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Academic Proposals

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This resource introduces the genre of academic proposals and provides strategies for developing effective graduate-level proposals across multiple contexts.

Introduction

An important part of the work completed in academia is sharing our scholarship with others. Such communication takes place when we present at scholarly conferences, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and publish in books. This OWL resource addresses the steps in writing for a variety of academic proposals.

For samples of academic proposals, click here .

Important considerations for the writing process

First and foremost, you need to consider your future audience carefully in order to determine both how specific your topic can be and how much background information you need to provide in your proposal. While some conferences and journals may be subject-specific, most will require you to address an audience that does not conduct research on the same topics as you. Conference proposal reviewers are often drawn from professional organization members or other attendees, while journal proposals are typically reviewed by the editorial staff, so you need to ensure that your proposal is geared toward the knowledge base and expectations of whichever audience will read your work.

Along those lines, you might want to check whether you are basing your research on specific prior research and terminology that requires further explanation. As a rule, always phrase your proposal clearly and specifically, avoid over-the-top phrasing and jargon, but do not negate your own personal writing style in the process.

If you would like to add a quotation to your proposal, you are not required to provide a citation or footnote of the source, although it is generally preferred to mention the author’s name. Always put quotes in quotation marks and take care to limit yourself to at most one or two quotations in the entire proposal text. Furthermore, you should always proofread your proposal carefully and check whether you have integrated details, such as author’s name, the correct number of words, year of publication, etc. correctly.

Methodology is often a key factor in the evaluation of proposals for any academic genre — but most proposals have such a small word limit that writers find it difficult to adequately include methods while also discussing their argument, background for the study, results, and contributions to knowledge. It's important to make sure that you include some information about the methods used in your study, even if it's just a line or two; if your proposal isn't experimental in nature, this space should instead describe the theory, lens, or approach you are taking to arrive at your conclusions.

Reasons proposals fail/common pitfalls

There are common pitfalls that you might need to improve on for future proposals.

The proposal does not reflect your enthusiasm and persuasiveness, which usually goes hand in hand with hastily written, simply worded proposals. Generally, the better your research has been, the more familiar you are with the subject and the more smoothly your proposal will come together.

Similarly, proposing a topic that is too broad can harm your chances of being accepted to a conference. Be sure to have a clear focus in your proposal. Usually, this can be avoided by more advanced research to determine what has already been done, especially if the proposal is judged by an important scholar in the field. Check the names of keynote speakers and other attendees of note to avoid repeating known information or not focusing your proposal.

Your paper might simply have lacked the clear language that proposals should contain. On this linguistic level, your proposal might have sounded repetitious, have had boring wording, or simply displayed carelessness and a lack of proofreading, all of which can be remedied by more revisions. One key tactic for ensuring you have clear language in your proposal is signposting — you can pick up key phrases from the CFP, as well as use language that indicates different sections in academic work (as in IMRAD sections from the organization and structure page in this resource). This way, reviewers can easily follow your proposal and identify its relatedness to work in the field and the CFP.

Conference proposals

Conference proposals are a common genre in graduate school that invite several considerations for writing depending on the conference and requirements of the call for papers.

Beginning the process

Make sure you read the call for papers carefully to consider the deadline and orient your topic of presentation around the buzzwords and themes listed in the document. You should take special note of the deadline and submit prior to that date, as most conferences use online submission systems that will close on a deadline and will not accept further submissions.

If you have previously spoken on or submitted a proposal on the same topic, you should carefully adjust it specifically for this conference or even completely rewrite the proposal based on your changing and evolving research.

The topic you are proposing should be one that you can cover easily within a time frame of approximately fifteen to twenty minutes. You should stick to the required word limit of the conference call. The organizers have to read a large number of proposals, especially in the case of an international or interdisciplinary conference, and will appreciate your brevity.

Structure and components

Conference proposals differ widely across fields and even among individual conferences in a field. Some just request an abstract, which is written similarly to any other abstract you'd write for a journal article or other publication. Some may request abstracts or full papers that fit into pre-existing sessions created by conference organizers. Some request both an abstract and a further description or proposal, usually in cases where the abstract will be published in the conference program and the proposal helps organizers decide which papers they will accept.

If the conference you are submitting to requires a proposal or description, there are some common elements you'll usually need to include. These are a statement of the problem or topic, a discussion of your approach to the problem/topic, a discussion of findings or expected findings, and a discussion of key takeaways or relevance to audience members. These elements are typically given in this order and loosely follow the IMRAD structure discussed in the organization and structure page in this resource.

The proportional size of each of these elements in relation to one another tends to vary by the stage of your research and the relationship of your topic to the field of the conference. If your research is very early on, you may spend almost no time on findings, because you don't have them yet. Similarly, if your topic is a regular feature at conferences in your field, you may not need to spend as much time introducing it or explaining its relevance to the field; however, if you are working on a newer topic or bringing in a topic or problem from another discipline, you may need to spend slightly more space explaining it to reviewers. These decisions should usually be based on an analysis of your audience — what information can reviewers be reasonably expected to know, and what will you have to tell them?

Journal Proposals

Most of the time, when you submit an article to a journal for publication, you'll submit a finished manuscript which contains an abstract, the text of the article, the bibliography, any appendices, and author bios. These can be on any topic that relates to the journal's scope of interest, and they are accepted year-round.

Special issues , however, are planned issues of a journal that center around a specific theme, usually a "hot topic" in the field. The editor or guest editors for the special issue will often solicit proposals with a call for papers (CFP) first, accept a certain number of proposals for further development into article manuscripts, and then accept the final articles for the special issue from that smaller pool. Special issues are typically the only time when you will need to submit a proposal to write a journal article, rather than submitting a completed manuscript.

Journal proposals share many qualities with conference proposals: you need to write for your audience, convey the significance of your work, and condense the various sections of a full study into a small word or page limit. In general, the necessary components of a proposal include:

Problem or topic statement that defines the subject of your work (often includes research questions)
Background information (think literature review) that indicates the topic's importance in your field as well as indicates that your research adds something to the scholarship on this topic
Methodology and methods used in the study (and an indication of why these methods are the correct ones for your research questions)
Results or findings (which can be tentative or preliminary, if the study has not yet been completed)
Significance and implications of the study (what will readers learn? why should they care?)

This order is a common one because it loosely follows the IMRAD (introduction, methods, results and discussion) structure often used in academic writing; however, it is not the only possible structure or even always the best structure. You may need to move these elements around depending on the expectations in your field, the word or page limit, or the instructions given in the CFP.

Some of the unique considerations of journal proposals are:

The CFP may ask you for an abstract, a proposal, or both. If you need to write an abstract, look for more information on the abstract page. If you need to write both an abstract and a proposal, make sure to clarify for yourself what the difference is. Usually the proposal needs to include more information about the significance, methods, and/or background of the study than will fit in the abstract, but often the CFP itself will give you some instructions as to what information the editors are wanting in each piece of writing.
Journal special issue CFPs, like conference CFPs, often include a list of topics or questions that describe the scope of the special issue. These questions or topics are a good starting place for generating a proposal or tying in your research; ensuring that your work is a good fit for the special issue and articulating why that is in the proposal increases your chances of being accepted.
Special issues are not less valuable or important than regularly scheduled issues; therefore, your proposal needs to show that your work fits and could readily be accepted in any other issue of the journal. This means following some of the same practices you would if you were preparing to submit a manuscript to a journal: reading the journal's author submission guidelines; reading the last several years of the journal to understand the usual topics, organization, and methods; citing pieces from this journal and other closely related journals in your research.

Book Proposals

While the requirements are very similar to those of conference proposals, proposals for a book ought to address a few other issues.

General considerations

Since these proposals are of greater length, the publisher will require you to delve into greater detail as well—for instance, regarding the organization of the proposed book or article.

Publishers generally require a clear outline of the chapters you are proposing and an explication of their content, which can be several pages long in its entirety.

You will need to incorporate knowledge of relevant literature, use headings and sub-headings that you should not use in conference proposals. Be sure to know who wrote what about your topic and area of interest, even if you are proposing a less scholarly project.

Publishers prefer depth rather than width when it comes to your topic, so you should be as focused as possible and further outline your intended audience.

You should always include information regarding your proposed deadlines for the project and how you will execute this plan, especially in the sciences. Potential investors or publishers need to know that you have a clear and efficient plan to accomplish your proposed goals. Depending on the subject area, this information can also include a proposed budget, materials or machines required to execute this project, and information about its industrial application.

Pre-writing strategies

As John Boswell (cited in: Larsen, Michael. How to Write a Book Proposal. Writers Digest Books , 2004. p. 1) explains, “today fully 90 percent of all nonfiction books sold to trade publishers are acquired on the basis of a proposal alone.” Therefore, editors and agents generally do not accept completed manuscripts for publication, as these “cannot (be) put into the usual channels for making a sale”, since they “lack answers to questions of marketing, competition, and production.” (Lyon, Elizabeth. Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write . Perigee Trade, 2002. pp. 6-7.)

In contrast to conference or, to a lesser degree, chapter proposals, a book proposal introduces your qualifications for writing it and compares your work to what others have done or failed to address in the past.

As a result, you should test the idea with your networks and, if possible, acquire other people’s proposals that discuss similar issues or have a similar format before submitting your proposal. Prior to your submission, it is recommended that you write at least part of the manuscript in addition to checking the competition and reading all about the topic.

The following is a list of questions to ask yourself before committing to a book project, but should in no way deter you from taking on a challenging project (adapted from Lyon 27). Depending on your field of study, some of these might be more relevant to you than others, but nonetheless useful to reiterate and pose to yourself.

Do you have sufficient enthusiasm for a project that may span years?
Will publication of your book satisfy your long-term career goals?
Do you have enough material for such a long project and do you have the background knowledge and qualifications required for it?
Is your book idea better than or different from other books on the subject? Does the idea spark enthusiasm not just in yourself but others in your field, friends, or prospective readers?
Are you willing to acquire any lacking skills, such as, writing style, specific terminology and knowledge on that field for this project? Will it fit into your career and life at the time or will you not have the time to engage in such extensive research?

Essential elements of a book proposal

Your book proposal should include the following elements:

Your proposal requires the consideration of the timing and potential for sale as well as its potential for subsidiary rights.
It needs to include an outline of approximately one paragraph to one page of prose (Larsen 6) as well as one sample chapter to showcase the style and quality of your writing.
You should also include the resources you need for the completion of the book and a biographical statement (“About the Author”).
Your proposal must contain your credentials and expertise, preferably from previous publications on similar issues.
A book proposal also provides you with the opportunity to include information such as a mission statement, a foreword by another authority, or special features—for instance, humor, anecdotes, illustrations, sidebars, etc.
You must assess your ability to promote the book and know the market that you target in all its statistics.

