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Convener Guideline

0: Changes to be Introduced at the JpGU Meeting 2016

* A single time slot (oral session unit) is 90 minutes and consists of six 15 minute talks.
* The number of poster presentations will be increased to be approximately equal to the the number of oral presentations.
* After the submission deadline for the session proposals, the number of time slots and their allocation will be finalized.
* There will no longer be any three-minute oral summaries of poster presentations.
* The number of sessions will be allocated based on the number of abstracts submitted when the session was most recently held. Poster session space will be allocated for an increase in abstract submissions.
* In general, newly proposed sessions will be allocated a single time slot. Abstracts in excess of this number will be allocated as poster presentations.
* Sessions which receive fewer than nine submitted manuscripts will be conducted as poster sessions only.
* There will be a maximum of five Union sessions, and these will be proposed by the Program Chair.
* International sessions and Japanese language sessions will be treated equally.
* Conveners who propose Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Sessions must specify the most closely related regular session category (P, A, H, S or B – defined in the next section).

1: Session Organization

The Program Committee holds the authority to make final decisions regarding the acceptance and time and space allocation of all proposed Sessions.

  • Scientific Sessions

    The JpGU Meeting is organized as a collection of many sessions. Each session has a scope as proposed by its conveners and is made up of scientific presentations proposed by the conveners.
  • Session Language

    The official language for each session may be chosen to be either Japanese or English. Sessions in English are called “International Sessions (English Language Session)”, and Japanese should not be used. Japanese language sessions may contain either Japanese or English language presentations. For presentations to be made in any of the Japanese language sessions we request that any slides used in oral presentations and poster session posters be prepared in English as well as Japanese wherever possible.
  • Session Categories

    Each scientific session is categorized into one of the following seven categories depending on the scientific content and target audience. Each category is assigned a code letter, given in square brackets below.

    • Space and Planetary Sciences [P]:

      Planetary Science, Solar Terrestrial Physics, Space Physics, Space Electromagnetism, Exoplanetology, etc.
    • Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences [A]:

      Atmospheric Science, Meteorology, Atmospheric Environment, Ocean Sciences, Hydrology, Limnology, Ground Water Hydrology, Cryospheric Sciences, Geoenvironmental Science, Climate Change Research, etc.
    • Human Geosciences [H]:

      Geography, Geomorphology, Engineering Geology, Environmental Geology, Sedimentology, Natural Disaster, Disaster Prevention, Resources, Energy, etc.
    • Solid Earth Sciences [S]:

      Geodesy, Seismology, Geomagnetism, Science of the Earth's Interior, Earth and Planetary Tectonics and Dynamics, Geology, Quaternary Research, Lithology and Mineralogy, Volcanology, Geochemistry, etc.
    • Biogeosciences [B]:

      Biogeosciences, Space Biology, Origin of Life, Geosphere-Biosphere Interactions, Paleontology, Paleoecology, etc.
    • General (Education & Outreach) [G]:

      Earth Science Education, School Education, Relation to Society, etc.
    • Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary [M]:

      Sessions that cannot be uniquely classified into one of the above categories, joint sessions with other scientific societies, etc.
  • Special Sessions

    JpGU Meeting 2016 will contain the following three types of special session: Public Session [code letter O]; Union Session [U]; and Joint Sessions with AGU.

    • Public Session [O]

      Public Sessions are for outreach activity and are designed to introduce the results of earth and planetary science research to the general public. There is no admission fee to Public Sessions and there are no abstract submission fees for invited lectures. The Program Committee reviews all proposals for public sessions and decides which will be adopted.
    • Union Session [U]

      Union Sessions cover either the latest frontier topics in Earth and planetary science research or treat subjects which are of common interest to the whole geoscience community. The Program Committee Chair is responsible for proposing and organizing all union sessions.
      Public and Union Sessions have no restriction on the number of invited speakers and are given full flexibility in the allocation of timings of presentations and discussions within the session.
    • Joint Sessions with AGU

      Joint JpGU-AGU session proposals will be planned jointly by JpGU conveners and AGU conveners. For technical reasons, final proposals will have to be input into the JpGU Meeting Web System by conveners with a JpGU Member ID. Joint Sessions with AGU have no restriction on the number of invited speakers and timing of presentations and discussions may be freely allocated within the 90 minute time slot.

