conference paper vs presentation

Conference Papers

What this handout is about.

This handout outlines strategies for writing and presenting papers for academic conferences.

What’s special about conference papers?

Conference papers can be an effective way to try out new ideas, introduce your work to colleagues, and hone your research questions. Presenting at a conference is a great opportunity for gaining valuable feedback from a community of scholars and for increasing your professional stature in your field.

A conference paper is often both a written document and an oral presentation. You may be asked to submit a copy of your paper to a commentator before you present at the conference. Thus, your paper should follow the conventions for academic papers and oral presentations.

Preparing to write your conference paper

There are several factors to consider as you get started on your conference paper.

Determine the structure and style

How will you structure your presentation? This is an important question, because your presentation format will shape your written document. Some possibilities for your session include:

• A visual presentation, including software such as PowerPoint or Prezi
• A paper that you read aloud
• A roundtable discussion

Presentations can be a combination of these styles. For example, you might read a paper aloud while displaying images. Following your paper, you might participate in an informal conversation with your fellow presenters.

You will also need to know how long your paper should be. Presentations are usually 15-20 minutes. A general rule of thumb is that one double-spaced page takes 2-2.5 minutes to read out loud. Thus an 8-10 page, double-spaced paper is often a good fit for a 15-20 minute presentation. Adhere to the time limit.  Make sure that your written paper conforms to the presentation constraints.

Consider the conventions of the conference and the structure of your session

It is important to meet the expectations of your conference audience. Have you been to an academic conference previously?  How were presentations structured? What kinds of presentations did you find most effective? What do you know about the particular conference you are planning to attend? Some professional organizations have their own rules and suggestions for writing and presenting for their conferences. Make sure to find out what they are and stick to them.

If you proposed a panel with other scholars, then you should already have a good idea of your panel’s expectations. However, if you submitted your paper individually and the conference organizers placed it on a panel with other papers, you will need additional information.

Will there be a commentator? Commentators, also called respondents or discussants, can be great additions to panels, since their job is to pull the papers together and pose questions. If there will be a commentator, be sure to know when they would like to have a copy of your paper. Observe this deadline.

You may also want to find out what your fellow presenters will be talking about. Will you circulate your papers among the other panelists prior to the conference? Will your papers address common themes? Will you discuss intersections with each other’s work after your individual presentations? How collaborative do you want your panel to be?

Analyze your audience

Knowing your audience is critical for any writing assignment, but conference papers are special because you will be physically interacting with them. Take a look at our handout on audience . Anticipating the needs of your listeners will help you write a conference paper that connects your specific research to their broader concerns in a compelling way.

What are the concerns of the conference?

You can identify these by revisiting the call for proposals and reviewing the mission statement or theme of the conference. What key words or concepts are repeated? How does your work relate to these larger research questions? If you choose to orient your paper toward one of these themes, make sure there is a genuine relationship. Superficial use of key terms can weaken your paper.

What are the primary concerns of the field?

How do you bridge the gap between your research and your field’s broader concerns? Finding these linkages is part of the brainstorming process. See our handout on brainstorming . If you are presenting at a conference that is within your primary field, you should be familiar with leading concerns and questions. If you will be attending an interdisciplinary conference or a conference outside of your field, or if you simply need to refresh your knowledge of what’s current in your discipline, you can:

• Read recently published journals and books, including recent publications by the conference’s featured speakers
• Talk to people who have been to the conference
• Pay attention to questions about theory and method. What questions come up in the literature? What foundational texts should you be familiar with?
• Review the initial research questions that inspired your project. Think about the big questions in the secondary literature of your field.
• Try a free-writing exercise. Imagine that you are explaining your project to someone who is in your department, but is unfamiliar with your specific topic. What can you assume they already know? Where will you need to start in your explanation? How will you establish common ground?

Contextualizing your narrow research question within larger trends in the field will help you connect with your audience.  You might be really excited about a previously unknown nineteenth-century poet. But will your topic engage others?  You don’t want people to leave your presentation, thinking, “What was the point of that?” By carefully analyzing your audience and considering the concerns of the conference and the field, you can present a paper that will have your listeners thinking, “Wow! Why haven’t I heard about that obscure poet before? She is really important for understanding developments in Romantic poetry in the 1800s!”

Writing your conference paper

I have a really great research paper/manuscript/dissertation chapter on this same topic. Should I cut and paste?

Be careful here. Time constraints and the needs of your audience may require a tightly focused and limited message. To create a paper tailored to the conference, you might want to set everything aside and create a brand new document.  Don’t worry—you will still have that paper, manuscript, or chapter if you need it. But you will also benefit from taking a fresh look at your research.

Citing sources

Since your conference paper will be part of an oral presentation, there are special considerations for citations. You should observe the conventions of your discipline with regard to including citations in your written paper. However, you will also need to incorporate verbal cues to set your evidence and quotations off from your text when presenting. For example, you can say: “As Nietzsche said, quote, ‘And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you,’ end quote.” If you use multiple quotations in your paper, think about omitting the terms “quote” and “end quote,” as these can become repetitive. Instead, signal quotations through the inflection of your voice or with strategic pauses.

Organizing the paper

There are numerous ways to effectively organize your conference paper, but remember to have a focused message that fits the time constraints and meets the needs of your audience. You can begin by connecting your research to the audience’s concerns, then share a few examples/case studies from your research, and then, in conclusion, broaden the discussion back out to general issues in the field.

Don’t overwhelm or confuse your audience

You should limit the information that you present. Don’t attempt to summarize your entire dissertation in 10 pages. Instead, try selecting main points and provide examples to support those points. Alternatively, you might focus on one main idea or case study and use 2-4 examples to explain it.

Check for clarity in the text

One way to anticipate how your ideas will sound is to read your paper out loud. Reading out loud is an excellent proofreading technique and is a great way to check the clarity of your ideas; you are likely to hear problems that you didn’t notice in just scanning your draft.  Help listeners understand your ideas by making sure that subjects and verbs are clear and by avoiding unnecessarily complex sentences.

Include verbal cues in the text

Make liberal use of transitional phrases like however, therefore, and thus, as well as signpost words like first, next, etc.

If you have 5 main points, say so at the beginning and list those 5 ideas. Refer back to this structure frequently as you transition between sections (“Now, I will discuss my fourth point, the importance of plasma”).

Use a phrase like “I argue” to announce your thesis statement. Be sure that there is only one of these phrases—otherwise your audience will be confused about your central message.

Refer back to the structure, and signal moments where you are transitioning to a new topic: “I just talked about x, now I’m going to talk about y.”

I’ve written my conference paper, now what?

Now that you’ve drafted your conference paper, it’s time for the most important part—delivering it before an audience of scholars in your field!  Remember that writing the paper is only one half of what a conference paper entails. It is both a written text and a presentation.

With preparation, your presentation will be a success. Here are a few tips for an effective presentation. You can also see our handout on speeches .

Cues to yourself

Include helpful hints in your personal copy of the paper. You can remind yourself to pause, look up and make eye contact with your audience, or employ body language to enhance your message. If you are using a slideshow, you can indicate when to change slides. Increasing the font size to 14-16 pt. can make your paper easier to read.

Practice, practice, practice

When you practice, time yourself. Are you reading too fast? Are you enunciating clearly? Do you know how to pronounce all of the words in your paper? Record your talk and critically listen to yourself. Practice in front of friends and colleagues.

If you are using technology, familiarize yourself with it. Check and double-check your images. Remember, they are part of your presentation and should be proofread just like your paper.  Print a backup copy of your images and paper, and bring copies of your materials in multiple formats, just in case.  Be sure to check with the conference organizers about available technology.

Professionalism

The written text is only one aspect of the overall conference paper. The other is your presentation. This means that your audience will evaluate both your work and you! So remember to convey the appropriate level of professionalism.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Adler, Abby. 2010. “Talking the Talk: Tips on Giving a Successful Conference Presentation.” Psychological Science Agenda 24 (4).