The following proposal structure, as outlined by Peter E. Dunn for thesis and fellowship proposals, provides a useful guide to composing such a long proposal (Dunn, Peter E. “Proposal Writing.” Center for Instructional Excellence, Purdue University, 2007):

Literature Review
Identification of Problem
Statement of Objectives
Rationale and Significance
Methods and Timeline
Literature Cited

Most proposals for manuscripts range from thirty to fifty pages and, apart from the subject hook, book information (length, title, selling handle), markets for your book, and the section about the author, all the other sections are optional. Always anticipate and answer as many questions by editors as possible, however.

Finally, include the best chapter possible to represent your book's focus and style. Until an agent or editor advises you to do otherwise, follow your book proposal exactly without including something that you might not want to be part of the book or improvise on possible expected recommendations.

Publishers expect to acquire the book's primary rights, so that they can sell it in an adapted or condensed form as well. Mentioning any subsidiary rights, such as translation opportunities, performance and merchandising rights, or first-serial rights, will add to the editor's interest in buying your book. It is enticing to publishers to mention your manuscript's potential to turn into a series of books, although they might still hesitate to buy it right away—at least until the first one has been a successful endeavor.

The sample chapter

Since editors generally expect to see about one-tenth of a book, your sample chapter's length should reflect that in these building blocks of your book. The chapter should reflect your excitement and the freshness of the idea as well as surprise editors, but do not submit part of one or more chapters. Always send a chapter unless your credentials are impeccable due to prior publications on the subject. Do not repeat information in the sample chapter that will be covered by preceding or following ones, as the outline should be designed in such a way as to enable editors to understand the context already.

How to make your proposal stand out

Depending on the subject of your book, it is advisable to include illustrations that exemplify your vision of the book and can be included in the sample chapter. While these can make the book more expensive, it also increases the salability of the project. Further, you might consider including outstanding samples of your published work, such as clips from periodicals, if they are well-respected in the field. Thirdly, cover art can give your potential publisher a feel for your book and its marketability, especially if your topic is creative or related to the arts.

In addition, professionally formatting your materials will give you an edge over sloppy proposals. Proofread the materials carefully, use consistent and carefully organized fonts, spacing, etc., and submit your proposal without staples; rather, submit it in a neat portfolio that allows easy access and reassembling. However, check the submission guidelines first, as most proposals are submitted digitally. Finally, you should try to surprise editors and attract their attention. Your hook, however, should be imaginative but inexpensive (you do not want to bribe them, after all). Make sure your hook draws the editors to your book proposal immediately (Adapted from Larsen 154-60).

How to Write a Winning Conference Proposal (+Examples)

Discover the art of writing irresistible conference proposals with our guide. Get practical tips and inspiring examples usable as templates to succeed.

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Short answer

What is a conference proposal?

A conference proposal is a detailed pitch for a presentation, workshop, or panel at a conference. It outlines your topic, approach, and how it benefits attendees, aiming to convince organizers of your session's value and relevance to their audience.

Even the best ideas can get rejected without a solid proposal

You've got an idea. Not just any idea, but one that sparks interest, drives innovation, and perfectly aligns with your chosen conference's theme. You're ready to share it with the world, confident it will make an impact.

But, in a sea of professionals, all armed with compelling insights, the harsh reality is that not every great idea can make it onto the stage.

Why? Because when slots are limited and competition is fierce, it's not just about what you say; it's about how you say it.

Don’t worry, though - I’ve got you covered. With a blend of expert insights, straightforward tips, and relatable examples instantly usable as templates, I’m here to guide you through creating a proposal that shines brighter than the rest.

Let’s get started!

What are the main types of conference proposals?

Understanding the different types of conference proposals is crucial for tailoring your submission to fit the unique format and audience engagement you're aiming for.

Whether you're a seasoned academic or a professional stepping into the conference scene, knowing these distinctions can significantly enhance your chances of acceptance.

4 main types of conference proposals:

CONFERENCE PAPER PROPOSALS

CONFERENCE POSTER PROPOSALS

ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS

PANEL/SESSION PROPOSALS

Conference paper proposals

Scholarly paper: This type involves a deep dive into theoretical or conceptual analysis. You're expected to present an idea, backed by thorough research and a review of existing literature, arguing for a new perspective or approach.

Empirical paper: Focused on research findings, empirical papers require you to present preliminary results and analyses. These are grounded in your methodology, whether qualitative, quantitative, or a mix, offering concrete insights into your study.

Conference poster proposals

Ideal for early-stage research or when seeking more interactive feedback, poster proposals allow you to visually present your work. Attendees can engage directly with you, offering a more personalized discussion about your research findings and methodology.

Round table discussions

These are perfect for fostering in-depth conversations on a specific topic. By sitting at a round table, participants are there specifically to engage with your work, providing a unique opportunity for detailed feedback and networking.

Panel/Session proposals

When you're looking to create a broader dialogue around a cohesive theme, panel or session proposals are the way to go. These involve coordinating multiple speakers to present on related topics, enriching the conference program with diverse perspectives and expertise.

What is a typical conference proposal outline?

The right conference proposal outline is not just a list; it's a carefully crafted narrative that guides your readers through your thought process, convincing them of the value and relevance of your work.

Here's how to structure your proposal to make a lasting impression, ensuring every element works together to showcase your idea in the best light possible.

11 essential elements of a conference proposal:

Title: Your first opportunity to grab attention. Make it informative and compelling, reflecting the essence of your presentation.

Abstract: A concise summary that highlights your proposal's main idea, objectives, and significance, offering a snapshot of what to expect.

Introduction: Introduce your topic, its relevance, and its significance to the conference audience, setting the context for your proposal.

Objectives and goals: Clearly articulate what you aim to achieve, aligning your objectives with the overarching themes of the conference.

Theoretical framework: For scholarly proposals, outline the theories or concepts that underpin your argument or research, providing a solid foundation.

Methodology: Detail the methods used in your research, essential for empirical studies, including how data was collected and analyzed.

Preliminary findings or arguments: Present the core results of your research or the principal arguments of your analysis, offering insights into the value of your work.

Significance and contribution: Demonstrate how your proposal advances the field, fills a knowledge gap, or presents a new perspective.

Conclusion: Sum up the key points of your proposal, reinforcing its relevance and potential impact on the conference and its audience.

References: List key references to acknowledge prior work and contextualize your proposal within the broader discourse.

Biographical note: Provide a brief bio to highlight your expertise and qualifications, establishing your credibility on the topic.

What is the best conference proposal format?

In the past, conference proposals often looked a lot like academic papers: lots of text, packed into PDFs or Word documents. While this method was thorough, it sometimes made it tough for readers to quickly grasp the heart of your ideas. I

But here's the thing – the way we share and digest information has changed, and so have the expectations around conference proposals.

The truth is, walls of text don't engage us like they used to. In our fast-paced, digital world, engagement is key. People want to interact with the content they're consuming, not just passively read it.

So, how do you make your conference proposal stand out? By bringing it to life with interactivity.

Think about adding clickable links that dive deeper into your research, embedding short videos that summarize your findings, or including interactive charts that let readers explore your data firsthand.

These interactive elements can transform your proposal from a static document into an engaging journey, making your ideas shine brighter and encouraging a deeper exploration of your work.

Here’s an overview of the most popular formats:

Conference proposal examples that get you accepted

The best conference proposals out there, the ones that effortlessly make their way onto conference agendas, all share a few key traits.

First off, they lay out their ideas in a way that's easy to grasp, avoiding jargon and fluff. They're also incredibly engaging, drawing readers in with compelling narratives, interactive elements, or fascinating findings.

Plus, they demonstrate the significance of their work, showing how it pushes the envelope in their field.

The examples we’re about to explore have all mastered this art. I’m about to share what makes each of them particularly successful, so you can easily apply the same principles to your deck.

Conference workshop proposal

This conference workshop proposal has been designed to offer a comprehensive overview of an upcoming workshop aimed at enhancing data-driven decision-making skills.

It stands out for its strategic structure, engaging content, and interactive elements, making it a compelling read for organizers, potential participants, or sponsors.

What makes this conference proposal great:

Clear agenda slide: The proposal features a well-organized agenda slide that outlines the workshop's flow, including sessions on interactive design principles, tool proficiency, storytelling for impact, and ethics in data representation.

Clear outline of costs: The deck includes a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with different parts of the workshop, such as hands-on workshops, expert-led demonstrations, and panel discussions.

Option to embed external links or videos: The proposal leverages the capability to embed external links or videos, enriching the presentation with additional resources and multimedia content.

Conference pitch deck

This presentation is a great example of how to effectively communicate the essence and value of a conference.

By balancing text and visuals, providing options for customization, and clearly outlining budgetary considerations, it stands out as a compelling tool for engaging potential sponsors and attendees.

What makes this deck stand out:

Use of grayed-out content: The deck employs grayed-out content strategically, focusing the reader's attention on key points and making the presentation easier to follow.

Option to edit details post-send: Offering the flexibility to edit details after sending the deck ensures that the information remains up-to-date and can be tailored to the recipient's interests or feedback, enhancing the personalization of the pitch.

Clear budget outline: A transparent and detailed budget outline is provided, giving potential sponsors and partners a clear understanding of the financial aspects of the conference.

Conference presentation design proposal

This proposal is a prime example of how to effectively pitch a conference presentation design service. It's tailored for companies looking to enhance their conference presentations with dynamic and engaging design solutions.

The agency promises to tackle common challenges like design complexity, audience engagement, and message clarity, using innovative design strategies to propel clients' messages forward.

Interactive data visualization components: The proposal highlights the use of interactive data visualizations, ensuring that complex information is presented in an engaging and understandable way.

Expandable text sections: It incorporates expandable text sections, allowing readers to dive deeper into specific areas of interest without overwhelming them with information upfront.

Clear next steps outline: The proposal concludes with a well-defined outline of next steps, from consultation to implementation kickoff.

Conference funding proposal

This conference funding proposal is a masterclass in how to effectively seek sponsorship and support for a high-profile event.

It’s designed not just to inform but to engage potential sponsors, offering them a clear vision of the event's impact and the benefits of partnership.

Video on the cover slide: The inclusion of a video right on the cover slide immediately captures attention, providing a dynamic introduction to the proposal and setting the tone for what's to come.

Content segmented in tabs: The proposal smartly segments its sponsorship packages (Silver, Gold, Platinum) into tabs, making it easy for potential sponsors to navigate through options and find the one that best fits their budget and marketing goals.

Narrator slide: A dedicated slide narrates the success of past events. This builds credibility, but also lets readers explore the tangible benefits previous sponsors have enjoyed at their own pace.

