What are the general rules that apply to all AIB 2020 submissions?

• All submissions to AIB 2020 must have a focus on international phenomena.  Any single-country studies must explicitly consider internationally relevant topics such as MNEs, trade, or global value chains.
• Only submissions made through our official online submission portal will be reviewed for potential inclusion in AIB 2020. Papers submitted through any other means, such as a direct email to a member of our Program Committee, will not be considered.
• All submissions must be entered into our online portal by December 2, 2019 at 11:59 PM (according to your local time zone.)  We generally recommend that you get your submissions in as early as possible since our online submission system tends to be heavily trafficked in the days leading up to the deadline.
• If you do not find the information you need below, please consult the AIB 2020 FAQ for an answer to your question before contacting us directly.

Is there a submission limit for AIB 2020?

Short answer: Yes, AIB has a strict three-submission limit.

Longer answer: This three-submission limit does apply to every individual listed as an author, co-author, or panelist on a submission. Before you add a name to your proposal, please confirm whether this will put that person in violation of our Rule of Three.

This limit does not apply, however, to sessions you are chairing, pre-conference activities, invited appearances from the Program Committee, or items related to an official service role you perform for AIB.

Can my submission be rejected because I’ve violated AIB policies?

Yes. All scholars submitting papers to AIB 2020 are expected to act professionally in their research and comply with our official Code of Ethics. Violating any of the following standards may result in having your submissions rejected from all current and future AIB events:

• Conflict of Interest: Authors who have a conflict of interest relationship with a track chair shall submit their paper to another track, or to the “Special Submissions” track. Conflicts of interest arise from author relationships with current and former PhD students, current and former PhD advisors, members of the same department, co-authors, family members, and the like.
• Responsibility to Review: Submitting a paper to our annual meeting automatically commits you and any co-authors to serving as reviewers.
• Responsibility to Present: For sole-authored papers that are accepted, authors commit to register for the conference and present the paper, and if co-authored, at least one of the authors will do so. No personal requests for variation of time slots will be accommodated and authors will present in the time slots allocated.
• Plagiarism: Authors assure that submitted papers are their own work and appropriate credit is given to sources, including any previous work of the authors themselves.

How do I choose the right track and keywords for my submission?

Track: Each paper can only be submitted to a single track, so it’s important for you to select the right one. Our official Call for Papers contains detailed descriptions of all our conference tracks as well as contact information for our track chairs in case you need to ask follow-up questions.

If your relationship with a track chair could constitute a conflict of interest or if your paper focuses purely on research methods, please use the “Special Submissions” track.

Keywords: Each of the track descriptions in our Call for Papers also contains a list of pre-selected keywords—choose at least two of these to give our reviewers a better idea of your submission’s scope and focus. Please refrain from using any keywords not included on these lists when submitting your work.

How should I format my submission?

Our formatting guidelines differ depending on the type of submission you’re making. Please use the descriptions below to select the session type that best fits your submission, then apply the appropriate formatting.

Panel Discussions

Panel Discussions serve as forums for issues of contemporary interest to IB scholars. Panels are complete sessions organized as a single submission by a panel chair around a common theme. Panels may have a variety of formats, including roundtables discussions, keynote and discussion with senior scholar(s) not normally involved in AIB, pro and con debates, and professional development workshops.  Please note that, we expect panels to allocate substantive time to a genuine interchange between the panelists, and/or between panelists and the audience. For example, panelists may each be answering or discussing questions in common (probably using at least some pre-prepared questions, with a moderator to keep the discussion on track). In your submission, please indicate how you intend to facilitate discussion.

Important: Panel submissions that simply feature a series of paper presentations will be rejected.

