Academia?

[x_los]

I dunno that I'd ever do this, but it did raise some questions in my mind re: mah futurez in akademiaz:

What's a third-round application deadline?

How does one present a paper for a conference? Must you have a grad degree/be attached to a specific academic institution to do so, or is a call for papers open to anyone with a paper?

Does one get paid to present a paper? Do you cite it on CVs and the like as you would a publication credit?

What do you DO at an academic conference? Do you read the paper aloud, or field questions, or what? The only ones I've ever been too were Iowa's big Nonfiction conference, which was more writing related than academic, per se.

Is publication attached to presenting at a conference? Do they publish a collection? Do you get offers to publish after reading? I've read papers that cite "first presented at blah conference," so I'd assume it's a foot in the door or something?

And this may sound really sophomoric, but how LONG are they expecting papers to be, as a general rule? I feel like anthologies in history at least have sort of common lengths, but English papers grouped together tend to be more variable in length--what then of media studies papers? Do they want 25 pages, or something short enough to read aloud without descending into madness? And what would /that/ length be?

Comments

answers!

[deborah-judge.livejournal.com]

How does one present a paper for a conference?

First you write a proposal. As it happens, I have worksheets on how to do this and will send you one. Conferences have different acceptance rates, but it's usually less than 50% - in other words, writing a proposal (even a good one) doesn't guarantee you'll be accepted.

Must you have a grad degree/be attached to a specific academic institution to do so, or is a call for papers open to anyone with a paper?

If there are restrictions they are usually stated in the call. Give the last school you were at as your affiliation (unless you're starting another school in the fall), don't disclose that you're an undergrad unless asked. Don't send a CV unless asked.

Does one get paid to present a paper?

Hell no. In fact you have to pay conference registration fees.

Do you cite it on CVs and the like as you would a publication credit?

Yes, absolutely.

What do you DO at an academic conference? Do you read the paper aloud, or field questions, or what?

Some fields prefer people to read their papers, others prefer more power-point style presentations. (Ask someone who's been there before, or failing that a prof in a related discipline.) In any case you'll get questions afterwards, which will range from the encouraging to the hostile to the WTF.

I've read papers that cite "first presented at blah conference," so I'd assume it's a foot in the door or something?

What usually happens is that people present, get feedback, revise, and then submit for publication the regular way. Most published academic articles have been presented somewhere in some form or another, but it's a very long way from presentation to publication. Presenting at a conference gets you feedback which helps you revise your article for publication - it only rarely gets you a direct offer to publish. (In my experience, the only time it does is when someone is editing a volume and they need an article exactly on the topic you're presenting on - but then they'd also have taken it if you just submitted it to their volume.)

how LONG are they expecting papers to be, as a general rule?

Generally around 20-25 minutes, although they can range from 15 to 40. They'll give you a time limit when they accept your paper. You'll need to practice and time yourself so you don't go over, since people have different reading speeds.

If you've got more questions, let's do this by e-mail.

Re: answers!

[deborah-judge.livejournal.com]

BTW, conferences are awesome. They are one of my favorite things about academia. They are a great way to meet other people in your field and bounce ideas off people who spend their time thinking about this stuff. Also to get a real reality check on whether or not your stuff is any good - you can get all the A's you like, conferences will really show you if people in your field think your ideas are worth listening to. So they *will* help you publish, by helping you see what's important about your work and who's interested in it. And also, of course, how it needs to be revised before you publish it. It's like having your academic ideas betaread by the BNFs in the field.

So, do it, seriously. If you need help writing a proposal I'd be glad to help.

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

The conferences I've been to (Pennsylvania Library Association) or in some way dealt with (I just finished preparing the 2008 Women in Engineering conference proceedings for online publication) have largely involved talking-point presentations. The presenter collects her stuff in some way, distills it into notes from which she creates a Powerpoint presentation or a pamphlet or something, and presents it as a speech, possibly with slides and other speechifying aids. In some cases, they're more "workshop" type things where the presenter walks you through a process ("How to create a website, for technophobic librarians!"), or occasionally actual workshops where everybody gets the necessary equipment and you all go through it together. After the actual presentation, there's almost always a question-fielding time where people can give you various comments, both helpful and not (some of them may be snotty; academics can be bitches sometimes).

