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Dear Colleague,
I am writing again to ask if you would be willing to act as a reviewer for abstracts submitted to the BERA Conference due to take place at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, from 3rd to the 6th of September 2008. Many thanks to all the people who have already volunteered for this task - I have added your names and contact details to my list - but we are still desperately short of the 35 reviewers needed for our already large and still growing SIG. Please volunteer asap by emailing me directly at [log in to unmask]
The formal request for reviewers is below -
As you may be aware, when people submit abstracts they are required to nominate the SIG which should consider the paper. Based on last year's submissions, I anticipate that our SIG will therefore need 35 reviewers, ideally with a few others in reserve just in case. This is based on each person reviewing approximately 10 abstracts.
I would really appreciate your help with this process. To be involved, you will need to be available to referee abstracts online between 22nd Feb and 14th March 2008. Please let me know if you are able and willing to do this, and if so, mark the dates for reviewing in your diaries now.
The review process will involve going online to the conference website, downloading the 600 word proposals, reading them, and then assigning a score against five criteria. The criteria are:
1. relevance of study or enquiry to BERA members
2. clarity of research questions or focus of enquiry
3. appropriateness of methods or literature
4. robustness of analytical or theoretical framework
5. significance for educational policy and/or practice
Symposia will also have a 400 word abstract explaining their rationale. All papers in a given symposium, plus the rationale, will be reviewed by the same two referees so that they can judge the merit of the symposium as a whole.
The process will be managed by the conference committee and In-Conference, and is designed to be as transparent and easy as possible for those taking part. More details will be provided nearer the time.
Thank you for your support, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
Jean