      Proposals for Joint Sessions with AGU may be made in the same way as for regular international sessions. When submitting such a proposal please indicate clearly that it is for a Joint Session with AGU.

      Main conveners who are AGU members are not required to have a JpGU Member ID at the time when the session is proposed. However in this case it will be necessary to have a co-convener who is a JpGU member and who will input the proposal into the JpGU system. The JpGU is preparing a system to issue AGU members with JpGU Member IDs, and when this system is in place we will contact the AGU convener directly with further information. The JpGU member co-convener who is submitting the proposal will temporarily act as the main convener, and is kindly requested to enter detailed contact information (name, institution and email address) for the AGU member, and must clearly state that the AGU member will be the main convener for the proposed session.

2: From Session Proposal to Adoption

  • Session Proposal

    Session proposals may be submitted online through the JpGU Meeting web system. Proposals for the 2016 Meeting must be submitted between 1st September and 15th October 2015.
  • Main Convener

    Session proposals may be submitted by individuals or by associations such as scientific societies or research groups. Each proposed session must have a designated main convener who must hold a JpGU Member ID – please obtain a JpGU Member ID in advance if necessary. Co-conveners who wish to work with the main convener to organize the session program using the internet Meeting Web System must also have JpGU Member IDs. A system to enable AGU members to receive a free JpGU Member ID will be available from January 7th 2016: this system will be ready before the session organization work will take place.
  • Session Category

    When proposing a scientific session please indicate to which of the seven session categories (listed above) your proposal belongs. We request that you further indicate whether your session will be English-only (International Session).If you are uncertain as to which category is appropriate please ask office@jpgu.org for advice. If you wish to hold a Public Session please make this clear in your proposal.
  • Joint Sessions with Other Associations Abroad

    If you are planning to hold or have already agreed to hold an International Session jointly with an overseas partner association please clearly indicate this in your session proposal and also notify the secretariat by email to office@jpgu.org when you make your proposal.
  • Session Subcategories

    The major session categories described above are further classified into subcategories containing sessions covering related fields. Subcategories will be decided by the Program Committee, however if you have any special request concerning the subcategory of your proposed session please indicate this in your proposal.
  • Session Date, Time and Venue

    You may request a specified room size when submitting your session proposal. Please note however that the Program Committee will make a final decision about the room size after reviewing, amongst other things, the previous year’s session attendance numbers. We cannot allow you to specify the exact date that your session will be held, however you may submit a reasonable list of dates when it will not be possible to hold your session, together with reasons why they are unsuitable using the online form available at:

    https://business.form-mailer.jp/fms/ecb8562b46828
  • Acceptance of Session Proposals

    The Program Committee will make the final decision about acceptance of proposed sessions and allocation and division of time slots and poser space. The Program Committee may decide that a session’s content does not match its proposed category or subcategory and in that case may accept a session under a different category or subcategory to that originally proposed. Further if the Program Committee decides that several proposed sessions cover similar or closely related content then these session proposals may be merged into a single session.

    If the Program Committee judges that a session proposal falls into one of the following three categories then that proposal shall not be adopted:

    1. The proposal is outside of the scope of the JpGU Meeting.
    2. The scientific content of the proposed session is (almost) the same as that of other sessions: after consultation with all concerned such similar sessions may be combined.
    3. The proposed session content is, in the view of the Program Committee, scientifically, ethically or socially inappropriate.
    All Proposed session conveners will be informed whether their session proposal is accepted or not by the end of November.

3: Call for Abstracts and Invited Papers

  • Call for Abstracts

    As soon as you hear that your session proposal has been accepted we would like to ask you to advertize your session by informing all potentially interested researchers of their session details. When you learn that your session has been accepted you will also be informed of your time slot allocation: please make sure that you confirm that potential speakers are available during your time slots before accepting abstract submissions. After the time slot allocation has been announced it will not be possible to change the date or time of any session.

    The dates for formal submission of abstracts for JpGU Meeting 2016 are 7th January to 18th February 2016.
  • Notification to Submitters of Abstracts

    Please inform all potential abstract submitters (who must be either the lead author or the person who will make the presentation) that they must have either a JpGU Member ID or a temporary JpGU Member ID in order to make their submission and encourage them to register as soon as possible (see www.XXX.XXX for details about temporary JpGU Member IDs).
  • Types of Presentation

    The JpGU Meeting allows two types of presentation: (i) a 15 minute oral presentation (the 15 minutes to include any question and answer period); and (ii) a poster presentation.

