop-off rate in the submission form, submissions shortly before the deadline, share of on-time confirmations.
Call for papers in Converia
Converia covers the entire call for papers: custom submission forms with format checks, multi-stage review workflows with scorecards and automatic reviewer assignment, one-click notifications to authors and direct transfer of accepted contributions into program planning and the book of abstracts. For a step-by-step guide with checklists and a template, see our article How to write a call for papers.
Related terms
- Abstract Management – Abstracts / Program / Speakers
- Call for Sessions – Abstracts / Program / Speakers
- Peer Reviewing – Abstracts / Program / Speakers
- Program Committee – Abstracts / Program / Speakers
Converia simplifies your entire call for papers – from submission to program publication.