Sections on this page
1. What happens next?
2. Completing the submission form - standard information
3. Research paper (in-person or pre-recorded online)
4. Discussion (in-person only)
5. Methods workshop (in-person only)
6. Lightning talk (in-person or pre-recorded online)
7. Poster (in-person or digital online)
8. Symposium (in-person or pre-recorded online)
9. Online submission form
10. See also: Research awards and grants, BACP Research Conference and Promoting research
The theme for this year’s Research Conference is: Enriching research, practice and policy with lived experience. We welcome submissions that address this theme.
By lived experience, we mean people who have lived experience of using, delivering or training in, counselling, psychotherapy or coaching services. This is in addition to those who are able to draw on the experience of living with or caring for someone else using similar services. We recognise that terminology in relation to people with lived experience is evolving regularly and that preferred terms can vary (e.g., Patient and Public Involvement (PPI), Client Involvement, Experts by Experience, etc).
We’re also keen to highlight inter, multi or trans-disciplinary research which involves one or more disciplines or fields outside of counselling, psychotherapy or coaching which might support the counselling professions. Any research submitted under this theme would need to clearly outline the implications for counselling, psychotherapy or coaching practice.
In addition, we also ask that submissions demonstrate consideration of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) informing either the research design and process or consideration of the research limitations or that the research findings could have future implications for EDI within the counselling, psychotherapy and coaching professions. EDI issues include, but are not limited to, issues of age, disability, gender, gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation, and wider inclusion issues such as language, learning style, class and socio-economic background, education level and any other relevant factor.
We welcome abstract submissions demonstrating rigorous use of any methodology and theoretical orientation, from students, practitioners and experienced researchers alike. We accept submissions for research papers and symposia, discussions (in-person event only), methods workshops (in-person event only), lightning talks and poster presentations. All submission types other than discussion and methods workshops can be delivered either online or in-person. An abstract is required for every submission type for consideration and assessment by the peer review panel.
All abstracts must be submitted through our online submission form. This form follows a set structure and format to allow you to submit the relevant information and to ensure consistency across all submissions. This enables the peer reviewers to assess the quality of the research against the criteria in a fair and impartial manner.
You should also read the Terms and conditions.
To be successful, your abstract should be written in an appropriately formal and scholarly tone of voice that successfully conveys the quality and rigour of your project. It may be written in the third person or the first person, depending on the specific methodological approach taken in your research. You should prepare your submission in a text document before you complete the form so that you have all the relevant information to hand.
We’ve developed the online form to be as straightforward as possible, but if you do have any difficulties accessing or using it, please contact us at research.conference@bacp.co.uk.
The conference is a not-for-profit event, but all presenters and delegates (both online and in-person) are required to pay a delegate fee and are responsible for their travel and accommodation expenses. The attendance fees for 2024 are still to be confirmed, however it is anticipated that online attendance will attract a lower fee rate than in-person conference attendance.
1. What happens next?
After the submission deadline, abstracts are forwarded to a panel of experienced researchers for independent review. You'll be notified of the outcome of the peer review of your submission in early 2024.
If your submission requires amendments, you'll be sent the reviewers’ comments with a deadline for returning the amended abstract. All decisions by the peer review panel are final.
2. Completing the submission form - standard information
When you complete the online form, you'll be asked for the following standard information:
- your details:
- your name
- email address for correspondence
- email address for inclusion in the abstract booklet (optional)
- telephone number (for use by our office only)
- affiliation and professional role - names of any co-presenters or co-authors
- title of your session
- main abstract text (as a text file upload)
We ask for your name, email address and telephone number so that we can contact you about your submission for the conference. We'll only use this information to contact you about your submission and won't share it with any third parties unless you give consent for us to do so in the submission form.
You'll also be asked whether you are a current masters or doctoral research student and whether you’re from a marginalised racial community. This is so that we can assess your eligibility for specific research awards.
Your main abstract text will be sent to the peer reviewers. To maintain the integrity of the peer review process, please make sure you don't include any details that might identify you, your co-authors, presenters, panellists or discussants, or your place of work or study.
All submissions should be a maximum of 400 words (excluding title and sub-headings).
3. Research paper (in-person or pre-recorded online)
This format is suitable for researchers to present completed research projects. Accepted papers are given a 30 minute time slot, which should include a 20 to 25 minute presentation and five to 10 minutes for questions and discussion.
Paper presentations are an opportunity to share your research with peers and colleagues, particularly the findings and implications of your work for counselling, psychotherapy and coaching practice. New presenters may find our Presenter tips (PDF 85KB) helpful.
Paper presentations cannot be used for data collection by presenters.
You should structure your proposal using the following headings:
- Aim or purpose - what did the research aim to answer?
- Design or methodology - how did you do the research?
- Ethical approval - who gave ethical approval for the research?
- Results or findings - what did you find?
- Research limitations - how reliable and valid are the findings?
- Conclusions or implications - what is the take home message?
- Considerations given to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion
Research submission
4. Discussion (in-person only)
A discussion is an opportunity to facilitate discussion of a topic with in-person delegates by initially presenting either: a single piece of research-related work; a body of related works; a research dilemma or question, from which you wish to generate discussion and ideas with delegates. Ideally you should present delegates with some questions to consider which will help to structure the discussion. We offer discussions of either 30 or 60 minutes.