    For presentations to be made in any of the Japanese language sessions we request that any slides used in oral presentations and poster session posters be prepared in English as well as Japanese whenever possible.

    Please remember that time slots are 90 minutes long and will not be allowed to exceed this length. With the exception of invited presentations all presentations are 15 minutes long and this length also cannot be changed.

    For poster presentations the Program Committee will allocate core time to each session.
  • Invited Presentations

    Conveners may, at their discretion, invite presentations to their sessions. Invited presentations may be either oral or poster presentations and should either concern material that has made an important contribution to research in the fields covered by the session or summarize existing research and outline future directions for new work.

    For regular scientific sessions, invited presentations will be charged normal fees for the abstract submission and meeting registration.

    The following limits apply to invited presentations:

    * Regular Sessions (including International Sessions)

    Before the end of the abstract submission period conveners may invite two presentations in the unrestricted category (which may be either oral or poster presentations) plus one additional poster presentation.

    After the end of the abstract submission period it may be possible to add invited presentations in the unrestricted category. This will only be possible if a total of twelve or more abstracts have been received, and in this case the total number of unrestricted category invited presentations must not exceed 1/3 of the total number of presentations for the session.

    The length of invited oral presentations may be extended to be longer than 15 minutes provided there is room to do so without exceeding the time units allocated to the session.

    * Public Sessions and Union Sessions

    For Public sessions and Union sessions there are no limits on the number of invited presentations. Conveners will be informed of further details after all abstracts have been accepted.

    Conveners who intend to invite presentations before the start of the regular abstract submission period are requested to make every effort to receive confirmation from the invitee before the abstract submission period starts, in order that a list of invited speakers may be announced during the abstract submission period.

4: Program Organization

  • Preparing the Meeting Timetable

    After the list of meeting sessions has been finalized a summary timetable detailing which sessions will occur on which days of the week for the meeting will be prepared in December 2015 (this is earlier than was done in previous years). For previous meetings we had waited until the abstract submission period was closed before preparing this timetable: we hope to speed up the process by doing this work earlier this year. The Program Committee will send this summary timetable to all conveners. Please check that there are no problems with your session.

    The detailed timetable will be prepared as follows: initially oral presentation time slots will be allocated based on the actual number of presentations (both oral and poster) made in previous years and information about this allocation will be passed on to all conveners. Next the Program Committee will fix the dates and times for each session’s oral presentations and poster presentation core times: we will consider conflicts between sessions with similar subject matter and the availability of the various room sizes when doing this.

    Since the number of available rooms and total meeting time are both limited there may not be the flexibility to deal with all scheduling requests, and the final decision on all timetabling matters shall rest with the Program Committee.

    Newly proposed sessions (sessions that have not been held at previous meetings) shall, as a rule, be allocated a single time slot only. If a newly proposed session is likely to require more time (because, for example, it covers a recent large scale project of wide interest) please inform the Program Committee in advance (a form to do this is available online at www.XXX.XXX ). We will discuss the proposed content with the relevant science section and consider making extra time slots available if we are able to do so.

    Please inform us of any dates during the JpGU Meeting period when similar material to that in your session is being covered at another meeting or symposium so that we can attempt to avoid any conflict. Please understand however that for various reasons we may not be able to comply with all such requests.

    We plan to allocate times for oral presentations at the 2016 Meeting according to the following rules (current as of September 2015):

    • 1 talk is 15 minutes (only certain invited talks are allowed to exceed this limit)
    • 1 time slot consists of 6 talks.
    • As a general rule every day there will be 2 time slots in the morning and 2 time slots in the afternoon.
    • For regular scientific sessions (regardless of whether English or Japanese language): the number of time slots allocated shall be (S+3)/12, rounded to the nearest integer, where S is the total number of presentations (both oral and poster) at the most recent previous meeting where the session was held. The formula in this rule may be changed depending on the final number of sessions that are accepted.
    • Joint Sessions with AGU will generally be allocated 2 time slots.

