FAQ
1) Should I register and pay before I have my paper proposal accepted?
- Yes, the congress is open to ‘passive’ as well as ‘active’ participants. But it can take time before the chairs of the Round tables and Study sessions answer. Meanwhile the tariff may change (1 March and 1 July), so it makes sense to register earlier. In case the paper is rejected by all Round tables and Study sessions and you decide not to participate, you will be refunded 100% irrespective of how close to the opening of the congress you have to make your cancellation.
2) I need a visa for Bulgaria; should I register and pay before I obtain the visa?
- Yes, because you will need our assistance in obtaining the visa and we can only offer visa assistance to those who have registered. If you are from Africa you can register without making the payment, but in this case we will have to verify your genuine involvement in semiotic research or study. For those who have paid and have not been able to obtain a visa there will be a refund of 100% irrespective of how close to the opening of the congress you have to make your cancellation. (for further visa information follow the link)
3) I am not a user of any of the social media where the discussions are open, but I would like to propose a Round table or Study session?
- You can send your proposal to us at info@semio2014.org , we shall evaluate it and, in the event that it is accepted, we shall place it on the official website and disseminate it through social media discussions, inviting interested participants to contact you with their paper proposals at the e-mail you gave to us. You will need to referee and forward us the proposals which you find appropriate and we shall include them in the program.
4) I have proposed a topic for a Round table, but only a few people offered acceptable abstracts. Can the RT proceed anyway?
- No, with less than 6 registered participants there cannot be an independent RT; in such a case, we will suggest possibilities to merge your group with other groups with similar topics.
5) What is the difference between a Panel, a Round Table and a Study Session?
- Both Round Tables and Study Sessions are Panels. The difference is in the number, 6 to 11 participants is a Round Table, more than 12 might be called а Study Session, also because 12-15 papers can be already an entire journal or collection of articles with the achievement of some research goals, whereas 6-10 people can mostly exchange interesting ideas and the emphasis goes more on the discussion.
6) How much time shall we allow for our presentations?
- We plan to guarantee 30 minutes for each registered participant, usually divided into 20 minutes for the presentation itself and 10 for discussion, although chairs may agree with participants for common discussion panels.
7) What are the languages of the congress?
- The official IASS/AIS languages are English, French, Spanish and German. The language of the organizer is Bulgarian, so those 5 are the official languages of the congress. Nevertheless under the rubric of “National and Regional Semiotic Schools” there might be proposals in other languages, providing this is justified by the content of the presentation.