Why Should You Present at a Conference?
Advance your scholarship – The feedback you receive on your presentation can help you develop it further into a publication. Presenting at a conference can also make book or journal editors aware of your work.
Connect with scholars and practitioners in your field – There is no substitute for meeting, conversing, and building relationships, in person, with other scholars and practitioners working in your area of study or practice. You’ll meet the people who have authored the scholarship that has shaped your own work, and you’ll also meet up-and-coming scholars like yourself involved in your specific area of study.
Build your resume or CV – Conference presentations are good evidence of scholarly activity.
Travel locally and internationally – Attending a conference gives you the opportunity to visit cities and countries you may not see otherwise.
What is a Call for Proposals (CFP)?
A CFP, issued by the conference organizers, announces the conference and asks scholars in the field to send their proposals for presentations and/or other formats like panels, roundtable discussions, workshops, and poster presentations. It provides details about
- The conference dates, location, and theme
- Guidelines for presentations and other formats
- Requirements for the proposal
- Deadline for submitting the proposal
Session formats
Formats vary among conferences and disciplines, but these are a few you might see in a CFP:
- Paper presentation: A paper presentation is a standard oral presentation where one or more speakers share their work. Typically, each individual presentation is allotted 15 to 20 minutes, with 3 – 4 speakers on similar topics assigned to the same panel.
- Poster presentation: The presenter creates a poster that provides an overview of their project and displays it in a poster session.
- Panel presentation: In a panel presentation, the presenters propose their own panel of (typically) 3 – 4 papers.
- Roundtables: In a roundtable session, the roundtable organizers lead a discussion on a specific theme or issue, rather than presenting their own research.
The Conference Theme
Conferences are often organized around a specific theme that reflects a current trend or issue in the field. It is expected that presenters will, in their proposals, make an implicit or explicit connection between the work they intend to present and the conference theme. Conference themes are usually broad enough to allow for connections with diverse lines of inquiry.
Drafting Your Proposal
- Look carefully at the guidelines for proposals, including word count and required information. Conference proposal guidelines vary widely across conferences and disciplines.
- Conference proposals are similar to abstracts, in that they provide the context or background for the project, explain its significance, describe the method, preview the findings, and highlight the contributions.
- Locate your project in the research or scholarship in your field—the proposal should cite key sources.
- Think about how you could frame your research to connect it to the conference theme.
- Spend some time to create a descriptive title that clearly communicates the topic and focus of your presentation (think of readers skimming or doing a keyword search of the conference program).
- Get guidance and feedback from colleagues, faculty, and advisors in your field of study.
SAMPLE STRUCTURE
The guidelines and conventions for conference proposals and abstracts vary widely across conferences and disciplines. In addition to following the conference proposal guidelines, be sure to consult a colleague, faculty member, or advisor for guidance and feedback. A typical proposal would cover these areas:
Context or background: Identify your topic and establish its importance in a current policy, practice, and/or scholarly debate, problem, or issue. Establish what is known about your topic; this is one place to reference key sources. Then present a need or gap in knowledge that your project will fill.
Purpose and significance: Describe the purpose of the study and its significance. If appropriate, briefly describe the theoretical frame you use.
Methods: If you are presenting an empirical project, discuss the methods you will use in the project. This can be is an important section when it comes to having a conference proposal accepted. Be specific, clear, and detailed as you describe the methods used to collect and analyze the data.
Findings or conclusions: If your research has already been conducted or completed, describe your findings concisely. If you haven’t yet conducted your research, discuss the kind of findings you hope to present. This section may also highlight contributions your research makes to the field and a discussion of key takeaways of relevance to the audience.
References
Wilcox, E., & Garcia, A. 2017. From Submission to Applause: Conference Proposals That Get Accepted. Advising Matters, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved April 2, 2024 (advisingmatters.berkeley.edu)
Purdue University. “Academic Proposals.” Purdue Online Writing Lab. Retrieved April 15, 2024 (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/graduate_writing/graduate_writing_genres/graduate_writing_genres_academic_proposals_new.html)