Summit sponsorship proposal

This proposal stands out by effectively communicating the value proposition to potential sponsors, showcasing how their brand can benefit from being associated with the summit.

Testimonials slide: Including a slide dedicated to testimonials from previous sponsors or partners, complete with customizable logos, adds a layer of trust and credibility.

Option to embed external links: The ability to embed external links within the proposal offers sponsors direct access to more detailed information, such as past event highlights, detailed sponsorship package benefits, or even media coverage.

Multiple image and video placeholders: Incorporating various placeholders for images and enables the presentation of compelling content that can showcase past events, highlight attendee testimonials, or even offer a virtual tour of the venue.

Conference sponsorship proposal

This conference sponsorship proposal stands out for its strategic approach to presenting information, its innovative features designed to enhance sponsor engagement, and its visually appealing presentation.

It serves as an effective tool for securing sponsorships and reflects your company’s professionalism and commitment to creating mutually beneficial partnerships.

Option to extract branding from any website: This innovative feature allows you to easily integrate your branding into the event's promotional materials, ensuring a seamless and consistent brand presence throughout the conference.

Perfect balance of text and visuals: The proposal strikes an ideal balance between informative text and engaging visuals, making it easy for potential sponsors to quickly grasp the event's essence and the sponsorship opportunities available.

Clean layout: The clean and organized layout of the proposal ensures that information is presented clearly and concisely, making it easy for readers to navigate through the different sections and understand the key points.

Conference sponsorship deck

By combining scroll-based design, actionable features, and smart security measures, this conference sponsorship deck conveys the value of the event and facilitates a smooth transition from interest to action.

Scroll-based design: As viewers scroll through the deck, they're taken on a guided journey through the conference's highlights, sponsorship packages, and key benefits. This keeps potential sponsors engaged and interested in learning more.

Embedded calendar: Including a calendar as a call-to-action is a smart move. It enables potential sponsors to immediately book a meeting or express interest, reducing the friction in the follow-up process and increasing the chances of securing sponsorship.

Smart control measures: The ability to lock the deck with a password adds an extra layer of security and exclusivity. It ensures that only intended recipients can access the information, protecting sensitive details about the event and sponsorship opportunities.

Proposal for organizing a conference event

This proposal, while more aligned with event organization, showcases a dynamic and engaging approach to presenting a conference concept.

It's a vivid example of how modern proposals can captivate and communicate effectively, blending detailed planning with interactive elements to draw the reader in.

Average reading time on the cover: Immediately, readers know how much time they'll need to invest, setting expectations and respecting their time from the outset.

Dynamic variables for personalization: The use of placeholders like {{first_name}} suggests a tailored experience, making each reader feel directly addressed and valued.

Running numbers for key metrics: Presenting key metrics such as the number of events organized and happy customers offers concrete evidence of success, building trust and credibility.

Conference event proposal

This proposal is an example of how to effectively communicate the essence, value, and logistical details of a significant corporate event.

By incorporating a clear event program timeline, showcasing their portfolio, and enabling social media engagement, it effectively positions the summit as a must-attend event for industry leaders looking to drive business success through innovation and collaboration.

Timeline slide: The proposal includes a timeline slide that provides an overview of the event's program. It outlines the sequence of sessions and workshops, ensuring attendees understand the flow of the event and the value it offers.

Option to add a portfolio: This option lets you showcase previous successful events and build trust with potential attendees and sponsors by providing tangible evidence of your expertise.

Social media icons: The proposal cleverly integrates social media icons with external links, enabling readers to easily connect with you on various platforms.

How do you write a conference proposal?

Writing a conference proposal is more than just pitching an idea; it's about crafting a message that resonates with both the organizers and the attendees.

It requires you to distill complex concepts into a compelling narrative, focusing on maximizing impact and alignment with conference goals.

Here's how to write your conference proposal to capture attention and secure your spot on the stage.

1) Understand the selection criteria

Start by getting familiar with the conference's goals and themes. Tailoring your proposal to reflect these specifics shows that you've done your homework and are committed to contributing value.

Whether it's highlighting how your topic supports the conference's overarching theme or addressing a gap in the current discourse, alignment with the conference's goals is crucial.

2) Identify current trends or unique angles

Understanding what's currently trending in your field can significantly enhance the relevance of your proposal. Dive into recent journals, conference programs, and discussions with peers to grasp the hot topics.

However, the key is not just to follow the trends but to offer a fresh perspective or a unique angle on a well-trodden subject.

This approach ensures your proposal adds new value to the ongoing conversation, making it more appealing to conference organizers.

3) Craft a compelling abstract

Your abstract is the essence of your presentation, distilled into a few powerful sentences. It should clearly articulate the problem you're addressing, your unique approach or solution, and the impact or takeaway for the audience.

A well-crafted abstract makes your proposal stand out by providing a clear and engaging summary of what attendees can expect.

4) Clearly define your intended audience

Identifying your target audience within the proposal shows that you've considered who will find your session most valuable.

Detailing this helps organizers see how your presentation fits into the broader conference agenda and appeals to attendees.

5) Choose the best format for your message

Conferences offer various formats for presentations, from workshops and poster sessions to panels and individual talks. Selecting the right format for your content can enhance its impact.

Consider your strengths and the nature of your message when choosing how to present it. Interactive workshops are great for practical takeaways, while panel discussions can offer diverse perspectives on a complex issue.

6) Use data to support your proposal

Where applicable, include data or research findings that support the need for your session or its relevance.

This could be survey results indicating interest in your topic, statistics highlighting a problem your session addresses, or data from your own research.

Including evidence makes your proposal more persuasive and underscores the value of your contribution.

7) Define clear outcomes

Be explicit about what you want your audience to learn or achieve by attending your session. Whether it's new knowledge, skills, or perspectives, your proposal should outline the specific outcomes you aim for.

Design your presentation to deliver these outcomes, ensuring your audience leaves with valuable insights they can apply in their own contexts.

8) Incorporate active learning opportunities

Modern audiences expect more than just to listen; they want to participate. Design your session to include opportunities for active learning, such as discussions, hands-on activities, or interactive Q&A segments.

Highlighting these elements in your proposal can make your session more attractive to both organizers and attendees.

9) Submit multiple proposals

If the conference allows, submitting more than one proposal can significantly increase your chances of being selected. Each proposal is a unique opportunity to showcase a different aspect of your expertise or interest.

However, ensure each idea is well-thought-out and relevant to the conference themes. This strategy not only shows your enthusiasm but also your versatility as a speaker.

10) Incorporate evidence of past success

Your proposal should clearly communicate why you are the right person to present on the topic. Include brief mentions of your education, experience, or unique insights that qualify you as an expert.

If you've spoken at other conferences or have relevant accomplishments, briefly mention these in your proposal.

If you're early in your career, consider co-presenting with a more experienced colleague to combine fresh perspectives with proven expertise.

11) End with a smart call to action

Incorporating a smart call to action, such as an embedded calendar link for a meeting or a QR code for additional resources, can set your proposal apart.

It shows you're proactive and ready to engage further, making it easier for the committee to envision working with you.

Example of an effective call to action:

Interactive conference proposal templates

Starting from scratch on a conference proposal can be quite challenging. You need to strike the perfect balance between being informative and engaging, without overwhelming your audience with too much text.

Interactive conference proposal templates serve as a structured guide, helping you navigate through the essential components of your proposal.

They ensure that you cover all the necessary points in a concise manner, making the writing process smoother and more efficient.

Just grab one.

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Dave Cheney

The acme of foolishness, how to write a successful conference proposal, why public speaking is good for your career, presentations and proposals are different things.

Your talk and the proposal to give that talk are different because they target different audiences. The former is what you are going to present on stage, the latter is a pitch to the reviewers to let you give that presentation.

Writing a good conference proposal is a different skill than writing the presentation itself . This article is aimed at writing a good proposal with a focus on the reviewer of your proposal as the audience.

Focus on the audience

Speaking of audiences, good public speakers start planning a presentation by identifying the audience they want to address. Presenting at a conference is like teaching a class, you have to present the material at the level of the people in the room.

It’s not just a question of beginner, advanced, or expert, you also have to consider the kinds of people at the conference. If it’s a vendor conference, there are probably going to be lots of managers, (pre) sales people, and business decision makers in the audience. While they might also be competent engineers, they’re at that conference wearing their business leader hat. They want to hear a different story; reliability, ease of maintenance, or evidence of widespread adoption, than an audience of software engineers who are more likely interested in things such as performance, orthogonality, and extensiblity.

Who are the reviewers?

Who are the reviewers and what do they want.

For smaller conferences it’ll be the organiser, or organisers, of the conference you’re applying too. For larger conferences it will likely be a group of reviewers who the organisers have invited to review proposals, this is the model that GopherCon follows. For really large conferences, such as OSCON, they will have a group of reviewers per track who funnel their recommendations up to a programme chair or set of program coordinators.

Regardless of their size, conference reviewers are charged with recommending to the organisers a set of talks they think are interesting and appropriate for the audience of the conference.

Most review panels are confidential, so you shouldn’t know anything about the individual reviewers, although you can probably guess that they will be experienced in the subject of your conference.

Most proposal are reviewed anonymously, at least in the initial rounds. This means the reviewers must judge your proposal, and your ability to present it, using only the fields provided on the submission form.

it’s important to remember that at least in part, all conferences are commercial enterprises. Venue owners have bills to pay just like the rest of us, and at a minimum speakers need to be compensated for their travel and lodging, otherwise the programme will be filled with people who are paid by their employer to speak.

To put it bluntly, reviewers are looking for talks that people will pay to see. This might sound capitalistic, but it turns out that this is what the audience want as well. At GopherCon we cover the travel and accommodation expenses of all our speakers. We think this is important because we want to hear what the speaker thinks, not their marketing department.

All of these are factors that reviewers will be considering when reading your proposal.

What to put in a proposal

Almost every conference call for proposals will ask for the following; title, abstract, and description. They may ask for other things like a biography, questions about AV requirements for your talk, and so on, but with respect to successful acceptance, these three items are key.

A title is mandatory on almost every talk submission system I’ve seen. It’s your one line elevator pitch to entice the audience to come to your talk.

Keeping the title a little vague, or quixotic is popular, but I tend to stay away from 11 things that will make your proposal sound like a buzzfeed article. I’m not saying never do that, but if you do, you’d better pack a heck of a proposal behind your braggadocios

Conference organisers usually ask you to provide a talk abstract as they often don’t feel it is appropriate to summarise your proposal for you. This abstract will be printed in the program or placed on the website so potential visitors to the event know what they’ll be seeing.

There are usually restrictions on the size of the abstract. One sentence that describes the topic that you’ll be talking about, and one sentence that describes what the audience will take away from listening to your talk or participating in your workshop, is all you need.

