Papers presented at PLAN conferences are selected by program committees from proposals (abstracts of the proposed presentation) submitted by authors.Each conference has its own Program Committee. The number of proposals accepted for a meeting depends on program size (the number of sessions), technical coverage (the topics to be covered), and number and quality of paper proposals. Because program committees look for the best contributions, writing an effective paper proposal is important.

Criteria for Selection

Your proposal should demonstrate clearly that your paper:

• Will contribute to pipeline technology, particularly in the area identified as the technical focus for the specific meeting, or will present other information of immediate interest to E&P professionals
• Will present information that is technically sound.
• Will present new knowledge or experience, the substance of which has not been published previously.
• Will not be overly commercial in nature and will not promote specific companies, products or services.

Paper Proposal Organization

Your paper proposal should contain enough information to allow the Program Committee to make an accurate judgment of the content of your paper and presentation. Paper proposals should be around 300 words, which should be ample if you organize your text along the following lines:

Description of the Paper

– Outline the scope and nature of the work upon which the paper is based (e.g., field data, laboratory data, original analysis, or computer work). If the paper is a review paper, make the extent of coverage clear. Results, Observations, and Conclusions – Summarize the results and major conclusions to be presented in the paper and state how these differ from previous work on the same subject. State whether new information will be revealed and whether data from field, laboratory, or computer will be included.

Applications

– Describe the possible applications of the knowledge provided in the paper.

Technical Contributions

– Describe the significance of the proposed paper by listing up to three technical contributions or additions to the technical knowledge base of the pipeline industry.

Elements of a Good Paper Proposal

Appropriate Title

– A good title is short and informative (tells the reader what the paper is about). Use familiar terms and keywords so that someone doing a keyword title search for papers on the topic can find the paper. Avoid words that are based on a value judgment, such as “new” and “improved,” unless the material to be presented truly is new or an improvement over existing techniques.

Problem Statement

– In writing a paper, you are assumed to be proposing a solution to a problem or to be presenting new knowledge that is of interest to oil and gas professionals. Your paper proposal should state succinctly the problem you intend to address. Your problem statement should convince Program Committee members that there is indeed an important problem that merits solution or further investigation.

Objectives and Scope of Study

– State the objectives of the study clearly, listing them if possible. Outline the scope or limitations of your work. Point out the extent of coverage, aspects that are not yet well understood, and points that require further study. A candid acknowledgment of the limitations of your work adds credibility to your paper proposal. Because of limited space, paper proposals should avoid a literature review or other extensive background information. However, highlighting how your results differ from or complement previous results on the subject is appropriate. Typical objectives are to develop a new theory or principle; to show practical applications of known principles; to develop a solution to an engineering problem in a device, material, system or process; to design a new structure or process; or to develop a new and improved method.

Method

– State briefly what you did and how you did it. The goal is to outline the steps and procedures you used to accomplish the objectives of your study.

Results and Observations

– Give the major results or findings of the study. Highlight the importance of results to the area of study.

Conclusions

– State the major conclusions of the study. Do not confuse conclusions with results and observations. Results and observations are facts, whereas conclusions are the lessons learned from interpretation of the facts. The following is an example of the difference:

1. Laboratory mice were fed different doses of a chemical from very small to very large doses. All the mice died within 3 days.
2. Result and Observation: All the mice died within 3 days.
3. Conclusion: The chemical is toxic to mice even at very low concentrations.

Applications

– Give the possible practical applications of the results of your study. How can the results of your work be applied to finding, producing, processing, and marketing hydrocarbons and related products efficiently, economically, and in an environmentally safe manner?

Innovations or Technical Contributions

– State what is new in your study and its importance to the field. List up to three of the most important innovations or technical contributions in your proposed paper. Do not be too modest to highlight the innovation or technical contribution of your work because it could determine whether your paper proposal is selected or rejected.

Submitting Your Paper Proposal

Submitting your proposal online is easy.

1. The Call for Papers page lists conferences currently accepting paper proposals.
2. Clicking on a conference name will take you to information about the meeting.
3. The submission form can be accessed from either the Call for Papers page or from the meeting page.
4. Obtain necessary company clearance from your management before submitting your paper proposal.
5. Ensure that your management understands that if your proposal is accepted, you will be required to prepare and submit a full manuscript for the conference proceedings and to present the paper at the conference.
6. The submission form asks specific questions.
7. All information on the form should be provided.
   • Enter a title that is concise yet descriptive of the primary content and application of the proposed paper. Company names and trade names are not permitted in paper titles.
   • List the Corresponding Author (the author with whom PLAN correspond on all matters concerning the paper) name, company affiliation, and complete contact information (address, phone number, e-mail).
   • List any coauthors in the order in which they should be printed in the program. Include each coauthor’s company and contact information. This information is needed for the conference program and to send coauthors information on registering and attending the conference.
   • Most conference program committees require authors to select technical categories for their papers. This information is used to direct your paper proposal to the best-qualified committee members for review. Select the most appropriate technical categories from the list for that meeting. (For most meetings, the list will be found separate from the online submission form on the website.)
   • The list of technical categories will always be included in the printable (.pdf) form.) Most “Call for Papers” Proposals include “Other” in the category list with a blank to fill in topics that are not on the list.
   • Submit your paper proposal in time for it to be received by the submission deadline.
   • If your paper proposal is received after the deadline, it may not be considered.