Conference Materials for Anthropology

Workflow

Step 1: Identify What the User Needs

Determine the entry point. Conference materials span several distinct genres, and the user may need one or several:

• Abstract writing. The user needs to write an abstract for submission to a conference. Determine the abstract type: individual paper, organized session proposal, roundtable, poster session, or workshop. Load the abstract writing guide.
• Organized session proposal. The user is assembling a panel. This requires a session rationale, individual abstracts, and often a discussant framing. Load the abstract writing guide and focus on the organized session sections.
• Slide deck design. The user has an accepted paper and needs to build a presentation. Determine the time limit (15 or 20 minutes is standard). Load the presentation design guide.
• Poster design. The user needs to structure content for an academic poster. Load the presentation design guide and focus on the poster design sections.
• Speaker notes and delivery preparation. The user has slides but needs help with timing, transitions, and oral delivery. Load the presentation design guide and focus on the speaker notes sections.
• Combined request. The user needs an abstract and a slide deck (common when a talk is accepted and they need both). Load both reference files.

Ask the user if not immediately clear:

• Which conference? (AAA, a regional association, interdisciplinary, international) — this determines word limits, format expectations, and audience composition.
• What format? Individual paper, organized session, roundtable, poster, workshop, lightning talk.
• What time limit? 15 minutes, 20 minutes, poster session, lightning talk (5 minutes).

Step 2: Gather Context

Collect the information needed to produce effective materials. Not all of this is needed upfront — gather what you can and note gaps for the user to fill.

Essential context (cannot proceed without these):

• The argument or contribution — what does the user want to claim, not just what topic they are studying. Push for specificity: "This paper argues that X reveals Y" rather than "This paper examines X."
• The evidence base — what data, fieldwork, analysis, or case material supports the argument.
• The conference and format — which conference, which session type, what word or time limits apply.

Important context (strengthens the output significantly):

• Theoretical framework and key interlocutors in the literature
• Subfield and disciplinary positioning (cultural, archaeological, linguistic, biological, medical, applied)
• Audience composition — will the room be specialists in your subfield, general anthropologists, or interdisciplinary?
• Career stage — graduate student, early career, or senior scholar. This affects rhetorical positioning and what a discussant or audience will expect.

Helpful context (improves tailoring):

• Whether this is part of an organized session (if so, the session theme and other panelists' topics)
• Prior versions of the abstract or slides that need revision
• Visual materials the user wants to incorporate (fieldwork photos, maps, diagrams, data visualizations)
• Specific anxieties about delivery (timing, Q&A, technology)

Step 3: Load Appropriate References

• For abstracts (any type): Load references/abstract-writing-guide.md for architecture, format requirements, word limits, failure modes, organized session strategy, and subfield examples.
• For slides, posters, or delivery: Load references/presentation-design-guide.md for slide design principles, poster layout, speaker notes, timing strategy, and accessibility.
• For combined requests (abstract + presentation): Load both files.

Step 4: Generate Content

Follow the argument-first principle across all formats:

For abstracts:

• Start with the contribution statement — what this paper argues, demonstrates, or reveals. Not "this paper examines" or "this paper explores," which describe a topic without making a claim.
• Build the abstract around the argument-evidence-contribution structure: (1) what you are arguing, (2) what evidence supports it, (3) why it matters to the audience.
• For organized sessions: develop the unifying intellectual rationale first, then ensure each individual abstract speaks to the shared theme while making its own distinct contribution.
• Respect word limits precisely. AAA individual paper abstracts are 250 words. Do not go over.

For slide decks:

• Use the assertion-evidence model: each slide title is a complete sentence stating a claim; the slide body provides visual evidence for that claim.
• Target roughly 1 slide per minute. A 20-minute talk should have 15-20 slides, not 40.
• Minimize text. If a slide has more than 25 words of body text, it needs redesign. The argument lives in the speaker's voice, not on the screen.
• Build a narrative arc: opening hook, problem/gap, argument, evidence (2-3 key moves), implications, closing.

For posters:

• Design for the 2-minute scan: a viewer walking by should grasp the argument in two minutes without the presenter explaining.
• Establish visual hierarchy: title and key finding are visible from 10 feet away; methods and evidence are readable at 3 feet; details and references are available for close inspection.
• Use a clear layout grid (columns or Z-pattern flow). A poster is not a paper pasted on a board.

For speaker notes:

• Provide timing cues at regular intervals (5-minute marks).
• Write transition sentences between slides — these are the connective tissue of the talk.
• Include a strong opening hook (first 30 seconds) and a clear closing move (argument recap + broader implications).
• Prepare 3-5 anticipated Q&A questions with concise response frameworks.

Step 5: Generate Output

Produce one or more of these deliverables depending on user needs:

• Abstract. Complete text within word limits, with the argument front-loaded and the contribution statement explicit. Include keywords if required by the conference.
• Organized session proposal. Session title, session rationale (300-500 words), individual abstracts for each panelist, and discussant framing.
• Slide deck outline. Slide-by-slide structure with title (as assertion), content notes, and visual suggestions for each slide. Include timing estimates.
• Poster content structure. Section-by-section content organized for visual hierarchy, with text length calibrated to poster format (not paper format).
• Speaker notes. Slide-by-slide notes with timing cues, transition language, opening hook, closing move, and Q&A preparation.
• Delivery coaching notes. Pacing guidance, technology backup plan, and strategies for managing nerves and Q&A.

