Topic Proposals
Piloted in 2014 for the 2015 annual meeting, the NCPH Topic Proposal Submission is now a staple of the NCPH annual meeting proposal process.
With a deadline of June 1, the optional early topic proposal is a way for submitters to solicit general feedback on the content or format of their proposal, find like-minded collaborators to round out a session or panel, or seek out expert voices early in the process. After receiving and incorporating feedback, submitters can then resubmit their proposal as a session, working group, or workshop by the final proposal deadline of July 15. As spots on the Program become increasingly competitive, we have found that this early topic proposal option helps submitters to put together proposals that contribute to a stronger overall Program and which have tended to be accepted at a higher rate than proposals that did not go through this optional round of feedback.
The topic proposal is an extra step that helps like-minded people join forces and submit strong, cohesive final proposals that reflect a diversity of experiences and perspectives. We think that is especially important in a field like public history, and we encourage the NCPH community to help shape future annual meeting Programs by leaving feedback on topic proposal submissions.