ANNUAL MEETING

Relevancy: Considering Connections Through Archaeology

The archaeological record is a compelling chronicle of underrepresented people, a testimony about how humans have persevered, is a source of inspiration, and provides a direct window into climate and environment with an unmatched time span. It holds powerful value as a tangible source of identity and belonging. Let us convene at our 2025 Annual Meeting to showcase our successes in how we study, understand, interpret, and conserve the archaeological record to inform future science and society. Let’s also take time to assess how to adapt and improve efforts for future archaeology in the betterment of the discipline, our world, and the SCA. Formal presentations, poster sessions, workshops, panel sessions, and lively discussion using this theme will help us work collaboratively to increase public appreciation and support for archaeology in California.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES & INSTRUCTIONS

Special Instructions

You must be a member of the Society of California Archaeology AND registered for the Annual Meeting to present a paper or poster. 
You may submit the paper before registering for the Annual Meeting but must register once you are confirmed as a presenter.
Submission buttons are at the bottom of this page and can be accessed by SCA members. Not a member?  JOIN HERE.
Questions? Contact programchair@scahome.com. 

 Submissions

1. Deadline for submission of Annual Meeting presentations: December 8th.
2. All submissions must be submitted through the SCA Submission Form, found below. The submission form will redirect to the Whova submission system.
3. Abstracts are limited to 800 words.
4. Participants must be SCA members in good standing to submit a symposium, paper, or poster. As the submission deadline falls in the calendar year prior to the meeting, consideration is given to new members making submissions, and the new member may opt for the membership to become effective for the Meeting year. Become a member here.
5. Individuals are limited to two (2) submissions as the primary author of a paper or poster; the number of submissions as a secondary author of papers or posters is not restricted, but will not be considered for scheduling conflicts. If you have questions regarding this policy, you may contact the Program Chairs, via email at programchair@scahome.com.
6. Organizers of symposiums, forums, and workshops must confirm SCA membership of participants as part of the session organizing process or, as necessary, seek exceptions for specific individuals from the SCA board prior to the submission deadline (non-archaeologists with information relevant to the SCA membership may have the membership requirement waived). To seek a waiver of the membership requirement, email the Business Office. All participants must also register for the meeting when submitting their paper. Session organizers, it is important that you get your session into the system early, even if all details are not hammered out. The system is designed to be self-service, and you will be able to make updates as necessary, but we need your session title in early so we may begin to link contributed papers to your symposium.
7. General Session papers will be limited to a 15-minute time slot while organized sessions will be allotted 15 to 20 minutes at the discretion of the session organizer. All sessions will require a minimum of 4 and maximum of 16 presenters and should fit comfortably within blocks of time commensurate with symposiums. Forum and workshop organizers may allow for more time for participant flexibility, but should also fit comfortably within blocks of time commensurate with symposiums. Alternative scheduling may be considered but is discouraged as it does not allow members to move between sessions. If you would like to discuss an alternative schedule, please contact the Program Chair.

 Confirmation and Scheduling

1. Within two weeks of submission deadline, session organizers and individual contributors will receive confirmation of submission details for review.
2. Within three weeks following the submission deadline, session organizers and/or individual contributors will be contacted by the Program Chairs via email to confirm that sessions and/or papers are accepted. Participants or session organizers who do not receive confirmation within one week of the submission deadline should contact the Program Chairs via email.
3. By late January, session organizers and/or individual contributors will be contacted by the Program Chairs via email to confirm the scheduled time for presentations within the program.

Definitions (following SAA guidelines)

1. General Presentation – Paper or poster submitted by an individual that is not part of an organized session such as a symposium or forum. General Presentations are grouped into General Sessions by the Program Chair based on topical themes or regional focus.
2. Contributed Presentation– Paper or Poster submitted by an individual that is part of an organized session such as a symposium or forum.
3. Symposium – A group of papers or posters organized around a well-defined research theme, generally including final summary comments by one or two discussants and limited time for questions from audience thereafter. Symposia consist of 4 to 16 papers. Paper length: 15 minutes. Session length: 1 to 4 hours; Poster sessions are generally two hours.
4. Forum – An interactive format organized around a tightly focused research theme. Short presentations of less than five minutes by a panel of approximately 4 to 12 participants, followed by extended discussion between panelists, questions from the audience, and discussion between panelists and the audience. Length: two to four hours.

