IAMCR - International Association for Media and Communication Research

Preparations are in full gear for what promises to be one of IAMCR's  most diverse and well attended conferences. IAMCR 2010 gets underway in the picturesque Portuguese city of Braga from July 18-22.

There has been a robust response to the Association's Call for Papers, with over 2000 scholars from some 85 countries applying to make academic presentations. Persons submitting abstracts hail from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, North America, Africa, Australasia and all other global regions.

The Local Organizing Committee, led by University of Minho academics Helena Sousa and Manuel Pinto, has announced that the Official Opening Ceremony of the Conference will take place on 18 July at 6pm in Braga's main theatre (Theatro Circo), right in the city centre, close to hotels, historic sites, restaurants and shops. During the conference, other evening social events will also take place in the city centre. A special conference dinner, on the 21 July, will happen in the magnificent Bom Jesus hill where most of Braga hotels are located.

IAMCR Secretary General, Hopeton Dunn, has confirmed that academic arrangements for the conference are proceeding to plan. Most papers have already been selected for presentation in the Association's 15 established Sections as well as in its 15 Working Groups and two newly emerging units. Plenary presentations and special round table sessions are also being organized to showcase a wide range of intellectual perspectives bearing on the theme of the conference: Communication and Citizenship. This year, the conference will also feature the Association's General Assembly, with institutional updates from officers of the Association, led by President Annabelle Sreberny.

March 15 was announced as the date for communicating information regarding abstracts that are accepted or declined for Braga. Several Section and Working Group heads have announced their decisions, consistent with this time-frame. However, some heads have requested more time due to the one week extension at the front end of the submission process and the fact that an exceptionally large number of abstracts were submitted, requiring review. Please be assured that IAMCR's Section and Working Group heads are working as fast as possible to complete the review process and you will be informed as soon as their decisions are available.

Persons presenting papers at the IAMCR Braga conference should note that there are no central guidelines relating to length, formats or referencing style of the full paper at present. Each Section or Working Group Head  determines how papers presented in their sections will be formatted. In the absence of sectional guidance, the presenter can determine his or her own paper format and length for Braga.

For more on the conference, including registration, accommodation and transportation, please check regularly at the conference website at http://iamcr2010portugal.com/. If you are on Facebook, confirm your participation at the conference's Facebook page.