Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Have questions about iPRES 2025 in Wellington? Take a look below. If you have a question that's not answered here, let us know at info@ipres2025.nz! (last updated 25 September 2025)

Programme

Q. Where can I find the conference programme?

A. The online agenda is available here. You can also download a PDF or spreadsheet version on the conference website. Please note that the programme is iterative, and subject to change. We are still finalising a few areas such as professional visits and social activities - more information will be added as it is available.

Q. Will the session abstracts be added to the programme?

A. Yes, session abstracts and presenter bios are available on the online agenda.

Q. How do I sign up for the Monday workshop(s) I'm interested in?

A. Registered attendees will be able to sign up for workshops in October.

Presenting at iPRES

Q. This is the first time I've presented at a conference where the completed papers are submitted ahead of time, so I'm not totally sure what's expected. Do authors usually "read" their papers out loud? Or are the in-person presentations more of a summary/synopsis?

A. Although the papers will be available ahead of the conference, don't assume that attendees at your presentation will have read it. Given the limited time you will have to present (for example, 15 minutes including Q&A for a short paper), the presentation should be a summary of the main points and key takeaways, rather than reading your paper. Think of your presentation as a chance to share the essence of your work and spark their interest to read the paper later.

Q. I am participating in iPRES for the first time and am presenting a Poster. I understand that I need to create a poster to visually depict the topic I submitted in the abstract, but am unclear on what the specifications are for the Poster itself.

A. Detailed instructions for Poster presenters are available here. There are different requirements depending on whether your Poster is being presented in-person, or virtually.

Q. What is the deadline for submitting completed posters and pre-recorded lightning talks?

A. These should be uploaded to the iPRES 2025 Dropbox, ideally two weeks before the start of the conference (20 October 2025). We will send accepted authors an email with further instructions and the Dropbox link. We prefer that presenters supply their materials ahead of time, but they can be supplied via USB at the start of the conference.

Q. Will in-person posters be displayed on a screen, or do they need to be printed out? A. All poster presenters should submit a digital version of their poster for inclusion in the proceedings. In-person poster presenters will need to bring a printed copy of their poster for display onsite during the conference. More information is available here.

Q. What format should I use for my Virtual Lightning Talk/Poster Introduction?

A. Pre-recorded presentations should be supplied as an MP4 file. We'll be sending emails to presenters with detailed instructions, but in the meantime, you can read more about lightning talk submissions here.

Q. Will Chairs/Q&A moderators be provided for sessions, or do I need to arrange my own? A. The Programme Committee will be assigning Chairs and Q&A Moderators to the Paper sessions, but for interactive sessions like Workshops, Tutorials, Panels, and Birds of a Feather, this role is generally performed by a member of the panel/BoF/workshop/tutorial (or person they select).

Attending Virtually

Q. On the programme, some sessions are marked as 'Hybrid' and others as 'Virtual'. What is the difference? A. Hybrid sessions bring together in-person and remote attendees and are streamed live from our conference venue. Virtual sessions, on the other hand, take place entirely online — all participants join remotely.

Q. Will the recorded hybrid and virtual sessions and activities be available to the participants asynchronously, e.g. after a few hours when the sessions and activities end? For example, if a session is the middle of the night for me, can I watch it the next morning instead? A. Yes! Virtual participants are attending from time zones across the globe. Hybrid and virtual sessions will be available to watch asynchronously, at a time convenient to you, via the Events Air conference app. 

Q. Will recordings be available for viewing after the conference?

A. Yes, registered participants will have access to recordings following the conference for a set period of time.

Q. Are all conference sessions being recorded/streamed?

A. No, some sessions are in-person only. These include certain workshops and tutorials, games, Birds of a Feather discussion sessions, and social events.

Q. Will there be a space online for virtual presenters to answer questions/connect with other participants? A. Yes! Like in 2024, there will be a dedicated Slack channel for virtual participants to connect and engage. In-person attendees are welcome to join the channel as well to chat with remote attendees.

Registration and Fees

Q. I am currently seeking approval to attend iPRES. Do you know when registration will be open, and what the cost will be? A. Registration is now open! Registration details and costs are available here. The Wellington Local Organising Committee has worked hard to ensure that costs for iPRES 2025 attendees are as reasonable as possible while providing a high-quality conference experience for both in-person and online attendees.

Q. If my submission is accepted for iPRES 2025, will I need to register for the conference? A.  Presenting authors at iPRES 2025 - including remote participants - must register for the conference to confirm their space on the programme.