Together with the title, these are the two pieces of information the eventual conference audience will use to decide if they want to come to your session or not.

Talk description

This is where you sell your talk idea, and the place, as a reviewer, I have seen so many good proposals with interesting ideas fail to make the cut because they simply didn’t include enough detail .

This is where my advice differs from other’s you’ll read on the web. Many pieces of advice encourage you to write less in your description, sometimes out of recognition that the organisers are busy and you don’t wish to burden them. I wanted to take some time to explain why I push every speaker to write more detail.

You are looking to do three things when writing a description of your talk:

Make it clear to the reviewers that you know what you are talking about.
That you have a plan to communicate what you know to the audience and you’ve thought about how to do this within the time limit of the speaking slot.
Answer all the selection criteria for the conference.

The first point is self explanatory, but you still need to make sure that you communicate this clearly to your reviewers. For example, if you’re talking about how to manage a large open source project, then make sure you mention that in the proposal, “as the maintainer of a large open source project”. If you plan to talk about a subject in the third person, then you should cite your sources, “for my PhD thesis I studied the day to day interactions of the top 10 projects on GitHub”. You don’t have to be an expert, but if your goal is to communicate something new to the audience, you should demonstrate that you know more about the topic than they do.

The second point relates to how likely you are to effectively communicate your ideas. The reviewers want to feel comfortable that you have a plan. It is all too common to see a proposal for an hour long session with only a sentence or two for the description. The less you write in a conference proposal, the more the reviewers are left to take it on faith that you’ll do a good job.

The opposite is also true. Occasionally I see a proposal for a talk that includes every possible aspect of a subject. Reviewers are generally wary that the speaker cannot cover all their material in the time available–few conferences can afford C++Con’s multi-part multi-hour format. A presenter that doesn’t manage their time, rambles without conclusion, or covers a lot of material in common knowledge is going to waste the audience’s time. That’s not just unfair to the audience, but unfair on the speakers that follow who must deal with a disgruntled audience.

One thing that I recommend to anyone considering submitting a proposal is to include an outline of your talk in the proposal. This can be literally the headings of your slides, or your ideas in bullet points. As a reviewer this makes it crystal clear that you’ve not only thought about your idea, but how to present it.

The last point, address all the selection criteria, I cannot emphasise enough. Review committees strive to be fair and often rate all proposal by a common standard. It crucial to address the selection criteria clearly as these are the ground rules by which every proposal are judged.

This point is probably the trickiest as not all conferences publish their selection criteria. Sometimes conferences ask for talks along a particular theme and these can be substituted for criteria in a pinch. If there are no criteria available–don’t guess, ask the organisers. If they don’t have any to share, which can happen with smaller conferences, then think about the audience and the wider ecosystem of the conference’s focus and ask yourself “if I were thinking about coming to this conference, what would I like to hear about?”

If you take away one thing from this section it is this– proposals with less detail loose out to proposals that provide more –as they do not provide the reviewer with sufficient evidence to be confident in their recommendations.

Don’t sell snow to Eskimos

Before closing I want to highlight a very common mistake I see in both conference proposals, and conference presentations, which is a speaker selling their audience on a thing the audience already likes.

To give an example, you wouldn’t go to the JVM Language Summit and give a presentation about how great the JVM is and they should use it. Instead, you’d go to the JVM language summit and show the audience the JVM is great by telling them about your project which was only possible because you chose to base it on the JVM.

Don’t take my word for it

Finally, if you’ve read this far, I encourage you to read what others have written on the topic, especially where their advice differs.

Karolina Szczur recently wrote a great article on writing conference proposals and includes many references to similar articles for further reading.

Reviewers are looking to put together the best conference they can. They want to see your talk on stage, but you have to give them the evidence they need to feel confident in recommending you. Show the reviewers you’ve thought about the audience, and you’ll make their decision a lot simpler.

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How to Write a Winning, 3-Part Conference Proposal

Most conferences receive more proposals than they can include, so how can you ensure that your’s ends up in the program ? In general reviewers are looking for papers that integrate well with the conference theme and offer a focused and original response towards current (relevant, important) issues. Your abstract is key here. It is must be clear, concise and persuasive. It helps if you think of it as a three-part document with an introduction, argument and conclusion:

Introduction

Choose a descriptive title that indicates your specific question, rather than a general topic. Ensure that readers can understand what your talk is about at a glance.
Fit your proposal to the conference theme (and comply with submission requirements!). Try to include buzzwords from the Call For Papers and list of suggested topics.
Introduce your topic by linking it to current debates. Outline and problematize those ideas, identifying any gaps, or unresolved issues within the literature. You don’t necessarily have to cite specific authors (or include footnotes) although it often helps if you do identify at least one, or two relevant theorists within the text.

This is where you need to promote your own thesis.

First, explain how your paper addresses the issues that you have just identified.
Explain why your question is significant, why your research is original and your observations important.
In a twenty-minute presentation it is likely that you will only have time to make 3 – 4 solid points leading towards a conclusion and discussion. It helps if you can outline what those points are and how you arrive at your conclusion.
Detail your thesis and methodology. For example you might argue that ‘by considering this specific material in this particular way I show these three things”. Ensure that your reasons for making these links are clear, so that readers are persuaded that your overall approach is persuasive, or at least of interest.
Concisely summarize the evidence you have gathered and what conclusions can be drawn from it.
End by emphasizing the important contribution, or impact of this research.

Finally, before you submit proofread your work. Use simple language and avoid jargon. Ensure that cited author names are spelt correctly and the year of publication is accurate. Check whether your audience is specialist, or interdisciplinary. If generalist, provide definitions and background details as required. Ask colleagues, or people outside of your field to read it. If they can’t understand your abstract then rewrite it.

If you are still rejected you can always email the selection committee and ask if they can give you any feedback to help your proposal for future submissions.

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Writing the Academic Conference Proposal

With another conference season about coming to an end, I thought I’d write my first GradHacker post on writing the academic conference proposal. Presenting at conferences is a big part of graduate student professional development and has traditionally been a key place for professional networking, both formal and informal. Attending conferences is also great for getting a pulse of the larger discipline in which the conference is situated, and participation in academic conferences can be fruitful for providing direction, encouragement, and self-reflexivity about one’s own work.

To present at a conference, you generally have to submit a proposal. The conference proposal is a rather unique kind of writing, and it can be difficult for people who are new to it. As a genre, conference proposals vary widely from discipline to discipline, so this post is going to include some very general tips based on my experiences writing and reviewing conference proposals that I hope will be applicable in many situations of conference proposal writing. (Workshop proposals are whole ‘nother ball game so I won’t go into that here.)

Also, a caveat: individual conferences will often have specifications about proposal length, format, and content, so that should always be your first point of reference and should hold veto power over anything I say below.

Consider Your Audience

As you’re writing your proposal, it’s important to consider things like the disciplinary background of potential reviewers. The easiest way to do this is by taking note of the disciplinary positioning of the conference itself, and whether or not the conference focuses on a particular sub-field of a larger discipline. You might then, for example, speak to the core scholarship of that sub-field or discipline by responding to, extending upon, or drawing from that scholarship. Aside from this, show your expertise while remaining accessible to a general academic audience.

Relate Your Topic to Larger Disciplinary Concerns

In relation to the previous point, an important part of engaging the interest of your audience in this particular context is by situating your presentation within larger disciplinary conversations & concerns. You might do this by citing a key source or scholar, or situating your work in line of inquiry or major debate in your field of study. You might briefly explain how your presentation contributes to the larger discipline: Does it challenge, extend, or complicate existing work in your field? If possible, highlight the broader implications of your presentation.

“Since the heated debate between Flower & Hayes and Cooper & Holzman in the early 1980s, cognitive approaches to understanding composing processes such as thinking-aloud protocols (TAP), have largely fallen out of popularity in the field of Rhetoric & Composition. In this presentation, I argue that we revive the debate and re-examine methods like TAP in the context of new media and multimodal digital composing.

“While we often link multimodality to combinations of sound, image, and movement on computer screens (Lauer, 2009), scholars like Palmeri (2007) remind us that multimodal composing is not always digital; complex assemblies of different modes of communication happen in a range of sites. Furthermore, Kress (2003) argued that communicative modes are connected to their spatio-temporal relations. This panel explores multimodality from a range of methodological and theoretical perspectives, asking: What might we gain by extending insights and questions from multimodal theory into a range of composing practices?”

Another way to relate your presentation to larger disciplinary concerns is by asking compelling questions that might indicate a new way of thinking about a particular topic or subject area.

“This presentation will examine how Korean female entrepreneurs in the U.S. are portrayed in the media, centralizing on the following questions: What happens when Euro-American conceptions of modernity, progress, and success move across borders and return in hybrid forms? What do media depictions of Korean female small business owners tell us about how these women are perceived by different groups? Finally, how do cross-cultural interactions rhetorically reconfigure the way different peoples make meaning of the world?”

“How, if at all, does the formulation of arrangement change in the domain of new media? What kinds of factors do people take into consideration when composing such digital compositions as mixtapes? What is factored into the arrangement process? Methodologically speaking, what are the affordances of using a method such as TAP? What are other viable methods for doing research on digital composing?”

Engage the Conference Theme

In my experience, many academic conferences are planned around specific themes, which you will find in the call for proposals/papers. Half the time these themes are cheesy and not very interesting, but it’s important to write your proposal with the call in mind because reviewers are generally asked to consider how well the proposal engages the conference theme during rating. These themes are also oftentimes general enough so that you can fit almost any presentation topic into it with a little tweaking, so don’t be dismayed if it initially seems that your work doesn’t fit the theme.

Get to the Point

Clarity is hugely important in these types of documents because most reviewers won’t want to spend too much time figuring out the point of a poorly written proposal. It’s generally suggested that you make your point early on, especially if you’re writing a 1-2 paragraph abstract (though proposal lengths vary depending on the conference). Another writing strategy that can help with clarity: take the time to check and see that individual sentences flow into one another well. Make good use of transitions so that connections between ideas are clear-this can really help give your writing the clarity it needs for quick skimming. Also, brevity is key. Wordiness can be a signal for reviewers that you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Proofread, Edit, Double-Check

This should probably go without saying, but just as a reminder: take the time to proofread your proposals. Some reviewers will be forgiving of typos and misspellings, but you never know if you’ll get that reviewer who is a stickler for grammar or who will find mechanical errors overly distracting.

Finally, if you’ve never presented at an academic conference before, (and I’m sure most of you have heard this before, but I’ll say it again) smaller regional conferences as well as graduate conferences are great places to acclimate to conference culture, as they are generally more friendly and welcoming toward newcomers. Otherwise, consider applying to one of your discipline(s)’ larger national conferences-my sense is that they tend to amp up your CV quite a bit more.

