On November 6, 2020, the Oversight Project will be hosting a research conference at American University Washington College of Law on the work of federal oversight and accountability institutions, including Inspectors General, the General Accountability Office, the Office of Government Ethics, the Office of Special Counsel, the Office of Management and Budget, and the role of the Congress in oversight and accountability of the federal government. The Oversight Project is seeking submissions including papers, posters, and panels for this conference. The American University Law Review will act as the publication sponsor for this conference, reserving a right of first refusal to offer publication of submitted papers that conform to the requirements set forth below.
Proposals can be submitted via email at OversightProject@wcl.american.edu through May 1, 2020.
Papers & Posters: Submit an abstract of research (in progress or recently completed) and present the completed paper in a conference session or as a poster. The presentation format is best for work that has been completed, whereas posters are ideal for feedback on work-in-progress and completed work where detailed feedback and engagement is desired. Posters will be prominently displayed and provide an opportunity to discuss your research in detail with conference attendees.
Panels: Propose a panel discussion of a relevant topic. If your proposal is selected, you will be asked to organize the panel.
Important Dates:
● Submission of proposals for papers, posters, and panels: through May 1
● Notice of decisions to the submitting author: June 1
● Final, complete papers for presentation: August 15
Topic Areas:
The program committee encourages submissions from diverse organizations, disciplines, approaches, and geographies on the following and related topics:
● Inspectors General, authorization, mission, practice, function, efficacy
● Government Accountability Office
● Office of Government Ethics
● Office of Special Counsel
● Office of Management and Budget
● Congressional oversight, congressional support for oversight community,
congressional interaction with the oversight community
● Freedom of Information Act requests and litigation
● Judicial resolution of oversight disputes
● The role of the media and social media in oversight and accountability
● The role of civil society in oversight and accountability
● Interagency cooperation, intra-agency cooperation, conflicts and dispute
resolution, and the role of CIGIE
● Proposed legislation
● Career development and preparation
Panels: Panels typically convene a slate of experts to address current topics of interest to the oversight and accountability community. Panel sessions may run concurrently (two or more panels at the same time in different venues). Panels include three or four panelists plus a moderator. Participants may include scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and industry experts. Panels run for up to 90 minutes of discussion, of which 30 are reserved for audience questions (panel duration may be reduced depending on available time).
The submitter of an accepted panel is responsible for organizing the session.
Proposals can be submitted via email at OversightProject@wcl.american.edu through May 1, 2020.
Panel Proposal Criteria:
When submitting a panel proposal, you should, in 500 words or less:
● State the panel’s objectives and topics
● Justify its relevance to the oversight and accountability community
● Explain the proposed composition of the panel and its diversity, including the perspectives and contributions that each participant will bring to the topic
● Include the participants’ names, organizational affiliation, and any other relevant identifying information
Submitters must ensure availability of all participants. Remote participation by panelists is discouraged but may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Important Dates for Panel Proposals:
● Submission of panel proposals: through May 1
● Notice of decisions: June 1
Papers and posters
Paper sessions generally include three presentations of selected papers, grouped by common topic, with a moderator. Presentations are 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute discussion period.
In the poster session, participants display materials that highlight their research and discuss such research with conference attendees. Posters should display the question, hypothesis, data, and results.
Proposals can be submitted via email at OversightProject@wcl.american.edu through May 1, 2020.
Authors may present only one paper or poster at the conference, although they may also participate in a panel or be a coauthor of papers or posters presented by others. An author may submit multiple abstracts for consideration, but at most one will be accepted.
Paper Submissions for Publication Consideration in the American University Law Review:
The American University Law Review (AULR) will have a right of first refusal to publish final papers accepted for the conference, subject to their editorial review process. All final papers should be double-spaced and in Times New Roman font. AULR requires footnotes, not endnotes, and conformity to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation. AULR will not ordinarily consider papers that exceed 25,000 words (including footnotes). Questions regarding submission requirements may be directed to donald.saltmarsh@student.american.edu.
Papers not submitted in final form by August 15 will be removed from the program.
Important Dates for Papers and Posters:
● Submission of Abstracts: through May 1
● Notice of decisions: June 1
● Final accepted papers in full form: August 15
● Final accepted posters: October 20