    When the total number of submitted abstracts for a session is known, any presentations that will not fit into the time allocated for oral presentations should be accepted only as poster sessions. Should the number of submitted abstracts be fewer than expected then previously allocated time slots may be retracted in line with the above formula where S now represents the number of abstracts actually received.
  • Organizing the Meeting Timetable

    The detailed timetable for the meeting will be organized in February 2016 using the Meeting Web System. The timetable for each session will be organized by its conveners. If for any reason none of the conveners of your session will be able to do this work at that time then please inform the secretariat of this as soon as possible.

    Although there is nothing to prevent more than one convener from accessing the Meeting Web System at the same time, doing so may yield unexpected results as the system cannot distinguish between modifications made by different conveners. Please coordinate system access to avoid this problem.
  • Accepting Submitted Abstracts

    Please carefully review all submitted abstracts. Conveners can reject abstracts that they feel to be inappropriate. In order to avoid trouble when rejecting abstracts please first inform the Program Committee of the problem. Do not contact the contributor directly.

    The following is a list of criteria for rejecting abstracts:

    • The abstract falls outside of the scope of the session’s science section (if there is a different session for which the abstract may be suitable transfer may be possible with the agreement of the convener of that session)
    • The scientific content is inappropriate or is not well structured as presentation material.
    • The content is abusive or ethically inappropriate.
    • In order to attempt to guarantee a presentation slot, an individual has made multiple submissions in excess of the allowed limit for a single session (see below); or has made submissions using someone else’s name; or has engaged in similar behavior.

    A single individual is allowed a maximum of two submissions per session as lead author or presenter, and only one of these may be for an oral presentation. There is one exception to this rule, and that is for the case where several students with a common supervisor are the lead authors on different abstracts: in this case only, the supervisor is allowed to submit such abstracts on behalf of the students without limit. However even in this case there is, in the interest of fairness, a limit that one individual can make at most two oral presentations in any given session: submitted abstracts in excess of this number should be for poster presentations only.

    In the past there have been cases of individuals trying to secure an oral presentation slot by submitting dummy abstracts or by making submissions on behalf of a presenter without the knowledge or agreement of that presenter. Such behavior runs completely contrary to the spirit of our meeting: should conveners be found to be involved in such cases their session may even be cancelled in its entirety. 

    The Program Committee makes the final decision about the acceptance or rejection of all papers. If the decision is to reject a paper the contributor will be informed of the reason for this decision by the Program Committee, and in this case the submission fee will be refunded. A contributor may appeal against a rejection by asking the Program Committee to review their abstract for a second time.

    Should sessions which are initially adopted as joint oral presentation and poster presentation sessions receive 8 or fewer abstract submissions they will either be run as poster only sessions or merged into a suitable related session if such exists.
  • Presentation Mode

    Conveners may freely determine the mode of presentation (oral presentation or poster presentation) for all the submitted abstracts in their session, provided however that they do so within the limits of their allocated time slots. Please review the contents of each abstract and, based on this, decide on a suitable presentation mode. Although submitters specify a preferred presentation mode, conveners may, at their discretion, choose to override this preference and assign a different presentation mode to any abstract should they feel that this would benefit their session.

    Oral presenters are given 15 minutes each (this time to include any question and answer period). Only invited oral presentations may be timetabled for longer than 15 minutes. Ordinary oral presentations may not be extended beyond 15 minutes, and any other ad hoc changes to the timetable (for instance holding a panel discussion) are forbidden.

    The limitation on available meeting space means that there is a limit to the total possible number of oral presentations. Because of this it may be impossible for conveners to comply with all requests from submitters to be allowed an oral presentation slot. Please understand these limits and do your best to work within them.
  • Sessions Requiring Special Treatment

    If a convener wishes to invite speakers to their session who require either special security arrangements or other arrangements such as private waiting rooms etc. (for example high ranking government officials), please be sure to discuss all necessary arrangements with the JpGU Meeting Organizing Committee (Jm_plan@jpgu.org) before issuing any invitation. Please be sure to comply with any instructions the Organizing Committee may give about the operation of the session concerned.

    Conveners are responsible for such special speakers, and any additional expenses incurred (for example the cost of renting a waiting room) will be charged to them.

