Splijtstof Student Conference: Submission Information and Criteria

The editors-in-chief at Splijtstof are excited to invite Splijtstof editors and all other students to submit abstracts for philosophical conference papers written on the theme of ‘Disease’. The conference will take place sometime in early December 2025, likely on December 4, but this is not confirmed yet. We can accommodate your requests with regards to the relative timing of your presentation on the day (e.g. you can present later if you have a class). All finished conference papers, regardless of whether or not they are presented at the conference, will be published in a special Conference Edition of Splijtstof.
We are looking for submissions from Bachelor, (Pre)-Master and Research Master students. You are welcome to work together with other students on a conference paper as long as every contributor is named as an author. Submissions should be written in English.

The use of Generative AI and/or Large Language Models (e.g. ChatGPT) is strictly forbidden at every stage in the writing and editing process.

Unfortunately, to ensure that this rule is adhered to, we must ask you to write your abstract and your paper entirely in Google Docs, so that we can look at the version history. If we cannot see the version history, we will not be able to accept your abstract or allow you to present your paper at the conference.
Please send an edit link to your finished work, in a timely manner, to redactie@splijtstof.com. The following dates are hard deadlines.

Timeline

October 20, 23:59 – Abstract Submission Deadline
October 23 – Acceptance Notification
November 20, 23:59 – Final Version Submission Deadline

Presentations

Each conference presenter has 30 minutes to use as they see fit. You should be prepared to present your paper and answer some questions from the audience. If you wish, you may present for a shorter time and use the remainder of your time to guide the audience through a plenary discussion or activity designed to assimilate the content of your conference paper.
You will not be able to use a slideshow or powerpoint presentation. You are welcome to provide the audience with printed handouts (relevant artwork, instructions for an activity and such), but in the interests of sustainability, we ask you to consider only printing handouts if it is strictly necessary. If you would like to have images on a screen behind you as you present, please send a
maximum of 5 images alongside your Google Docs link submission (N.B. send the images as separate attachments, not just embedded in your Google Document).

Abstract requirements

250 words with a 10% margin, excluding the (working) title and references.
It should work with the theme of ‘Disease’. You are free to interpret the theme however you wish; both straightforward and creative engagements with this theme are welcome.
Your abstract (and final paper) should be philosophical. This will mean something different from person to person. We are happy to receive submissions from writers with a non-philosophical background. Write with your own understanding of philosophy in mind.

Other requirements

If you plan on going beyond the presentation & question round structure, please use a subheading under your abstract to explain your plan. It will not count towards the word limit, but nevertheless, please be brief.
Please include your first name, last name, pronouns and current degree programme with your submission, along with any relevant previous education or research interests that relate to your paper. We will use this information to introduce you as a speaker during the conference.

Review process

For Splijtstof editors:
Due to the nature of the submission process, we cannot review your abstract anonymously. The editors-in-chief will review your abstract themselves rather than with the wider Splijtstof editorial team.

For external participants:
The editors-in-chief will be aware of who has written which abstract, but the abstracts will be presented anonymously to the rest of the Splijtstof editorial team for review.

Relevant for all participants:
When we review your abstract, we are looking for a clear link to the theme of ‘Disease’, a philosophical approach, a description of the structure and methodology of your completed conference paper, and (if relevant) a well thought-out description of your plan for your additional activity or discussion.
Some papers translate better to a conference setting, and this is another factor we will consider when reviewing the abstracts. In celebration of your hard work, we will be publishing a
Conference Edition following the event, and every abstract and paper submitted for the conference will be featured, regardless of whether or not the paper was presented during the conference. Thus, it is still worth continuing to work on your conference paper even before you have received the acceptance notification, since it has a place in the Conference Edition of Splijtstof regardless of the verdict.

Questions/Contact
You are welcome to contact the editors-in-chief of Splijtstof by email at redactie@splijtstof.com.