Anyone know what the acceptance rate for APSA papers is (average, perhaps, across sections)? I work in a multidisciplinary department so my department chair doesn't know that presenting at APSA is relatively prestigious as conference participation goes. I'd like to put it in context for my chair. Thanks.
APSA acceptance rate?
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Look, we could say much the same thing about journal acceptance rates -- that acceptance of any given manuscript is quite random, highly contingent on all kinds of things that don't relate to the quality of the journal, etc. But we still place value on acceptance rates.
So, seriously: does anyone know where/whether APSA posts this info? I'd like to do more than tell my chair that I read "3-50%" on the internet. Thx.
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Seriously: can you not share what sections or subsections about which you are speaking? That's how you'll get more specific information from this board.
Wally:
Look, we could say much the same thing about journal acceptance rates -- that acceptance of any given manuscript is quite random, highly contingent on all kinds of things that don't relate to the quality of the journal, etc. But we still place value on acceptance rates.
So, seriously: does anyone know where/whether APSA posts this info? I'd like to do more than tell my chair that I read "3-50%" on the internet. Thx. -
The 3% figure was for the new Migration and Citizenship section. Joe Carens laid it all out in the section newsletter, Summer 2013 edition, along with some historical data the OP might find helpful:
Background. The key problem that we faced this year was that as a new section we were allocated only 3 panels, but we received proposals for 15 panels and an additional 207 individual papers. This means that we had an acceptance rate of 3.3% (given the way the APSA calculates acceptance rates). To put this in perspective, at the 2011 APSA conference, the median acceptance rate was 21% and the lowest acceptance rate for any division was 11.2%. We protested to the APSA about this. Indeed, we submitted a formal appeal to the APSA Council, requesting more panels, but they denied our request.
While some sections report this information publicly, if you really want it you should contact the relevant section chair. APSA doesn't publicly record or display this information.
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The randomness comes in because of Section Heads' tastes, their need to consider fit in constructing panels (less of an issue for journal submissions) and desire to give representation to different approaches, subsubfields etc.
A related factor is the way posters work. That's a consolation prize, but if I am a section head I am only offering that one to grad students, people not at R1s or MAYBE some junior R1 people, on a case-by-case basis. For the tenured R1 types, esp. the fulls or people at prominent depts I mostly think they would be more offended by a poster than an actual rejection.