More information about writing Academic Conference Proposals here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/752/01/

Photo by Flickr user peruisay // Creative Commons licensed: CC-BY

19 Responses to Writing the Academic Conference Proposal

Great post, Jen! Maybe we can collaborate to create a “survival guide” for preparing for and attending field conferences? I know it’s something I’ve gotten better at doing as time has gone on…

One other bit of advice from the point of view of a reviewer of conference proposals. What tends to set great proposals apart from otherwise good ones is that the great ones:

Good: forecast your argument Great: explain your evidence and where it comes from

You’d be surprises how rarely folks do that second thing. Depending on the venue and type of proposal, the evidence itself can vary quite a bit. But do talk about it.

So rather than just saying “In this presentation, I will argue that…”

Say “Based on my analysis of ten years of author correspondence as well as a reading of the preliminary manuscripts, I will argue that…”

Your reviewers will thank you. ?

Fantastic tip, Bill!

Useful idea, Julie! I can definitely remember a time when presenting at conferences was something I hated more than anything in the world.

I think a “survival guide” to conferences would be incredibly helpful! I often go to conferences and see panicked eyes and frightened looks of newcomers who have trouble getting into the groove of things.

When I was organising a conference, one of the main flaws we saw in abstracts was being too jargon-laden (actually, we don’t know about the “ground breaking” work of Smith [2002] and Brown [2006]; if it’s an interdisciplinary conference you have to explain why it’s relevant). From grad students we also got submissions that were very derivative, essentially paraphrasing recent books on the topic. Try to say something original in your proposal (this should be obvious, but it wasn’t til I organised a conference that I saw the spectrum of submissions that come in).

Great post, Jen. And great points, too, Katrina. It amazes me how much of writing proposals are about attention to detail and knowing one’s audience. Someone else mentioned the “so what” factor: I know that my main objective is not to waste anyone’s time with my intended presentation/proposal and that idea has helped me be successful. Finally, I think having the input of my advisor has proven the really useful as well (although I was told to do fewer conferences this year. I guess there really is too much of a good thing!) ?

Great post! I’ve always had luck with my conference proposals getting accepted (well, 9 out of 10 times at least), and I blame this trend on one thing: helpful professors. Whenever I have a conference proposal that I am unsure about, I ask a professor (usually my advisor) to read over it and see what they think. As a result, my conference proposals have always been clean, clear, and straight to the point.

I have a pretty close relationship with my advisor, so this may not work for everyone, but I encourage grad students to seek out the thoughts of their advisors or other professors.

Great points, Katrina, and great suggestion, Trent!

I definitely agree that being aware of your audience and their disciplinary background(s)-at least generally-is really important for writing these things. And we can’t forget to emphasize the “so what?” factor!

Another thing I was confused about when I wrote my first conference proposal was how to go about writing a good bio for those who asked for one. What, after all, does a mere graduate student have to include in such a weighty thing as a bio? I’m still not sure I know how to do this-Would appreciate a follow-up post!

Great suggestion-we’re on it!

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Ever taken a shortcut at a conference? @yes_thattoo reflects on ways to save time: bit.ly/2sR66ZM

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Abstract writing – how to write a conference proposal

Collage of female figure and undeciferable text

By Sam Grinsell |

There is a genre of academic writing upon which much depends, but which does not get discussed as thoroughly as the conference paper, the journal article, the PhD thesis or the monograph. The conference abstract, a proposal of a few hundred words that is used to decide who will present at an event, may be among the first pieces of work that you send beyond your supervisory team. It has a tightly defined purpose: to convince the conference organisers that you will make an interesting contribution that people will want to hear. In this sense, it is like an advert for your work. Strangely, this is often for a piece of work that you have not yet finished, perhaps barely even started, as conference calls for papers are sent out months in advance of when the event will be held. So you are advertising something you have not yet done.

an abstract is like an advert for your work

Writing abstracts is a complex business, and in this post I will highlight some of the things to be aware of in constructing yours.

Understand the brief

Your conference abstract will be written in response to call for papers, an invitation put out by conference organisers that asks for interested scholars to send in suggestions for papers. Sometimes there are multiple layers to this: big conference have calls for panel suggestions, and once these have been processed the organisers of panels will issue a call for papers connected to their theme. In this post I assume it is the conference organisers who are reading your abstract, but the same principles apply if it is being sent to panel organisers.

The call for papers will identify a set of scholarly themes for the event. For some conferences, these are intended to be broad in order to attract a variety of submissions, while other events are far more specifically focused. You should think carefully about which elements of your research speak most closely to the aims of the conference, and what it is you are looking to get out of the event. Do you want some feedback on an early version of a particular chapter? A response to the big ideas of your thesis? Think about how your aims relate to the conference.

Before you start writing, make careful note of the format that has been requested. The call for papers should specify the length of the abstract, and may occasionally have other requirements. Be sure to understand exactly what is being asked for. Write to the maximum number of words allowed: if no more than 500 words are permitted, a 200 word abstract will seem too short and light on detail. Never exceed the maximum; if the length is stated as ‘in the region of x words’, stay within 10% of x . Also note the final format of the papers: you can say much more in a twenty minute presentation than in a five-minute ‘lightning’ talk!

Select from your work

An abstract should be a meeting point between your research priorities and those of the conference organisers. If their agenda is broad, your aim will be to convince them that your project sounds particularly interesting; if they have tightly defined aims, you should focus on making clear how your research contributes to the questions they want to raise. Most abstracts will need to do both of these.

do not be too tentative

If you are at an early stage in your PhD, you may wish to present the overall agenda of your project. This can be a very useful feedback-gathering exercise, and many conferences will include specific panels for students at this stage. If this is the kind of abstract that you are writing, try to be as specific as possible: set out your research questions, mention particular case studies/archives/methods, perhaps mention some of the literature your work will contribute to. Do not be too tentative here: if you find yourself writing ‘this study hopes to’, replace with ‘this study will’. Your actual paper can be more nuanced, but the abstract is your advert and is not the place for academic modesty.

As you PhD develops, individual chapters should become your focus, and you can test these out as conference papers. This kind of abstract will include more concrete details of the cases you will be discussing, but you should not lose track of the bigger questions. You should show that there is a gap in existing knowledge that you are set to fill . Mention some of the literature, and in describing your own project say ‘what has not yet been addressed/answered/fully considered is…’ You want your reader to have the sense that your work is not only interesting but urgent, that it must be heard at this particular event.

In general, the work you promise in an abstract is not something you have already done, but something which you will complete before the date of the conference. You should, therefore, try not to tie yourself down too much to particular findings: your sources may show something different in the end! You should be able to discuss evidence and research questions without restricting the final paper too much.

Assuming you are successful, use the abstract as part of planning your research. It is natural for your project to evolve, and people will not be surprised if your final paper differs in small ways from what you proposed, but you do want to at least be able to discuss all the issues raised in the abstract. Large conferences will share the abstracts with attendees so that they can choose which sessions to attend, and some will publish them online in promoting the conference. So read your abstract back from time-to-time to see if you are on track.

Final thoughts

Promoting your work in just a few sentences is a strange art, and there is no better school than practice. Try writing one even if you don’t feel ready, and have a go at analysing some recent calls for papers to understand what the organisers were after.

What I have set out here is how I approach writing abstracts, but if others have tips or ideas we’d love to here from you in the comments below or @pubsandpubs on twitter! Our other posts on conferences include choosing your first conference , presenting at and attending your first conference, asking great questions , and organising your own conference .

Sam Grinsell is in the third year of his PhD in Architectural History at the University of Edinburgh. He has had abstracts accepted at – and rejected from – national and international conferences, and was on the organising committee for the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain’s Architectural History Workshop in 2018 and 2019. He is Deputy Chair of Pubs and Publications.

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April 8, 2019

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abstracts , conferences , events , proposals , writing

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Proposing and structuring conference papers

Strategies to surprise and excite your audience.

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@lertitia Hi Letitia! I’m a university art instructor with an MFA, but I’m very into research and public speaking. Do you know any resources about how to pitch and structure conference papers? I imagine they teach this in PhDs, but it wasn’t mentioned in my Masters courses. — miriam libicki (@realgonegirl) January 31, 2019

Dr. Editor’s answer:

Whenever I am asked about academic writing resources, I always recommend the University of North Carolina Writing Center ’s excellent virtual handouts, and their Conference Paper handout is no exception. UNCWC’s advice on conference papers emphasizes the central role that audience and context play in this genre. I agree with everything they have already written about preparing, writing, and delivering conference papers. So rather than re-trodding the terrain they so astutely map for you, I’ll focus on responding to conference calls, and conclude with a few additional suggestions for structuring your conference paper.

Responding to conference calls

As when submitting to a peer-reviewed journal, it’s key that you tailor your proposal to the conference . Often, this means integrating key aspects of the call or its overarching theme in your abstract. By engaging explicitly with the conference theme or call, you’ll show that you’ll be able to contribute to the broader conversations that the facilitators are seeking to generate. More practically, a consideration of the theme is often part of a reviewer’s assessment rubric, and so can be an easy way to lose or score points.

In addition to considering the needs of your peer reviewers — the first, and potentially the only, audience for your conference proposal — you should also consider the needs of your broader audience: the conference participants who will attend your presentation. Focus on what they will get out of your paper. You might offer them fascinating factoids or truly novel findings — for example, I learned at a conference that the British public didn’t know about the existence of the gorilla until 1857, and when they first saw the animal’s highly human hands, their minds were blown. That conference took place in 2009, and I still remember the paper well. Who doesn’t want to learn Victorian gorilla factoids?

More valuable, however, would be to emphasize how your work engages with your field’s current conversations . There are many ways bring about this emphasis — you might, for example, argue that:

your methodology is novel or transferrable;
your work can contribute to greater efficiencies or compelling results that are transferrable across contexts;
you’re bringing together two theoretical lenses that aren’t often considered in tandem; or,
your argument can help your field to reconceptualize its consideration of important social, historical, or cultural abstract concepts like gender, class, artistic value, the nation, the body, language, emotion, reason, and so on.

In short: know how your argument advances conversations in the field, and make your contributions explicit. Of course, in order to know how your work moves important ongoing conversations forward in your field, you must know the literature . Show this in your abstract, not by summarizing others’ arguments, but rather by articulating how your work builds on, deviates from, or nuances recent research.

Structuring your conference paper

I’ve written previously about using visualization strategies to organize journal articles and about strategically structuring individual paragraphs . That advice still stands.

