Frequently Asked Questions

The PCST Conference will take place in Aberdeen, Scotland with the main conference programme take place at the P&J Live venue which is located outside of the city centre. The pre-conference workshops will take place on the 26 of May at the University of Aberdeen Old Aberdeen Campus which is located close to the city centre. Evening social events will mostly take place in the city centre. There are hotels available in the city centre and close to the conference venue.

Most questions should be answered in the call for papers . Please note:

• The deadline for submissions is 7 September 2024 at 23.00 BST. There will be no extension to this deadline.
• You can go back and edit your submission until the deadline.
• The word limit for the submission is 300
• Linked Paper: If you would like to link papers together in one session an overarching abstract should be submitted first, the submitter will be given a submission number and abstracts to be included in the linked session must quote the overarching submission number at the beginning of their abstract in the submission system.
• If authors have more than one affiliation, you should add the appropriate affiliation number as 1,2,3 i.e. each affiliation number listed, separated by a comma without any spaces.
• Delegates can only speak twice during the conference.. This does not include speaking at pre-conference workshops or any role chairing a session.
• If you have been accepted to speak more than twice, you will be asked to choose your top two proposals and withdraw from the others.
• There's a red triangle (see below) on my submission in the abstract system - what does this mean?

The red triangle indicates that you can edit the submission - this will be allowed until the submission deadline.

Abstract acceptance notices will be issued before the end of 2024 - we anticipate these will be issued in November 2024 but if a larger than expected number of applications are received this process may take longer.

Acceptances will be confirmed by email, and we'll also put out general information on social media so look out for those announcements.

Once your submission has been accepted you will have to register by 31 January 2025 to be included in the programme. If you have not registered by then, your proposal will not be included in the programme.

If your proposal has been accepted, but you are no longer able to participate, please contact cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk with the subject header PCST: Withdraw Submission.

Please remember to include your submission number and the title of your submission.

The first full draft programme will be published in March 2025. Further instructions for presenters will be snet to accepted, registered speakers around the same time.

The full draft programme is subject to change and you must be prepared and willing to speak during any session at the confernece.

We cannot accommodate requests to speak on a particular day or at a particular time. Organising the programme is very complicated and we can't cater to individual requests.

There will be no hybrid session at the conference.

Registration to attend the conference will open in summer 2024, with the Author Deadline and Early Bird Deadline on the 31 of Jan 2025.

Registration will remain open until just prior to the event in May 2025.

People who are financial members of PCST at the time of the conference are eligible for a discount on registration fees.

You may be a financial member now, but if your membership expires before the date of the conference you need to renew it.

To check your membership status, please log in , then select My Membership (menu on the left) and then click on Manage to view your status.

There are also discounted rates for those from some countries, see the PCST Network Website

To check your membership status, please log in , then select My Membership (menu on the left) and then click on Manage to view your status.

If you are unsure, please check with Michelle Riedlinger, michelle.riedlinger@qut.edu.au

Bursary applications are open as part of the submission of abstracts and those who have an accepted abstract will be eligible.

You should only apply for a bursary if you don't have funding to attend the conference, e.g., if you work as a freelancer or work for an organisation with no funding to attend overseas conferences.

We anticipate there will be more demand for bursaries than we can accommodate. Bursaries will be reviewed by a committee to determine eligibility. They will be allocated across different geographical regions. Where we have more individuals that are eligible than bursaries available we will allocate them using a lottery system.

We have worked really hard as a conference team to keep costs down and to provide bursaries. Bursary applications are available to those who have submitted and had a conference abstract accepted. The conference works on a break-even principle and isn't run to provide a profit to PCST. We have received support from the Kavli Foundation, Wellcome and contributions from the PCST Community through the 'pay it forward' scheme.

Do I need a Visa to travel to the UK?

Visas are required for some nationalities to travel to the UK. Please contact your travel agent and / or the British Embassy in your country for exact details and visa application procedures as soon as possible. Visa processing times can vary.

Please note that the conference organisers cannot provide visa advice.

How do I get a Visa Letter?

Visa letters can be issued by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) upon registration and payment of the conference fee. Please contact cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk with the subject header PCST: Visa Letter Request. If you have specific requirements please provide as much information as possible.

Aberdeen has excellent travel links by road, train, ferry and air and you can find a guide here .

What food will be provided at the conference?

The conference will provide snacks and refreshments at the breaks and the conference fee also includes lunch.

There will be an optional conference dinner on the Wednesday evening and there will be an additional charge for this.

Dietary requirements should be indicated on the registration form.

I have access needs - what should I do?

The conference venue has been designed to be accessible to attendees with a range of additional needs and we will aim to accommodate other access requests - please let us know about these when you register. If you have any concerns or questions you can contact the conference team via cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk

You can request a Certificate of Attendance by emailing the following address cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk with the subject header PCST Certificiate of Attendance.

The certificate will be sent via email to you as a PDF after the conference. It will state that you participated in the PCST2025 conference in Aberdeen and will include your name and surname and will be sent to the email address you provided when you registered.

If you have any other questions please email cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk with the subject header PCST: Questions and let us know.

Please note the CPD and Events Services Team at the University of Aberdeen, who are working with the Local Orgnainsing Committee on the conference management organise a wide range of events and activities and will respond to your enquiry as soon as possible, but we will prioritise depending on demand.