While designing the panel, please keep in mind that sessions at AIB conferences are constrained to 75 minutes. Panel proposals should be no more than 6,000 words inclusive of all materials, and must be submitted by the panel chair. Each proposal must include:

• A Title Page that includes the panel name, the session format (e.g., pro and con debate, moderated roundtable discussion, keynote and commentary, professional development workshop, etc.) and the panel participants.
• For each panel participant, please include the person’s name, affiliation, email address, and their role in the panel (chair, discussant, and/or panelist). Only panelists that plan to appear in person and present at the conference should be listed in the submission. Each panel must have a chair specified.  A second chair and/or a discussant are both optional.
• A detailed overview statement of the main issues addressed or arguments to be made in the panel.
• Any special room setup or technical requirement that the panel may require (only if these go beyond a standard room setup which includes theatre style seating, a panelist table in the front, a computer and a projector).  Please note that the feasibility of any special requirements will be part of the evaluation criteria.
• Copies of emails or letters from each participant, indicating agreement to participate at the panel if the proposal is accepted. A lack of these confirmation messages will count against the panel proposal.

Competitive Sessions

Competitive Sessions are appropriate for fully developed papers. They consist of more formal and longer presentations at the conference.

• All submissions must be fewer than 12,000 words inclusive of all materials, including appendices and references. Papers exceeding these limits may be returned to the authors.
• The document must have no author identifying information: Any information identifying the authors should not be included on the title page or elsewhere in the paper.  Also, the File Properties for the documents should be cleaned to remove identifying information.
• Submissions must follow the JIBS Style Guide.
• Please note that AIB only accepts full paper submissions. Abstracts, extended abstracts, or research proposals should not be submitted.

Important: Please note that submitting a manuscript for a competitive session does not necessarily mean it will always end up in a competitive session. Often times very good papers end up in an interactive session because of lack of space on the program or lack of fit with any of the existing competitive sessions.

Interactive Sessions

Interactive Sessions are primarily designed for shorter manuscripts (in research note formats) or works-in-progress which could benefit from informal feedback from other participants. They may also include fully developed papers that could not be fit into a competitive session due to a lack of space or a lack of fit. Interactive sessions are held in a roundtable discussion format with shorter oral presentations allowing for an engaging interaction with other researchers with similar interests.

• All paper submissions must be fewer than 12,000 words inclusive of all materials, including appendices and references. Papers exceeding these limits will be returned to the authors.
• The document must have no author identifying information: Any information identifying the authors should not be included on the title page or elsewhere in the paper.  Also, the File Properties for the documents should be cleaned to remove identifying information.
• Submissions must follow the JIBS Style Guide.
• Please note that AIB only accepts full paper submissions (even if it is a work-in-progress). Abstracts, extended abstracts, or research proposals should not be submitted.

Additional Formatting Instructions for All Submission Types

• Each submission must state, on its front page at the top right, the requested Track (number and title) and Session Format (competitive, interactive, or panel discussion).

• • Each submission must include an abstract, not to exceed 150-200 words, that summarizes your manuscript or panel discussion. This abstract will be what will show in the Conference App and the Conference Proceedings if your submission is accepted to the conference.
  • All submissions must be in English.
  • The manuscript should preferably be saved in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format to ensure that reviewers see it in the intended way. A free PDF conversion tool for most file formats is available at DocuPub PDF Converter.
  • Microsoft Word files, while not preferred, will also be accepted. If submitting a Microsoft Word file, the document must be checked for viruses using an updated anti-virus software utility before submission.

How will I know if my submission was successful?

Authors will be sent an automatic email confirmation message upon successful uploading of their paper on the website acknowledging receipt of their submission. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 24 hours of submitting your manuscript or proposal, please email the program chair at 2020chair@aib.msu.edu for further directions.

All paper submissions will be subject to a double-blind review process and will be evaluated using the following criteria: interest to AIB members, analytical rigor, appropriateness of research methods utilized, innovativeness, and significance of conclusions.

Panel proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria: interest to AIB members, quality, innovativeness, fit with conference theme, participants from multiple universities.

We expect that the corresponding authors will be notified of the results of the review process by February 17, 2020.