Welcome to the 6th International Conference on Researching Work and Learning, RWL6.








Call for Papers
This year, we are planning a slightly different start to the conference. We’d like to begin with everyone participating in a symposium of their choice. These symposia will be at least half a day long (some continuing for longer during the conference) and are intended to open up and potentially deepen our discussions in a structured way. They will also enable participants to engage in an extended discussion with colleagues as a positive start to the conference.

We are therefore inviting all potential contributors to submit proposals in one of two ways: either for a specific symposium or for the open papers section. All proposals will be reviewed anonymously: those for the symposia will be reviewed by two or more organisers of the theme; those for the open papers section will be reviewed by two members of the scientific committee.  

We strongly encourage you to consider submitting to one of the symposia because we think this will help create a dynamic and collaborative environment in which to discuss your work. If your paper is not included in the symposium, it will automatically be considered within the open paper section.


Paper availability and publication:
All papers must be submitted before 15. May 2009. All paper submission will take place online, and papers will be online available to other participants as they arrive and from 15. of May at the latest.

Delegates can download papers beforehand.

Delegates will receive a proceedings volume on CD.

There will be ample downloading and printing facilities at the conference venue, on a self service basis. Delegates can at registration order a full printed copy of the proceedings beforehand, to be ready on arrival, at an additional fee.


Presenters, discussants:
The organizing committee will seek to match papers in meaningful bundles in the programme, and will assign a discussant to each paper or paper presentation session. Discussants will be asked to prepare a comment to open the discussion of papers after a short presentation by the paper author(s).

For symposia and work groups the organizers will give instructions about preparation and discussion roles.


Paper submissions:
Authors send in abstract at the latest January 15th, blind review by two reviewers from the academic committee and/or the international advisory committee, in case of disagreement a third review is done.
The possible outcomes of the reviews are: Notification of acceptance, acceptance on certain conditions or refusal.
Notification of acceptance will be given February 6.
Paper authors are offered review of full paper.
Full papers should be submitted online in due time to remain in the conference programme. The local organisation committee will seek to put papers together in sessions according to theme, and to allocate discussants on each paper.


Writing a paper:
Papers have two defining characteristics: they engage in critique and are thought-provoking. These two characteristics suggest a processual, provisional and contested view of knowledge and emphasize the need to open up existing ways of thinking and promote new ones.
Papers should also have the characteristics of being thought through, in-depth and clear. This implies that authors are explicit about their philosophical and/or theoretical perspective and explain and justify their methods and data analysis. Conclusions should be clear, developed, and critiqued. Authors should situate their work within a body of literature and connect to conversations in the field and the journal. We place considerable emphasis on clarity of ideas and writing style. Authors should carefully and persuasively craft their argument by stating their contribution to the field and ensuring that their theoretical perspective, method, discussion, and conclusion are consistent and hold together. Papers should reveal commitment and excitement and use accessible and direct language. While most participants are scholars and researchers, the discussions and papers may also attract the interest of a wider audience. Papers should avoid esoteric language and unexplained references to inside communication.These characteristics apply as much to the theoretical and normative stance taken in a paper as to the methodology or the data interpretation and analysis upon which a paper is grounded.

Dates:

15. January, 2009: Deadline for submission of abstracts
6. February, 2009: Notification of acceptance
1. March, 2009: Early bird registration ends
15. March, 2009: Deadline for pre-submission of papers for refereeing (optional)
1. April, 2009: Deadline for registration
15. April 2009: Refereeing (optional) ends
15. May, 2009: Deadline for final submission of full papers