Convention Themes

Each year, the Division also selects a few programmatic themes we will communicate in advance of the submission date to encourage some targeted submissions in those areas.

Convention submissions can take the form of discussions, conversations, workshops, symposiums, lectures and/or poster presentations. Descriptions of each of these formats can be found on the APA website. As always, we strive to put together a broad-based program including a variety of these information delivery methods to best represent the diversity of interests within the area of exercise and sport psychology. We encourage you to submit research and non-research based programming ideas via the APA website on or before this year’s deadline.

Review Process

Submissions are blind reviewed by a group of reviewers with varying backgrounds and training. Reviewers evaluate each of the program submissions and provide their insights and reactions to the Program Chair, who makes final decisions about selections to accept or reject. Our reviewers make every effort to keep this process completely blind so as to ensure clear and consistent decisions about program selection. The committee is open to unique and exciting submissions from exercise and sport related areas, as well as other performance fields. Please note that the Program Chair tries to balance the number of program items related to sport and exercise related topics. Examples of program submission areas might include, but are not limited to:

  • Work with Olympic athletes

  • Use of exercise as a psychological treatment approach

  • Applied exercise and sport psychology techniques

  • Psychological issues affecting performing artists

  • Sport psychology consultations issues, concerns and techniques

  • Performance enhancement issues/treatments

  • Business performance improvement

Review Timeline

Submissions for the convention are due by the beginning of December each year. After submissions are received, reviews typically have until the end of December or the first of January to review and rate the submissions. Based on available conference programming hours, the Program Chair makes decisions about submission acceptance or rejection during the month of January. Authors will be notified by the last first week in February of their acceptance status. Those submitters who have their presentations accepted for the convention will usually receive notice from APA headquarters of the times for their presentation by the middle of April.

Available Programming Hours

Please note that Division 47 is a small division within APA. As such, we are traditionally only granted approximately 14 hours of substantive programming. In an average year, up to 50 hours worth of programming is submitted for presentation at the convention. As such, not all worthy submissions are able to be accepted. Further, some submissions may be altered by the Program Chair in terms of format and time in order to maximize the number and type of Division 47 offerings at the convention. The Program Chair will make all efforts to clear such changes with the author(s) prior to acceptance.

If you have any questions about your programming ideas, please feel free to contact the Program Chair.