I. GENERAL GUIDELINES
II. PRACTICAL GUIDELINES
III. SELECTION CRITERIA
IV. CONCEPTUALIZATION

I. GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. It will only be received the projects (paper, poster, audio or video/dvd), which have already been selected by their local coordinator.
2. Papers and any work as described herein may be submitted and presented in Italian, English or Spanish, as these are the official languages of the congress.
3. It is important to send the papers by the due date, in order to be evaluated by the scientific committee of Incontro. Once the decision has been finalised, the committee will communicate it to the regions.

II. PRACTICAL GUIDELINES

PAPERS

1.Structure:
 Introduction: Give an introductory paragraph explaining your topic area and the selected articles, answering what, why and for what.
 Objectives: Give main aims of your project.
 Theoretical background: Explain the main theoretical concepts that you base your research project on (maximum 5 pages).
 Proposal: Apply these theoretical concepts to PRACTICAL issues and contexts in relation to the topic of Incontro. It is recommended that the papers or projects selected have a concrete present or future application, or that they describe a positive experience that can be repeated, in other regions.
Methodology: It is important to have a methodology, which will be concretized in a plan of activities, project calendar, interviews, testimonies, graphics, etc.
 Conclusion: A concise summary of your main findings.
 Reference List: All observations, arguments and conclusions must be well thought-out and supported with the appropriate evidence and/or authoritative sources. While it is strongly recommended that the students use secondary sources in their papers, it is stressed that all ideas and quotations of other authors must be fully and uniformly cited, according to the norms of your own country (see Appendix 1). It is important to include footnotes.

2. Word limit:
Papers should have a maximum of 12 pages (3,500 words). These pages also include the abstract, which could be a possible oral presentation (2-3pages), of 6-10 minutes.

3. Audiovisual:
Audiovisual material can be used to illustrate the presentation, such as flyers or brochures, appendixes, praxis, etc. If this material cannot be sent electronically, you would need to send it earlier so as to meet the deadline.

POSTERS

Just as last year, we would like to encourage the creation of posters as a way of participating in the congress. As there isn’t enough time, few papers are selected to be presented; however, posters do not suffer from this limitation.
The posters could present:

1. Ideas that are communicated almost exclusively through images; or,
2. Projects that were done around the Incontro topic, and are presented through a brief written text and good images to illustrate it.

The selected posters will be displayed at the Congress hall, giving the opportunity to exchange ideas and show the variety of projects being done all around the world.
For the presentation, one needs to take into account:

1. Format: A-1 (59.4 X 84 cm) vertical. The title is placed in the upper part of the poster (especially visible, legible), while the full names, city and country of the authors are placed in the right inferior angle.
2. Along with the poster, a brief description of the methodology, resources and bibliography used for the preparation of the work should be attached (surveys, research, interviews, maximum 2 pages).
3. The quality of the images, the human tone they portray, creativity and the way of presenting the ideas.
4. Avoid using anything that could jeopardise the exhibition of the poster, such as frames, curtains, heavy material, electrical gadgets, etc.
5. The poster should be sent in digital format and, if selected, it should be print in high quality format.

VIDEOS O DVD

1. Format: it should be taped in the system VHS (PAL) o DVD. You would need to inform the Scientific Committee which type of format you use.
2. A short text explaining the objectives, content and methodology used should be attached (maximum 2 pages).
3. The videos could be used as support material for an oral presentation, or it could even substitute the main part of the presentation, as long as the key points are explained beforehand.
4. The video need to be on the topic of the Congress. Professional videos or videos with an advertorial content will be accepted.
5. The video could be sent electronically or through ordinary mail, as long as they meet the deadline.
6. While making the video, it is important to take into consideration the following aspects:

- Duration: The maximum total duration should be 6 minutes.
- Text: should be clear so as to be read: take into account the font size and the speed with which it appears. The translators would need to have enough time to read and translate the text into other languages.
- Images and sound should be of good quality, high resolution, not downloaded from private WebPages (that have copy right), and as always, they should express not only the message one wants to pass, but also an attractive and high tone.

III. SELECTION CRITERIA

The Scientific Committee of Incontro considers the following criteria for the selection of papers, poster or video presentations:

1. Quality of presentation: orthography, justification within the margins, creativity of presentation, quality of images and pictures, etc. It is very important to look after this criterion, and all that corresponds to a work well done.


2. Significance of the selected theme: the primary objective of the papers is to present papers that are of the general interest of the participants and society. It is recommended that the papers or projects selected have a concrete present or future application, or that they describe a positive experience that can be repeated. It is not necessary to be huge proposals, but it could be concrete solutions to improve something or a way of doing something at the home, at school, at the neighbourhood, at the workplace, etc.


3. Relationship with the proposed theme: The papers should be a reflection on the theme of Incontro for that year. The Scientific Committee cannot select papers that are not related to the proposed theme, even if they are well done and interesting.


4. Professionalism: The presentations need to have the proper professional quality of people who are aiming to be a professional in the area of service, presenting a reflection on their own experience.


5. Scientific rigour: the rigour will be based on the indications given at the practical guidelines on the way of structuring the presentations, and in meeting the deadlines. All the assertions made by the authors must be well founded, avoiding generalities or trite conclusions. All sources should be cited properly.


6. Relationship between theory and practice: the reflection on the proposed theme intends to present a concrete way or a future application on the work of the home or an area of service. In this way, there has to be a direct connexion between theory and practice: the reflection should be the foundation for the proposed application.


7. Originality of solutions and proposals: it is important to approach issues in a positive and constructive way, which is proper to a Christian worldview, rather than merely analysing or criticising a situation. Participants should strive to be especially objective and respectful if their papers deal with topics or situations that touch on other countries or cultures, considering the international nature of the Congress.

IV. CONCEPTUALIZATION

Below are some key concepts of the congress; they can be useful in helping to select a research theme, the way to approach it and how to put it into practice.

 Starting point: Although it is true that every work is a service, Incontro is focused in those works that reach directly the person and, thus, are a way of serving per excellence. In this way, these works constitute a strong support in the building of family life and society. They are needed as a motor for social change.

 Centrality of the family: The family is the centre from where man can learn how to serve others and society itself. The family is the place where the person knows herself, learns values and the ultimate meaning that will lead her to see other people behind the work she performs.

 Moreover, the concept of the family can be extended to mean the reality by which we make a home. In this way, the work in household administrations, residences, hospitality schools or hospitals, can create this family environment, which constitutes true homes.

 The main aim of these research papers is to reflect on how these works of service presuppose a family and at the same time build a family. It is important to ponder on how these works require professional training, which demands competence, skills, and, technical and scientific preparation. This reflection can bring new lights on the significance and reach of these works of the home.

 Another enlightening idea is that the work of the home, being a professional occupation, is a positive choice. It is not a work done by someone who could not have chosen another profession.