---
layout: post
status: publish
published: true
title: Is it worth presenting at postgraduate conferences?

wordpress_id: 1459
wordpress_url: https://www.martineve.com/?p=1459
date: !binary |-
  MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAxODoyNTozNCArMDIwMA==
date_gmt: !binary |-
  MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAxODoyNTozNCArMDIwMA==
categories:
- Conferences
- Academia
tags:
- academia
- PhDchat
comments:
- id: 6529
  author: Andy Coverdale
  author_email: andy.coverdale@gmail.com
  author_url: http://phdblog.net/
  date: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAxOTo0NDowMCArMDIwMA==
  date_gmt: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAxOTo0NDowMCArMDIwMA==
  content: Some good points here Martin, though it's worth remembering that 'bigger'
    conferences  often employ tracks for doctoral students, therefore providing the
    peer-based supportive environment you mention, but possibly limiting opportunities
    for connecting with senior academics. Best keep us separate in case we misbehave
    :)
- id: 6530
  author: Guest
  author_email: guest@gmail.com
  author_url: ''
  date: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAxOTo1MjowMCArMDIwMA==
  date_gmt: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAxOTo1MjowMCArMDIwMA==
  content: I find it amazing there should be doubt whether it's "worth" to present
    at postgraduate conferences. Attending postgraduate conferences is an essential
    element in the experience of being a scholar. There's many things that are wrong
    in academia (including how little funding there is for PG students to attend conferences),
    but I find worrying that students should be asking this question. What's the definition
    of 'worth'? Sad times... 
- id: 6531
  author: Martin Paul Eve
  author_email: martin@martineve.com
  author_url: https://www.martineve.com
  date: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAxOTo1NzowMCArMDIwMA==
  date_gmt: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAxOTo1NzowMCArMDIwMA==
  content: In a utopian spirit, I'd totally agree, but the question arose as a result
    of the time pressure that is put on postgraduate students. We teach, we publish,
    we research, we present at conferences. Some of us also work part-time. With so
    little time available, the "worth" is in terms of time trade-off against benefit
    for one's research, for one's career and, as I should have mentioned above, for
    one's audience. In an ideal world, we would have enough time so that presenting
    at a postgraduate conference would make no incursion into that, enough time to
    present everywhere, but that's not how things are.
- id: 6532
  author: JS
  author_email: jemima.sandhu@gmail.com
  author_url: ''
  date: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAyMjowOTowMCArMDIwMA==
  date_gmt: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAyMjowOTowMCArMDIwMA==
  content: With regard to your point about connecting with academics, it seems we
    are in the middle of a huge upheaval in how, when and where we connect with people
    in general. Connections can be more easily made through social media so the gatekeeping
    functions of the "tracks" you mentioned are mitigated somewhat, or a lot.
- id: 6533
  author: Jemima Sandhu
  author_email: jemima.sandhu@gmail.com
  author_url: ''
  date: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAyMjoxMzowMCArMDIwMA==
  date_gmt: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAyMjoxMzowMCArMDIwMA==
  content: ! 'I think the whole idea of conferences (PG and non-PG) needs to be critically
    examined anyway. Are they really the best means for stimulating discussion? Are
    they perhaps exclusionary to those who perhaps do not thrive in that environment? '
- id: 6534
  author: Jemima Sandhu
  author_email: jemima.sandhu@gmail.com
  author_url: ''
  date: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAyMjoxNjowMCArMDIwMA==
  date_gmt: !binary |-
    MjAxMS0wOS0wNiAyMjoxNjowMCArMDIwMA==
  content: ! 'I agree with MPE. There is simply no time to everything that could potentially
    be "useful" and many students are working part-time while carrying full course
    loads. There is also a lot of rethinking going on about what is "essential" to
    being a scholar and what is not. '
---
<p>I've just been asked on Twitter as to whether it's worth presenting at postgraduate conferences and thought I'd share my thoughts in a short post. </p>
<p>Answer: it depends what you want to get from a conference. If you are looking to meet intellectually stimulating people, get experience presenting and genuine feedback on your work, then a postgraduate conference is great. You'll meet peers with whom you can collaborate and you are likely to receive more attention than presenting in a small parallel session at a bigger conference. </p>
<p>What you are unlikely to receive are the career progressing networking opportunities afforded by conferences that span the whole field. Grim as it is, knowing the right people can go a long way in academia and your fellow postgraduates will most likely not afford you the recognition in your area that is required to get an academic job. This isn't always the case, consider that you could meet a peer with whom you could co-author a published paper, which would certainly advance your career prospects, but it's worth considering. </p>
<p><i>Featured image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/atmasphere/">atmasphere</a> under a CC-BY-NC-ND license.</i></p>