Yet the conference paper is unique because it’s usually delivered aloud, and so particular consideration must be given to the needs of a listening, rather than a reading, audience. To engage and even surprise your reader, I suggest:

avoid complicated sentence structures with multiple phrases and clauses;
reduce or eliminate passive voice constructions ;
paraphrase rather than read lengthy quotations;
use contractions — “don’t” rather than “do not”;
tell character-driven stories; and,
annotate your script, indicating where you need to stress a word, pause, or drink water.
Speak for 18 or 19 rather than the full 20 minutes. Your audience will appreciate your concision, and a shorter talk will leave more time for discussion. If it’s conventional in your discipline to read from a script, aim for nine double-spaced pages of content. A considerate speaker practices their presentation out loud in advance of the conference, and times their talk to ensure they don’t go over their allocated time.
Integrate a twist at around the two-thirds mark of your paper — at about the 13-minute mark for a 20-minute talk. When I deliver conference papers, I sometimes signal this twist by saying something dramatic like, “I now want to undermine everything that I’ve just argued up to this point,” followed by a reconsideration of my thesis from an alternate angle. Including a twist shows that you’re integrating complexities into your discussion, and also that you’re willing to hear and consider alternate takes on your topic after your panel is complete.A twist that is signaled with a dramatic cue will also surprise your audience . Such twists are unconventional. Most presenters don’t uncut their own arguments: it’s hard to stand in front of a room and say that what you’ve just argued has an significant hole that you’re now going to dive into. By surprising your audience, you’ll re-engage them in your topic, excite them about your approach, and gift them with an easy way to start a conversation with you over coffee after the presentation.
Close with big picture questions , especially when your thesis or topic is niche or non-canonical. By speaking to the significance or implications of your argument, and by opening your topic to the audience for their perspective, you can draw on your audience members’ perspectives to add depth and breadth to your argument when you continue to develop it after the conference ends.

Have an important conference coming up? Want an editor’s eye on your draft paper or proposal? I’d be happy to spend an hour or two reviewing your work and providing suggestions for revision, restructuring, or rewriting. Find out how to hire me at shortishard.ca .

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Thesis Writing for Master's and Ph.D. Program pp 231–238 Cite as

Presenting Thesis in Conferences: Oral and Poster Presentation

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Abraham, S.J. (2018). Presenting Thesis in Conferences: Oral and Poster Presentation. In: Parija, S., Kate, V. (eds) Thesis Writing for Master's and Ph.D. Program. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0890-1_21

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Conference Proposals and Presentations in the Humanities

Humanities Workshops

Allison Collins, Graduate Writing Consultant

The purpose of this workshop is to present strategies for writing a conference paper, from A to Z, from deciphering a call for papers to writing a proposal to transforming an already existing document or starting your presentation from scratch. The workshop addresses different methods for preparing an engaging and substantive oral presentation, including various technological aids you may want to use, as well as methods to prepare for round-table and Q&A formats. (Approx. 23 mins.) This workshop was recorded in April 2017.

Receiving Feedback on Presentations: We encourage you to watch the workshop below and make an appointment at the Graduate Writing Center when you would like feedback on a presentation. In the appointment you can either discuss your presentation (the text, the PowerPoint), or you may rehearse it. If you choose to practice delivering the presentation, we will use the feedback form linked here .

Click to download the presentation slides: Conference Proposals and Presentations in the Humanities.pdf

Conference Proposals and Presentations in the Humanities (2017)

Allison Collins completed a PhD in Comparative Literature at UCLA in 2020. Her research focuses on Renaissance literature and culture, and her dissertation focuses on the lovesick female body in early modern literature. Allison earned her BA in Renaissance Studies from Yale University and her MA in Humanities from New York University. She has experience in teaching and academic publishing.

This presentation work by the UCLA Graduate Writing Center is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License .

Turning Dissertations Into Conference Presentations

In this column I will share some advice for turning your dissertation into a conference presentation, starting with the question of why present at a conference in the first place.

Why Should You Present Your Dissertation at a Conference?

If you are a final-year undergraduate or graduate student, you may be looking forward to submitting your dissertation and not having to read it again. However, after all you have poured into your work, you may also want to take your academic journey further, especially if you are proud of your final product.

Researchers often disseminate their work through conference presentations, conference proceedings, and publications in journals and books. Giving conference presentations is a great opportunity for novice researchers to consider. Presenting at a conference has numerous benefits, including opportunities to “contribute to and learn about the most recent advances in your field,” “learn how to talk about your data,” “contribute to your overall research profile,” and “meet other researchers in your field and potential contacts for future positions” (Dunn, 2007, n.p.; see also Moore, 2017). These are some of the reasons why even established scholars regularly join conferences but for someone newer in the field participating in them contributes to resume building and can be essential to growing as an educator and researcher. Through interacting with attendees from all over the world, you can share ideas and learn the latest trends, which could inspire your next research project.

In this article, I offer two pieces of advice to help you think about how to turn your dissertation into a conference presentation.

Select a Suitable Conference

It does not really matter whether you join a regional, national, or international conference. Some universities offer opportunities for students to present their research work and share their developments with fellow teachers and students through internal university-run conferences. If you want to get the most out of a conference, it is important to know how to find a suitable conference to present your dissertation work.

Conferences which invite leading scholars in the field are vital, as their ideas can help improve and strengthen your research. They should also provide networking opportunities, or a platform for people to discuss their work and to develop possible future collaborations. Some conferences publish a post-conference proceedings – a published record of a conference – which would be an additional benefit if you want to publish part of your dissertation (the topic of my next column). Publishing your work in a proceedings is an excellent opportunity to begin your academic writing career. Annual conferences like the JALT International Conference and the JALT PanSIG Conference (both held in Japan) are examples of conferences that fit the criteria listed above. They could present a nice first step for students who have (almost) finished their dissertations on topics related to language teaching and learning to get further involved in the academic community. In particular, the JALT International Conference includes a Graduate Student Showcase where students from various universities can present their work. Ask your university teachers if this might be an option for you.

It is also worth cautioning that there are ‘predatory’ conferences that are largely money-making ventures for the organizations that hold them. How can you tell if a conference is predatory? One red flag is receiving an unsolicited email inviting you to submit an abstract. Another is an overly broad conference theme, such as “educational research.” If you’re not sure about a conference, please ask a faculty member about it. The conferences run by national language teachers’ associations such as JALT, JACET, KOTESOL, and CamTESOL are generally safe to submit your work to.

Select the Best Examples and Data from Your Dissertation

After deciding which conference suits you, the next challenge to consider is how to present your complicated dissertation at a conference. The most popular type of conference presentation, oral presentation, usually lasts less than half an hour. You can also submit a poster presentation proposal, but it is still impossible to squeeze every piece of information from your dissertation into a single A1- or A0-sized poster.

These two principles should help: First, a conference abstract is not the same as your dissertation abstract. Second, a conference paper and a dissertation are two different genres of communication. This means that your conference abstract should at most be based on one or two of your dissertation chapters. A good 20- to 25-minute presentation is focused, concise, and (most important of all) understandable to your audience. You may have documented all primary and secondary sources of research that you conducted in your dissertation, on top of detailed literature reviews, methodology, and data analysis. But you do not need to do the same for your conference presentation. It is enough to simply choose a few interesting, original, and coherent ideas from your dissertation, setting aside much of the background and context to the arguments you make. This is especially the case for a conference abstract, which is typically used to let conference attendees choose which presentations to attend. A lengthy and complicated abstract is therefore generally undesirable.

Many people worry about not mentioning enough background information to demonstrate their scholarship. You can do this strategically by giving a verbal or written summary of the necessary background information in your conference presentation. After all, if you were in an audience, you would likely want to hear much more about the presenter’s examples and data rather than getting a lecture on the literature. If your audience finds the ideas in your paper or presentation compelling, they can always go on to read more of your research from your completed dissertation or upcoming journal articles.

Presenting at conferences is sometimes undervalued by the wider community. One reason is that not everyone can gain access to what is disseminated at a conference, unlike published books and journal articles, which are generally more widely available. Another reason is that the credibility of the information presented in presentations can be preliminary or tentative, with conference presenters’ fuller findings published in manuscripts that undergo a peer-review process.

In turning your dissertation into a conference presentation, you can share your findings, receive direct feedback from attendees working in a similar field, and get ideas for further improving your research. It can especially provide an experiential foundation for students aspiring to continue their academic research journeys through future peer-reviewed publications.

Finally, if you would like more advice on writing a conference abstract proposal, you’ll be pleased to know there is a lot of good literature on this topic. The references below are a great place to start, as are previous editions of this column.

Dunn, K. (2007, November). Why it’s important for you to present your data at scientific conferences. Psychological Science Agenda . Retrieved from < http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2007/11/student-council-1.aspx>

Moore, C. (2017). Publishing conference presentations. The Language Teacher, 41 (3), 42-43.

Tiffany Ip teaches at universities in Hong Kong. She gained a PhD in neurolinguistics and strives to utilize her knowledge to translate brain research findings into practical classroom instructions.

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The Dissertation Proposal Writing Process and Conference Preparation

The past few months of my PhD journey have been an absolute whirlwind! Aside from my typical class and GTA responsiblities, I was juggling my dissertation proposal, an ASEE conference paper, and preparing for the KEEN (Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network) National Conference! It was a lot of work at times and a little daunting, but whenever I took a step back from it all, I realized how cool all the work is that I’m doing and how amazing it is to be doing it as a PhD student. Along the way, I learned several important lessons that will inform how move through Engineering Education moving forward.

A long term goal of mine was to finish my dissertation proposal, send it to my committee, and formally start my candidacy exam on February 1st which happened! I blocked of time weekly to work on my proposal and flesh out my research design since the Summer of 2023, and seeing the kind of progress and growth I was making was incredible. For some time, I had learned about all the different elements of research design, what kinds of things I need to consider, and what decisions need to be justified, and finally putting all this knowledge into practice helped to make all this conceptual knowledge more tangible. This process also showed me the power of setting aside dedicated work time for specific projects. With each passing week, I could see the progress I was making and always ended each week a few steps ahead than where I started.

While finishing up my proposal and sending that to my committee, I was able to work on an ASEE paper with fellow RIME members, Amanda Singer and Carter Huber, along with Drs. Kajfez and Kecskemety! This paper focused on the application of some indirect assessments our KEEN Research & Assessment Team developed in the honors track of our first-year program. We had some interesting findings in our data analysis and it’s exciting to put this out into the world for other practitioners to reference as they help their students develop an entrepreneurial mindset. It was also very cool to begin collaborating with my peers on research! I think we all brought something valuable to our work and that helped to make our findings shine.

The submission of both my proposal and this ASEE paper culminated with a trip to the KEEN National Conference (KNC) which was held in Austin, Texas this year! It was refreshing to be with a group of educators who are also invested in how we teach students and making sure it’s done in a way that benefits their growth. The conferenced largely focused on different kinds of workshops and helping educators see how they could bring new ideas and practices into their classrooms to enhance student learning. But, the best parts of the conference were attending with Dr. Kajfez and meeting up with fellow RIME member, Meg West, and RIME alumn, Abby Clark (see photo below).