Kerber, Linda K. 2008. “Conference Rules: How to Present a Scholarly Paper.” The Chronicle of Higher Education , March 21, 2008. https://www.chronicle.com/article/Conference-Rules-How-to/45734 .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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What Makes a Great Conference Paper: A Step-by-Step Guide

A conference paper is both a presentation and a paper. A scholar is invited or selected to present their research at a conference, and will prepare a paper to accompany that presentation. In some fields, conference papers are published as part of the conference proceedings, either before or after they are presented at the conference. In other fields, only abstracts are published in the conference proceedings. These abstracts help conference attendees decide which sessions to attend, which is especially important when there are concurrent sessions. Presenters may be asked to provide a copy of their conference paper to the person moderating their session, to help him/her facilitate discussion. Other times, writing a conference paper is simply an intermediate step for the author, with the final goal being the conference presentation. In these cases, the researcher will usually say they are "giving or presentation" or "giving a talk", rather than "presenting a paper".

Here we will go through the steps of putting together a great conference paper and presentation.

Step 1: Keep in mind the benefits of presenting at a conference

A major benefit of presenting at a conference is the opportunity to connect with people who work on similar topics. By presenting your work in progress, you can get feedback that helps identify and address shortcomings, and/or helps focus the overall research project. This feedback will help strengthen your work before it is submitted for publication through a rigorous peer-review process , and/or submitted for consideration by a thesis committee, selection committee, or tenure committee.

Therefore, one of the major goals of your conference presentation and paper should be to facilitate conversations with colleagues working in related areas. This may involve highlighting unexpected connections, or problems that you are still working through.

By presenting yourself and your work in a professional setting, you are introducing yourself to a room full of people who might be able to help you with your career goals. There will likely be people at the same career stage with insight to share, and people recruiting applicants for graduate school, post-doctoral positions, faculty positions, and other professional opportunities. A good conference presentation can easily cause them to seek you out for additional conversation.

Step 2: Know Your Audience

Think about why people have decided to attend your chosen conference, and your assigned session within the conference. This will help you decide what concepts you need to explain in detail, and what concepts your audience will already be familiar with. Time is almost always a major limitation for conference presentations, while space (and retaining the reader's interest) is a limitation for conference papers and abstracts. Do your absolute best to hit the "sweet spot" where your paper, presentation, and abstract seem familiar enough for your audience to take interest right away, yet novel enough for them to remain engaged.

While some conferences will cover a broad range of topics (e.g. genetics), your specific session will likely be more focused (e.g. genetic modification with CRISPR-Cas9). Know that your audience will have multiple opportunities to learn specifics about the topics that are common to your session, so you should focus on explaining aspects that are specific to your work.

Introduce your topic in a way that appeals to the broadest audience at your particular conference. For example, at a conference focusing on climate change, you might start with how CRISPR-Cas9 technology can be used to modify crop plants to better tolerate climate change. At a conference focusing on genetic diversity, you might start with how CRISPR-Cas9 technology can be used to better understand how specific genetic changes affect plant phenotypes.

Presenting your work so that it appeals to shared interests will help facilitate conversation.

Step 3: Plan for your time limit and your word limit

Conference presentations have very specific time limits, typically 10-20 minutes with a few minutes for questions from the audience. If you go over your allocated time, you will either lose you time for questions (and lose the opportunity to make useful connections), be interrupted by the moderator, steal time from other presenters who have worked hard to stay within the time limit, and/or cause the session to run overtime. None of these are good options. Be courteous and make every effort to stay within the time limit for your presentation.

For a conference paper, the consequences of going over the designated word limit are less dire. However, staying within the word limit for your paper will help you stay within the time limit for your presentation. In general, it takes 2 to 2.5 minutes to read one page of double-spaced text aloud at a reasonable pace.

Plan for the limited time and space. It is better to explain a few topics clearly than to explain many topics poorly.

Step 4: Focus on the big picture

In a 10-minute presentation, you can reasonably cover one big idea. For a 20-minute presentation, you might be able to cover two big ideas. Start with the "big picture", so that everyone can get a basic understanding of why your research is important. Then add enough detail so that people who are knowledgeable about your field can clearly see that you are also knowledgeable, that your study is well designed, and that your conclusions are based on solid evidence.

You may have a lot of results that you are excited to share. Do not share them all in your presentation. Instead, share some of your results with a reasonable amount of detail, then briefly summarize other exciting results in a concise list. This can help generate questions from the audience, and people who are interested in additional detail can easily find you to continue the conversation. After your session is over, stay near the front to see if anyone approaches you with questions. Chat with the other presenters or the moderator. Make sure that your email address is correct in the conference proceedings, and check your email during breaks.

Step 5: Use appropriate visual aids

Follow the conventions of your field for showing data, calculations, graphs, etc. Make sure that everything is clearly labeled, and expect some people to take pictures of your slides. (In some competitive fields, this unfortunately means that you may want to exclude a few key details until you are close to publication.) A good rule of thumb is to spend 1-2 minutes per slide, although this will depend on how much information is included in each slide.

Your slides should complement what you are saying, not repeat what you are saying. Essential labels must be included, but I otherwise recommend limiting the text. A brief title can indicate what is shown on the slide, while an additional line of text might highlight a key conclusion. A list of bullet points might also be appropriate. Use large font.

For scholars who are communicating in a second language (often English), the same rules apply. If you are nervous about the audience understanding you, use clearly labeled diagrams, graphs, and other visual aids to help convey the important points.

Visual aids can also help introduce the "big picture" to the broadest possible audience. It may be appropriate to use stock photos of glaciers, baby animals, hospital patients, etc. Many high-quality scientific images are also available to share through Creative Commons .

Step 6: Write, practice speaking, and revise

Start with an outline of what you want to cover in your allotted time. For a typical 10- to 15-minute presentation, it should be a short list. Also note how much time you expect to spend on each topic (e.g. 2 minutes for introduction, 2 minutes for methods, 4 minutes for results, 2 minutes for conclusions and future directions).

Once you have a basic outline, start writing. I recommend writing one section at a time, starting with the introduction or the section you feel most confident about. Sketch out your visual aids. When you have a few good paragraphs, practice reading aloud with your best "engaging speaker voice". Read with expression, emphasize the important concepts, point to your visual aids, and pause at appropriate times so the audience can digest what they heard.

After the first few readings, you will likely want to edit to improve flow. Once you feel moderately good about your delivery, time yourself. Consider the time limit for your presentation, and decide whether you are happy with your use of time. Revise as necessary. (You can also talk faster, but a top priority should be to deliver a clear presentation.) Repeat this process until you are reasonably happy with each section, and then with the overall presentation.

Next, practice with an audience. (Colleagues who will also be giving conference presentations are often a good choice.) Make eye contact. Be an engaging speaker. Time yourself. Listen to feedback from your audience about what was and wasn't clear, and revise again.

Putting together a great conference paper and presentation is a lot of work, but it is one of the best ways to connect with people who might be able to help you with your research and your career.

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Conference Paper vs. Journal Paper: Learn the difference

Discover conference papers and how to tell them from journal papers. Check out tips for writing a high-quality conference paper.

A major dilemma frequently arises for an academic subject: should it be a conference paper or a journal paper? That is why, in order to do and refer to the right framework, you must first comprehend the essential distinction concerning the smallest things in papers.

This article will explain more about conference papers , the differences between them and journal papers, and how to write a high-quality one.

What is a conference paper?

To begin, a conference is a place where academics, researchers, experts, and professionals deliver and present information after doing thorough research. As a result, a conference paper is essentially a mixture of a written document and an oral presentation. 

