2.1 INTRODUCTION

The Scientific Commission of the 7th Psi Meeting is coordinated by Professor M.Sc. Fábio Eduardo da Silva, who is responsible for the Integrated Centre of Experimental Research (ICER). For implementing the evaluation of submitted papers, this commission will be assisted by a Scientific Committee comprised of 20 researchers from different countries.
The basic function of the Scientific Committee is to review the submitted papers according to the current scientific criteria, seeking, whenever possible, to stimulate quality improvement, being able to: a) accept papers in their original format, b) accept papers suggesting alterations, c) accept papers requesting alterations, and d) reject papers for justifiable reasons. If reviewers disagree on a paper (each paper will be reviewed by two members) the Scientific Commission will resolve the matter by requesting the opinion of a third reviewer.

2.2 THEME AND METHODS

Theme - The works should relate to the phenomena studied by psi research and anomalistic psychology or be sufficiently close to the interests of these scientific communities (including issues related to human consciousness). As indicated in the general information, interdisciplinary approaches (inclusive of different areas) are desirable.

Some examples

Among those listed as anomalous experiences, some can be highlighted, such as out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, hallucinatory experiences, kinaesthetic experiences, lucid-dream experiences, extrasensory-perception experiences (ESP), extra-motor experiences (PK), and mystical or spiritual experiences (Zangari, 2010).

The study of these experiences reported by people does not consider (a priori) there to be causal anomalous phenomena related to them. Thus, it also includes (French, 2010):

• Cognitive biases related to ostensibly anomalous experiences
• Personality characteristics associated with belief in anomalous experiences
• The development, maintenance and functions of such beliefs
• Altered states of consciousness
• Dissociative states, including dissociative identity disorder
• False memories
• Reality monitoring
• The psychology of deception and self-deception
• Placebo effects
• The psychology of psychic readings
• The psychology of superstition
• The psychology of coincidences
• Hallucinations
• Sleep-related disorders, including sleep paralysis
• Religious experiences and religious beliefs
• Critical evaluation of specific anomalous experience claims

Also includes (Wooffitt, 2010):

• The language of anomalous experiences
• The exploration and application of new social scientific methods for the study of anomalous experiences
• The role of the researcher in the study of anomalous experiences; ethics and reflexivity

Method - Papers may be experimental, clinical, case studies, theoretical, methodological, historical and philosophical. Quantitative and qualitative methods are equally welcome.

2.3 SUBMISSION OF PAPERS

Unpublished studies will be accepted in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Previously published studies will be accepted if they were published outside Brazil or in summarized form (abstract only). Studies should be submitted to the Scientific Committee in one of two categories: Full Paper or Research Brief.

2.3.1 Full Paper

Authors are requested to follow, if possible, the style of empirical studies described below:

First Sheet with title written in three languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese), the first of which must be the language in which the paper was written; author(s), and affiliations(s).

Abstracts from 200 to 400 words each, typed in Arial size 8 and organised in the following sections, if the paper allows: introduction: (with place, date, the problem and its context), purpose, subject, method, evaluation or main outcome, measures, results, discussion and conclusion. In order to facilitate the integration of international data, the abstracts should be available in three languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese) and presented in this order. If necessary, the 7th Psi Meeting collaborators will help in translating abstracts to the complementary languages. This assistance, if necessary, should be requested when papers are submitted. The abstracts should be followed by 4 to 6 keywords. After the event, the abstracts will be available on the Psi Meeting website.

The introduction should include: a concise, updated and pertinent literature revision; the justification; the objective and the proposed hypotheses.

The methods should inform: how the data was collected and how the information was processed; details on the selection and location of the information sources; the subject of the research; and the equipment, material and instruments used. If the study involves human or animal collaborators (subjects), their characteristics and selection criteria should be described. The methods (procedures) used should be presented in full detail, so that they can be replicated by other researchers. It is also possible to offer a concise description in case the methods have been described previously. In this case, the suitable source for complementary consulting should be included. When used, the statistical analyses should be described and, if possible, the main formulas should be indicated. For studies with human participants, other specifications include: number; sex; minimum and maximum ages; occupation and educational level; the nature of the relationship between collaborators and researchers; whether they are related to previous experience in psi studies; and spontaneous psi phenomena. The participants’ preparation should also be described in full detail, which should also include the description of the experimental environment.

The results should be presented in tables and graphs and/or illustrations that facilitate quick and detailed understanding.

Discussion and conclusions - based on the obtained results, the objectives and hypotheses should be appraised. Non-predicted or exploratory analyses should be indicated as such and should not be considered in the evaluation of the objectives or hypotheses. The possibilities, implications and limitations of the results should be mentioned, as well as possible correlations with other studies. Recommendations for future studies are expected. Free reflections that extrapolate the reach of the obtained data can be included if presented as speculations.

The References should follow APA norms.

The studies should contain from 2,500 to 9,000 words (not including the first sheet, abstracts and references), using the Arial font, size 10, and should be single-spaced.