Looking forward, I will soon begin working on the written portion of my candidacy exam. While it can be a little intimidating, it will encourage me to think deeply about different pieces and parts of my study design and make sure I’m ready to think through any curveballs that come my way post-candidacy. I’m excited to begin this part of my PhD journey and see what my study design will look like by the end of the spring semester!

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Conferences, Part 1: Presenting Your Dissertation Research at a Graduate Conference

25th August 2022

Tagged under: Dissertation Writing General Dissertation academic conferences editing formatting presenting your research

I received a great service from Thesis Editor in proofreading and formatting for my master’s thesis. I personally like to thank Dr Judith Jackson-Pomeroy who was amazing in assisting me from the first call I made to thesis editor enquiring about the service they provide until the submission of my project. She took personal care in the service provided, it was professional and responded quickly to all my queries throughout, which gave me peace of mind and direction at such an intense moment of finalising my dissertation. The strict deadline with thesis editor got me working hard - around the clock, which was all worth it. I highly recommend thesis editor to anyone who is looking for proofreading and formatting service for their thesis - look no further!

Thesis vs Journal Article: A Comprehensive Comparison

In the world of academia, two prominent forms of scholarly writing are the Thesis and the Journal Article . While both contribute to the advancement of knowledge and showcase research skills, they have distinct characteristics and serve different purposes. Understanding the differences between a thesis and a journal article is crucial for researchers, scholars, and students. In this article, we will provide a detailed and insightful comparison of these two forms of academic writing, examining their purpose, structure, audience, and publication process.

A thesis serves as a comprehensive demonstration of a student’s ability to conduct independent research, analyze data, and contribute original insights to their field of study. Its primary purpose is to fulfill the requirements for the completion of a degree, whether it be a master’s or a doctoral program. A thesis delves deep into a specific research problem, addressing gaps in existing knowledge and making a unique contribution to the field.

On the other hand, a journal article focuses on the dissemination of research findings to the wider academic community. Its purpose is to contribute to the existing body of knowledge, engage in scholarly discourse, and facilitate further research. Journal articles are typically more specific in scope, targeting a particular research question or hypothesis, and highlighting the significance of the findings within the context of the field.

Thesis and journal articles follow different structures to fulfill their respective purposes.

A thesis typically consists of several chapters, including an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. These chapters are interconnected, forming a cohesive narrative that showcases the student’s research journey. Additionally, a thesis may include supplementary sections such as an abstract, acknowledgments, and appendices. The structure of a thesis allows for an extensive exploration of the research problem, thorough analysis of the findings, and comprehensive discussion of their implications.

In contrast, a journal article adheres to a more concise and standardized structure. It typically includes an abstract, introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. Journal articles are focused and aim to present the research in a clear and concise manner within the limited word count set by the target journal. The structure of a journal article emphasizes brevity, with a specific focus on the key findings and their implications.

Audience and Publication

Theses and journal articles differ in their target audience and publication process.

Theses are primarily intended for academic evaluation and examination. They are typically assessed by a committee of professors or experts in the field. Theses contribute to the existing body of knowledge within a specific discipline, but they are not usually published in academic journals. While some theses may be made available through institutional repositories, their primary audience is the academic community within the student’s institution.

Journal articles, on the other hand, target a broader audience of researchers, scholars, and practitioners in the field. They undergo a rigorous peer-review process, where experts in the field assess the quality, validity, and contribution of the research. Successful publication in a reputable journal allows researchers to share their findings with the wider academic community, receive feedback, and contribute to ongoing scholarly discussions.

Length and Depth

Another significant difference between theses and journal articles lies in their length and depth.

Theses are typically longer and more extensive in terms of content. They require students to conduct comprehensive research, provide detailed literature reviews, and present thorough analyses. The length of a thesis can vary depending on the field and degree level, ranging from tens to hundreds of pages. This length allows for an in-depth exploration of the research problem and the incorporation of relevant theoretical frameworks and methodologies.

Journal articles, on the other hand, are generally shorter and more concise. They aim to present the research findings within the constraints of the target journal’s word count limitations. Journal articles can range from a few thousand words to around 8,000 words, depending on the journal’s requirements. The brevity of journal articles necessitates clear and focused writing, emphasizing the key findings, their interpretation, and their implications for the field. While the depth of analysis may be more limited compared to a thesis, journal articles are expected to provide sufficient information for other researchers to understand and build upon the presented research.

Citation and Referencing

Both theses and journal articles require accurate and comprehensive referencing to acknowledge the contributions of other researchers and provide credibility to the work.

In the case of theses, referencing is typically more extensive, as they involve comprehensive literature reviews and incorporate a broader range of sources. Theses follow specific citation styles, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago, as per the guidelines provided by the institution or department.

Journal articles also adhere to specific citation styles determined by the target journal. However, the referencing in journal articles tends to be more focused on the specific literature and studies directly relevant to the research question at hand. The emphasis is on providing adequate support for the key arguments and findings presented in the article.

The thesis and the journal article are distinct forms of academic writing, each with its own purpose, structure, audience, and publication process.

Theses demonstrate a student’s research capabilities and contribute original insights to their field of study. They are comprehensive in scope, consisting of several chapters that explore the research problem in depth. Theses are primarily evaluated by academic committees and are not typically published in academic journals.

Journal articles, on the other hand, aim to disseminate research findings to the wider academic community. They focus on specific research questions and contribute to existing knowledge. Journal articles follow a concise and standardized structure, adhering to the guidelines of the target journal. They undergo rigorous peer review and are published in reputable journals to reach a broader audience.

Understanding the distinctions between theses and journal articles enables researchers, scholars, and students to approach each form of writing with the appropriate structure, depth, and style required for their intended purpose and audience. Both theses and journal articles play vital roles in advancing knowledge and fostering academic discourse within their respective fields.

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The deadline to submit a proposal to present at the 2024 edition of the Minnesota Library Association's Annual Conference is May 15. This year's conference will be held October 24-25 in Rochester, under the theme of "Connect, Advocate, Relate, Engage."

Text courtesy of the Minnesota Library Association.

Engage with the library community by presenting at the MLA Conference!

The Minnesota Library Association Annual Conference will be held in-person October 24-25, 2024 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN. This year’s conference theme will be “Connect, Advocate, Relate, Engage.” Submit a presentation proposal and share your knowledge, experiences, and ideas with the library community.

The deadline to submit a proposal is May 15, 2024.

Whether you present individually or as part of a team, the conference is a wonderful opportunity to share and discuss your new ideas and best practices, challenges faced and lessons learned, future directions and past successes, and more. We encourage proposals from library staff of all library types, sizes, departments and levels. Exhibitors are also welcome to submit a session proposal. Have a question about a potential presentation? Contact [email protected] .

Proposal Submission Deadline: May 15, 2024. One form per session, please.
Session Length: 50 minutes (appropriate for 1-3 speakers)
Format: May include single or multiple speakers, panel discussions, case studies, interactive hands-on activities, demonstrations of projects, etc.

Proposals will be reviewed by the MLA Conference Program Planning Committee with input from the various MLA divisions and other subunits. Presenters of accepted proposals will be notified by mid-July. Should your program be selected, complete program details will be needed by mid-August.

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Request for Proposals for 2024 ARSL Conference Sessions

Apr 18, 2024

The conference will take place September 11-14 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The conference theme for this year is “Libraries are (r)Evolutionary.” Participants will have a chance to explore the transformative power or rural and small libraries in our communities.

Are you an expert in community engagement, have a storytime formula that works every time, or have knowledge and insight regarding reader’s advisory? ARSL would love for you to share your expertise at ARSL 2024!

Submissions will be accepted through Tuesday, April 30, 2024, 4:00 pm (MDT) Submit a program proposal here . Ready to get started? Download the sample RFP form to preview the questions. Check out our Tips for a Great Program Proposal to help polish your submission!

Please contact the ARSL Office with any questions: [email protected] or (206) 453-3579.

“Like chrysalises of change, these libraries nurture revolutionary ideas and evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of patrons. Let’s embrace the (r)Evolutionary spirit of libraries and inspire each other.”-ARSL

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04-22-2024 Call for Presentation Proposals: Wyoming Innovations in Learning Conference

The eighth annual Wyoming Innovations in Learning Conference will be held October 21–22, in Casper. Advancements in teaching, like personalized and student-centered learning, gamification, virtual learning, and AI, have had dramatic effects on the educational process. The conference committee is seeking proposals from K-12 and postsecondary educators to share their expertise and innovative teaching and learning practices with other educators in areas such as:.

The use of technology to encourage student curiosity.
Strategies to boost student engagement by utilizing digital tools.
Strategies to engage struggling learners.
Tools to empower students and deepen learning in the classroom or online.

Submit a session proposal by May 20. Selected presenters will be notified by June 30.

The conference is hosted by the Wyoming Department of Education, Wyoming Distance Education Consortium, Wyoming State Library, University of Wyoming, Wyoming Community Colleges, and school libraries.

For more information, contact Jennifer Davis, Project & Performance Manager, at 307-777-5315 or [email protected] .

Here’s what a massive exodus is costing the United Methodist Church: Splinter explainer

The United Methodist Church losing a quarter of its churches in five years is just the start.

The organization's budget is shrinking , too, as the denomination grapples with the exit of more than 7,600 churches amid divisions over LGBTQ+ rights.

A spending plan being proposed to the upcoming UMC General Conference – the group's top legislative assembly, which meets every four years – is $23.8 million less than the last one and more than $140 million less than the one recommended in 2019, when congregations began leaving.

The proposed budget recommends 17 fewer bishops to prevent one of the denomination's funds from running a deficit. Regional conference staff overseen by the bishops has already faced cuts and a consolidation of administrative duties.

The upcoming UMC General Conference, beginning April 22 in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a long-awaited and unquestionably consequential summit. The international delegation is meeting for a regular session for the first time in eight years, a time in which conservatives led an exodus out of the United Methodist Church following disagreements about theology and church policy, including dealing with LGBTQ+ rights.

The Charlotte gathering will be the first step in a new chapter for the largely Nashville, Tennessee-based UMC, the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. Many United Methodists are optimistic about that future, though they also recognize hardships await on their journey.

Here are key takeaways from the financial fallout.

Mass exodus: A quarter of Methodist congregations abandon the church as schism grows over LGBTQ+ issues

Disaffiliations disrupt budget estimates

Churches leaving the denomination, or disaffiliating, had the single greatest effect on budget projections, often causing UMC finance officials to revisit and recalculate earlier estimates.