Note to Presenters

The SCA asks presenters to keep in mind several considerations when planning and presenting papers. Following these considerations helps sessions to be on time and is respectful to other presenters, your co-authors, and your audience:

1. Locational data– Do not have images of site locations depicted on topographic or other maps where the exact location of the site can be easily identified.
2. Human remains–do not show images of human remains or culturally sensitive items without clearly announcing, at the start of the presentation, that such images will be shown. Showing images of human remains can be offensive or troubling to some audience members and they should be afforded the opportunity to attend another paper.
3. Acknowledgment– Please acknowledge tribal or other local partners and consultants when they have provided interpretive information that contributed to the paper being presented.
4. Time– Though the timeslot for the paper is 15 minutes, it is recommended that 12 minutes be budgeted for the paper, with three minutes reserved to allow for you to reach the podium and your slide show to be queued.
5. Please plan ahead and time your paper to meet the time restrictions of your symposium. Going over your time limit is disrespectful to the symposium chair, the next presenter, and the audience.
6. If you are presenting a paper in a symposium with a discussant, please have the paper available in digital format for the discussant’s review a week in advance of the conference.
7. Please have your paper submitted to the chair electronically by the beginning of the session. Handing the paper on a flash drive or CD during a break is risky, in that there may be software conflicts that are unresolvable during that short period of time. Internet access within the presentation room should not be expected.
8. Please review the SCA Bylaws, Ethics & Anti-Harassment material.

The SCA Executive Board strives to ensure that our meetings are held in a comfortable and secure environment in which our members feel respected and that their concerns have been heard and are understood. As such, we want to call attention to the SCA policy for content pertaining to human remains in presentations.

NO depictions of the remains of any specific person, regardless of ancestry, are to be included in any presentations, including photographs, drawings, x-rays, 3-D models, etc.  Diagrams of generic skeletons, bones, teeth, or other body tissues are acceptable.

If human remains are to be discussed, the SCA Executive Board requests confirmation that descendant communities have been consulted and that there are no unresolved objections to the information being presented.

A caution symbol will be placed next to all presentations discussing human remains in the program and on signage outside the door of the session so that those who wish to avoid this subject matter can easily do so.

If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact the SCA at  office@scahome.org.

Sessions

Session organizers and chairs must provide:

1. Laptop computer for use during the session if they intend to use digital presentation software such as PowerPoint.
2. Strongly encouraged to provide their own laser pointers, extension cords, and other presentation amenities.
3. If this is not possible, arrangements must be made in advance with the program chair.

For general questions or help with the website, email the Business Office or call (530) 342-3537.
If you have questions about or anticipate special needs for, a symposium, forum, or workshop you intend to propose, please contact the Program Chair, programchair@scahome.com.

Poster Guidelines

Space
Posters may be any size but must be self-supporting. They will be displayed on easels (up to three)  provided by the SCA. Each easel can hold a display board up to 36 inches high by 48 inches wide. Text should be limited to four or five pages of double-spaced, 16-20 point text. The SCA Business Office will have some display boards available, but availability cannot be guaranteed. Electricity is not available.

Title
For optimal visibility, each poster display should include a sign giving the title and author information. The sign should be 6 inches in height and up to 48 inches long, and be mounted at the top of the board.

Author’s Presence
How much time presenters spend with their posters is up to them. Since one of the clear advantages of poster presentations is sustained interaction with the “audience,” SCA urges presenters to spend as much of the four hours as possible with their material.

Questions
If you have questions, contact the SCA Business Office at 530-342-3537, or office@scahome.org

First-time poster? Check out some great tips here.

The SCA Annual Meetings provide a platform for the sharing of data from active research in California and the regions that pertain to it, as well as the opportunity to discuss challenges to the practice of the discipline. 

The SCA is the largest state archaeology society in the USA, with a membership of more than 1,000 individuals, and annual meetings that regularly attract upwards of 800. Membership is diverse and includes students, Native American tribal members, and professional archaeologists working in CRM, academia, agencies, Tribal offices, and Museums. The sharing of data allows attendees to gain a view of the status of archaeology throughout the region. Workshops and forums focus on timely issues and provide practical as well as research-oriented skills training. SCA meetings are both intellectually stimulating and fun, and they offer ample opportunities for professional networking and socializing with a community of individuals who are interested in and have dedicated their careers to historic preservation and California archaeology.