Conferences FAQ

Q: How will my paper be delivered?

A: Conference participants upload either a sound or a video file of themselves delivering their paper. They can include PPT slides in their video, or not, as they choose. Papers are scheduled into parallel streams in the same way they would be in a regular conference. The sound or video files are played during the announced conference dates at at their scheduled times, on an online platform. Once a participant is registered, an information package is emailed to their email address. Included in this is information about file formats, video recording and so on.

Q: What will I gain, from participating?

A: Being online offers participants the convenience of being able to participate from whatever country they live in. It offers participants the opportunity to present an academic confernce at a minimal cost. It provides participants opportunities to network with local, regional and global academics and practitioners, conveniently, and at a low cost. The conference certificate is a form of recognition for participants’ academic participation and achievement. It offers participants an experience of giving a conference paper and participating in roundtable discussions, which closely resembles the experience they would get at a physical conference. Every participant has options for publication. But if the participant chooses to do one of the data analytics papers, they enjoy a price reduction, and gain special piublishing opportunities as well as skill in global norms for informed consent and data collection methods. .

Q: Why do you offer the data analytics paper stream?

A: The world is going through a uniquely challenging health and healthcare experience at this time. We strongly believe that, in order to understand the global experience of the pandemic, we need to hear the voices of people from many different countries, regions and cities. In order to encourage this kind of work, we have offered the data analytics stream. In some cases, where participants may not have done this kind of work, we scaffold the process of working on interview-type papers. Because we offer this scaffolding, this makes it easier for us to select papers for publication, and to guarantee the quality of our academic publications.

Q: Why do you offer different streams?

A:  Most topics include multiple issues, and contributions to understanding them can come from several fields. Having more than one stream allows people from different disciplines to constribute to our understanding of an issue. It also allows people to network more broadly. For example, if we host a conference on how patients use wearable devices, having different streams allows us to include papers from academics and practitioners of different kinds. We might get participants from departments sociology, medicine, education, media, computer science, psychology, physiotherapy, and others. This makes for a more interesting conference, and more valuable academic publications.

Q:  How can I participate in the roundtable sessions?

A: The times and timezones for the live-stream roundtables will be published as part of the conference schedule. Every conference will have at least two. The information about downloading the online video platform will be emailed to participants, prior to the conference. If you download Zoom, and create an account, then you can simply click on the Session ID number, you will be able to join in (video + sound).

Q:  How do participants get their conference certificate?

A: The conference certificate PDF will be emailed to participants, after the conference. Please note, we do not post phsyical copies of certificates, because it is too easy for them to go astray.

Q:  How will I know if my paper has been selected for publication?

A: We will let authors know, by email, 2-3 weeks after the conference. At that time, we may also ask for minor edits.

Q:  What do you do about plagarism in papers submitted to your conference?

A:  We check all papers submitted to our conference for plagiarism. If we find a significant amount of plagiarism, we may reject it.

Q: What are your hours of operation?

A:  The HEDRA main office is located in Sofia, Bulgaria (GMT +2 hours). Our office hours are Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.  If you email us, in most cases we will reply within 48 hours.

Q:  Will my paper and data be private and confidential?

HEDRA asks participants to sign a copyright sharing agreement, for publication purposes. If participants do not sign, we are not protected when we put their voice or video file, PPT and article onto the online platform during the conference, or into the Archive after the conference. Therefore, we cannot publish their work. Participants who choose to do one of the data analytic papers will also sign a copyright agreement for their data.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: Please see our Conference costs page here.You can also click “register” to see our discounts.

Q:  What is your refund policy?

A:  We do not give refunds, after the transaction has gone through.

Q:  What’s the procedure for the Stream D Data analytics papers?

A: It’s pretty straightforward. Here’s an overview:

• Register for the conference
• Select stream D
• Read and follow the PDF on Consent and Structured Interviews
• Follow the instructions for
  • data collection
  • translation if required
  • submitting data
• Send us your abstract, PPT, written paper and sound file by the deadlines (you will be informed about the deadlines by email)
• Participate online in the plenary and roundtable sessions

Q:  Why do you offer a discount for Stream D?

A:  The world is going through a uniquely challenging health and healthcare experience at this time. We strongly believe that, in order to understand the global experience of the pandemic, we need to hear the voices of people from many different countries, regions and cities. In order to encourage this kind of work, we have offered a discount to participants producing papers in the data analytics stream.

Q: How does Stream D work?

A: Stream D operates like an informal research project. HEDRA sends cooperating scholars a set of 6 structured interview questions on the conference theme. Cooperating scholars gain informed consent from 10 adults in their location, interview them, record their answers, convert from talk to text using free online software, and send us the audio, text and consent files. Because we use the software Leximancer to analyse the data, interviewing must occur in English only – we cannot accept files in other languages. Of course, answers to the questions will vary in various locations and contexts. HEDRA will send each scholar a breakdown of their data results, for them to use in preparing their presentation. If desired, we can discuss these on email. Because both scholars and HEDRA need enough time to get this done, we must stick to some deadlines for sending us completed data. Stream D papers have a very high chance of publication in a journal special issue.

Q:  What are the requirements for submitting an abstract or an experience narrative?

A:  It depends on the kind of presentation or paper you want to do. Here are 5 options. If you cannot find your presentation type in this list, please contact us at inquiry@hedra.eu.