Step 6: Quality Check

Before presenting the output, verify:

• Argument presence: Does every abstract contain an explicit contribution statement — not just a topic description? Can you identify what the paper argues in one sentence?
• Word/time limits: Does the abstract fall within the stated word limit? Does the slide count match the time allocation (roughly 1 slide per minute)?
• Audience calibration: Is the language appropriate for the expected audience? Specialist jargon is fine for a subfield panel; general anthropology or interdisciplinary audiences need accessible framing.
• Internal coherence: Do the slides tell a single coherent story? Does the poster have a clear visual flow? Do the speaker notes match the slides?
• Visual design principles: Are slides minimal-text? Is the poster scannable in 2 minutes? Are fonts legible from appropriate distances (24pt minimum for slides, 36pt minimum for poster body)?
• Organized session coherence: If this is a panel proposal, does the session rationale articulate a unifying intellectual theme? Does each abstract contribute distinctly to that theme?
• Accessibility: Are high-contrast colors used? Is alt text provided for images? Is information not encoded by color alone?
• Timing and transitions: Do speaker notes include timing checkpoints? Are transitions between slides explicit? Is there a clear opening hook and closing move?
• Q&A readiness: Are 3-5 likely audience questions anticipated with concise response frameworks?

Parameters

• Conference: AAA (American Anthropological Association), regional associations (AES, SCA, CASCA, SfAA), interdisciplinary conferences (e.g., STS, medical humanities, area studies), international (IUAES, EASA). Determines word limits, audience composition, and format norms.
• Format: Individual paper, organized session, roundtable, poster session, workshop proposal, lightning talk. Each has distinct structural requirements.
• Time limit: 15-minute talk, 20-minute talk, poster session (typically 2-hour block), lightning talk (5 minutes). Determines slide count, depth of argument, and pacing strategy.
• Audience: Specialist subfield (can assume shared vocabulary), general anthropology (define theoretical terms), interdisciplinary (define disciplinary assumptions). Shapes register and framing.
• Career stage: Graduate student, early career, senior scholar. Affects rhetorical positioning — a graduate student presents findings from a specific project; a senior scholar may frame a broader theoretical intervention.
• Subfield: Cultural, archaeological, linguistic, biological, medical, applied, design, computational. Affects conventions for evidence presentation, slide design norms, and poster expectations.
• Epistemic stance: Shapes the framing of the argument and what counts as a contribution. An interpretivist frames meaning-making; a critical scholar frames power relations; an applied anthropologist frames actionable outcomes. See DESIGN.md for the full stance list.

Guardrails

• Abstracts must state an argument or contribution, not just describe a topic. "This paper examines X" is not enough; "This paper argues that X reveals Y" is the standard. If the user cannot articulate an argument, help them develop one before writing the abstract. An abstract without an argument is a topic description, and topic descriptions get rejected or ignored.
• Organized session proposals need a unifying theme and intellectual rationale, not just a collection of individual papers. The session rationale must articulate why these papers belong together and what intellectual problem the session as a whole addresses. A panel that is merely "four papers about health" will not be competitive.
• Slides must have minimal text, strong visuals, and be legible from the back of a large conference room. 24-point font minimum for all projected text. If a slide requires the audience to read a paragraph, it is a document, not a slide. The speaker's voice carries the argument; the slides provide visual evidence and structure.
• Posters must have visual hierarchy and be scannable in 2 minutes. A poster is not a paper pasted on a board. If the poster requires continuous reading of dense text blocks, it fails as a poster. Use visual hierarchy, white space, and clear flow to guide the viewer's eye from the key finding to supporting evidence.
• Speaker notes should provide timing cues and transitions, not be a full script to read aloud. Reading from a script destroys audience engagement. Notes should be prompts and signposts, not verbatim text. Include timing checkpoints so the speaker can self-regulate pacing.
• Do not produce materials that exceed stated word or time limits. A 250-word limit means 250 words, not 275. A 20-minute talk means the speaker must finish in 20 minutes, leaving time for Q&A if applicable. Respect limits precisely.
• Accessibility is not optional. Provide alt text descriptions for all images in slides and posters. Use high-contrast color combinations. Do not encode meaning through color alone (use shape, pattern, or label in addition). Choose readable fonts — sans-serif for projected text, minimum sizes enforced by format.
• Do not fabricate citations or data. If the user references specific literature or fieldwork, incorporate it. If not, use clear placeholders (e.g., "[Author Year]," "[fieldwork finding]") rather than inventing references.

Common Failure Modes

Examples

Example 1: AAA individual paper abstract and slide deck outline

Input: "I need to write a 250-word abstract for AAA and then build a 20-minute slide deck. My paper is about how Zapotec weavers in Oaxaca use social media to market their textiles while negotiating authenticity claims from tourists and fair-trade intermediaries. I'm coming from a practice theory / economic anthropology perspective."

Output approach: Load both reference files. Set parameters: conference = AAA; format = individual paper abstract + 20-minute slide deck; audience = general anthropology (AAA sessions draw mixed audiences); epistemic stance = practice theory (primary), economic anthropology (secondary); subfield = cultural. For the abstract: lead with the argument — "This paper argues that Zapotec weavers' social media practices constitute a new form of value negotiation in which authenticity becomes a strategic resource deployed differently across tourist, fair-trade, and local market audiences." Follow with evidence summary (12 months ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation in workshops and online, semi-structured interviews with weavers and intermediaries) and contribution (extends practice theory accounts of value creation to digital-material hybrid economies). Confirm the abstract is at or below 250 words. For the slide deck: outline 18-20 slides following a narrative arc — opening with a compelling fieldwork image and the research puzzle, moving through theoretical framing (2 slides), methods and site (2 slides), three analytical moves with ethnographic evidence (3-4 slides each), and closing with implications for practice theory and economic anthropology. Include speaker notes with timing cues at 5, 10, and 15 minutes.

Example 2: Organized session proposal

Input: "I'm organizing a panel for AAA on 'Digital Infrastructures and Care Work.' I have four panelists and need a session abstract, individual abstracts for each paper, and framing for a discussant. The panelists are