July 12 - 14, 2026
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Submit your Abstracts
Program Topics
We invite submissions on all aspects of violence prevention including:
- Child maltreatment and abuse
- Commercial sexual exploitation of children
- Image based abuse
- Intimate partner violence
- Sexual abuse and assault
- Technology-facilitated abuse
- Polyvictimization
We hope to receive submissions representing diverse methodological approaches and topics, including but not limited to:
- Community-based participatory research
- Developmental and ecological approaches
- Equitable Dissemination Strategies
- Ethical issues in research and working with victims of violence
- Historical changes or trends in reporting and incidence
Innovations in methodology and data analysis - Meta-analyses or systematic reviews
- Program evaluation
- Survivor-Centered Research Designs
- Theoretical and conceptual innovations
We are also interested in international perspectives on violence prevention, and research that helps to understand the perspectives of understudied, marginalized groups and those at increased risk for violence and victimization.
Session Formats
Single paper submissions. Abstracts accepted as a single paper submission will be given as an oral presentation as a part of paper panels that include 3 or 4 papers. Usually, approximately 15-20 minutes is available to each presenter (varying somewhat depending on the number of presentations in a panel and the length of the time slot).
Single paper submission guidelines: A single paper submission pertains to one paper submitted by an individual, to be grouped into a session by our conference organizers. The abstract should include purpose, method of study and, if available, results and conclusions. Abstract must not exceed 2,000 characters (including spaces and punctuation) as they will be part of the program book available to conference attendees. The character limit does not include the title.
Panel submissions. A panel submission is a pre-organized symposium. You will select a chair with 3 to 4 papers linked by a common theme to present together in a single session. Please indicate order papers will be presented and each author to present them. This assists us when we are scheduling.
Panel submission guidelines: A Panel Submission is a pre-organized session, comprised of no more than five individual panel paper submissions. The panel overview should include purpose of the panel and explain what the papers have in common or why they form a panel. The individual paper abstracts should include purpose, method of study and, if available, results and conclusions. Panel overview and abstracts must not exceed 2,000 characters each (including spaces and punctuation) as they will be part of the program book available to conference attendees. The character limit does not include the title.
Instructions for submitting a panel:
- Choose your panel organizer.
- Panel organizer must FIRST submit a Panel Overview Abstract (this is a short description of the relationship between all of the individual abstracts within the panel). On the abstract submission form, there is a question asking if the submission is part of a panel; the organizer should say "Yes" and enter the panel title in the space provided.
- After the Panel Overview Abstract has been submitted by the panel organizer, abstracts must be submitted for EACH of the individual papers within the panel. This may be accomplished in one of the following two ways: 1) The panel organizer can collect all of the abstracts from his/her panel participants and submit them at the same time that the Panel Overview Abstract is submitted; OR 2) Each panel participant can submit the abstracts individually.
***If participants enter their own individual abstracts for the panel, please make sure the title entered in the form matches the title submitted by the organizer. This will help us make sure all individual abstracts are accounted for in when we plan sessions.
Poster submissions. A poster is a visual presentation of a project. Poster sessions offer opportunities for more informal interaction with conference attendees, who can discuss your work one-on-one. For conference attendees, poster sessions offer the opportunity to learn about many studies in a single session.
Poster submission guidelines: A poster submission pertains to one paper submitted by an individual that will be presented in a poster format. We ask that you observe the following guidelines as you prepare and submit your poster. Upon arrival at the conference, you will be supplied with the following:
- A 45" x 34" poster board, which can be arranged portrait or landscape style
- An easel - Tacks and tape: Please prepare all your materials before you arrive, since it can be very expensive to use the hotel business office, and they may not have what you need.
- To improve the appearance and readability of your poster, think of using a neutral background color (like light grey). Also, limit the amount of text on your poster, using a larger font (at least 20pt) and add visual components for interest and color. Printing your poster on canvas will make it easier to bring, allowing it to be folded and shipped in your luggage if you are flying.
During Your Poster Session
Please plan to stand by your poster for the entire length of the poster reception. You want to be available to answer questions about your study. We also strongly recommend that you have handouts available with a brief synopsis of your study (e.g., approximately 1 page) and information on how attendees might contact you for additional information. We ask that you leave your poster up for the duration of the conference so that attendees can continue to peruse posters during any downtime that they may have. Posters must be collected by 4:00pm on Tuesday, the final day of the conference. Conference Staff will recycle those that are left after that time. We are accepting up to 3 submissions per first author presenter and are maintaining an increased number of poster sessions this year so that we can accommodate the greatest number of presenters possible.
We are accepting up to 3 submissions per first author presenter and are maintaining an increased number of poster sessions this year so that we can accommodate the greatest number of presenters possible.
