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You\u2019re about to write a conference abstract. That sounds straightforward but it\u2019s often not. There are things to decide even before you start writing. For example you have to choose what to focus on. And how cooked it already is. This choice may lead to two dilemmas.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the first \u2013 Do you put in one you prepared earlier, that is, a paper that is already published or at least already in review? Or do you put in an abstract that is still in progress?<\/p>\n
Of course, in some disciplines, particularly those where there are peer-reviewed conference proceedings, you may not have the choice to present anything that has appeared elsewhere, you have no choice but to present new work. But this need not be work in progress. It can be publication ready. That\u2019s another choice you have.but let\u2019s stick with the dilemma for a bit. Humour me.<\/p>\n
There are good reasons for writing a conference paper that is work in progress. You get the chance to develop an idea and then see how it works on the day. Even if you don\u2019t get a lot of questions at the time, you still get the opportunity to see how your data and analysis plays out. You hear yourself speaking, you see how the PowerPoint goes. Is it plausible? Flawed? Promising? Never to see the light of day again?<\/p>\n
And you can make a work in progress paper presentation even more meaningful. You can ask someone to come to your session and give you feedback. And another plus \u2013 you have the chance to show everyone your interest in the topic even if you haven\u2019t published on it yet. Your conference paper says \u2013 in the programme and to whoever comes to your session \u2013\u00a0\u00a0hey I\u2019m here, this is something I\u2019m working on.<\/p>\n
There are equally good reasons for presenting a paper that is already published or near publication. 1. You have a well-worked argument and a clear point to make. 2. You can promote your publication if it is in print or if it is accepted for publication. 3. And if the paper is in print, you may get some really interesting questions and interactions with people who have already read it, and have come to your session because they want to engage in conversation.<\/p>\n
But getting to grips with the ready-or-not options does mean considering potential down sides too.\u00a0\u00a0There are some risks. If your paper is published, there\u2019s always a chance that some people will already have read it and won\u2019t come. They\u2019ve heard what you\u2019ve got to say and they\u2019ll use their conference time to go somewhere else, thanks all the same.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, if you are presenting work in progress there is the chance that you won\u2019t have it together enough, you\u2019ll end up presenting something you\u2019re not happy with. Oh no. That\u2019s to be avoided if at all possible. There is of course also the very remote chance that someone will take your idea and run with it before you\u2019ve had the chance to develop it fully.<\/p>\n
Tricky eh. But that\u2019s not all. Presenting work in progress can lead to dilemma two.<\/p>\n
If you are presenting work in progress, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll have moved on by the time you get to present the paper. The abstract you confidently wrote ages ago will no longer quite fit. So you have to decide whether you will still present the paper as it was, and is in the conference abstracts, or whether you will simply explain at the start of the presentation that you\u2019ve been able to do more work. You\u2019re presenting where you\u2019re up to now, rather than where you were. (In support of this latter option, it\u2019s probably good to know that this does actually happen a lot.)<\/p>\n
Now, a further wrinkle is that if you are a doctoral researcher you may well find that your supervisor has strong views about work in progress \u2013 or not. And you\u2019ll just have to go along with what they advise. Just know that there is no right answer to the conference paper dilemmas. And eventually you may want to take different options for different pieces of work.<\/p>\n
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