Call for abstracts

Jay Van Everen, Abstract Screen, ca. 1920-1927, oil on carved wood screen, two panels, total: 39 1/2 x 40 in. (100.3 x 101.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Henry M. Reed, 1970.298

Jay Van Everen, Abstract Screen, ca. 1920-1927, oil on carved wood screen, two panels, total: 39 1/2 x 40 in. (100.3 x 101.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Henry M. Reed, 1970.298

Grounded Theory Futures:
Reconciling Perspectives

Tuesday 22nd & Wednesday 23rd September, 2026

Timeline for submission

Submit your abstract or panel proposal on or before May 15, 2026
To submit your abstract, click anywhere in this box. You will need to have or create an account with Oxford Abstracts and sign in.
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Notification of acceptance or rejection:
June 21, 2026
Schedule of presentations/panel notified:
July 16th, 2026

Keynotes, panels, oral presentations and posters

The conference will offer a mix of keynotes, symposia, oral presentations and poster-presentations, online. We welcome abstracts of grounded theories from any area of interest and from any disciplinary background as well as methodology papers that seek to expand and develop grounded theory.

Panels

Submissions are welcome for panels presentations. The panel should focus on a specific theory, concept, or methodological consideration. Panel presentations include an organiser/moderator, who presents an “anchor” paper, which also introduces speakers who have contributed papers relating to the topic of the anchor paper. The papers should offer an in-depth discussion of related ideas or different perspectives on the same theory, concept, or method.

Each 60-minute panel will consist of 4-5 speakers . Each speaker will be allotted 10 minutes per presentation. Following the presentations, a 10-minute question and answer session will be led by the moderator/organiser. The question/answer period should be used to clarify, advance, and expand the conversation on the topic, with a view towards inspiring continued debate.

The panel organiser/moderator must coordinate the speakers and submit an abstract regarding the panel including all participants’ names, academic qualifications, affiliations, presentation titles, and short descriptions of their presentations. All panel presenters must register for the conference.

Please email panel proposals to: proposals@groundedtheoryconference.com

The symposium abstract should be 300 to 500 words and will be evaluated against the following criteria:

  • The abstract is written in clear well-structured English
  • The title is clear and indicative of the symposium content
  • The specific variant (or variants) of grounded theory reflected in the individual presentations is/are identified*
  • When theories are presented, the methodology and procedures of the method are clearly outlined and consistent with the variant of the method used
  • The presentations consist of in-depth discussion of different theoretical, methodological, or participant perspectives on the same or similar theories, concepts, or methods
  • Conclusions are appropriate to the method.

Oral presentations and poster-presentations

We welcome abstracts of grounded theories from any area of interest and from any disciplinary background as well as methodology papers that seek to develop grounded theory.

A methodology paper should present a new or unique perspective on grounded theory that moves the method forward. Methodology presentations can present, for example, innovations in areas such as data gathering whereby the richness and diversity of data sources is improved. Presentations can also focus on explanations or clarifications of an element of the method that is misunderstood by broad scholarly audiences.

Guidelines for abstract submissions: oral presentations and poster-presentations
Abstracts of 300-500 words are invited for oral presentations and poster-presentations.

Oral presentations of 20 minutes will be pre-recorded and followed by a 5 minute question and answer sessions led by the presenter. Poster presentations can take the form of an .pdf image or a short video.

All abstracts will be evaluated agains the following general criteria :

  • The abstract is written in clear, well-structured English
  • The title is clear and indicative of the abstract content
  • The specific variant of grounded theory is identified.*
Oral, theory presentations and poster-presentations will also be evaluated against the following six criteria:
  • The methodology and methods are clearly outlined
  • The background, aims/objectives are stated and are consistent with the grounded theory variant used
  • The methodology and it’s procedures are clearly outlined and consistent with the variant of the method used
  • Oral presentations must present a developed theory and/or conceptualisation, as appropriate to the variant used
  • Poster-presentations may relate to theories/ conceptualisations which are in development and are consistent with the variant of grounded theory methodology used.
  • The relevant literature is used appropriately.
Methodology presentations will be evaluated against the 3 general criteria and the following two criteria:
  • The aspect of the methodology included in the abstract is congruent with the identified variant
  • The presentation offers a significant contribution such as an innovation or a clarification of an unclear or misunderstood aspect of grounded theory.

* For example, Glaser’s classic grounded theory; Strauss & Corbin’s grounded theory; Charmaz’ constructionist grounded theory; Clarke’s situational analysis.

Abstract structure

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email
  • Degrees and credentials
  • Affiliation
  • Address
  • Title of abstract
  • Authors
  • Preference for an oral presentation or a poster-presentation
  • Body of abstract.

Submissions are restricted to one oral presentation per first author/presenter.

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