Canadian Psychological Association
The CPA’s 2025 Annual General Meeting and National Convention is scheduled to take place from June 12th – 14th, 2025 in St. John’s, NL.
Numerous pre-convention events, including the CPA’s Pre-Convention Professional Development Workshops, will take place on June 11th
CPA Members & Affiliates:
Login to CPA’s Member Portal and click the link to connect to the Abstract Submission system:
https://secure.cpa.ca/apps/Pages/abstract-submissions
You will automatically be logged in with your account information.
Non-members:
Login directly to the Abstract Submission system:
https://events.decorporate.ca/CPA2025/abstract/login.php
The Deadline for All Submissions is December 3rd, 2024, (23:59EST).
WORKSHOPS
The CPA’s 2025 Convention will feature three types of workshops:
- 6-Hour/6 CE Credits Pre-Conference Professional Development Workshops
- 3-Hour/3 CE Credits Pre-Conference Professional Development Workshops
- 85-minute Workshops (some CE eligible)
Pre-Conference Professional Development Workshops: 3+ Hour/3-CE credit and 6+ hour/6-CE credit
Beginning this year, the CPA will not be accepting submissions for Pre-Convention Professional Development Workshops. Instead, our team will be actively seeking out presenters and topics for the Pre-Convention Education Day. We hope this will result in subject matter that is better connected with the needs and interests of members and attendees.
For more information, please see our Pre-Conference Professional Development Workshops page.
Workshop (85 minutes)
Workshops, 85-minutes in duration, are presented by an individual or a group with widely acknowledged expertise and experience in the topic area.
Workshops are intended to have a clearly defined practical, experiential, and/or demonstrational component; they are also intended to be participatory events where delegates engage and interact with each other. Each workshop should focus on ensuring that participants leave the workshop with at least 3 tangible new skills, tools, and/or techniques (i.e., learning outcomes). Thus, good Workshops are innovative, interactive, inclusive, integrative, developmental, provocative, logistically sound, and provide both novice and experienced psychologists with an opportunity to continue their professional development.
CE Credits may be available if applicable. Conversion to CPD may also be possible.
Accepted Workshop presenters will be required to deliver their presentation in-person, on-site.
SPOKEN INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATIONS
Snapshots (5-minutes)
A Snapshot is a 5-minute individual presentation for sharing information in a spoken only format in a succinct manner, creating interest in a project/program, and promoting networking amongst delegates. This format is encouraged for attendees interested in presenting their research as a talk rather than a poster.
Each Snapshot will be grouped together into sessions. Effective Snapshots focus on what is critical and are delivered in a stimulating and thought-provoking manner – excellent practice for if ever speaking to a government official, decision-maker, or the media!
A submission for a Snapshot should include the following information: rationale, overview of methodology, summary of conducted analyses or evaluations, conclusions that follow from results/evaluation, and an overview of actions, recommendations, or impacts.
12-Minute Talk (12-minutes)
The 12-Minute Talk format is intended for delivering a detailed presentation about a series (more than 2) of empirical studies or a complex program or intervention.
Each 12-Minute Talk is allocated 10-minutes for presentation and 2-minutes for questions. This format is reserved for sharing information about a complex issue, series of studies or an involved program or intervention.
A submission for a 12-Minute Talk should include the following information: the empirical and theoretical context and rationale for the studies or program/policy or intervention; the general method of the studies or the approach employed for the program/policy or evaluation; a summary of analyses, results and conclusions; and an overview of actions, recommendations, or impacts that occurred or that will be implemented or evaluated.
All 12-Minute Talk submissions will be grouped into sessions that are organized around a specific theme or topic area. To ensure that each 12-Minute Talk submission is included in an appropriate thematic session, each submission must include informative descriptors.
Review Session (25-minutes)
Review Sessions are intended for the review of one or more theoretical perspective(s)/methods/analyses or for the synthesis of different theoretical perspectives/methods/analyses. This type of submission is not for presenting new empirical research. The presenter is normally a senior expert in the area; submissions by a novice just entering the area will not be accepted. Three presentations may be grouped together in a single session, with a moderator for keeping the session on schedule.
Round Table Conversation Sessions (25-minutes)
A Round Table Conversation Session is intended for sharing, exploring, and stimulating thoughts and ideas about an issue/topic/case, a program or intervention, or for brainstorming alternative approaches to research, practice, education, and/or policies.
Each Round Table Conversation Session is submitted by a leader who is expected to provide a clear but brief summary (12 minutes maximum) of the core issues, ideas or approaches, interventions, etc. to be shared and explored. In addition, the leader is expected to inspire participants into sharing and engaging with the forum topic (minimum 10 minutes).
A submission for a Round Table Conversation Session must include the following: a statement of the critical issues, ideas or approaches, interventions, etc. to be shared and explored; a statement of why these issues, ideas, etc. are of current interest and appropriate for brainstorming; and a description of methods to be used for encouraging participants to share and engage with the forum topic and with each other.