In any case, those notes, along with accumulated feedback and any redraftings, expansions, and other usual polishing and development, often eventually get collected and revised into an actual paper, which the author submits for publication.

Presentations also frequently start as papers--usually a kind of sparse one that you look at, think, "Well, I wouldn't accept it if I were an editor, but it's a good idea," and then decide, "Well, it's enough to let me stand in front of a roomful of people and make a fool of myself over, at any rate. Maybe somebody will pay me some positive attention."

They're definitely nice things to have on a CV, as not only is it sort of like being published, but it also means you're also evidently a good face-to-face communicator.

Re: answers!

[x-los.livejournal.com]

AUGH. This thing ate my good, long response. HATE.

Anyway, yes. Thank you so, so much for the heaps of good information!

I think I'm a little intimidated by extending any conception of 'my field' to media studies (Actually I'm baffled that I have a field/fields? I've never really considered that I might have a field.). I should read some more current papers from Camp Media Studies so as to have a firm grip on what they're doing, though everything I've read makes it seem like they're LitCrit, with some technobabble on the filming process thrown in.

I'd really like it if you could email me the how-to-propose worksheet? I don't specifically know that I have anything to say for this conference (other than this batshit thing I've been thinking about for a while on Erich Fromm and psychologizing body-snatching motifs in Who, but that's, er, probably not going to develop into anything not batshit), but if nothing else it would be good to practice developing proposals for something I know something about.

Oh, an aside: so almost no grad students are 22 anymore, in my experience-- is it all going to be late 20s and up grads students and profs running around at a conference, of will there be other clueless 22 years olds who will do stupid newbie stuff as well and make me feel less dumb?

Thanks so much!

[x-los.livejournal.com]

The presenter collects her stuff in some way, distills it into notes from which she creates a Powerpoint presentation or a pamphlet or something, and presents it as a speech, possibly with slides and other speechifying aids.

See, that sounds easier than "My speech, let me give you it! Let my give you my speeeeech."

Eugh. Ph33r re: Question Time.

OOOoooookay. Now I kind of get the nature of the presentation!paper better. Thanks!

They're definitely nice things to have on a CV, as not only is it sort of like being published, but it also means you're also evidently a good face-to-face communicator.

Well, or at least that a conference organizer at one time entertained the hope of me being one... :p

Re: Thanks so much!

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Well, or at least that a conference organizer at one time entertained the hope of me being one... :p

:D Well, yes. That's why I said "evidently."

[diatryma.livejournal.com]

The only conferences I've been to that are near your field are... ICFA. International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts. Go if you get a chance. 'Tis geeky.

I was not presenting. I did hang out with some who were, though. Some had written their papers beforehand; some wrote them in the hotel room the day before. They read them, with varying degrees of success.

Run short. Always run short.

[anyhennypenny.livejournal.com]

fyi, if you decide to present at a conference and publish simultaneously, be sure to check if the conference wants work presented before publication and if there are parameters regarding to whom you might have presented the work previously.

[x-los.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks! ...Also, call me. So bored. So v. v. bored. :p

[x-los.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool, I shall! And it's good to know that some people are slackers, b/c it takes my OMGWTFAKADEMIAZ pressure off a bit. :p And I'll run short or dress in something hose-off-able to avoid thrown produce due to your wise suggestions. :p

[diatryma.livejournal.com]

At Denver (Intl Phytotechnologies Conference) Britt, friend and labmate, was going last in her session. She made a chart showing start and end times for each person if they took up a quarter of the time, if they each went a minute over, if they each went two, three, four five minutes over, and how much time she'd then have to speak. She joked about making a five-minute version of her fifteen-minute talk just in case. Her objective was to get all of us out on time come hell or high water.

[x-los.livejournal.com]

Wow. *snort* That's kind of a Real American Hero thing for Academia. I'm sure ever attendee was v. grateful.