14th ANNUAL
GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH CONFERENCE
IN HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM
January 4-6, 2009
hosted by
William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration

CALL FOR PAPERS

Please read the important information below as changes have been made regarding the paper submission process and the papers themselves. The formal Call for Papers provides other important information about paper submissions for the conference. To upload your paper, you will need to create an account and log in by clicking on “Login/My Account” in the left-hand column.

Please click here for specifications on submitting Track 1 final papers.

Please click here for specifications on submitting Track 2 final papers.

The topics covered on this page are listed below. You can click on the links below to jump to each section.

Important Deadlines
Track Descriptions
Extended Abstract Required for Formal Presentation
Faculty Endorsement Required
Three-Paper Limit
Proofing Your Submission
Research Areas
Submission Instructions
Paper Review Committee Chairs

Important Deadlines

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Track Descriptions
This conference focuses on a broad range of contemporary topics relevant to research, education, and industry practices in hospitality, tourism, and related fields of study. Presentation proposals are solicited, and the lead author must be a graduate student or an undergraduate honors student who completed the study. All papers will undergo a blind review process. Please note, if you sign up for a formal presentation, your abstract will only be considered in that track. In other words, abstracts submitted for Track 1 will not be changed to and accepted as a poster session, and abstracts submitted for Track 2 will not be changed to or accepted as a standup presentation. Please consider which of the following tracks best fits your research:

TRACK 1 "Standup" Formal Paper: Contemporary Research in Hospitality and Tourism — the primary objective of this track is to provide a forum for reporting "state-of-the-art" research in hospitality and tourism. Papers submitted for this track will feature innovative concepts, models, theories, and/or research methods. This track includes papers based on completed research studies by graduate students in either master's or doctoral programs and undergraduate honors students. Papers based on completed master's theses, doctoral dissertations, honors projects would fall into this category.

Accepted papers in this category are eligible for the "Best Conference Paper Awards.” To be selected, the paper must have a sound demonstration of proper research design, notable data collection, advanced levels of relevant data analyses, comprehensive literature review preceding the study, and exhibit possible implications for real world problems. Full specifications are available here.

TRACK 2 Poster: Research-In-Progress — the intent of this track is to encourage presentation of research projects that are not completed but might be of significant interest to the research community. Both conceptually and empirically based papers on "research in progress" would fall into this category. A paper strictly based on a "research idea" or "literature review" may not be suitable for this track. For those graduate students who wish to present a paper based on their research proposals for master's theses or doctoral dissertations and undergraduate honors research, it is expected that the paper present significant theoretical or conceptual developments, research propositions or hypotheses, and/or a data analysis plan.  Full specifications are available here.

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Extended Abstract Required for Formal Presentation
If you want to make a formal standup presentation of your research, you must submit an extended abstract of 2,000 to 2,500 words. If you want to make a poster presentation, you must submit a 1,000-word abstract.

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Faculty Endorsement Required
When you upload your abstract, you will be asked to enter the name and email address of the faculty member who sponsored your research. The sponsoring faculty member will automatically be sent an email with the paper’s title and your name, asking that he or she confirm that the research is fundamentally sound. The name of the sponsoring faculty member will be printed in the program. Papers submitted without sponsoring faculty member information will not be considered for presentation.

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Three-Paper Limit
You may only submit up to three (3) papers in total either as sole author or as co-author. Any papers received in excess of this limit will not be reviewed for this conference.

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Proofing Your Submissions
If your paper is accepted, you will have until November 25, 2008 at 24:00 Pacific Standard Time, USA to make the corrections or additions recommended by the review committee. You must re-submit a corrected paper by that deadline or your paper will be included in the conference proceedings in its original format without the corrections and amplifications that were recommended by the paper review committee.

Also please note: Information for the printed conference program and the CD of conference proceedings is taken directly from the data you input at the time of submission. Please ensure that all names are spelled correctly and that all other information is accurate.

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Research Areas
When you submit your paper, you will be asked to select the research area that best fits your paper from the options below:

Finance and Economics
Food Service
Hospitality and Tourism Education
Human Resources
Information Technology
Management
Marketing
Travel and Tourism
Lodging
Law

Please note, because several of these research areas are very popular, your paper may be moved to another related area to balance the workload for reviewers.

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Submission Instructions
All submissions (abstract, full paper, resume) should be made via this website. Your paper must be a Microsoft Word file. You may also submit a resume which should also be a Microsoft Word file. To begin the process, first open an account (see menu on the left and click on “Login/My Account”) then follow the instructions that will lead you through the registration and upload processes. 

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Acceptance of Your Paper
Notice will be given on October 31, 2008 if your paper has been accepted for the conference. Please log in to the paper submission system to find out if your paper has been accepted. Print out the results of that page so you have proof of your acceptance. No further paperwork such as a letter of acceptance will be issued.

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Paper Review Committee Chairs
Seyhmus Baloglu, PhD, Paper Review Committee Co-Chair
Professor and Associate Dean for Research

Karl Mayer, PhD, Paper Review Committee Co-Chair
Associate Professor

Mailing Address:
William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 6017
Las Vegas, NV 89154-6017
Fax 702.895.2713
Email: papers@hotelgradconference.com

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