After careful consideration and in response to interest expressed by its members, the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) is pleased to renew its call for new thematic Working Groups, once again invitng members to submit proposals for new Working Groups.
With this invitation we will add up to an additional three Working Groups to the 15 we currently have, thereby accommodating the burgeoning interest and diverse expertise within the IAMCR community. Proposals for new Working Groups should focus on topics consistent with the Association's aims, and address topics and themes not covered by existing Working Groups or Sections (see the list of current Sections and Working Groups and explore their mandates and descriptions).
A previous call for new Working Groups garnered a series of high-quality proposals. The enthusiasm exhibited by the members during this initial phase has compelled IAMCR to continue broadening its Working Group portfolio, thereby fostering an even more robust culture of collaboration within the Association.
Up to three new Working Groups will be established in accordance with the same principles and objectives outlined below. For those who may have missed the initial opportunity or possess novel perspectives and expertise to contribute, this is a unique chance to get involved and actively engage with IAMCR and its community.
Interested applicants are invited to review the details below, and send their proposals by 15 February 2024 to the IAMCR Scholarly Review Committee at src@iamcr.org.
1. What is a Working Group?
Together with our thematic Sections, Working Groups are responsible for most of the content at IAMCR conferences. In comparison to Sections, Working Groups pursue more specific topics and/or questions of interest to members, consistent with the Association's aims and not dealt with by the existing Sections or other Working Groups. Moreover, Working Groups are established for a four-year period (with the posibility of extension). IAMCR currently has 18 working groups and 15 Sections. More information regarding these Sections and Working Groups can be found on the Association's website.
2. How is a Working Group organised?
A Working Group is managed by a team which is called "the Head". The Head of a Working Group consists of a minimum of 2 persons and a maximum of 5 persons. The members of the Head must all be IAMCR members in good standing. The Head might be constituted of:
- 1 Chair and one or more Vice-Chairs,
- 2 Co-Chairs, or,
- 2 Co-Chairs and one or more Vice-Chairs.
3. What are the requirements for the Working Groups?
In addition to focusing on specific and relevant topics and/or questions of interest not dealt with by the existing Sections or other Working Groups, there are a few requirements for Working Groups. They must:
- Have an elected Head, consisting of IAMCR members
- Have a mission statement
- Organise at least one session with peer-reviewed papers at each IAMCR main conference
- Deploy demonstrable activities to support the work of the members of the Working Group
4. Procedures to submit a proposal to form a new Working Group
4.1. The proposal
Proposals to establish a Working Group must come from a team of IAMCR members and should include the following:
- A proposed Head of the Working Group, which is constituted according to the requirements mentioned above,
- A statement confirming that each member of the Head is a paid-up member of IAMCR (directly or through an IAMCR institutional member who has listed them among its IAMCR representatives),
- A mission statement combining (1) the remit of the Working Group, (2) a motivation for its establishment (also showing that the remit is consistent with the Association's aims and not dealt with by the existing Sections or Working Groups),
- A 2-year work plan addressing how to fulfil the aforementioned list of requirements for the Working Groups (see above),
- Signatures of at least 20 IAMCR members located on at least three continents who support the proposed mission statement and plan of work,
- Support signatures of at least 5 International Council members located in at least two continents.
4.2. Submission of the proposal
The proposal should be submitted to Scholarly Review Committee (SRC) by 15 February 2024, through the following email address: src@iamcr.org. The SRC will then work with applicants to evaluate and provide feedback on the proposal before submitting a final version and its recommendations to the Executive Board (EB) for approval and subsequent distribution to the International Council (IC). Then, the General Assembly (GA) will vote upon the proposals accepted by the IC.
4.3. Timeline
Submission of the proposal to form a Working Group to SRC – 15 February 2024;
Submission of the final proposal by SRC to EB – 1 April 2024;
IC decision on the proposal – 15 July 2024;
GA ratification of the establishment of the Working Group – July 2024.