======= Date Modified 16 Jun 2011 16:13:03 =======
Hi all,

I'm confused. How does it all work.

Do you first submit abstract --> Then submit full paper --> Then just present a poster at the conference (or present it orally!)?

So what happens to the paper?

Confused! Thanks for your help!

:-)

PS. Has anyone presented their pilot study at a conference?

Usually, its submit a 500 word abstract, then if you get accepted you'll either present an oral presentation or a poster, depending on which you submitted for in the first place.

I've had one conference that required a full paper as well as an abstract, before an oral presentation, supposedly to encourage discussion, but don't think anyone read it haha! - I think this varies by discipline though, other people seem to have to do it a lot more.

I've presented all sorts, pilot studies, general ramblings, you name it (turkey)

Thanks sneaks.

Seriously? Maybe I should think about presenting too then. The conference that I am looking at I think is asking for abstract, if accepted submit full paper, but then just present poster. If that is the case, does the paper I've written get published or is it just a poster presentation?

======= Date Modified 16 Jun 2011 16:24:17 =======
Hi Chococake

'My' understanding and the way it's happened for me:

99.999999999% of times you have to submit an abstract and wait to see if you're accepted. Once it is, you then write the paper and present on the day of the conference. Some conferences expect the full paper submitted in advance of the conference. In this case, you must wait to see if your abstract is accepted. If it is, you then submit the paper (via email normally) before the actual conference.

Situ with a poster is that you must submit a text abstract of what your poster will be about. Presuming it's accepted you then complete the poster. Then you arrive at conference with physical poster and stick it up where the organisers decide. Usually posters are viewed at coffee break times and before proceedings start. You are expected to hover close to your poster to answer the questions which may or may not come. Many people wander around the posters and read the ones they're interested in.

Hope that helps a bit

Btw: I presented my pilot study at a conference!

Wow. Thanks!

If you present a poster at one conference does that mean you can't present the same or similar poster at another conference?

What's the difference between a conference paper/submission and submission to a journal article? When would you submit to a conference and not to a journal?

Difficult questions!

I'm not sure but it probably wouldn't be good idea to present EXACTLY the same poster at different conferences although if the audience is different, then why not? Hmmmm, not sure.

Usually what you see is people presenting a paper at a conference which they later submit to a journal. If you haven't been asked to submit the paper beforehand, you can get away with a looser type of presentation at a conference which wouldn't be acceptable for a journal article.

Some conference papers are published in conference proceedings - if you intend submitting something to a journal I think you need to be careful about having a paper published 'already' in conference proceedings.

I've presented the same thing with a slightly different title at 3 conferences :$ If I could afford another conference this year I'd probably present it again given the chance haha!

Confusing stuff! Just to add to the confusion- I've presented at conferences in the UK and USA, and when they say 'paper' presentation, they basically mean an oral presentation as opposed to a poster presentation. For all the 'papers' I have presented, I have never once been asked for a written paper, the term 'paper' has just been used to mean 'oral' presentation. It looks like it's different for different subjects/conferences!

My sup has 'recycled' presentations plenty of times for different audiences, and I know other team members have sent their posters to more than one conference as well. I think if it's a different audience it doesn't matter so much. When I was in the states I saw presentations referring to work that had been completed more than a decade ago, so I'm assuming that they were repeating presentations as well. One very well known prof just churned out the contents of a paper that was published almost 20 years ago- I was really disappointed!

Best, KB

That's true what KB says about papers. In an American context 'paper' can mean essay, presentation etc :-( - oh dear.

I have only presented at one conference where the 'paper' was required beforehand but I have a friend who has presented at 4 or 5 where he had to submit the full paper before.

I've never had to provide a paper for a conference, only a poster.
I think whether you can reuse stuff depends on the conference, as I have had ones where they have stipulated that the work must not have been previously presented elsewhere. i think I took that a bit far last year, as I had a poster that had never really been presented as I was unable to get to the confernce becasue of the ash cloud. The poster only ever got displayed online as they decided to display the posters of people who had been unable to traval that year. I went to a conference three months later and made a completely new poster of slightly different data. Hardly anyone looked at that poster, and probably no one looked at the original poster, so it was a whole load of wasted work really!

Acting on my sups encouragement, I submitted an abstract to a conference for a paper presentation this summer - it was accepted - so soon I will have to sort out a presentation!!! I am not expecting to be asked for a journal paper (hope not anyway as there isn't one:$).

I am aiming to look at the abstract and cobble a 15 minute talk together - search refs/make powerpoint etc

Fingers crossed as sooo nervous!!! It would be better if it was about research meths/results, but it's not, it's about issues in the literature! I'm hoping I won't totally embarrass myself!!:-(

Thank you all! I'm still rather confused why they'd ask for a full paper when all they want to display is a poster?

Abstract Introduction (accepted) vs Poster Introduction (working on it)- Is it okay to copy and paste? or should it be changed slightly...unsure