2027 Call For Proposals

Conference highlights how such connections are manifested in different configurations of individuals and teams who draw creatively on ideas from across humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences as well as how the nature of applied linguistics makes it well poised to meet the moment of contemporary societal struggles.

The 50th annual in-person conference of AAAL attracts diverse presenters both nationally and internationally to exchange comprehensive and stimulating discussions in the forms of 90-minute colloquia, papers, posters, and round-table sessions. The virtual conference will also include 90-minute colloquia, papers, posters, and round-table sessions. We offer thought-provoking plenary presentations, excellent book exhibits, and plentiful opportunities for networking.

Table of Contents

1. Plenary Speaker and Invited Colloquia Information

2. Strands

3. Proposal Policies

4. Registration Upon Acceptance Policies

5. Proposal Format

6. Evaluation of Proposals

7. Submission Process

8. Requests for Meeting Spaces

9. AAAL Travel Policy 

Plenary Speaker and Invited Colloquia Information

We have created an exciting program for the 2027 conference, reflecting the wide range of research interests in applied linguistics. Check out the plenary speakers and invited colloquia below: 

In-person Conference: Atlanta, GA

• Plenary Speakers

• Invited Colloquia

• Pre-conference Workshops

Virtual Conference

• Plenary Speaker

Strands

Proposals are welcome in the following topic strands:

• Analysis of Discourse and Interaction (DIS)

• Antiracism, Decolonization, and Intersectionality for Systemic Transformation (ADIST)

• Assessment and Evaluation (ASE)

• Bilingual, Immersion, Heritage, and Minority Education (BIH)

• Corpus Linguistics (COR)

• Educational Linguistics (EDU)

• Language and Ideology (LID)

• Language and the Law (LAL)

• Language and Technology (TEC)

• Language Cognition and Brain Research (COG)

• Language, Culture, and Socialization (LCS)

• Language, Gender, and Sexuality (LGS)

• Language Maintenance and Revitalization (LMR)

• Language Planning and Policy (LPP)

• Phonology/Phonetics and Oral Communication (POC)

• Pragmatics (PRG)

• Reading, Writing, and Literacy (RWL)

• Research Methodology (REM)

• Second and Foreign Language Pedagogy (PED)

• Second Language Acquisition, Language Acquisition, and Attrition (SLA)

• Sociolinguistics (SOC)

• Teacher Education, Beliefs, and Identities (TED)

• Text Analysis (Written Discourse) (TXT)

• Translation, Interpretation and Language Access (TRI)

• Vocabulary and Lexical Studies (VOC)

You must select a primary strand for your submission. This is the strand in which your submission will very likely be reviewed and grouped. If applicable, please choose a secondary strand that also characterizes the submission. This will help conference organizers in preparing the conference program and in some instances, balancing the size and coherence of strands. You must choose a primary strand; the selection of a secondary strand is optional (but recommended).

Proposal Policies

Submissions are welcome from AAAL members as well as non-members, and from scholars, including graduate students,based inside and outside the United States.   All proposals must represent original and unpublished work that is not yet available to the AAAL membership (with the exception of material from publications in press). AAAL 2025 accepts four types of proposals: individual papers, posters, roundtable discussions, and colloquia. An individual will only appear once as a single or first author-presenter on the program, as per the following submission rules:

1. Number of submissions 

You may submit a maximum of one abstract as a single/first author, whether a paper (including papers presented in a colloquium), a poster, or a roundtable discussion across in-person and virtual conferences. As a single/first author, you must choose to present at either in-person or virtual conference. Across in-person and virtual conferences, you may play an additional role as a colloquium organizer or discussant or conference workshop presenter. Your name should not appear in more than three proposals of any type in the regular academic sessions across in-person and virtual conferences.

2. Language(s) of the proposal  

Abstracts for individual papers, posters, roundtable discussions, and colloquia shall be submitted in English with the option to also submit them in one additional language. An abstract in a language other than English should be uploaded as a PDF document. At the top of the PDF document, indicate in English which language is used. Please note that the system automatically renames your PDF file once you submit it. You will also be asked to type the name of the additional language of your abstract.

3. Language(s) of the presentation 

At the conference, individual papers, posters, roundtable discussions, and colloquia may be delivered in the language(s) or combination of languages of the presenters’ choice. At the time of proposal submission, you will be asked to indicate which language(s) they will use during your presentation. If the proposal is accepted, this information will appear in the program to assist the audience in choosing which presentations to attend.

In the case of colloquia, the entire session or any individual papers within the colloquium can be delivered in language(s) other than English. The colloquium organizer is responsible for indicating the languages of presentation for papers within the colloquium.