    Similar considerations apply to any other cases where special treatment is required.
  • Order of Presentations within a Session

    If submitters have any requests about the timetabling of their presentation conveners may handle such requests at their discretion.
  • Transfer of Presentations to Other Sessions

    An abstract initially submitted to one session may be transferred to a different, more appropriate session, subject to the agreement of the conveners of the two sessions concerned. If an accepted abstract is to be transferred this should be done during the adjustment period following the deadline for abstract submissions, and must be done in consultation with the Program Committee.
  • Assignment of Chairpersons

    Please be certain to choose and confirm at least two chairpersons for each oral presentation session (poster only sessions do not need a chairperson). Please make sure that all chairpersons attend their relevant sessions.
  • Confirmation of Session Timetables

    Every session timetable is reviewed and approved by the Program Organizing Board before being formally adopted by the JpGU Board of Directors.

5. After the Timetable is Finalized

  • Modification of Presentation Title, Authors or Speaker

    After the deadline for submitting abstracts has passed we do not, as a general rule, accept any modification of Presentation Title, Authors or Speaker.
  • Cancellation of Presentations

    Conveners may at their discretion accept requests from contributors that their presentation be cancelled. In this case please inform the Program Committee using the designated form. Form’s URL here.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

Please check FAQ as updates will be made from time to time.
  • International Sessions

    Q: What do you mean by International Sessions?
    A: International Sessions are sessions where the official language is English. To propose an International Session you should choose the official language to be English and select International session when submitting their proposal.
  • Invited Presentations

    Q: Is there any special procedure for abstract submission for invited presentations?
    A: No. Invited abstracts should be submitted in exactly the same way as regular abstracts.

    Q: Are there any discounts on abstract submission fees for invited presentations?
    A: No. Invited presentations must pay the abstract submission fee and also the meeting registration fee just as all other presentations (although there may be special cases for presentations in Public Sessions).

    Q: Are there any limits on the number of abstracts that may be submitted by a single contributor? Do these limits include invited presentations?
    A: Yes. A single individual may submit at most two abstracts to any given session, and only one of these may be for an oral presentation. Invited presentations are included in this limit. Provided this rule is obeyed an individual may submit as many abstracts as they like to different sessions.

    Q: Will invited presentations be advertised to meeting participants?
    A: Yes. Invited presentations (including poster presentations) will be marked in the meeting program. A label will be attached to invited posters making clear their invited status.
  • Presentation Timing

    Q: Will it be possible to increase the number of oral presentations in a session by reducing their length?
    A: As a rule this is not allowed, and with the exception of certain invited speakers all oral presentations must be 15 minutes long. This is firstly to prevent speakers from rushing their presentation and secondly to allow meeting participants to move easily between presentations in different sessions should they wish to do so.

    Q; Will there be time at the start of a session for an explanation of the session’s purpose and content?
    A: This is not recommended, as we do not wish to see any reduction of the time available for presentations.

    Q: Is it possible to include general discussion time in the timetable?
    A: With the exception of Public and Union Sessions we do not recommend allocating such time. However, if conveners feel that it would really be beneficial then there are two options:
    1. They may allocate one 15 minute talk period as a discussion period.
    2. They may request that a spare room be made available after the day’s sessions have ended and use this to hold a general discussion. The use of a spare room will require a fee, and as their number is limited one may not always be available. Please consult the secretariat as soon as possible if you wish to consider this option.
  • Miscellaneous.

    Q: When will the meeting timetable be finalized?
    A: A summary timetable will be prepared in December (earlier than previous years) and the detailed timetable will be finalized in early March 2016.

    Q: Will there be an English language version of the abstract submission system?
    A: Yes. The English language login page is at: https://secure.jproduce.co.jp/jpgu_e/

    Q: Is there any special procedure for submitting abstracts to Union Sessions?
    A: No. Abstracts are submitted in the same way as for regular sessions. There is no discount on the abstract submission fee or meeting registration fee, and there is no extension of the deadline for abstract submission.

    Q: What equipment is provided in the lecture rooms?
    A: For oral sessions, each lecture room is equipped with a single projector. This projector does not have an HDMI input, and presenters are asked to provide a suitable adapter if necessary. No computer is provided. Speakers who wish to use an overhead projector should notify the secretariat in advance. For poster sessions, no electronic equipment of any sort is allowed.