HOW TO PREPARE FOR A PAPER PRESENTATION AT

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A PAPER PRESENTATION AT AN ACADEMIC CONFERENCE By A/Prof Dr Hayder Al Hamdany

IMPORTANCE AND INVESTMENT • Presenting at a conference is a core part of scientific communication for any researcher or academic • Finding the right conference • The right audience and successfully communicating your latest findings is a great way to enhance your career prospects and, • Learn about the newest developments in your research field.

There has been a growth in the number of predatory conferences in recent years FAKE CONFERENC ES Before you register to attend and present your work at any conference, familiarise yourself with ways to make sure it is genuine. Much like predatory journals, fake conferences are often organised by forprofit companies.

WHAT DEFINES A CONFERENCE AS “FAKE”? • Fake conferences usually skimp or skip peer review • They’re run by for-profit companies who may present themselves as not-for-profit. • And they often funnel accepted papers into known predatory journals or never publish a conference book of proceedings at all. • The result is big profits for the organisers, and academics and researchers left out of pocket, with little to show for their time or expense.

USE THESE NINE CLUES TO SPOT A FAKE CONFERENCE. • 1. The conference has an overly ambitious title (“International” and “global” ) • 2. The technical programme is broad. Very broad. The term “interdisciplinary” • 3. The language on the conference website is…off • 4. Renowned organisations are sponsoring a low-profile conference • 5. The organisers’ contact details are missing, or aren’t quite right

Use these nine clues to spot a fake conference. • 6. Another conference with a suspiciously similar name already exists • 7. The conference or its organisers have known associates • 8. The organisers are charging higher-than-normal fees • 9. The conference is unusually frequent • Check the conference details against Beall’s list of predatory journals and Caltech Library’s list of predatory conferences.

WRITE A WINNING ABSTRACT TO GET YOUR PAPER ACCEPTED INTO THE CONFERENCE • Abstracts are the what the reviewer looks at first. To get your paper accepted to a conference, you’ll need to write an abstract of 200 to 500 words. • The emphasis should be on brevity and clarity. It should tell the reader what your paper is about, why the reader should be interested, and why the paper should be accepted.

• Additionally, it should: Write a winning abstract to get your paper accepted into the conference • Specify your research aims • Identify your paper fills a gap in the current literature. • Outline what you actually do in the paper. • Point out your original contribution. • Include a concluding sentence.

DELIVERING AN EFFECTIVE CONFERENCE PRESENTATION (AND BEAT THOSE PRESENTING NERVES) • You need to be well prepared, consistent throughout and ensure you’re able to resonate with your audience. • One of the biggest challenges in giving a good presentation is managing your nerves. Even the most experience scholars. • The good news is that the techniques of an effective presenter can be practised. So how can this be accomplished? Here are 11 tips that will help you give an effective conference presentation.

11 tips TO give an effective conference presentation • 1. Don’t touch that slide deck just yet • 2. Build your presentation within time constraints • 3. Use visuals to illuminate, not obscure • 4. Aim for simplicity and consistency • 5. Know your research audience • 6. Rehearse your presentation

11 tips to give an effective conference presentation • 6. Rehearse your presentation • 7. Prepare, prepare • 8. Back up your backup • 9. Get to know the presenting space • 10. Use body language to your advantage