Psychology Conference Best Practices: APA Guidelines Made Simple
Reviewed by the NeucitePress Editorial Board — PhD academics, peer-reviewed journal editors and medical communication specialists.
Last updated: October 2026 • Reviewed by the NeucitePress Editorial Board • Reading time: 6 minutes
A psychology conference is usually two things at once: a scientific meeting and, for many attendees, a way to earn continuing education (CE) credit towards licensure. This guide covers the decisions that depend on that second role, starting with the one that shapes everything else: who is responsible for the CE standards. It deliberately omits attendance, fee and cost “benchmarks”, because published figures vary by society and year and we could not trace them to a primary source. Official rules are linked at the end.
1. Decide Whether You Will Offer APA CE Credit
Many organizers assume that any society can issue CE credit for psychologists. In practice the answer depends on whether your organization is itself an APA-approved CE sponsor. APA’s Office of CE Sponsor Approval works with the Continuing Education Committee, which reviews applications from new and renewing sponsors twice a year. If your organization is not an approved sponsor, you can still offer credit through co-sponsorship with one that is.
What co-sponsorship does and does not do
- A co-sponsoree offers CE credit in collaboration with an APA-approved sponsor, under that sponsor’s co-sponsorship.
- The approved sponsor is ultimately responsible for making sure APA’s standards are met, regardless of how involved it is in planning. Co-sponsorship does not reduce its obligations.
- The approved sponsor must involve its own associated individuals, including psychologists, in planning enough that every aspect of the programme meets the standards.
- Co-sponsorship does not transfer or lend approval status to your organization.
- The sponsor must also be approved for the type or format of programming, for example home study for asynchronous content, so settle early whether you will offer recordings for credit.
The co-sponsorship page does not publish fees or an agreement template, so ask the sponsor directly and get terms in writing before you announce credit. APA also states that credit is one credit per contact hour and that “CEU” should not be used for credits from APA-approved organizations, so check your registration page and certificates for that wording.
2. Build the Programme Around Learning Objectives
If credit is offered, write measurable learning objectives for each session before you invite speakers, and share them with presenters in the invitation. Record who planned and approved each session, keep presenters’ qualifications and disclosures on file, and decide how you will confirm attendance for each contact hour. Your sponsor will tell you exactly what it needs; ask for its checklist at the start rather than reconstructing records in the last week. For invitation wording and agreements, see our keynote invitation guide.
3. Presentation Formats and Abstracts
Use the formats your society already uses: oral papers, symposia with a chair and discussant, posters and workshops. Publish length limits, file requirements and the review rubric with the call for abstracts, assign more than one reviewer per submission, check conflicts, and communicate decisions on a published date. We do not quote a single “APA standard” for talk length or abstract word count, because they are set by each meeting; state yours clearly.
4. Protect Client and Patient Information
Case material is common at psychology meetings. For US events, the HHS guidance on the HIPAA Privacy Rule describes two ways to de-identify health information: Expert Determination and Safe Harbor, which removes 18 listed identifiers and requires that you have no actual knowledge that the rest could identify a person. Ask presenters to confirm in writing how case material was de-identified or consented, and review slides before the session. Check your own professional ethics code and local law as well.
5. Accessibility
Make accessibility a requirement for the venue, the registration website and the slides. Web content should aim to meet WCAG 2.2, and in the US the ADA requires effective communication with people with disabilities, which can include captioning and interpreters on request. Ask about access needs at registration and give a named contact. Our inclusive planning guide has more.
6. Venue, Contracts and Budget
Choose the venue against the programme: plenary capacity, breakout rooms, AV and streaming ability, accessibility and catering for dietary needs. Negotiate cancellation and attrition terms, force majeure, Wi-Fi capacity in writing and who pays if equipment fails. Build the budget from written quotes, with a contingency line, and model low, expected and high attendance scenarios. If you stream or record, confirm speakers’ consent and whether recordings count towards credit under your sponsor’s approval.
7. Students and Early-Career Attendees
Consider a student track or session block, mentoring tables and reduced registration where your budget allows. Keep sponsor and exhibitor activity separate from credit-bearing sessions, and tell sponsors in writing what they will and will not receive. For wider planning, see our step-by-step conference guide.
8. Evaluate and Follow Up
Collect session evaluations, report against the objectives you set, issue certificates in the wording your sponsor requires, and keep records for as long as your sponsor requires. Hold a debrief while details are fresh.
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