The discussion format allows researchers to engage peers in discussion and debate by presenting an overview of research from which they have identified issues and questions relevant to the counselling, psychotherapy, and coaching research community, such as trends in research focus, gaps in activity or methodological developments.
The 30 minute slot should consist of no more than 15 minutes presentation with the remaining time used to facilitate discussion, debate and questions with delegates.
The 60 minute slot should consist of no more than 30-40 minutes presentation with the remaining time used to facilitate discussion. Discussion presentations cannot be used for data collection by presenters.
You should structure your proposal using the following headings:
- Background and context - summarise the issue or issues for discussion and provide an overview of the relevant questions and debates, ensuring that you link this to relevant research literature
- Questions and issues to consider in the session - provide some starting points for delegates and to help structure group discussion
- Audience - who will benefit from attending the session? How will the session be of use to conference delegates?
- Considerations given to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion
Discussion submission
5. Methods workshop (in-person only)
Methods workshops are an opportunity for researchers in the field to contribute to the development of research knowledge and skills in trainees and practitioners. They should introduce a particular method of data collection or analysis, which can include a focus on the ethics involved with researching a particular topic or population. Accepted methods workshops are given a 60 minute time slot.
Workshops should provide opportunities for practical and experiential learning by including exercises or learning materials that allow delegates to practise the method presented. The learning should be rooted in up-to-date research examples of the method presented.
Workshops cannot be used for data collection by presenters or facilitators.
You should structure your proposal using the following headings:
- Learning outcomes - see our Guidance on writing learning outcomes (pdf)
- Structure and overview of content
- Target audience - will delegates need prior research knowledge or experience to attend? Is the workshop particularly suitable for trainees or novice researchers?
- Considerations given to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion
Methods submission
6. Lightning talk (in-person or pre-recorded online)
Lightning talks are an opportunity to present early development work of a research project and gain friendly constructive feedback from peers and colleagues. This format is ideal for anyone doing counselling or psychotherapy research that is yet to have findings and who would like feedback on developing ongoing work.
Accepted lightning talks have a 15 minute slot, which should include a presentation of 10 minutes and 5 minutes for questions or discussion. They will normally be part of a larger session including other lightning talks.
Lightning talk presentations cannot be used for data collection by presenters.
You should structure your submission using the following headings:
- Aim or purpose - what did the research aim to answer?
- Design and methodology - how did you do the research?
- Ethical approval - who gave ethical approval for the research? If ethical approval is yet to be received, please briefly explain how, and when, you intend to obtain ethical approval.
- Challenges - what has been difficult or surprising so far and what, in particular, would you like feedback on in the session?
- Considerations given to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion
Lightning talk submission
7. Poster (in-person or digital online)
Posters are an opportunity to share your research with peers and colleagues in a pictorial and eye-catching way. Posters at the in-person event are displayed together in a central conference room so that conference delegates can speak with poster presenters about their research. Each in-person poster presenter is also given a one minute slot to introduce their research to all the conference delegates.
Presenters are also invited to provide a digital version for inclusion in the online poster exhibition which will run from the beginning of the conference to the end of August 2024. They can also elect to present only in the online exhibition.
The poster presentation format is suitable for completed research at all levels and also for ongoing research. New poster presenters may find our Poster guidelines (pdf) helpful.
You should structure your proposal using the following headings:
- Aim or purpose - what did the research aim to answer?
- Design or methodology - how did you do the research?
- Ethical approval - who gave ethical approval for the research?
- Results or findings - what did you find?
- Research limitations - how reliable and valid are the findings?
- Conclusions or implications - what is the take home message?
- Considerations given to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion
Poster submission
8. Symposium (in-person or pre-recorded online)
A symposium brings together a themed collection of studies in a larger programme of research, or similar studies from various researchers.
Accepted symposia are given a 90 minute time slot and this would usually include 60 to 70 minutes of presentations and 20 to 30 minutes for questions or discussion.
For a symposium, you'll need to submit an overview abstract, giving details of what connects the symposium papers. You'll also need to submit separate abstracts for the symposium papers. There should be a minimum of three and a maximum of four separate papers submitted, plus the overview. Although a symposium is regarded as a whole, each paper will be peer reviewed separately.
Symposium presentations cannot be used for data collection by presenters.
As well as the standard information above, you'll be asked for the email addresses of each of the paper presenters.
You should structure your overview submission using the following headings:
- Aims of the symposium
- Contribution of each symposium paper to the overall theme
- Implications of the symposium theme for counselling and psychotherapy theory, research and practice
- Considerations given to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion
You should structure the abstracts for each of the papers using these headings:
- Aim or purpose - what did the research aim to answer?
- Design or methodology - how did you do the research?
- Ethical approval - who gave ethical approval for the research?
- Results or findings - what did you find?
- Research limitations - how reliable and valid are the findings?
- Considerations given to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion
- Conclusions or implications - what is the take home message?
Symposium submission
9. Online submission form
Please send your submission using our online submission form.