Conference papers are brief and precise documents with a limited number of pages in which academics present the findings of their research investigations. In certain cases, conference papers are published in the conference proceedings, and in others, only chosen papers are published in the conference proceedings.

Conference Paper vs. Journal Paper

The primary distinction between a journal paper and a conference paper is that, while both require writing, journal papers are intended for publication in journals, whereas conference papers are intended for presentation at conferences and may be published in conference proceedings. 

There are also significant distinctions in the reviewing process, with journal papers requiring a considerably more thorough and strict review. Furthermore, conference papers have fewer pages than journal papers, often limited to four to ten pages.

Types of conference paper

Each presentation may necessitate a different sort of conference paper since there are many. Learn about a few of them below.

• Respondent: A speaker provides a thirty-minute paper in this sort of presentation. A respondent then replies to the article for fifteen minutes. The speaker thereafter provides a fifteen-minute response to the response.
• Panel: This sort of presentation has three to four presenters, each of whom speaks for 15-20 minutes. Panels may additionally include a discussant who provides both individual and group feedback on the papers.
• Poster: This form of presentation is designed to graphically express information. Some presenters display a three to eight-page document outlining their research, providing their ideas and an explanation of their findings. Charts, graphs, illustrations or artwork are among the most visually attractive posters. 
• Roundtable: Consists of five or more presenters, each of whom speaks for 5-10 minutes.
• Workshops: Workshops might last anything from 90 minutes to a whole day. Before engaging the audience in some form of action, workshop speakers make brief comments. 

Conference paper format

In terms of formatting, the best method is to check with the conference to which your work is being submitted, since they may have specific formatting standards for the paper and abstract, such as margin size, page number usage, page limitation, and other aspects. Just remember that your conference paper should proceed logically from abstract to conclusions. 

Tips on writing a high-quality conference paper

• Start with a strong abstract, as you might need to present it before it’s accepted for the conference. 
• Get to know your audience in order to make it appealing.
• Create an outline of your work to assist you in organizing your ideas and material.
• Create an introduction that will pique the reader’s curiosity.
• Find easy methods to communicate complicated concepts. Use simple metaphors and analogies. 
• Use your ear to write. When you’ve finished a draft, read it aloud. Remove any uncomfortable parts.
• Long quotations should be avoided. They shorten listeners’ attention spans and break the flow of your statement.
• Use proper punctuation. The audience will not see dashes, semicolons, or parentheses.
• Take your time with results and conclusions, and include facts to back up your statements.
• Remember to include any references you might have used. The more thorough the references are, the better.
• Prepare for questions. Attend conferences the day before your own to see what kinds of questions people ask and to get a sense of it.

Integrate information and illustrations into beautiful and impactful slides

Remember to include graphic materials in your slides while creating a conference paper. Graphs, illustrations, and infographics can help you offer comprehension of the data you’re presenting. To improve your work, use the Mind The Graph tool.

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Jessica Abbadia is a lawyer that has been working in Digital Marketing since 2020, improving organic performance for apps and websites in various regions through ASO and SEO. Currently developing scientific and intellectual knowledge for the community's benefit. Jessica is an animal rights activist who enjoys reading and drinking strong coffee.

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Conferences

Conferences provide excellent opprtunities for meeting, building relationships and sharing your research with other researchers working in your field.

Research is usually presented as an oral presentation or a poster. Conference proceedings usually comprise abstracts and written papers from the conference. Abstracts are usually required for both oral presentations and posters. Written papers are often optional for conference presenters and may be restricted to participants who gave oral presentations.

Conferences are promoted through society networks. Other listings of conferences include:

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ERA eligibility - conference papers

In choosing whether to publish your research as a conference paper, be aware that your decision will determine whether the work will be counted for ERA as a Traditional Research Output (TRO).

In order for a conference paper to be eligible for ERA (as a Traditional Research Output), it  must :

• meet the definition of research i.e. be substantial, original and scholarly
• be a major work of scholarship
• have been presented at a conference, workshop or seminar of national or international significance
• be published in full in the proceedings arising from the conference or workshop
• be peer-reviewed.  An acceptable peer review process is one that involves an impartial and independent assessment or review of the research publication in its entirety before publication by independent, qualified experts before publication.

The types of conference publications that do not meet the ERA eligibility criteria include:

• papers that only appear in a volume handed out to conference participants
• keynote and plenary addresses
• poster presentations
• abstracts of conference publications
• ERA 2018 Submission Guidelines ERA specifications for conference papers are explained on page 35 of this document.

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SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition, offers a list of Conference Management Software. (Note: software is not endorsed by SPARC, unless noted).

Believing that collaboration is crucial to effecting meaningful change, SPARC actively pursues partnerships with the non-profit publishing community and continues to develop resources and tools that aid publishers in remaining competitive and providing affordable options for libraries.

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Journal vs conference papers: Key differences & advice

Journal and conference papers are not the same, and both formats have advantages and disadvantages. A good understanding of the key differences between journal and conference papers avoid s pitfalls, such as copyright issues when wanting to turn a conference into a journal paper at a later stage.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase using the links below at no additional cost to you . I only recommend products or services that I truly believe can benefit my audience. As always, my opinions are my own.

What is a journal paper?

What is a conference paper, advantages of journal papers, disadvantages of journal papers, advantages of conference papers, disadvantages of conference papers, differences between journal and conference papers, questions to ask yourself before submitting a conference paper, is conference paper better than journal paper, can you use a conference paper in a journal, are all conference papers automatically published in conference proceedings, do conference papers count as publications.

A journal paper is a written piece of academic work – presenting empirical research, a theoretical discussion, or both – published in an academic journal. Most journal papers or articles are peer-reviewed , meaning they undergo a rigorous review process involving several stages and rounds of revisions before they are published.

Most academic journals have an impact factor, which is an index calculated based on the number of citations of articles published within a specific journal. The higher the impact factor of a journal, the wider the (potential) reach of journal papers that it publishes. And the better the reputation of the journal.

Therefore, authors of journal papers tend to target journals with a high impact factor to publish their work. There are other criteria that play a role when selecting a journal to publish research . However, the impact factor remains a crucial one, as publications in high-impact factor journals strongly influence academic promotions.

A conference paper is a piece of academic work that is specifically written for an academic conference, and mostly accompanies a conference presentation. While there are some exceptions, most conference papers are not peer-reviewed.

Conference papers are usually submitted several weeks before the actual conference, and circulated among conference participants in preparation for the actual presentations. However, not all conferences require conference papers. And some conferences make the submission of a conference paper optional.

Many conferences that require or allow the submission of a conference paper have ‘best conference paper’ awards, rewarding outstanding submissions. Furthermore, some conferences publish a collection of conference papers after the event, in the so-called conference proceedings. Many conference proceedings do not have an impact factor.

If you are looking to elevate your writing and editing skills, I highly recommend enrolling in the course “ Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialization “, which is a 4 course series offered by the University of Michigan. This comprehensive program is conveniently available as an online course on Coursera, allowing you to learn at your own pace. Plus, upon successful completion, you’ll have the opportunity to earn a valuable certificate to showcase your newfound expertise!

Advantages and disadvantages of journal and conference papers

The choice between a journal or a conference paper should be a careful one. Both formats fulfill important but different roles in academia. Therefore, a good understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of both formats can help to make an informed decision.

Please notice that the following points are developed from a social sciences perspective. Other fields and specific disciplines may have different standards.

