Find a professional editor in your field or genre, or in your language, with our Editors Directory.

IPEd
Member Login

Call for papers

The Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) hosts the premier conference for editors in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

The 2025 conference will be the 12th IPEd conference.

The conference will deliver opportunities to learn and connect via keynote addresses, papers, panel sessions, interviews and workshops.

“Editors as changemakers” is the conference theme

The theme of the 12th IPEd conference is “Editors as changemakers”. Editors are innovators, leaders, creators and reformers who constantly work to evolve how we use language. From accessibility to navigating the challenges of AI, editors are at the forefront of important conversations around how we communicate in education, government, business, culture and community.

Presenting a paper or workshop has many benefits

This in-person conference is the perfect opportunity for you to share what you’ve been working on, your ideas and your skills with a group of enthusiastic people. You’ll connect with people you’ve never met — people with a wealth of experience from diverse backgrounds. You’ll also discover the experiences of other editors in your field and perhaps even opportunities for collaboration. Collaborating with other editors is a great way to help make positive, enduring changes to the editing profession.

We welcome abstracts related to the conference theme

Have you got a workshop or presentation up your sleeve (or an idea for one) that speaks to the conference theme?

Are you currently doing research that you’d like to share with an audience?

We welcome abstracts from editors engaged in all aspects of editing and those with an interest in editing, publishing or a related field, including tertiary education institutions and government.

We welcome presenters from around Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, from First Nations and culturally diverse backgrounds, and from our affiliate organisations: Editors Canada, Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (UK) and the Professional Editors Guild (South Africa) and Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA.) and National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE).

We invite proposals for individual presentations, workshops, and thematic panels that speak to “Editors as Changemakers”.

All abstracts are welcome, no matter if you’re an “old hand” at editing or a “newbie” to the profession. The profession needs to hear from people across the editing landscape. We’re particularly keen to hear fresh perspectives from those new to the industry, including students.

You will have three hours to deliver a workshop.

You will have 30 minutes to deliver a paper or presentation, followed by a 15-minute Q&A.

Conference streams may include, but are not limited to:

  • Editing that changes lives and communities
  • Artificial intelligence as one of editing’s challenging changemakers
  • Progressing the editing profession
  • Changes to the editing business and marketplace
  • Changes in editing across specialties
  • The changing lives of editors through the years
  • New editors bringing a fresh perspective
  • Snapshots of editing in the future

 

What your abstract should include

Your abstract should include:

  • a statement about whether your abstract is for a paper or a workshop
  • the name of your preferred stream
  • the title of your paper or workshop (20 words at most)
  • your name (and your business or employer name if appropriate)
  • your abstract (400 words at most)
  • a short bio about you and any co-presenter (100 words at most for each presenter)
  • your email address, phone number, and preferred way to contact you (if more than one presenter, include all details but name the primary contact).

 

As you write your abstract

As you write your abstract, please keep in mind the conference theme, your preferred stream, and the type of audience.

When describing your topic, include why the topic is important to the editing profession. Also summarise any evidence you intend to use to support your paper (such as surveys), or literature. If you intend to deliver a PowerPoint presentation, think about how you’ll break up your ideas across a set of slides.

How to submit your abstract

Please:

  • submit your abstract as a PDF
  • email your abstract to conference@iped-editors.org
  • use the format “[your name]-2025 conference abstract” in the email’s subject line.

Make sure your file size is no more than 1MB. If you need to include images (such as for a workshop), keep them to thumbnail resolution to avoid submitting a large file.

Deadline for submitting your abstract

The deadline for emailing your abstract to us is 28th February 2025. We’ll confirm (by return email) that we’ve received your abstract.

Outcome of your abstract

You”ll know about the outcome of your abstract in April 2025.