How to approach conferences

One of the most exciting but also daunting aspects of postgraduate life is the ability to attend academic conferences. Rarely a compulsory requirement, conferences are nevertheless an invaluable opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the research community of their field. Moreover, for PhD students who are considering a career in research (whether in academia or industry), conferences are virtually essential for keeping up to date with the latest trends in their specialism, as well as important networking events. Here are some tips as to how to make the most of an academic conference.

1.  Think about size

Conferences come in all shapes and sizes. Some are major conferences for a large field (for example, modern history), whereas others will have a narrower sub-field (e.g. the Sino-Japanese war) in which they are interested. Similarly, conferences may be regional, national, or international. Generally, bigger conferences will stand out more on your C.V. and demonstrate that you are able to produce research presentations of the highest quality. 

However, it is at smaller conferences where you will be able to network most effectively, not only because there are fewer attendees but also because a sub-field requires people to have a very close common set of research interests. Understanding the differences between types of conferences will allow you to know what you are looking to gain from each, as well as help you decide how you want to balance your conference applications between larger and smaller events.

2.  Meet fellow postgraduate students

It may feel like conferences are the ideal opportunity to meet that famous professor whose papers you find have really nurtured your interest in a subject. However, conferences also often have many postgraduate students (like you) who attend. Getting to know those students (who have similar research interests to you) enables you to discover potential points of collaboration, as well as perhaps also allowing you to make new friends. 

Postgraduate students are likely to be new to the process of presenting at a conference too and so together it is possible to learn from each other.

3.  Know your audience

This famous piece of advice from the business world is also very relevant in academia. When you are presenting a paper, you want to know who exactly you are presenting it to. Once you have identified the type of conference attendee you want to address, you need to demonstrate to them why your research is original and (even more importantly) why it matters.

4.  Learn from others

It is natural to be focused on how we perform at a conference. However, it is also vital that you make the most of the chance to hear about others’ research. Not only does engaging with the work of others demonstrate intellectual generosity, but it also provides you with the opportunity to stay up to date with the latest innovations in a field. You can also take notes from presentations that you find are particularly effective, thinking about what they do so well and then incorporate that into your own papers.