This type of presentation will be presented in a round table format along with other conversation sessions within the same room. Please note that no audio visual will be provided for this specific type of presentation. If you wish you can provide a display of your presentation on your own equipment (e.g., iPad/tablet, laptop).
Round Table Conversation Session submissions intended for presenting/discussing empirical research will not be considered.
SPOKEN GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Panel Discussion (55-minutes)
A Panel Discussion is intended for the discussion of a specific topic amongst a selected group of panelists who share differing perspectives. It includes a brief introduction and then discussion amongst the panelists and the audience.
The panel is typically facilitated by a “moderator” who guides the panel and the audience through the discussion. It typically involves 3-4 experts in the field, who share facts, offer opinions and respond to audience questions either through questions curated by the moderator or taken from the audience directly.
A panel is NOT: a set of presentations, one after another; a one-on-one interview with each panelist; just a Q&A from the audience.
A submission for a Panel Discussion must include the following: an overall abstract of the discussion topic that addresses what makes the topic novel, contentious or pertinent for discussion; name/affiliation/role of the moderator and statement to their qualifications to moderate the session; the names/affiliations/roles of up to four panelists and a clear statement for each panelist on the unique perspective they will be bring to the discussion.
Symposium (55-minutes)
A Symposium is a format for delivering a series of Spoken Presentations that focus on the same topic. Each symposium is expected to include a moderator/convenor (10 minutes); overall title and abstract; and 3 papers (10 minutes each) each with an accompanying title and abstract. Symposium convenors have the option of including a Discussant.
Each symposium is created and submitted by one person, called the symposium moderator (or convenor). The moderator/convenor can function in one of three manners: moderator/convenor/ only, presenter of one of the Spoken Presentations, or symposium discussant. Symposia presenters can be from the same or different countries.
A submission for a symposium must include the following::
- an overall abstract of the symposium with the following information: a brief description of the symposium topic; a statement of what makes this topic novel, contentious, or pertinent to the convention; and a clear statement of how each presenter will offer a unique approach/perspective to the proposed topic.
- for each presenter – an abstract with the same information as required for a Spoken Presentation submission (empirical and theoretical context and rationale for the study or program/policy or intervention; the general method of the study or the approach employed for the program/policy or evaluation; a summary of the issue or analyses/, results/ conclusions; and an overview of actions, recommendations, or impacts that occurred or that will be implemented or evaluated).
Please note: The symposium moderator (or convenor) is responsible for the engagement and a productive experience for panel members and the audience. The moderator/convenor should arrange at least one meeting, in person, by phone or electronically, among the panel members prior to the convention and the symposium. On the day of the symposium, the moderator/convenor is responsible for managing the allotted time (55 minutes) and makes sure that the symposium begins on time and each panelist has an equitable share of the available time. The moderator/convenor also ensures that at least 15 minutes of the symposium time is set aside for conversation with the members of the audience and that the symposium ends at the allotted time.
For accepted symposia, the moderator and all other presenters must be on-site/in-person.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Traditional Poster (55-minutes)
Posters are individual, free-standing research presentations that allow for one-on-one interaction and discussion of one’s research with convention attendees. Posters — in print format — are the most appropriate and efficient method for presenting empirical research.
Posters should make use of pictures and diagrams, and they should use words/text sparingly.
A poster title should reflect the results of a study/studies or the effectiveness or impact of a policy/program/intervention.
A submission for a poster presentation should include the following information: rationale, overview of methodology, summary of conducted analyses or evaluations, conclusions that follow from results/evaluation, and an overview of actions, recommendations, or impacts.
Information on preparing one’s poster will be provided upon acceptance of the submission.
Traditional Poster presenters are also welcome to submit a pre-recorded voice-over narration of their poster on the CPA’s Virtual Platform. The CPA’s virtual platform will be promoted widely by the CPA’s communication department.
Virtual Poster
A Virtual Poster is a 5-minute pre-recorded voice-over narration. This is for presenters that only want to pre-record and upload to the virtual platform.
A poster title should reflect the results of a study/studies or the effectiveness or impact of a policy/program/intervention.
A submission for a virtual poster presentation should include the following information: rationale, overview of methodology, summary of conducted analyses or evaluations, conclusions that follow from results/evaluation, and an overview of actions, recommendations, or impacts.
Please note: Your presentation will not be included in the convention program at-a-glance as it will only be available on the virtual platform and you must pay full registration fees in advance to be provided the link to upload your virtual poster to the platform.
Uploading Presentations:
A few weeks before the Convention, speakers will be sent a welcome email with a link to the Speaker portal, where they have access to features including the ability to edit profile information, update headshots, upload session files, and more.
Note: It is essential that the email address used to upload your presentation is the same as the one used to register for the Convention to be connected to the Speaker portal. If your abstract was created with a different email address, please contact Convention@cpa.ca and we will do our best to connect your presentation with your Convention Registration email address.