Footnotes should not be included.

2.3.2 Research Brief

Acceptable Research Briefs are those that report ongoing research or those recently concluded. They should have abstracts of 100 to 200 words in three languages, as mentioned above, and a main text between 500 and 2500 words (not including the first sheet, with abstracts). Further items should follow the same pattern as requested for Full Papers.

2.3.3 Model for paper elaboration

Based on the previously published model, a reference model has been developed in three languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese).This has been done to facilitate the preparation of papers for the Psi Meeting. This model should be used and, if necessary, adapted by the authors.

2.4 PAPER ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

- Follow the pre-established rules for digital submission.
- For studies using quantitative evaluations, the results must be coherent with the statistic data obtained, and the tests used must be compatible with the methodological conditions applied.
- The criteria for acceptance and refusal must be explained for studies using hypothesis tests. Concurrent hypotheses must be considered in the discussion, and the criteria for their refusal must be explained (if such is the case).
- For studies that present a theory, there must be a coherent empirical basis with the approach presented and they must point out ways of testing its hypotheses.
- Methodological studies must present their use in an objective manner, if possible giving practical examples. They must present advantages and disadvantages in relation to other similar or competitive methodological approaches.
- Philosophical studies must be based on research data and must be coherent with the scope of this data. It is necessary to mention in a clear way whether conclusions are based on research data or if they are speculations by the author.

During the paper evaluation the reviewers will consider:

- Title
- Abstract
- Research question - hypothesis - variables
- Methodological description and coherence
- Literature coverage
- Presentation of the results and/or discussion
- Validity of conclusions

2.5 COMPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Papers should be sent by e-mail in attached MS Word files (.doc), preferably Version 2000 or later. Submission category should be indicated, i.e. Full Paper or Research Brief. Send your paper by 23rd May, 2011 at the latest to: facbio.z@gmail.com.

Papers submitted and accepted by the Scientific Committee should be presented for at least one author. Special cases will be analysed by the Scientific Commission.

With respect to presentations of papers at the event, as a way of improving visual aesthetics, the organisers ask all studies to be presented in PowerPoint or similar programs. Among the equipment available, there are computers, multimedia projectors, and CD and DVD Players. The need for other equipment or material should be requested when submitting papers.

Times for paper presentation
The Full Papers and the Research Brief will be allotted 20 minutes for presentation and 10 minutes for discussion. Presentations will be made strictly within the established time.

Registration of researchers

Researchers that have their works accepted will need to register at the event and make the respective payment.

Registration of informal presentations

A different way to participate in the Psi Meeting is the informal presentation, which may include scientific or cultural works as well as other type of knowledge that may be of interest to the scientific communities involved. As such, the aim is for a flexible space in science to promote the integration of other types of knowledge that might be considered relevant.
Nevertheless, these works must be reviewed by a member of the scientific committee, albeit with a different perspective related to the type of work. These presentations also require abstracts in three languages, as indicated above. Since the priority of the event is the scientific work, there is a restriction regarding the amount of informal presentations of one per day. If this limit is exceeded, the first selection criterion is the order (date) of registration. If a particular work is not accepted by the reviewer, the following work in that order will be considered. The deadline for this type of submission is the same as for regular papers.

Registration for round tables

Round tables aim to deepen topics of interest for the event. They are usually comprised of 4 participants, and each participant has 15 min. to make his or her presentation, totalling one hour. The subsequent discussions may follow this order: a) questions between panellists [30 min.], b) questions for assistance (with initial preference for researchers) [20 min.].
Topics and participants are usually suggested by the event organisers, but can also be suggested by researchers registered in the event.
Participation in round tables requires the submission of the abstract of the work to be presented.
The First Sheet should follow the instructions indicated above (2.3.1 Full paper). This abstract should be from 150 to 700 words (not including the first sheet and references). If possible, it should also be prepared in three languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese). If this is not possible, when submitting the abstract, the researcher must request help from the organisers for the preparation of abstracts in additional languages. The abstracts will be submitted to the Scientific Committee of the event and are subject to their evaluation

REFERENCES

WOOFFITT, R. Anomalous Experience Research Unit. Department of Sociology at York University - Disponível em: < http://www.york.ac.uk /sociology/ research/groups/aeru/ > Acesso em 2010.

ZANGARI, W. INTER PSI - Laboratório de Psicologia Anomalística e Processos Psicossociais. Departamento de Psicologia Social e do Trabalho da Universidade de São Paulo. Disponível em: < http://www.ip.usp.br/ portal/index.php?option=com_ content&view= article&id= 1691:laboratorio-de-psicologia- anomalistica-e-processos- psicossociais&catid =52&Itemid=66 > Acesso em 2010.

FRENCH, C. What is Anomalistic Psychology? Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, University of London. Disponível em: < http://www.gold.ac.uk/apru/what/ > Acesso em 2010.

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