4. Ensure anonymity of the proposal submitter(s)

Proposals for all presentation formats will be double-anonymous peer-reviewed. In order to minimize reviewers’ bias and increase fairness during the review process, please ensure that any reference made to your previous work does not include self-reference information that clearly identifies you or one of your co-authors. Avoid, for example, statements such as In a previous study, I/we (YOURNAME, date). 

Registration Upon Acceptance Policies

If your proposal is accepted, you will be asked to register for the conference in order to confirm your participation in the program. You must register for the conference by the date to be announced in order to have a session slot saved for you. For the virtual conference, Individual paper presentations will be presented live or by pre-recorded video. Pre-recordings are due on March 1, 2027. Details of submission will be provided upon acceptance.

For accepted proposals with more than one author, at least one author must register by the date to be announced. 

Accepted presenters who know that they cannot attend the conference are asked to withdraw their proposals as soon as possible to give another presenter a place on the program.

The author’s confirmation of attendance and presentation signifies that the author will present the paper on the day and time assigned by the conference program committee in December. AAAL will not respond to or consider requests for a specific time slot.

Proposals

Proposals are invited for individual papers, colloquia, posters, and roundtable discussions. The deadline for proposal submission is 4:00 p.m. on July 15, 2026 (EDT; UTC-4). To submit a proposal, you must hold your current status as an AAAL member or you must create a guest account if you are not a member. If you need to renew your membership or create a guest account, you should do so at least 3 hours before the submission deadline to allow for changes to take place in the system. Requests relating to membership or guest accounts later than this may mean that you are unable to submit your abstract by the deadline. 

Abstract submissions for both conferences are invited from June 1 to July 15, 2026.  

INDIVIDUAL PAPERS: Papers are formal presentations on a contribution of original knowledge by one or more authors within a thirty-minute period, including 20 minutes for presentation and discussion for 10 minutes for the in-person conference and 5 minutes for the virtual conference. 

Individual paper presentations for the virtual conference will be presented live or by pre-recorded video. Pre-recordings are due on March 1, 2027. Details of submission will be provided upon acceptance.

POSTERS: Posters are especially effective for information that can be presented visually (e.g. charts, graphs, tables, diagrams). Prospective presenters are encouraged to consider posters, because of the opportunity they provide for extended discussion with other researchers.

• In-Person: Each poster session lasts 1 hour and offers an open, walk-through environment where presenters stand by their posters to engage directly with attendees. This format encourages spontaneous dialogue, feedback, and networking with fellow researchers.

• Virtual: Posters will be hosted asynchronously on the virtual conference platform. Attendees can view the posters at their convenience and engage with presenters by leaving comments or questions via text-based messages. Posters will be available to registered attendees for 30 days. Posters are due on March 19, 2027; details of submission will be provided upon acceptance.

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS: Roundtable discussions provide opportunities for informal and in-depth discussions between presenters and attendees on a specific topic. They are particularly well suited for works-in-progress. They are not meant to be formal paper presentations but rather opportunities for stimulating conversations and networking among participants on shared research interests. 

• In-person: Each roundtable session is scheduled for 60 minutes, during which three presenters present their work consecutively for 10 minutes each around a table. The remaining 30 minutes are used for the three presenters and the attendees to engage in a group discussion. There will be a time-keeper assigned to each roundtable discussion.  

• Virtual: Roundtable sessions will be delivered live (without recorded presentation) and use the same format as in the in-person conference (i.e., 3 papers, 10 minutes each, and 30 minutes for Q & A, a total of 60 minutes). One presenter in each session will be designated as a time-keeper. 

COLLOQUIA: Colloquia allow for extended discussion on a particular topic, achieved through the organization of individual presentations that are clearly linked to the colloquium theme and to each other.   A colloquium will be for 90 minutes for both in-person and virtual conferences. Note that the spaces are more limited for the one-day virtual conference.

The number of presenters, the length of each presentation, and the format or structure of the session are left up to the discretion of the colloquium organizer, as is the decision to include one or more discussants. Generous time allowance should be made throughout the colloquium for extended audience discussion of the papers presented. Colloquium proposers should, in addition to describing the content to be discussed and the coherence across the individual papers/presentations, state how time will be allocated across paper presentations, discussant remarks (optional), and audience discussion; this should be done without identifying presenters by name in order to preserve anonymity.

For both in-person and virtual colloquia, their organizers are responsible for submitting the proposal on behalf of all colloquium participants and they serve as the liaisons between participants in the colloquium and the AAAL conference program committees. They are also responsible for all communication among the presenters and discussants.

Proposal Format

Please note the following word limits for all proposal types, including the colloquia components. Please note that the proposal shall be submitted in English with the option to also submit it in one or more additional languages.