When disaffiliations started in 2019, finance officials were recommending a $493.8 million budget, or a 17% reduction from the $604 million budget approved by the UMC General Conference in 2016. The new budget was set to come before the UMC General Conference at its regular session in 2020, which the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately pushed back to this year.

Both the General Conference delays and steady increase in disaffiliations compounded and by 2022, finance officials were recommending a $373.7 million budget, or a 38% reduction. At that point, total disaffiliations were around 1,800.

By the end of 2023, disaffiliations amounted to more than 7,500 churches. Now, finance officials are recommending a $346.7 million budget, or a 43% reduction.

Regional level faces heat earlier (and unevenly)

So far, the measurable cost to United Methodism’s splintering is most noticeable at the regional level.

Funding for United Methodist regional conference operations, including rank-and-file administrative staff (except bishops), originates from church giving. A percentage of that funding then goes to the denomination’s seven general funds, which comprise the denomination’s budget and support United Methodist general agencies and other national and international organizations.

Regional conferences, called annual conferences, in the U.S. are already dealing with the fallout of the splintering.

There are 53 annual conferences in the U.S., at least 25 of which enacted administrative reductions in the past four years, according to an analysis of news reports. Reductions at those 25 annual conferences were often staff or districts – a local grouping of churches within an annual conference – often meaning a reduction in the number of district superintendent staff positions. At least four other annual conferences announced anticipated reductions later this year or next year.

Annual conferences are the first to feel the financial heat because they approve disaffiliations , but not every annual conference felt it the same.

The five annual conferences in Texas saw 42% of total churches disaffiliate and 45% of all churches in Georgia’s two annual conferences disaffiliated, according to an analysis of data published by the Lewis Center for Church Leadership . In contrast, 1% of total churches disaffiliated in the two annual conferences that encompass California.

“Conferences that have been affected more by disaffiliation and church closures will see their apportionments decline at a higher rate,” said Rick King, chief financial officer for the UMC General Council on Finance & Administration, in a March 1 delegate orientation presentation.

Churches outside the U.S. are so far barred from disaffiliating, though some have left the denomination on their own accord.

Preemptive and future cuts, fewer bishops proposed

Unlike annual conference staff, bishops receive their salaries from one of the denomination's general funds.

That fund, called the episcopal fund, is facing a recommended 15% reduction in the proposed budget to the upcoming UMC General Conference.

“The fund will run a deficit in the near future if all bishops are elected,” said the Rev. Moses Kumar, general secretary of the UMC General Council on Finance & Administration, in a March 1 delegate orientation presentation. There are currently 71 total bishops worldwide, and the UMC General Council on Finance & Administration is recommending that drop to 54 in the next four years.

A mandatory retirement policy for bishops will help shrink that roster. Meanwhile, many of the bishops who remain will take on additional responsibilities. There are 12 bishops that oversee more than one annual conference, according to the UMC General Council on Finance & Administration. More bishops are expected to do the same in the future.

The budget’s other general funds support 10 of 13 United Methodist general agencies that manage denomination business and oversee its ministries. Most of those general agencies face recommended cuts of at least 30% in the proposed budget – including Nashville-based United Methodist Communications, United Methodist Men, UMC General Council on Finance & Administration and the UMC General Board of Higher Education & Ministry.

Many general agencies started cutting costs years ago. Since 2019, seven general agencies cut at least 130 staff, according to an analysis of news reports . Another common move was selling and consolidating office space. Whereas many of the Nashville-based UMC general agencies each had their own office, they all merged into two buildings.

Liam Adams covers religion for The Nashville Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or on social media @liamsadams.

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Academic Proposals
Conference proposals. ... The following proposal structure, as outlined by Peter E. Dunn for thesis and fellowship proposals, provides a useful guide to composing such a long proposal (Dunn, Peter E. "Proposal Writing." Center for Instructional Excellence, Purdue University, 2007):
How to Write a Conference Proposal
Length: Many conference proposals are no more than 150 words. Thus, brevity and clarity are extremely important. ... Focus: Most experts recommend that a conference proposal have a thesis statement early on in the proposal. Do not keep the reader guessing about your conclusions. Rather, begin with your concise and arguable thesis and then ...
How to Write a Winning Conference Proposal (+Examples)
11 essential elements of a conference proposal: Title: Your first opportunity to grab attention. Make it informative and compelling, reflecting the essence of your presentation. Abstract: A concise summary that highlights your proposal's main idea, objectives, and significance, offering a snapshot of what to expect.
PDF Writing a Conference Abstract or Proposal
What is a conference proposal? The conference proposal is a stand-alone document—independent from your written —that proposes your presentation for a conference. The primary audience for a conference proposal is the The secondary audience is conference attendees (abstracts are generally listed in conference programs).
PDF Writing Conference Proposals
Writing Proposals Contextualizing your research is one opportunity to reinforce the theme of the conference A theme might revolve around a current problem or an opportunity created by emerging developments In these cases, you can respond to a conference theme based on your framing mechanism
Conference Proposals & Presentations
Like an abstract, a successful conference proposal will clearly and succinctly introduce, summarize, and make conclusions about your topic and findings. Though every conference is, of course, different, objectives and conclusions are found in all conference proposals. ... Focus: Most experts recommend that a conference proposal have a thesis ...
How to write a successful conference proposal
Writing a good conference proposal is a different skill than writing the presentation itself. This article is aimed at writing a good proposal with a focus on the reviewer of your proposal as the audience. ... If you plan to talk about a subject in the third person, then you should cite your sources, "for my PhD thesis I studied the day to ...
How to Write a Winning, 3-Part Conference Proposal
This is where you need to promote your own thesis. First, explain how your paper addresses the issues that you have just identified. Explain why your question is significant, why your research is original and your observations important. In a twenty-minute presentation it is likely that you will only have time to make 3 - 4 solid points ...
Writing the Academic Conference Proposal
It's generally suggested that you make your point early on, especially if you're writing a 1-2 paragraph abstract (though proposal lengths vary depending on the conference). Another writing strategy that can help with clarity: take the time to check and see that individual sentences flow into one another well.
Abstract writing
There is a genre of academic writing upon which much depends, but which does not get discussed as thoroughly as the conference paper, the journal article, the PhD thesis or the monograph. The conference abstract, a proposal of a few hundred words that is used to decide who will present at an event, may be among the first pieces of work that you ...
Proposing and structuring conference papers
In addition to considering the needs of your peer reviewers — the first, and potentially the only, audience for your conference proposal — you should also consider the needs of your broader audience: the conference participants who will attend your presentation. ... Close with big picture questions, especially when your thesis or topic is ...
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How is a conference proposal different from a thesis proposal: Audience. While the audience for your thesis proposal is your advisor, a conference provides a much more general audience with broader interests. Length. The length of conference proposals is specified by the conference and generally only affords you space to present your major ...
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Example research proposal #1: "A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management" Example research proposal #2: "Medical Students as Mediators of Change in Tobacco Use" Title page. Like your dissertation or thesis, the proposal will usually have a title page that includes: The proposed title of your project; Your name
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The proposal will be a new explanation or thought which can solve the issue under debate in a better way. ... The following steps will enable an author to convert his thesis into presentation in conference. 1. The author should first understand the problem he is trying to analyse in depth—its relevance (clinical/theoretical), the different ...
PDF Writing Thesis and Dissertation Proposals
To cancel an appointment, call 814.865.8021. Writing Thesis/Dissertation Proposals. Your thesis/dissertation proposal provides an overview of your proposed plan of work, including the general scope of your project, your basic research questions, research methodology, and the overall significance of your study.
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Writing a proposal for a book contract, article publication, conference paper, or honors thesis is making your pitch based on the contribution of the idea- its novelty, timeliness, or appropriateness. In our own immediate context of an honors program, your research may have an intrinsic value to you that you simply place in a context of a ...
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The purpose of this workshop is to present strategies for writing a conference paper, from A to Z, from deciphering a call for papers to writing a proposal to transforming an already existing document or starting your presentation from scratch. The workshop addresses different methods for preparing an engaging and substantive oral presentation ...
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These two principles should help: First, a conference abstract is not the same as your dissertation abstract. Second, a conference paper and a dissertation are two different genres of communication. This means that your conference abstract should at most be based on one or two of your dissertation chapters. A good 20- to 25-minute presentation ...
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The Dissertation Proposal Writing Process and Conference Preparation. February 14, 2024. by Sherri Youssef at 1:45pm. The past few months of my PhD journey have been an absolute whirlwind! Aside from my typical class and GTA responsiblities, I was juggling my dissertation proposal, an ASEE conference paper, and preparing for the KEEN (Kern ...
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Gradhacker has some great tips on writing a successful conference proposal. Thesis Editor can assist you with editing and formatting your conference proposal, creating a PowerPoint presentation, and even have consultations via Skype with you to practice your presentation! Email us at [email protected] to find out how we can help you with ...
Thesis vs Journal Article: A Comprehensive Comparison
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The Minnesota Library Association Annual Conference will be held in-person October 24-25, 2024 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN. This year's conference theme will be "Connect, Advocate, Relate, Engage.". Submit a presentation proposal and share your knowledge, experiences, and ideas with the library community.
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While a thesis proposal is often only 3-7 pages long, a prospectus for your dissertation is usually much longer, with more detailed analysis. Dissertation proposals can be up to 25-30 pages in length. Note. Sometimes, a research schedule or detailed budget may be necessary if you are pursuing funding for your work.
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Academic Proposals

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

Introduction

Important considerations for the writing process

Reasons proposals fail/common pitfalls

Conference proposals

Beginning the process

Structure and components

Journal Proposals

Book Proposals

General considerations

Pre-writing strategies

Essential elements of a book proposal

The sample chapter

How to make your proposal stand out

How to Write a Winning Conference Proposal (+Examples)

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What is a conference proposal?

Even the best ideas can get rejected without a solid proposal

What are the main types of conference proposals?

Conference paper proposals

Conference poster proposals

Round table discussions

Panel/Session proposals

What is a typical conference proposal outline?

What is the best conference proposal format?

Conference proposal examples that get you accepted

Conference workshop proposal

Conference pitch deck

Conference presentation design proposal

Conference funding proposal

Summit sponsorship proposal

Conference sponsorship proposal

Conference sponsorship deck

Proposal for organizing a conference event

Conference event proposal

How do you write a conference proposal?

1) Understand the selection criteria

2) Identify current trends or unique angles

3) Craft a compelling abstract

4) Clearly define your intended audience

5) Choose the best format for your message

6) Use data to support your proposal

7) Define clear outcomes

8) Incorporate active learning opportunities

9) Submit multiple proposals

10) Incorporate evidence of past success

11) End with a smart call to action

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