National Conference

AEJMC 2026 Conference Paper Call

Mass Communication and Society Division

Conference Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Conference Dates: August 5–8, 2026
Pre-Conference Day: August 4, 2026

The Mass Communication and Society Division invites research paper submissions from faculty and students for the 2026 AEJMC Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Submissions may address any topic that advances mass communication theory, particularly research that examines mass communication at the societal or macro-social level. The Division welcomes work using diverse theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches, including interdisciplinary research drawing from sociology, psychology, anthropology, law, history, and related fields.

Papers must not be under consideration elsewhere for presentation or publication.

Submission Categories

Authors must submit papers to one of the following competitive paper categories:

• Open Competition

• Student Competition

• Moeller Student Paper Competition

Submission Deadline

April 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CDT

Submission Portal

All papers must be submitted electronically through the AEJMC Paper Competition Submission System via the AEJMC website.

Submissions must be uploaded in Word or PDF format. Hard copy or emailed submissions will not be accepted.

Manuscript Requirements

• Papers may not exceed 30 double-spaced pages, including text, notes, references, tables, and figures (title page and abstract excluded).

• All material must be double-spaced, including title page, abstract, references, tables, figure captions, and footnotes.

• Manuscripts must follow APA Style (7th edition), use 1-inch margins, and be written in 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font.

• Abstracts must be no longer than 75 words.

Blind Review Policy

Author-identifying information must not appear anywhere in the manuscript file. This includes:

• Author names or institutional affiliations

• Self-identifying references to previous work

• Headers, footers, or acknowledgments

• Embedded file metadata

• Links to personal websites, email addresses, or social media

Submissions containing identifying information will be automatically disqualified. Authors are responsible for verifying that all identifying information has been removed prior to submission.

Early submission is strongly encouraged so authors may review the uploaded file and resubmit if necessary before the deadline.

Authorship and Submission Limits

• Permission must be obtained from all co-authors prior to submission.

• Authorship may not be added, removed, or changed after the review process begins.

• Individuals may appear as an author or co-author on no more than two research paper or extended abstract submissions to the Division in a single year. Submissions exceeding this limit may be disqualified.

Student and Moeller Competitions

Student Competition

Graduate and undergraduate students may submit original research. All co-authors must be students. Papers with a faculty co-author will be moved to the Open Competition. Papers must be submitted to the Student Competition category.

Moeller Student Paper Competition

Students may submit papers written for a class during the previous academic year. Papers must be nominated by the faculty member who taught the course, who must email verification to the Division Research Committee. Moeller papers must be submitted to the appropriate category and clearly identified as such.

Presentation Requirement

At least one author of each accepted paper must attend the conference and present the research. If student authors are unable to attend, they must arrange for an alternate presenter.

Failure to present an accepted paper will result in ineligibility to submit to the Division for one year and the presentation may not be listed on the author’s vita.

Authors of accepted papers are required to share papers with discussants and moderators prior to the conference.

Top Paper Awards

The Mass Communication and Society Division recognizes outstanding scholarship through Top Paper Awards in the Open, Student, and Moeller competitions. Awards typically include cash prizes and a waived AEJMC conference registration fee. At least one author of each winning paper is expected to attend the Division awards event.

Contact Information

For questions regarding submissions or Division guidelines, please contact the Mass Communication and Society Division Research Committee.