[English] (required)

Title: 15 words (please use sentence case, with which only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized)

Abstract: 300 words

1. Please note that for a colloquium proposal:
   The colloquium organizer must provide an overview of the entire colloquium, including title (15 words) and abstract (300 words), including information about the format/timing of presentation and discussion as noted above.

2. Each individual presenter within the colloquium must provide the colloquium organizer with title (15 words) and abstract (300 words) for their paper.  

3. Each colloquium submission must be done by the colloquium organizer, who submits the title and abstract for the entire colloquium and the titles and abstracts for the presentations within it. The organizer must collect the names, affiliations, emails, and language(s) of presentation of all presenters in preparation for proposal submission.

[Language(s) other than English] (optional)

Follow the guideline of English above. The length of the proposal should be roughly equivalent to that in English. The proposal should be submitted as a PDF document. At the top of the PDF document, indicate in English in which language the proposal is written. Please note that the system automatically renames your PDF file once you submit it. You will also be asked to type the name of the additional language of your abstract.

Evaluation of Proposals

All proposals are evaluated through anonymous peer review by several reviewers. Each submission is rated by reviewers independently according to the criteria shown below:

The rationale for these criteria is as follows:

• The topic/issue/problem is appropriate and important

• The research is original and theoretically grounded

• If an empirical study, the research design is of high quality and sufficiently explained, including clearly stated questions, data sources, data collection procedures, and analytic approach

• If a conceptual study, the conceptual framework is of high quality and clearly explained. The author needs to state the importance of the topic, make meaningful connections to the relevant research communities, and present their arguments in a persuasive manner. 

As indicated in the criteria above, each reviewer also makes a holistic recommendation to accept, accept if there is space, or reject; and they are encouraged to offer open-ended feedback for the submitter.

Final decisions are made by the Conference Program Team based on: (a) the responses across categories (criteria above) provided by the reviewers on a given submission, (b) the overall global recommendation by Strand Coordinators, and (c) available space at the conference and balance across strands.

Additional Evaluation Criteria by Submission Type

Proposals for Roundtable Discussions will also be evaluated for:

• Clarity of objectives and intended outcomes of the session

• Methods planned to engage participants in the discussion

Proposals for colloquia will also be evaluated for each of the following categories:

• Appropriateness and significance of the topic

• Presentation of original and on-going research studies OR differing or dissenting perspectives on an important issue

• Coherence and complementarity of the papers

• Format or structure of the session (clearly indicated schedule of activity with significant amounts of time allocated for audience participation in discussion)

Please note that if colloquia are accepted, the session format or structure, including the order of presentations, will appear in the conference program as listed in the proposal and must be respected in the actual presentation of papers.

Submission Process

Before submitting a proposal, please read the brief descriptors for each strand, which are available through the Call for Proposals on the AAAL website. Try to submit your proposal to the strand that most closely relates to your main theme. If you are unsure, please ask a colleague, professor, or supervisor who is familiar with AAAL Conference procedures.

Before submitting a proposal, remember to check your membership status, since you need to be either a member or create a guest account in order to submit your proposal. PLEASE REMEMBER: If you need to renew your membership or create a guest account, you must do so at least 3 hours before the submission deadline.  Requests relating to membership or guest accounts later than this may mean that you are unable to submit your abstract by the deadline.

Requests for Meeting Spaces

Individuals or groups wishing to use rooms at the conference venue for meetings outside the conference program should make their requests using the Meeting Request Form, which will be automatically submitted to the conference team, no later than 11:59 p.m. on December 1, 2025 (EST; UTC-4).  Such meeting spaces may be required for closed sessions with journal editors, editorial board meetings, to honor a colleague in retirement or passing, and other networking opportunities. Requests for meetings will be considered within the inevitable constraints of time and space available.

AAAL Travel Policy

If you already know that you will be unable to attend the conference in person, we encourage you to submit your proposal for the virtual conference instead.

As stated in the AAAL's Standing Rule 17: 

Adjudicated conference presentations may not be done solely by telecommunication procedures; at least one co-author must be physically present at the conference.

1. Although in-person participation is prioritized, exception to this policy will be made in certain cases to allow for video-recorded presentations or online synchronous presentations. The Q&A segment for online synchronous sessions will be managed by a student volunteer. Accommodation requests for the following will be given priority:

I. Medical circumstance of self or immediate family member which prevents travel

Ii. Denial or rejection of visa beyond a time frame which reasonably allows for travel accommodations to the conference, at the Conference Chair’s discretion

Iii. Citizenship of or current residence in a “travel ban” country

Questions

For questions regarding the procedural practicalities of how to submit a proposal or other technical questions, please contact info@aaal.org.

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