Q. Are student registration rates available?

A. Yes! We currently have student rates available to attend the full conference, or purchase a 1-Day pass at a discounted rate. See our registration rates for more information.

Q. Can we purchase a "team ticket" or share virtual registrations? A. While some conferences offer group or team tickets – at iPRES 2025 each virtual ticket is for an individual attendee. Every virtual ticket provides full access to all hybrid tracks as well as the dedicated virtual track across the four days, and includes keynotes, tutorials, workshops, presentations, Birds of a Feather discussions and demos. We do offer 1-day in-person registration rates but found it would be too complex to manage 1-day virtual registrations.

Conference Dinner and Welcome Reception

Q. My spouse will be travelling to Wellington with me during the conference. Is it possible to purchase a guest ticket to the welcome reception and/or conference dinner?

A. The venues for the conference dinner and welcome reception have limited capacity and conference attendees will have priority to attend. If space is available, we will offer tickets available for purchase closer to the date of the conference. Email info@ipres2025.nz to sign up for the dinner and/or reception guest waiting list.

Q. If I have purchased a 1-Day registration for Wednesday, can I still attend the dinner?

A. A ticket to the conference dinner is only included in full conference registration. If space is available closer to the date, dinner tickets may be available for purchase.

Updates and Revisions to Papers

Q. I would like to provide an updated version of my Paper to incorporate feedback from the reviewers, but the submission portal is now closed. A. Please email your updated paper to us at info@ipres2025.nz and we will upload it to the system on your behalf.

Submission Process

Q: I've never presented at an iPRES conference before. What kind of submission type should I choose?

A. We encourage any and all types of submissions! Posters, Short Papers and Full Papers all use same submission template - short papers are up to 4 pages in length, and full papers are up to 8 pages. They should include original research, case studies, or technical contributions to digital preservation.

Posters require an abstract of up to 2 pages summarising the content of your poster. Further instructions for creating the poster will be provided upon acceptance. Read more poster submission tips and resources from the Posters & Lightning Talks Co-Chairs.

Workshops, Tutorials, and Panels have their own submission template, which includes a detailed proposal up to 2 pages covering session goals, target audience, format, presenters, and any special requirements. Workshops focus on interactive, hands-on engagement with tools or best practices. Tutorials are more structured educational sessions aimed at teaching skills relevant to digital preservation. Panels may feature interactive discussions about significant issues or trends in digital preservation.

However, there will be a further Call in June 2025 for Ad-hoc Contributions. These are less formal sessions, like lightning talks, birds of a feather group discussions/communities of practice, demos, games, and more! The deadline for these types of submissions is 18 July 2025.

Detailed submission instructions are available here.

Q. Can you provide some more information on the expected speaking time for a lightning talk vs a short paper? What is the main difference between these submission types?  A. Short Papers are part of the first Call for Contributions due 14 April 2025, and are peer-reviewed ahead of acceptance to the conference. The completed paper is due at the time of submission, up to four pages in length.

Lightning Talks are part of the ad-hoc (non-peer reviewed) programme, and are assessed by the Posters and Lightning Talks co-chairs for acceptance to the conference programme. Submissions for Lightning Talks and opens in mid-June, with ad hoc proposals due 31 July 2025, end of day, anywhere on earth. We haven't determined the exact speaking times for lightning talks and short papers yet, as it will depend on the number of submission types that we need to fit into the programme.

Generally though, a lightning talk is up to 5 minutes (without any Q&A) and a short paper presentation would be at least 10 minutes with additional time for Q&A. A short paper is a better fit when you have a more-developed project to share about and want the opportunity for Q&A or discussion with conference attendees. A lightning talk may be a better fit if you just want to spark interest in a new idea / project, etc.

Q. We have a number of graphs and tables we wish to include in our paper submission. Would these count towards the page limit for papers, or could they be added as an appendix? A. For both Full and Short Papers, you'll need to follow the template, which doesn't include an appendix. Figures and tables do count towards the total number of pages. There's a section of instructions in the paper template called 'Helpful hints for figures and tables', which provides guidance on how to include this content. You may also want to take a look at previous iPRES papers to see how they have shown tables and graphs to ensure that complex information is presented in a readable way.

Q. Do references, figures, and acknowledgements count towards the total page limit for Papers? Or can my Full Paper be up to 8 pages, plus references? A. All of the content (references, figures, author bios, acknowledgements etc.) are included in the page count for iPRES papers.

Q. Do I submit an abstract for the April deadline, or is the completed paper itself the submission?

A. For iPRES conferences, the completed full or short paper needs to be supplied by the April submission deadline, rather than just an abstract. 

