---

Texas Speech Communication Association 2026 Convention

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Submission Deadline: March 2, 2026 | 11:59PM
Conference Dates: October 7-10, 2026
Rockwall, Texas

Texas Speech Communication Association (TSCA) College/University Division invites submissions dealing with all areas of communication but encourages authors to consider submissions that align with this year's convention theme, "Communicating for Collaboration: Collaborating for Change." Submissions will undergo a blind review for consideration of inclusion in the 2026 TSCA Convention Program. The deadline for submission is March 2, 2026.

Note: This call is for college and university faculty submissions only. TSCA also serves a Middle School and High School Division. Submissions for panels for Middle School and High School interest groups should be submitted to interest group chairs. TSCA also hosts a Graduate & Undergraduate Student Conference. Students who wish to submit their academic work should do so through the student conference portal on the TSCA website. For more information on this opportunity for students see https://etsca.com/student-conference.asp.

The following submission types will be considered:

Research Proposals (Extended Abstracts): Research idea (not a completed study) in the form of an extended abstract

Submitted research proposals must include the following:

Document 1 (Title Page): Name, institution affiliation, email and phone number of primary/corresponding author, paper title, abstract, and keywords for the paper.

Document 2: Submissions should be no longer than 8 pages (typed and double-spaced) and include the following components: (1) introduction/rationale, (2) objectives of the proposed study, (3) review of literature overviewing the proposed study's variables and/or theoretical framework, (4) potential hypotheses/research questions, (5) proposed research method/design, (6) expected results/implications, and (7) references. No author identifiable information should appear on Document 2.

Both submitted documents must be Word documents.

Research proposal submissions will undergo a blind review process.

Individual Papers: Completed research study, critical essay, or other full-length academic paper

Submitted papers must include the following:

Document 1 (Title Page): Name, institution affiliation, email and phone number of primary/corresponding author, paper title, abstract, methodology, and keywords for the paper.

Document 2: The manuscript, which does not exceed 25 pages (excluding abstract, references, tables, charts, and appendices), double-spaced, follows APA 7 th or Chicago 17 th style, and has author identifying information removed from the manuscript.

Both submitted documents must be Word documents.

Paper submissions will undergo a blind review process.

Paper Panels: A collection of papers submitted to be presented in a panel together.

Paper Panel submission must include the following:

Document 1 (Title Page): Name/affiliation of the chair who will facilitate the panel, names/affiliations of panelists, email and phone number of panel chair, panel title/general topic or focus of the paper panel

Document 2: Submissions should include panel title, brief rationale describing the purpose and significance of the panel, abstracts of each paper, titles of each paper. Submitters are encouraged to include panelists from multiple institutions.

Both submitted documents must be Word documents.

Paper panel submissions will undergo a blind review process.

Panel Discussions (Roundtable): A group of panelists discussing a topic (no papers are presented)

Panel discussion submissions include:

Document 1 (Title Page): Name/affiliation of the chair who will facilitate the panel, names/affiliations of panelists, email and phone number of panel chair, panel title/general topic or focus of the panel

Document 2: Submissions should include a panel title, a rationale describing the purpose and significance of the panel, and a brief description of the unique contribution or perspective each person plans to share. Submitters are encouraged to include panelists from multiple institutions.

Both submitted documents must be Word documents.

Panel discussion submissions will undergo a blind review process.

Great Ideas for Teaching (GIFT) Panels: With a focus on improving instruction both at the collegiate and intermediate level, TSCA is including a GIFT panel. We invite submissions for classroom-tested teaching activities to share.GIFT sessions. The session will be conducted in a round-table discussion format, including a 2-minute elevator speech about your activity. Successful G.I.F.T. submissions must contain each of the following components:

Title of the activity, Course(s) and Grade(s) for which this activity is intended, Objective(s) of the activity, Rationale for conducting the activity, Description of the activity, including any preparation/preliminary steps and materials as needed, Debriefing of the activity, including any limitations or variations, References and/or suggested readings.

Additional Requirements:

• Submissions must be no longer than two pages of written text within publishing guidelines (not including references/bibliographies or handouts).
• All technology requests must be made at the time of submission.

Submission Standards and Instructions

TSCA upholds the following National Communication Association's Professional Standards for Convention Participants.

1. If you submit work, you are making a commitment to register for and attend convention.
2. Before you submit a proposal, you should secure a commitment from all program participants to register for and attend convention.
3. You should only submit work that has not been published or has not been accepted for publication at the time of submission.

All submissions from College & University faculty can be submitted on this page of the Texas Speech Communication Association website.

Student Submissions: TSCA also hosts a Graduate & Undergraduate Student Conference. For more information on this opportunity for students see https://etsca.com/student-conference.asp.

Respondents, Chairs, and Reviewers: We invite faculty members who would like to serve as respondents, paper reviewers, and chairs to participate in this process and the conference. Faculty who are willing to serve as respondents, reviewers, or chairs should contact Randall Fowler or Mary Anna Kidd (see contact information below).

Acceptance/Rejection Notices: Sent out early to mid-April 2026.

Questions? Submission questions should be directed to Randall Fowler (rpf23a@acu.edu) or Mary Anna Kidd (kidd.mary@mcm.edu).

---

© 2026 - Texas Speech Communication Association