• Journal papers are more prestigious in academia. Especially if you strive for an academic career , publishing peer-reviewed journal papers in high-impact journals should be your priority.
• Journal papers are more frequently cited than conference papers. Journal impact factors are not the only metric that strongly influences academic promotions: The so-called h-index is a metric that measures your ‘impact’ in terms of how often your publications have been cited. And journal papers are cited more often than conference papers, as they are considered more reputable.
• Journal papers undergo revisions, which often means they are of higher quality. Due to the rigorous peer-review process that most journal papers are subjected to, the quality of journal papers tends to be better than that of conference papers. During peer review, experts on a topic point out flaws in the draft paper, challenge your thinking and provide suggestions for improvement. While dealing with peer review comments can be a tedious process, the final result is often a much better paper compared to the initial manuscript.
• Publishing a journal paper takes time. The whole process from manuscript to published paper can be lengthy, and take from anywhere between several months to several years.
• Most journals do not publish preliminary results. Even if you make a groundbreaking discovery in your preliminary analysis, most journals will not consider it worthy of a publication before more final conclusions can be drawn.
• There is a risk of outdated data in journal papers. For instance, if you want to publish your academic work to contribute to a current societal discussion, a journal paper may not be the best option. In the worst case, the publishing process takes more than a year and by the time of publication, your data may be outdated. Furthermore, your conclusions may be irrelevant for practice as a lot can change in a year.
• Journal papers have to follow strict rules set by journals. Journals set, for example, rules in terms of length, structure, or reference style that have to be followed. Conference papers, on the other hand, are often more flexible.
• Conference papers tend to have a lower threshold of acceptance than journal papers. It is much easier to publish a conference paper in conference proceedings than publish academic work in a high-impact journal. Therefore, conference papers can be a valuable option to learn about paper writing and publishing, and an easier way for early career researchers to get their name on a publication.
• Conference papers are published relatively fast. Some conference papers undergo peer review before being published in conference proceedings, but many don’t. In general, conference proceedings are published relatively soon after the actual conference takes places. Thus, a conference paper can be a good way to publish fast.
• Conference papers can discuss ongoing research and preliminary results. Contrary to journal papers, conference papers often address ongoing research and tentative conclusions. Furthermore, the format tends to be more open than in journal papers, providing authors of conference papers more freedom in terms of content and structure.
• Conference papers can often compete for ‘best conference paper’ aw ards . And having such an award to your name certainly looks good on your academic CV !
• Conference papers do not count as much as journal publications for career advancement. This is because many conference papers are not peer-reviewed and because many conference proceedings do not have an impact factor. Thus, in terms of career promotion or trajectories, conference papers are less relevant than journal papers.
• Conference papers can create copyright issues. It is a very common scenario: an author writes a conference paper first, then makes some edits and submits it to an academic journal for publication. If the conference paper has been published in conference proceedings, it will likely be flagged as plagiarised by the journal. Journals do not like to publish articles which have been published elsewhere in a similar fashion, and some use any indication of plagiarism (even if it is self-plagiarism) as a reason to desk-reject a manuscript.
• Sharing great ideas prematurely in a conference paper can make you vulnerable. Unfortunately, there is a lot of competition in academia, and not everyone plays by the rules. Therefore, you should always carefully consider how much of your work you share, without linking it to a publication of your own. Sharing an excellent idea that is sent around to hundreds of conference participants creates a risk that someone copies or steals your idea or approach, and tries to publish it faster in a journal article than you do.

Based on the discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of journal and conference papers above, the following key differences come to light:

• Content and requirements : Conference papers are more open to include preliminary results and are more flexible in terms of requirements than journal papers. The target audience of conference papers are conference participants, while journal papers target the wider academic community.
• Submission and peer review process : Journal papers tend to be submitted via an online system and undergo a structured peer review process. Conference papers are often simply sent to the conference organisers by email and are not peer-reviewed.
• Time to publication: Conference papers are often published more quickly in conference proceedings than journal papers are published in academic journals.
• Career relevance: Journal papers are much more relevant for academic careers than conference papers. Most journals have impact factors, while most conference proceedings do not have impact factors.

Even though journal papers are more important for academic promotions, submitting a conference paper is not per se the wrong choice. A ‘best conference paper’ award, for instance, can make you stand out when applying for academic jobs.

When embarking on writing a conference paper, it is better to be safe than sorry: At times, it may require reaching out to conference organisers or target journals to make sure that you will not run into copyright or plagiarism issues at a later point.

Oftentimes, conferences still allow you to present even without submitting a conference paper. Or you can ask the conference organisers not to include your paper in the conference proceedings. Furthermore, some journals are okay with publishing a paper that has been published in a conference proceeding earlier. Just make sure to ask in advance to prevent bad surprises!

Thus, when considering a conference paper, first answer the following questions:

• What are the benefits of submitting a conference paper to the specific conference, and do they outweigh the drawbacks?
• How can I mitigate the drawbacks? (Would my conference paper be published in the conference proceedings and can I opt out? Can I participate in the conference without a conference paper?)
• Do I share too many original ideas in my conference paper, which someone could copy without referring to my work as I haven’t published on the topic yet?
• Could I face copyright issues if I want to turn my conference paper into a journal paper at a later point?

Frequently Asked Questions

In academia, journal papers are considered ‘better’ than conference papers because they have a stronger positive impact on academic careers. Reasons for this are the more rigorous peer-review process that journal papers tend to undergo before publication, the higher standards of journals compared to conference proceedings, and the impact factor of journals.

You should never simply submit a conference paper to a journal without making substantial edits beforehand. That said, it is okay to use similar data or arguments. If your conference paper has been published in conference proceedings, it is best to inform the journal about it in your letter to the editor , which accompanies your journal paper submission. Otherwise, it may be flagged as plagiarised and immediately desk-rejected by the journal editors before it even has the chance to enter the peer-review process.

Not all conference papers are automatically published in conference proceedings. Different conferences have different rules when it comes to publishing papers in conference proceedings. Therefore, you should check the rules and procedures of a specific conference in advance. If you cannot find the information online, you can send an email to the conference organisers. You can also always ask if it is possible to present without submitting a conference paper or to not have your conference paper published in the conference proceedings.

Conference papers often do not count as academic publications. Therefore, on academic CVs, conference papers tend to be listed under ‘Conferences’ instead of ‘Publications’. Alternatively, they are listed as a separate sub-category under ‘Publications’, but in a way that they are clearly differentiated from other (peer-reviewed) publications.

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84 Types of Conference Presentations

Conference presentations take many forms. Before submitting an abstract to a conference, be sure to consider what kind of presentation you want to make. Below, we discuss some common presentation types:

• Traditional Paper/Oral Presentation : This is the standard oral presentation (usually 15 minutes plus additional time at the end for questions) where one or more speakers (joint-presenters) share research results, completed works, innovative concepts, theoretical application, methodologies or tools.
• Student Presentation : These are similar to the traditional paper/oral presentations described above, but with an emphasis on students work. By providing a separate avenue for students to share their work or labelling the presentation as “students”, the pressure can be lessened. Sometimes, students have separate sessions, but other times, they are grouped with other paper presentations. If this is the case, the presentation is usually identified as student presentations in the program.
• Poster Presentation : This is a less formal opportunity to share your work in a visual format. We discuss this in greater depth later in the chapter.
• Panel Presentation : This is where multiple speakers present their perspective on a common issue usually for 60 to 90 minutes. While many students prefer to present posters or shorter oral presentations, if a group of students have a common research interest or concern, they can apply to a conference to present on a panel. The speakers are responsible for coordinating the panel and assigning roles (such as moderator). Each speaker on a panel is usally given at least one individual question as well as an introductory and closing remark.
• Roundtables : are similar to panel in the sense that a group of discussants seated around a table comment on a theme. Roundtable presenters bring targeted questions to pose to participants at the table in order to learn from and with those attending. It is quite unlikely that you will present your work on a roundtable, but you can check out conference websites if you wish to learn more (see Box for a list of potential conference).
• Lightning Round-Tables : These are opportunities to network by briefly summarizing your work to a small audience (usually in 15 minutes or less) followed by an interactive discussion. Discussants will then move to another table and repeat the procedude. This provides the opportunity to get more intimate connections for other participants and attendees.

In addition to the above presentations, at conference, you will likely see expert lectures , keynote addresses and debates . These are presented by established academics in the field so we will not discuss them. However, it is a great idea to go to these presentations at conferences. For the rest of the chapter, we will focus on oral presentations and posters because these are what you will most likely present at conferences. If you wish to submit an abstract for other presentation types, be sure to discuss it with your advisor, supervisor or mentor.

Practicing and Presenting Social Research Copyright © 2022 by Oral Robinson and Alexander Wilson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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What is a conference paper?

The word “conference” literally means” a meeting of two or more persons for discussing matters of common concern.” It is believed that the first use of the word was in 1527. But prior to the word’s emergence, humans have always met and discussed matters of common concern since time immemorial. Archeological findings have captured ancient forms of conferences with diverse agendas such as organizing tribal festivities, making arrangements for hunting, and wartime discussions, among others.

Conference papers are a more modern phenomenon that intensified with the entrenchment of formal education. Just like in ancient times, modern conferences also cover a vast range of matters, including science, technology, economics, politics, etc. The emergence of ICT and digital technology has now extended conferences to the internet in the form of video conferences.

In an educational context, therefore, a conference may be defined as a gathering of like-minded researchers, scholars, professionals, and other experts to interact and exchange ideas that will further enhance the stock of knowledge in a particular field. 

Conference paper explained

Unlike a journal paper or a term paper, a conference paper is an article presented at a conference. Before the presentation, however, either the paper’s abstract or full manuscript has to be submitted to the conference organizer for review and subsequent approval for presentation. Most times the manuscript is scrutinized by two or more referees or reviewers similar to a journal paper. Rejected papers will not be part of the conference. The presentation is usually oral and may be aided by visuals and software such as PowerPoint.

Often, the paper is later published in the conference proceedings to reach a wider audience. In academia and librarianship, a conference proceeding is a collection of academic papers published in an academic conference or workshop . Conference proceedings typically contain the contributions made by researchers at the conference. In other words, it is a written compilation of papers presented by researchers to fellow researchers and the public at a conference. Papers published in conference proceedings are usually distributed in printed or electronic volumes, either before the commencement of the conference or after its conclusion.

Though conference papers have a broad identical framework, their format can vary from one conference to another. However, a typical conference paper will have an abstract, a title, an introduction, objectives, a methods section, results/findings, discussion of findings, conclusion/recommendations, acknowledgments, and references. Some will also include subheadings such as problem statement, literature review, and funding footnote. The duration for each paper presentation also varies but usually will not exceed 30 minutes.

Note that conference papers and journal articles are a bit different from each other albeit both serve as avenues for introducing new scientific findings and procedures. Conference papers focus primarily on exploring new ideas, sometimes new ideas that haven’t been fleshed out yet. The number of pages of a conference paper also tends to be fewer than a journal paper, although this depends on the conventions of the conference.

Conference and Journal compared

Importance of conference papers

• They are used to determine those that will participate in the conference through a review process (i.e., you must first send your conference paper to be eligible for participation in the upcoming conference).
• They help give birth to new/original scientific findings
• They are used to educate audiences
• They serve as citations and references for other academic papers
• Presenting papers at conferences helps to boost your CV for employment and career advancement purposes, especially for tertiary-level academic staff

Conference paper presentation tips

Prepare adequately

Adequate preparation is important for succeeding in any human endeavor and a conference paper presentation is no different. Consider yourself a teacher entering the classroom to disseminate knowledge to learners. Therefore, you need to study your paper repeatedly prior to the conference to make sure you internalize all the important information inside it. Remember that conference proceedings usually include questions and answer sessions so you must be adequately prepared since questions can come from any part of your paper.

Conquer stage fright

Though there is nothing to fear about, stage fright is usually experienced by first-time and young presenters who are a little bit overwhelmed by the occasion or size of the audience. If you notice early signs of stage fright, try to take deep breaths and be as calm as possible. The more you talk, the more confident you’ll become, and with time the fright usually disappears. You may also want to rehearse your presentation in front of a familiar audience such as your friends and professional colleagues. Such rehearsals will help get you used to the conference environment which can imply little or no stage fright.

Look at your audience

Do not forget to frequently maintain eye contact with your audience while presenting your paper. Shying away from your audience can make them feel you lack the confidence to face an audience and can make the organizers feel you have poor presentation skills. 

Use visuals if necessary

Though you will not have time to speak elaborately, consider using visuals if you and the conference organizers feel it will enrich the paper. Visuals help make things clearer for the audience for a better understanding.

Present according to the allotted time

If you have been allotted 25 minutes to speak, try to tailor your presentation accordingly. It will appear inconsiderate and unprofessional if you encroach into the time reserved for other presenters or conference activities. Note that it is not necessary to present every word in your paper verbatim. Just discuss the information you feel is most important and leave the rest to be read up by anybody interested.

Present convincingly

You have to convince every member of the audience (which may include senior colleagues and potential employers) that you possess the necessary in-depth knowledge about the subject matter you are presenting. This is the more season why meticulous preparation is crucial if you want to speak authoritatively and impress your curious audience.

A conference paper is an article presented at a conference. But the paper has to be submitted before the start of the conference for review and approval. A paper that is not approved will not make it to the conference. Apart from being a written document, a conference paper is also presented orally during the conference.

All papers presented at a conference may be published as part of the conference proceedings. Conference paper formats vary according to each particular conference. They are important for a number of reasons. For instance, they are sources of new or original scientific research and can help enhance a CV for employment and career development.

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Conference Proceedings VS Conference Paper

Navigating the world of academic conferences and research dissemination can be a daunting task, especially when faced with the choice between conference proceedings vs conference papers. These two terms may sound similar, but they represent distinct aspects of the academic landscape.

The primary distinction between conference proceedings and a conference paper is that conference proceedings consist of a collection of multiple research papers or abstracts from presenters at a specific academic conference, while a conference paper is a single research paper submitted by a researcher for presentation at the same conference.

In this blog, we’ll clarify the differences between conference proceedings and conference papers. We’ll discuss why they matter, how they’re structured, and their importance in academia. By the end, you’ll know which one suits your research best. Let’s dive in!

A Quick Overview of Conference Proceedings and Conference Paper

In the world of academia, two critical entities often shape the dissemination of research findings: Conference Proceedings and Conference Papers. These distinct components serve unique purposes, navigating the academic landscape with precision.

Conference Papers are concise scholarly documents submitted by researchers to present their work at academic conferences. They provide a snapshot of research findings, methodologies, and conclusions, offering fellow scholars an insight into the core of their study.

On the other hand, Conference Proceedings are comprehensive compilations that encompass a multitude of research papers and abstracts presented at a specific academic conference. They serve as invaluable repositories, capturing the collective knowledge and diverse insights shared during these scholarly gatherings, making them essential resources for researchers and libraries alike.

Understanding the roles and differences between these two entities is vital for making informed choices in research dissemination.

In the vibrant world of academic research and scholarly conferences, it’s essential to distinguish between conference proceedings and conference papers. These two terms are often used conversely, yet they represent distinct aspects of the academic landscape.

1. Purpose:

• Conference Paper: These are individual scholarly documents crafted by researchers for presentation at academic conferences. They focus on presenting specific research findings and are typically concise.
• Conference Proceedings: Proceedings are collections that gather multiple research papers and abstracts from various presenters at a specific academic conference. They serve as comprehensive records of the conference’s content.

2. Content and Format:

• Conference Paper: These papers contain detailed information about a single research study, including methodology, results, and conclusions. They are often limited in length.
• Conference Proceedings: Proceedings contain a variety of research papers and abstracts, providing a broader overview of the conference’s topics. They can be considerably longer and cover diverse research areas.

3. Role and Usage:

• Conference Paper: Conference papers showcase a researcher’s individual work and are essential for sharing specific findings with a targeted audience.
• Conference Proceedings: Proceedings serve as references for researchers, libraries, and institutions. They capture the collective knowledge presented at a conference and offer a broader understanding of the research landscape in a particular field.

4. Selection and Inclusion:

• Conference Paper: Researchers submit conference papers based on their individual research projects. These papers undergo a peer-review process before being accepted for presentation.
• Conference Proceedings: Proceedings typically include all accepted conference papers and abstracts from presenters, showcasing a diverse range of research from the conference. Not all submitted papers may make it into the proceedings, but a significant portion usually does.

Conference papers focus on one research project, while conference proceedings gather many, serving as broad academic references. Knowing when to use each helps in sharing research effectively.

Pros and Cons of Conference Proceedings

Conference proceedings are valuable resources in the academic world, but they come with their own set of advantages and drawbacks. Here’s a concise breakdown of their pros and cons:

Pros of Conference Proceedings

• Comprehensive Records: Capture a wide range of research from a conference, offering a holistic view.
• Resource Diversity: Provide a variety of research topics and insights for academic exploration.
• Long-Term Reference: Serve as enduring references for researchers, libraries, and institutions.
• Collaborative Insights: Showcase collective knowledge and diverse perspectives from multiple contributors.
• Research Landscape: Offer a broader understanding of a specific field’s current research trends.
• Citation Impact: Enhance visibility and recognition of research by being part of a published proceeding.
• Historical Insight: Act as historical records, tracking the evolution of research in a particular domain.

Cons of Conference Proceedings

• Volume Challenges: Large and diverse content can be overwhelming for readers.
• Quality Variation: Not all papers meet the same academic standards, leading to varying quality.
• Limited Accessibility: Some proceedings may not be easily accessible, impacting research dissemination.
• Content Overlap: Papers in proceedings may cover similar ground, leading to redundancy.
• Publication Delay: Proceedings may be published after the conference, delaying research dissemination.

Pros and Cons of Conference Paper

Conference papers are like snapshots of research, capturing the essence of a single study. They have their perks and downsides, which we’ll explore below.

Pros of Conference Paper

• Focused Presentation: Allows in-depth discussion of a single research study, ensuring a comprehensive understanding.
• Timely Dissemination: Provides a platform for sharing fresh findings and innovative research quickly.
• Scholarly Recognition: Enhances individual recognition and credibility within the academic community.
• Networking: Facilitates networking opportunities, fostering collaborations with peers and experts in the field.
• Targeted Audience: Reaches a specific audience interested in the research topic, leading to meaningful feedback.
• Publication: Often considered a preliminary step towards journal publication, increasing research visibility.
• Accessibility: Easily accessible for readers due to its standalone nature, simplifying research access.

Cons of Conference Paper

• Limited Scope: Restricts the depth of research exploration due to length constraints.
• Competitive Acceptance: Faces stiff competition during the conference paper selection process.
• Less Comprehensive: Offers a narrow perspective compared to the collective knowledge found in proceedings.
• Research Costs: This may involve conference registration fees and travel expenses.
• Limited Exposure: Reaches a smaller audience compared to proceedings, potentially limiting impact.

Bottom Line

In the ever-evolving landscape of academic research, the choices we make regarding “conference proceedings vs conference paper” can significantly impact the way knowledge is shared and received. These two facets of research dissemination, while distinct, each hold their own merits.

Conference proceedings are like big collections of academic knowledge from conferences. They give us a broad view of different research topics and can be used for a long time. But sometimes, they can be hard to find and read because there are so many.

On the other hand, conference papers are like detailed reports about one research project. They help researchers get recognized and share their work quickly. But they can’t cover everything, and it’s tough to get them accepted at conferences because there’s a lot of competition.

So, choosing between conference proceedings and conference papers depends on what you need and who you want to reach with your research. Understanding the differences helps you make the right decision for sharing your work effectively.

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The Conference Presentation

I. Conferences – Pluses and Minuses

-Conferences are good pre publication activities. They give you a chance to try out a short version of a paper (often one still in progress), to get some initial (peer) responses to your arguments, and to engage in dialogue. As well, sometimes committing yourself to give a conference paper serves to jump-start your writing of a scholarly essay (or thesis chapter).

-Since the formal talk is often an important part of our profession, giving a conference paper can be good professionalizing experience. In particular, since the job talk is now so often part of job candidacy (and many universities specifically ask candidates to present “a conference-style paper”), giving a conference paper can be good practice for that aspect of campus visits.

-Conferences also have a useful educational dimension. They supplement your reading of professional journals and secondary books by locating you within the immediate discourse in your field and allowing you to hear what questions are being asked right now—and how those questions are being framed.

-Conferences give you a chance to meet others in your field. These contacts could prove valuable if you need to ask a colleague a question about research or if you need to locate someone to vet a manuscript or provide a reference.

The Down Side:

-Conferences don’t count much as scholarship. While conference activity is considered desirable by committees looking at C.V.s when hiring or when engaged in tenure review, it is seen as part of one’s larger professional activity rather than as counting (much) towards a record in research and scholarship. Someone whose only critical and scholarly activity is in conferences will not be given much weight as a scholar: conference papers must get turned into full-length publishable papers (or at least be supplemented by these). Too high a ratio of conference paper to published essays is not desirable.

-Conferences can be expensive. Travel funds may not be available from the university or funding may be limited. (Always find about your funding in advance and if it is available, make sure it has been approved before committing your own funds. Find out about such things as limits on meal-allowances and the need for receipts.)

-Occasionally conferences have small subsidies for travel at their disposal, but that is increasingly rare. You will probably, however, get considerable discounts on accommodation associated with the conference.

Hierarchy of Conferences:

It can be hard to get papers accepted at some conferences, and quite easy at others. In terms of your C.V. that difference won’t matter a whole lot to committees looking at you as a job candidate—provided the conference (and your paper) otherwise looks serious. However, conferences that are perceived of as local or as graduate conferences aren’t usually taken very seriously by committees.

II. Conferences: How to Get a Paper Accepted

Finding announcements of conferences (also known as “conference calls” or “calls for papers”—the latter is frequently abbreviated as CFP) is easy. Consult the journals in your fields, especially the newsletter of your professional association. Join the e-mail discussion groups in your scholarly area. Consult various departments bulletin board. Go to web-sites such as The Voice of the Shuttle <http://vos.ucsb.edu> or see the handout about this service.

Most conferences will ask for you to submit an abstract (i.e., a short statement of what your proposed conference paper will be). Please observe the specified word-limit (typically between 150-500 words). Learn to be efficient in writing abstracts. Think of them as a miniature version of the paper you envision. Don’t waste words on statements like “What I propose to prove” or “This paper will argue.”

Some conferences will invite you to submit “detailed abstracts or completed papers.” Since most conference presentations are 20 minutes in length, a completed paper will run about 2500 words in length. (Time yourself: typically you’ll find that you read a formal essay at the rate of about 125 words/minute.) Never submit anything longer than 2500 words for consideration. A “detailed abstract” could be thought of as a short version of the final paper (say 1000 words or more).

E-mail submissions are generally acceptable, but check the CFP carefully and follow all guidelines.

III. Conferences: Guidelines for Paper-Giving:

-Write your paper well in advance. Pay no attention to friends who make jokes about how “You can write it on the plane.”  You can, but it won’t be good enough.

-Think about your probable audience when you write. Remember that the audience for most conference papers is a self-selected one: large conferences often have several parallel sessions going on at the same time, which means that no one will come to your session who isn’t already quite interested in at least one of the papers being given in your session. That doesn’t mean that every audience member will be familiar with your subject. (That can partly depend on how related the other two papers are to yours; you could presume common knowledge in your audience if, say, all three papers in your panel were on the same author.) Never write for yourself: put yourself in the place of possible audience members and allow for their interests and probable range of knowledge. Try to gracefully include any who may not be familiar with the details of the work you’re talking about. (As a more general matter, always remember, when writing or talking about a work, even for an informed audience of specialists, that you have undoubtedly read the work you’re discussing more recently than they have, and you may have also thought about it more intensely than they have—so reminding your audience of details, especially if you can do that without seeming too heavy-handed, is always appreciated.)

-Remember that oral presentations are harder for an audience to take in than written ones. Provide clear “signposts” so your listeners can pick up the structure and logic of your overall argument. A bit of overview at the beginning is always appreciated. And some statement that suggests when are coming to your conclusion is a good way of keeping listeners engaged at the end. Throughout the paper, avoid over-complex sentence structures that are hard for the ear to sort out (even though those might be fine for a written version of the same paper).

-Rehearse your paper—more than once, and at least once in front of someone. Rehearse your presentation until you feel comfortable and fluent with it.

-Time yourself. Make sure that the time it will take you for your presentation is within plus or minus two minutes of the time specified. Anything else—including saying that you’re skipping to the end to stay within your time limit—is unprofessional (though you will frequently see it done). Conference sessions are typically made up of three speakers, each allotted 20 minutes, with 20-30 minutes set aside for discussion at the end. If you run over in your presentation then you are taking time that does not belong to you. Timing is crucial in a job talk: NEVER go over your time—it will be seen as bad teaching, unprofessional lack of preparation, etc. In fact, at the start of your presentation, tell your audience what you have been asked by the hiring committee to do and for how long—then DO IT! That way, they have the same expectations you do concerning level of discourse, timing, content, etc.

-In our field, it’s quite ok to read your entire presentation, but look up often enough to give your auditors plenty of eye contact. It helps to think of the presentation as a kind of conversation that you’re having with your audience. Moderate your voice to signal the developments in your argument, the turning points, and the conclusions. Sometimes a pause for a brief off-the-cuff comment will help give your presentation vitality. (Make sure you have time for that.)

-Don’t feel anxious about the question period afterwards. The questions will almost never be attacking. Often they are asked simply because questioners want to show they have something to say on your topic. This is a complement to your ability to stimulate thought in your audience. Prepare a brief “filler” to add as people prepare questions—to avoid the awkward silence.

-Answer all questions as best you can. Remember, you can simply thank audience members for their observations or promise to think about their ideas when you work on your paper in the future.

Adapted from the Department of English Placement Office

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Conference papers vs journal publications: Which is the better publication route?

In course of their research, academicians often need to interact and exchange views with their colleagues to provide a firmer ground for their inferences. Such meetings help them debate their research topic with other like-minded participants and then assimilate the information that is presented through audio-visual media to produce a more conclusive finding. Therefore, seminars and colloquia are an essential part in the growth of any research. Often the proceedings of such meetings are recorded in the form of a collection of papers that were presented during the event.

On the other hand, a journal publishes research work, either on the web or as printed copies, after a rigorous process of review and a long approval cycle. However, once published in a reputed journal, your paper has an audience that you would otherwise have never had access to.

Why opt for conferences?

Conference proceedings have several advantages for a researcher. This is because conferences:

– Give a platform for interaction among research scholars who share a common interest.

– Have a faster review process and generate a faster feedback.

– Are often characterized by short presentations, so they manage to present the aim of the research clearly without consuming too much time.

– Include discussions sessions, which encourages exchange of views and ideas on the presentations.

– Allow interaction of scholars from all over the world who are engaged in the same or allied research fields.

– Have a predictable and time-bound review time.

– Help the presentations to be properly archived for reference in similar events held elsewhere on related research topics.

– Involve sponsors, who allure researchers with publishing credits and personal and professional benefits for attending the conference.

– Have high visibility and often leave a greater impact on the academic fraternity.

– Mainly focus on recent researches or up-to-date academic endeavors, unlike a journal that often takes a long time to finally publish a research.

Demerits of a conference publication

On the flip side, conferences have the following drawbacks:

– The review process is often superficial or cursory, i.e., there is no second round of reviewing.

– They have a low acceptance rate.

– The feedback from the research fraternity may be lukewarm compared to a publication in a journal.

– Economies of scale work against good quality publications because the publication is one of many expense heads for the organizers. Therefore, the production quality often leaves much to be desired.

Why opt for a journal publication?

A publication in a reputed journal presents the following advantages for the researcher:

– Research papers that are published in journals are thoroughly peer reviewed, including multiple review phases.

– The quality of research published in a journal is of a high standard.

– Journal publications carry deep analysis of a research work.

– Useful feedback is received from the reviewers, which help bring about substantive changes in the paper to improve the research analysis.

– Word and page limits are longer in the case of journals. This gives more scope to the researcher to express his or her thoughts and interpretations.

– A journal gives a chance to authors to revise their work based on the feedback and then re-submit it for further review and publication.

– Conference papers are never considered the ultimate in publishing a research. Often, conference papers can be converted to journal papers and published in reputed journals with a high impact factor.

Demerits of journal publications

There are also few demerits of journal publications. These include:

– The publication process is time-consuming.

– Due to such delays, the research topic might get outdated.

– Selection of journals is a difficult task. Sometimes, a good research is published in a sub-standard journal.

Both these routes to publication have their pros and cons. It must also be noted that conference proceedings and journal publications are not mutually exclusive; a situation may arise where one form of a research work might be published in the conference proceedings and another, perhaps more developed, form might be published in a journal. Therefore, for a more diverse and in-depth research output, both conference proceedings and journal publications need to play a significant part.

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Conference Paper Format and Style Guidelines

Published on 23 Jun 2022

There are many different ways to write a conference paper. Most journals have their own requirements around specific length, document type, and the font details of pieces being submitted for publishing.

However, there are certain details that are commonly found in conference papers. Most are brief in length, attempting to explain complex concepts using simple, concise language. They typically include the article’s purpose and objectives, research methods, findings/results, conclusions, and references. 

The information covered in a conference paper is closely-related to the oral presentation that the author is hoping to make at an academic conference. These papers are often written in a format that will “match” the oral presentation with a goal to communicate a research project and its main findings, and to solicit feedback and generate interest in the work being done.

This article will define a conference research paper and describe its purpose, formats, structure and provide tips on how to write the best conference research paper possible. 

What is a conference research paper?

A conference research paper is a piece of writing that an author submits to conference organizers. The papers offer a preview of the work the researcher wants to present to let others in their field know about it and solicit feedback that could generate ideas for improvement.

These papers are submitted for review in advance of the conference. This process begins with a call-for-papers, when a conference organizing committee sends out an invitation to academics in hopes of generating multiple submissions of content to be presented at their event. These invitations can be sent via email or posted to a conference announcement website. Then, the organizing committee conducts a thorough review process to confirm the legitimacy of the work being submitted. Then, the work is either approved or rejected, and those accepted become part of the conference programme and the authors are scheduled to present at the conference .

When the event concludes, these conference papers are combined into a conference proceedings document that is often published and kept as a written record of the event. 

What is the best conference paper format?

The most commonly used conference paper formats start with a title page and abstract and go on to describe the research being conducted and the methodology being used. Conference papers should be well-structured and concise, free of grammatical errors with references formatted based on requirements set out in the call-for-papers.

How to structure a conference paper

Conference papers should be structured around the prime objectives of the research being conducted and the summary of its findings. Most conference papers start by introducing the purpose of the research, the methodology, the results of the study, and references of the sources used. 

Here are the elements that are typically included in a conference paper: 

The title page

The title page is used to identify the main pieces of information needed in order to identify and evaluate a conference paper. It includes the title of the paper, which should clearly identify the focus of the research being presented. The title page should also include the author’s name, credentials, the research institution they’re affiliated with, the submission date, and the name of the conference for which the paper is being submitted. 