Q. Can I still submit a full paper with preliminary data, if the results of the case study are not yet completed by the April submission deadline, but will be completed ahead of the actual conference? Will there be an opportunity to provide updated results later?

A. Yes, submissions relating to works in progress, or which use sample data if the full dataset will not be available at the time of the submission deadline, will be considered by the Programme Committee and peer-reviewers on a case-by-case basis.

Q. Can I send in my iPRES submission via email?

A. All Paper, Poster, Workshop, and Tutorial submissions must use the official iPRES 2025 online submission portal. To use the portal, you'll need to create an account.

For Ad Hoc submissions, please use the online form.

Conference Themes / Suitability of Submission Topics

Q. I’m looking at the Call for Contributions and want to know if my topic idea would be in scope for iPRES.

A.  We encourage prospective authors to consult the iPRES Controlled Vocabulary spreadsheet to see if their topic maps to one of the existing keywords, or identifies a topic gap. Read more about the Controlled Vocabulary and its intended use here.

Review Process for Submissions

Q. How does the review process work for peer-reviewed submissions? Do we need to seek an independent peer-review ahead of submission? Or does the peer-review happen following the submission? A. The iPRES Programme Committee Chairs will arrange for reviewers for all submissions following the close of the first Call for Contributions on 14 April. You do not need to organise your own independent peer-review ahead of the submission deadline.

Peer-review of submissions is scheduled for 28 April - 23 May 2025, and will be followed by a further review of the reviews (meta review) by the Programme Committee Chairs.

Authors will be notified of acceptance from 3 June 2025. The conference organisation timeline is available on the Important Dates page.

Q. What is the expected timeline/commitment for reviewing submissions?

A. Detailed instructions and submission assignments will be provided to reviewers by 24 April 2025. We expect to assign approximately three submissions per reviewer; however, this number may vary depending on the total number of submissions. Reviews must be submitted by 23 May 2025, End of Day, Anywhere on Earth.

Q. How do I sign up to be a reviewer for iPRES 2025? A. Please fill out the iPRES 2025 Reviewer Form so that we can assign you to submissions that best match your expertise and preferences.

Q. What should I do as a reviewer if I suspect that a submission is AI-generated? A. If you suspect that a submission may not comply with the iPRES 2025 AI Usage Guidelines, please document your specific observations in your review comments to the author, for example ‘unverifiable references’, without making accusations of misconduct. You are also encouraged to make more detailed concerns in the confidential comments to the Programme Committee. The Programme Committee will assess the situation, potentially reaching out to the authors for clarification if they think it necessary.

Q. I've been assigned a paper to review that contains significant grammar and spelling errors. Is there any guidance on how to manage this issue?

A. English may not be the first language for iPRES paper authors, so you may encounter spelling or grammar mistakes in submissions. We encourage reviewers to focus your review on the quality of the content, and to put your comments above re: spelling and grammar issues in the confidential notes section to the Programme Committee chairs. 

If the content of the paper is strong enough to be accepted, authors will be able to provide an updated version with corrected spelling and grammar. Final revisions for accepted papers will be due 1 September. 

Hybrid and Remote Participation

Q. Can I put in a paper, poster, or other submission to iPRES 2025 even if I might not be able to attend in-person in Wellington?

A. Yes! While we strongly encourage on-site participation for those presenting on the programme to maximise engagement between presenters and attendees, remote presentation opportunities will be available as well. Upon acceptance, the Programme Committee will contact authors to confirm whether the submission will be presented in-person or remotely and schedule accordingly.

Accepted authors - including remote participants - must register for the conference to confirm their space on the programme. Conference registration will open in June 2025.

Q. I want to put in a poster but not sure how that will work if both authors are remote. Also, I really don't want to be up presenting at 2am.

A. For remote posters, presenters will be asked to pre-record a short video (similar to a lightning talk) to discuss their poster. We will provide further details upon acceptance.

We don't yet know the exact logistics and structure of our remote and hybrid offerings, as these will be dependent on the quantities and types of submissions that are accepted. But we will be factoring time zones of remote presenters into our planning to avoid the dreaded 2am timeslot!

Q. Do workshop/tutorial presenters need to be in person? Can you submit an all-remote workshop, or a hybrid session with some presenters in-person and others online? 

A. The main requirement for tutorials is to be interactive, with facilitators actively supporting participants in their learning. While these aspects are often more effective in-person, we recognize the value of holding remote workshops/tutorials, or including remote presenters who bring unique expertise but may not be able to attend in person.

The Programme Committee will confirm details and available options for remote/hybrid sessions following their acceptance.