In spite of asking for invitations to present their Master's research at conferences, this scholar isn't getting any offers. What should they do?

“I recently finished my Masters and I want to share my research at conferences. I have told lots of people about the research and how I’d like to present it. I've shared my desire to be invited in a lot of online research groups and on social media, giving the title of my research and a request for speaker invitations. My supervisor told me to put myself out there, but so far nobody has shown any interest. What am I doing wrong?”

Telling people about your research is always a good idea, so keep that going.

However, when it comes to conferences the standard way to get involved is by responding to a call for contributions (aka abstract submissions). That way, conference organisers can pick from all the applications they receive and decide which ones best suit there event.

Unfortunately this process is not always clearly explained in academia, meaning we know we should apply to present at conferences but have no idea how to go about this.

Common sense suggests that having done research you want others to know about the best way is to tell them you're ready and waiting to discuss it, right?

A great idea in theory, but not how things (usually) work in practice.

If you’re telling people you’d like to present you’re putting the onus on them to respond and invite you to submit an abstract.

While those who’re established in their careers are often asked to come and speak, earlier in your career (and frequently from then onwards) it’s on you to apply.

That means you need to identify conferences and other events with audiences who'd be receptive to your ideas and who you feel you could also network with and learn from.

How to find and select a conference

Search for conferences based on keywords linked to your area of research and wider interests. For example, you may have recently completed a community study on the importance of a new youth centre. You could present the research, or the wider learning of community working, collaborative practice, or engaging young participants (some of who may be your co-presenters).

A good place to begin is your supervisor and other academic colleagues you connected with during your studies. They may be better placed to signpost you to suitable conferences to apply to, or be aware of other events that may suit you in the future. Some supervisors are also willing to co-present or facilitate conference engagement in other ways (for example, helping to check an abstract or give feedback on a poster design).

Available conferences can be located via an online search beginning with the phrase 'conference finder' (it'll take you to plenty of different places collating calls for papers but be careful in these searches to avoid predatory events).

Professional societies, interest groups, student networks, universities, charities and other organisations will also be sharing their calls for papers. Noting that research happens in many more places than just universities.

These conference/event calls will go out several months before a conference or event in order for the organisers to receive, review and select which presenters they wish to include.

If you're already asking people to include your research, you can easily tap into this existing network and ask instead if anyone can recommend forthcoming conferences for you to apply to.

Conferences will usually have a topic or theme and a selection of sub-topics for you to link your research with. They will also indicate the deadline for abstract submissions, and the kind of formats they will be featuring at their event. All of which is important to note as late submissions will not be considered.

Pick a presentation style that suits you and your research

Conferences can use a variety of presentation formats, including:

Posters – where your work is summarised on a paper or digital poster that you discuss with other interested attendees at a set time during an event.

Oral presentations – these are usually 15 – 30 minutes long and delivered alongside a few other related talks.

Workshops – a place to share ideas and tips arising from your research; explain innovative or introductory approaches to a method, teaching, or pastoral care; or co-ordinate a discussion on a topic related to the conference.

Symposia – where you share a platform with others, discussing a key issue or research problem, with questions direct from the audience.

Performances, conversations, making sessions, practical activities (e.g. collective data analysis) may also feature.

If you like the idea of these formats but are not sure how they work you may want to ask your institution or search online for training in how to use them in practice. Each have their pros and cons and you can decide how well they suit the topic of your research.

Remember, at many conferences there will be multiple presentations happening at the same time so you should make your abstract as clear and enticing as possible so those who need to learn about your research can find you and attend your session (some practical pointers on how to do this follow below).

Where do conferences take place?

Events may happen on or offline; individually or with co-presenters; and in more (or les) creative and participatory ways.

How do I write an abstract?

While some conferences have structured abstract subheadings for you to follow and complete, in general an abstract should include:

• a clear, accurate, and engaging title
• a short summary of your research/what you want to discuss
• why it’s important
• how it relates to the conference
• what format you’d like to deliver it in

Some conferences will require your abstract to be anonymised, so organisers won't know who you are and can pick presenters on the basis of topics rather than researcher reputation. While others encourage you to identify yourself and also note your level of study and any other needs. This is to ensure students, non-academics, or others who may be first-time presenters all get the support they require.

If you haven't written an abstract before there are plenty of online guides and some conferences even include templates and examples for new applicants to follow. To help you Helen Kara has this great guide to writing conference abstracts and @tarabrabazon has a longer vlog all about brilliant conference presentations

Will I be paid to present?

Sometimes people tell others about their research in the hope that

a. it attracts attention, and

b. someone will pay them to attend their conference.

Again, while keynote speakers may get a fee (although not always), for most presenters at conferences the assumption is you will pay:

• any registration/conference fee (which should cover the event itself, food, accommodation etc but it’s always best to check in case additional costs like transport are not made clear)
• the cost of your travel (including petrol costs, or transfers from the airport or train station, visas etc)
• producing resources to take to the event (e.g. poster production, business cards)
• additional extras at the event, such as a gala dinner, or a trip to a local beauty spot

Check in advance what the conference will cost (some are more expensive than others) and whether your department (or you if you’re self-funding) can cover this.

While some events will have bursary places or reduced fees for students or self-funders this isn’t guaranteed. If your submission is accepted it will be expected you register and pay and while there may be reduced early bird fees but it’s unlikely you will have the whole event paid for.

This can be a huge barrier for many scholars so you may want to think about applying for online, local, or lower cost events. Or hosting your own webinar to showcase your research.

I've put the word out and suddenly someone's asked me to present, what should I do?

If you've told enough people about your work it may be you are asked to present on it (although as you've found so far this isn't a successful strategy). It's not unusual if you do present at a conference that you are asked to come to further events, or find out about more conferences you can apply for in the future.

Be wary if you're being offered to speak and you are very early in your career and/or the event isn't related to your area of work or they are asking you to speak on something that's outside your knowledge and experience. That may be a sign of a predatory conference, which you'll want to avoid.

Good luck with your searches and applications. Once you get used to the process of applying it will become a whole lot easier and connect you with many more people who can help you get your research ideas out there.

If you have any advice to add for this scholar please share in the comments. And if you've your own research dilemma, drop me a message and it might be answered in a future Saturday Research Question. ?

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