While the exact format that the conference is looking for should be described in the call-for-papers sent out by event organizers, you can find templates for conference paper title pages online. Here is one example of an APA style title page you can reference. 

The abstract

Conference papers begin with an abstract. An abstract is a short summary of the prime objective of your research, your hypothesis, the way you plan to conduct the study, the results, and the conclusions. Most abstracts are one or two paragraphs and kept under 250 words, but it’s not always the case so it’s best to check the guidelines provided by the conference organizers. 

The research methodology

In order for conference organizers to review and evaluate a conference paper, they must understand the methods used by the researcher to conduct the study being presented. Include a section in your paper that clearly (but briefly) describes your methodology, including any dominant theories that the methods are based on. 

The results

Clearly outline the results of the study, drawing data-driven conclusions. Present the insights uncovered by the research and how they can be used to advance your field of study. This will generate interest from other researchers in your field, potentially leading to partnerships or funding opportunities down the road. 

Your research results should take up about one-third of your conference paper, so for a 10-page paper, this section should be no longer than 3.5 pages. Whenever possible, display quantitative results in table format to make it easy for readers to understand. 

The references

Most conferences will clearly outline the type of references they expect in their call-for-papers or advertisement soliciting research submissions. Follow these guidelines to reference the work used to inform your research. 

Most events will request APA, MLA or Chicago-style formatting, but be prepared to reference any of the common formats. As a general rule, APA is most often used in education, psychology and sciences, MLA is used in the humanities, and Chicago style is used in business, history and fine arts. 

Tips to write a conference paper

1. focus on the abstract.

The abstract is the first thing academics look at when evaluating a piece of research. If your paper is accepted, you will be presenting your work to a group of your peers, and this abstract is their preview to the information that will be discussed. You’ll want to make it clear, concise, and interesting to read. 

This is also what conference organizers use to categorize different streams of work within the conference, so it’s important that your focus and subject matter is clearly defined and easy to determine. This will ensure you’re placed alongside researchers with a related field of study. 

Begin your abstract by defining the problem you hoped to solve when you began your research. Then, describe how you went about studying that problem before presenting your research findings and how they help solve the problem. 

2. Create a logical flow

Before you start writing, take some time to create an outline that follows a logical, cohesive flow of information. Review your research and determine the most important things you want to share in your presentation, and create your outline based on this list. An outline will help you stay focused and organized, and will make creating the abstract a breeze. 

In your outline, you should also plan to include data points that back up your conclusions to make your paper strong and convincing. 

3. Be careful of length

Look into the structure of the conference and find out the length of the presentations. This is usually stated in the conference posting, but if not, you can use the following guidelines. Most conferences allot 10-20 minutes for each oral presentation, and each page of writing takes about 2 minutes to read. Based on these numbers, a conference paper should not exceed 10 pages. 

4. Follow the format guidelines

Conference organizing committees will most of the time set specific guidelines for researchers to follow in their submissions. These guidelines will include the preferred file type (.doc, .rtf. .pdf etc), the font type and size, the spacing, where they want the page numbers, the length of the abstract, reference format, and more.

This simplifies the review process by allowing the reviewers to focus solely on the paper content, rather than having to decipher references or look for specific pieces of information.

5. Read it out loud

To keep your conference paper short, it’s important that every word counts. To keep your paper free of fluff and unnecessary words, read it out loud to yourself and remove or revise anything that isn’t optimal.

Reading out loud will also help you confirm that the information you’re presenting is organized into a logical flow that builds up support for your overall argument. Sometimes words look good typed out on a screen, but they don’t sound convincing or appropriate when spoken out loud. Since this paper is an overview of the research you hope to present in an oral presentation at a conference, it should sound convincing when you read it aloud. 

6. Write for your audience

Remember that you are writing for academic researchers who are knowledgeable in your field. 

Academic writing uses a more formal tone than a blog or news article. It is free of personal opinions or anecdotes, and does not include any jargon, cliches, or slang. Academic writing maintains a clear focus on the main area of research, and every sentence should resonate with your audience of researchers. 

Every piece of data used in a piece of academic writing should be backed-up with data. Researchers reviewing your work expect to be presented with data-driven insights that can be quantifiably verified. 

Reference everything. Not only does this add weight and legitimacy to your work, but it also shows respect for the researchers who came before you.  

Useful resources for conference papers

There are many resources available to help you write and format your conference papers. These are often free, and easily-accessible online. Here are a few to check out:

Overleaf is an online LaTeX editor that provides known journals and conference paper formats. It is a helpful resource but can be difficult for those that are not very technical. 

A friend to all writers, Grammarly provides free editing and grammar checks through a simple AI-powered platform available through the web or on your mobile device. There are free or paid versions available, depending on the level of functionality you’re looking for. 

Evernote can simplify and organize your research by making it easy to collect and share notes, and keep them with you wherever you go. 

Citationsy is a relatively new application that automates the process of creating and formatting references. This can be a significant time saver and remove one of the less exciting elements of academic writing.

If you’re at the stage in your research where you’re ready to write a conference paper and apply to present at an academic conference, congratulations! This means you have conducted a significant amount of research and are ready to share it with your peers.

We hope you’ve found this article a good resource to help you write this paper. If there are any tips or pieces of information that we’ve missed, please let us know .

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Generate accurate APA citations for free

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• How to cite a conference paper in APA Style

Citing a Conference Paper in APA Style | Format & Examples

Published on November 6, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 4, 2023.

The format for citing conference papers in APA Style depends on whether the paper has been published, and if so, in what format. Note that a separate format exists for citing dissertations . You can cite a conference paper easily by using our free APA Citation Generator .

To cite a paper that has been presented at a conference but not published, include the author’s name, the date of the conference, the title of the paper (italicized), “Paper presentation” in square brackets, the name and location of the conference, and a URL or DOI if available.

Cite a conference paper in APA Style now:

Table of contents, citing a conference paper published in a journal, citing a conference paper published in a book, frequently asked questions about apa style citations.

Conference papers are sometimes published in journals. To cite one of these, use the same format as you would for any journal article .

Scribbr Citation Checker New

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

Conference papers may also be collected in book form. In this case, you can cite one in the same way as you would cite a chapter from a book .

Include the DOI at the very end of the APA reference entry . If you’re using the 6th edition APA guidelines, the DOI is preceded by the label “doi:”. In the 7th edition , the DOI is preceded by ‘https://doi.org/’.

• 6th edition: doi: 10.1177/0894439316660340
• 7th edition: https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0894439316660340

APA citation example (7th edition)

Hawi, N. S., & Samaha, M. (2016). The relations among social media addiction, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in university students. Social Science Computer Review , 35 (5), 576–586. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439316660340

In an APA journal citation , if a DOI (digital object identifier) is available for an article, always include it.

If an article has no DOI, and you accessed it through a database or in print, just omit the DOI.

If an article has no DOI, and you accessed it through a website other than a database (for example, the journal’s own website), include a URL linking to the article.

The abbreviation “ et al. ” (meaning “and others”) is used to shorten APA in-text citations with three or more authors . Here’s how it works:

Only include the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.”, a comma and the year of publication, for example (Taylor et al., 2018).

You may include up to 20 authors in a reference list entry .

When an article has more than 20 authors, replace the names prior to the final listed author with an ellipsis, but do not omit the final author:

Davis, Y., Smith, J., Caulfield, F., Pullman, H., Carlisle, J., Donahue, S. D., James, F., O’Donnell, K., Singh, J., Johnson, L., Streefkerk, R., McCombes, S., Corrieri, L., Valck, X., Baldwin, F. M., Lorde, J., Wardell, K., Lao, W., Yang, P., . . . O’Brien, T. (2012).

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, December 04). Citing a Conference Paper in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/conference-paper/

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