Location
Location: CBS, Station, Howitzvej 30, 2000 Frederiksberg: https://www.station.dk/ (see map)
Station is a 5-min walk from Frederiksberg metro station.
Frederiksberg metro station is a direct 8-stops from Bella Center (M1 – green line) – see the map below.
Overview
The Paper-a-thon was piloted at ICIS 2017 and—based on positive feedback from participants, mentors, and journal editors—has been refined and repeated at every ICIS since. The goal of this “paper hackathon” is to facilitate new research collaborations, help scholars develop their research ideas while making new professional connections, and—for the most promising projects—accelerate a publication review process.
At the start of the Paper-a-thon, researchers are organized into interest-related project teams with the goal of developing a research idea “from scratch” under the mentorship of prominent IS scholars in a very short timeframe. We encourage participants to arrive with ideas about potential projects, yet we also ask that you remain open-minded to project ideas that emerge through collaboration with your project team and the mentor.
The Paper-a-thon concludes with each group pitching their research projects to a panel of senior scholars/journal editors, who will select several papers to be presented at ICIS. The finalist papers will be published in the ICIS 2022 Paper-a-thon section of the AIS Library.
Pre-ICIS: Applying — If the event is appealing to you, you are highly encouraged to apply—there are no restrictions on who can apply to the Paper-a-thon. You should only apply to participate in the Paper-a-thon if you can commit to attending all Paper-a-thon activities, including a conference paper session (if selected).
The application process consists of completing a survey in order to identify what interests, abilities, and resources you can contribute to a project team (e.g., data, methods, perspectives, and domain expertise).
The application deadline is October 3rd, 2022, by 23:59 Copenhagen time (UTC +2). The agenda for the Paper-a-thon is described below.
Agenda
Saturday, December 10, 2022
| 13:00 | Kick-off and introductions |
| 13:15 – 14:00 | “Brainstorming” – In assigned groups (10-12 participants each), brainstorm new paper ideas. Bring your data, theory, phenomenon, good writing skills, and/or eagerness. Meet others who can complement what you have. Outcome: formation of project teams of 2-4 participants with similar interests. |
| 14:00 – 14:15 | Mentors (~1 per team) join the small groups and hear from each project team. Outcome: matching of mentors to project teams. |
| 14:15 – 16:00 | In-depth working session of the project team and project mentor to brainstorm, filter, and refine paper ideas and identify an “overnight” work plan. |
| “Overnight” | Project team members work together to craft an extended abstract and prepare the “pitch” presentation.
Work hard. Have fun. There are less than 24 hours to develop an extended abstract. If applicable, analyze data to prepare preliminary results. Articulate contributions to literature and possible implications for practice. Prepare the “pitch” presentation. |
Sunday, December 11, 2022
| Morning | Continue working as project teams to prepare an extended abstract and the “pitch” presentation. It is highly recommended to discuss the project ideas with the mentor to refine the presentation. |
| 13:00 – 15:00 | “Pitch” presentations to the Editor Panel.
Each project team will have up to 5 minutes to present their work in front of editors and other senior scholars. Up to three finalist papers will be invited to present at ICIS. The papers will also be published in the ICIS 2022 Paper-a-thon section of the AIS Library (after the conference). |
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
| 09:00 – 10:30 | Finalists present at ICIS paper session |
Organizers
Carmen Leong
University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney
carmen.leong@unsw.edu.au
Edgar Whitley
London School of Economics and Political Science
e.a.whitley@lse.ac.uk
Steven L. Johnson
University of Virginia
steven@virginia.edu
Frequently Asked Questions
How can you write a paper in 24 hours?
The purpose of the Paper-a-thon is to launch new collaborations, not to create a fully developed research paper. Some project teams continue collaborating after ICIS. While some other participants do not further develop the project they initiated at the Paper-a-thon, they gain valuable experience and professional development.
What are the roles for the Paper-a-thon?
Participants, mentors, panelists, and organizers (track co-chairs).
What is the commitment of a participant?
To contribute to the project in an open, collaborative manner and to be professional, courteous, and respectful of fellow project team members and other event participants.
What is the commitment of a mentor?
Mentors commit to participating in the project initiation meeting with a project team on the first day of the Paper-a-thon. Mentors are highly encouraged to provide continued guidance in the 24-hours after that meeting, including (if feasible) a presentation review session with their project team prior to the “pitch” presentations.
Project teams and mentors may, with mutual consent, continue to collaborate after ICIS, but the mentors are under no obligation to co-author a paper with their project team.
I am already working with co-authors on a project. Can we develop our paper in the Paper-a-thon?
No. The purpose of the Paper-a-thon is to launch new collaborations, not to continue developing existing ones.
I have a paper idea I’ve started working on and want to find collaborators. Can the Paper-a-thon help?
Perhaps. We encourage participants to arrive with ideas about potential projects, but there is no guarantee that others will be interested in the ideas you provide. Before you commit to participating in the Paper-a-thon, you should be sure you are open-minded about contributing to new projects with new collaborators.
If I am selected as a participant, can I get a certification of conference participation?
Yes. Ask one of the organizers, and we will be happy to provide this.
What process does the Paper-a-thon follow?
The starting point for the Paper-a-thon is for each participant to complete a short survey about their expertise and interests. For selected participants, the process at ICIS is:
- You will be assigned to mid-size groups (~10-12 participants) by the track chairs based on your expertise and intended contribution
- You will discuss within this group what some possible projects could be and what you can contribute. You will identify others to work with and form a project team.
- A mentor will choose to work with your team based on these ideas (that you will pitch to the mentors)
- Your team mentor will help the team decide on a ‘most publishable’ plan (which may or may not align with what you came up with as a team originally)
- You will work with your mentor to hash out a plan of action, probably including a paper outline and a set of next steps over the next 18 hours
- You will decide, as an individual, whether you are committed to the plan or if you would prefer to pass on this project (terminating your participation)
- Those who remain will work as a team in true ‘hack-a-thon’ fashion to pull together a functional paper outline (with placeholders for what you cannot come up with overnight), and a presentation for day 2
- You will present your work to a panel of judges who will then deliberate to decide which projects (up to three) have sufficient merit to move forward during the conference and to be accepted as proceedings at the conference for presentation during the main conference
- Teams not selected may still continue their collaboration
What if my paper is selected by the panel?
Each project team will have up to 5 minutes to present their work in front of editors and other senior scholars. The top three finalists receive an automatic “acceptance” in the conference proceedings.
What if I cannot participate in the full program?
If you sign up for the Paper-a-thon, you commit to attending the conference in full if the panel of judges select your project for inclusion in the ICIS program. At this time, the Paper-a-thon presentations have not been scheduled and may take place on the last morning of the conference.
Can I change project teams halfway?
No, it is not possible to change to another team once teams are formed and have been appointed a mentor.
Sponsored By:
