Annual Meeting Policies

The MESA annual meeting provides an opportunity for MESA members to share their current research, be inspired by the latest research trends and methods, to gather with colleagues to plan future collaborative research projects, and generally to share their academic knowledge and love of the region they study.

Program requirements include MESA membership and meeting pre-registration.

To be on the MESA program, one must be a MESA member. After all, the MESA meeting is organized by members for members. MESA welcomes the participation of foreign scholars and those who do not normally study the Middle East, who may be unfamiliar with the association and its meeting, by considering a one-time membership exemption. MESA membership is open to anyone with an interest in the Middle East. Membership dues are income-based. Pre-registration is required of all participants.

Both membership and pre-registration must be completed before submission for the annual meeting.

Paper presenters are required to upload their papers.

Paper presenters are required to upload a copy of their paper to the myMESA system by October 15 in order for the Secretariat and the panel chair and/or discussant to access it. To upload your paper to myMESA, please go to http://mymesa.arizona.edu. Log-in to the system (same email address and password you used to access the system when you submitted). Click on the "Annual Meeting" button on the left. Click on the "Abstract" button under Annual Meeting. Find the "Submit/Update Full Paper" button and click it. There you will see the "browse" button, which you will click to find the file on your computer (Word or pdf documents only, please). After you find the file and click "Open" click the "Save and Back to Abstract" button. The file will be uploaded.

We are often asked how long papers should be. There is no suggested paper length. Your topic and your depth of coverage should determine the length of your paper. For tips on presenting your paper and how much text you should prepare, please go here.

The deadline for registration fee refunds is August 1 of the meeting year.

Because the Secretariat makes substantial commitments of time and money organizing the annual meeting, for program participants the deadline for requesting a refund of the meeting registration fee is August 1 of the year of the meeting. After that date, participants who withdraw from the program are not entitled to a refund.

No-Show Policy

A no-show has been defined as someone who is not physically present at his or her panel, who has not notified anyone of an inability to participate, and has not submitted a paper to be read by the panel chair or another person. No-shows inconvenience everyone: the chair, discussant, fellow panelists, and those attending the panel. In essence they waste everyone's time without having demonstrated the common courtesy of notification. Persons identified as no-shows will not be considered for the following year's program. To avoid becoming a no-show, simply let someone know if you cannot participate, even if at the last minute.

Notify the MESA Secretariat if the details of your participation change.

If you change your paper title, move to another institution, etc., please log-in to myMESA to update your details. In particular, we are concerned that your badge institution and paper title remain current.