conference thesis

Conference Papers

What this handout is about.

This handout outlines strategies for writing and presenting papers for academic conferences.

What’s special about conference papers?

Conference papers can be an effective way to try out new ideas, introduce your work to colleagues, and hone your research questions. Presenting at a conference is a great opportunity for gaining valuable feedback from a community of scholars and for increasing your professional stature in your field.

A conference paper is often both a written document and an oral presentation. You may be asked to submit a copy of your paper to a commentator before you present at the conference. Thus, your paper should follow the conventions for academic papers and oral presentations.

Preparing to write your conference paper

There are several factors to consider as you get started on your conference paper.

Determine the structure and style

How will you structure your presentation? This is an important question, because your presentation format will shape your written document. Some possibilities for your session include:

• A visual presentation, including software such as PowerPoint or Prezi
• A paper that you read aloud
• A roundtable discussion

Presentations can be a combination of these styles. For example, you might read a paper aloud while displaying images. Following your paper, you might participate in an informal conversation with your fellow presenters.

You will also need to know how long your paper should be. Presentations are usually 15-20 minutes. A general rule of thumb is that one double-spaced page takes 2-2.5 minutes to read out loud. Thus an 8-10 page, double-spaced paper is often a good fit for a 15-20 minute presentation. Adhere to the time limit.  Make sure that your written paper conforms to the presentation constraints.

Consider the conventions of the conference and the structure of your session

It is important to meet the expectations of your conference audience. Have you been to an academic conference previously?  How were presentations structured? What kinds of presentations did you find most effective? What do you know about the particular conference you are planning to attend? Some professional organizations have their own rules and suggestions for writing and presenting for their conferences. Make sure to find out what they are and stick to them.

If you proposed a panel with other scholars, then you should already have a good idea of your panel’s expectations. However, if you submitted your paper individually and the conference organizers placed it on a panel with other papers, you will need additional information.

Will there be a commentator? Commentators, also called respondents or discussants, can be great additions to panels, since their job is to pull the papers together and pose questions. If there will be a commentator, be sure to know when they would like to have a copy of your paper. Observe this deadline.

You may also want to find out what your fellow presenters will be talking about. Will you circulate your papers among the other panelists prior to the conference? Will your papers address common themes? Will you discuss intersections with each other’s work after your individual presentations? How collaborative do you want your panel to be?

Analyze your audience

Knowing your audience is critical for any writing assignment, but conference papers are special because you will be physically interacting with them. Take a look at our handout on audience . Anticipating the needs of your listeners will help you write a conference paper that connects your specific research to their broader concerns in a compelling way.

What are the concerns of the conference?

You can identify these by revisiting the call for proposals and reviewing the mission statement or theme of the conference. What key words or concepts are repeated? How does your work relate to these larger research questions? If you choose to orient your paper toward one of these themes, make sure there is a genuine relationship. Superficial use of key terms can weaken your paper.

What are the primary concerns of the field?

How do you bridge the gap between your research and your field’s broader concerns? Finding these linkages is part of the brainstorming process. See our handout on brainstorming . If you are presenting at a conference that is within your primary field, you should be familiar with leading concerns and questions. If you will be attending an interdisciplinary conference or a conference outside of your field, or if you simply need to refresh your knowledge of what’s current in your discipline, you can:

• Read recently published journals and books, including recent publications by the conference’s featured speakers
• Talk to people who have been to the conference
• Pay attention to questions about theory and method. What questions come up in the literature? What foundational texts should you be familiar with?
• Review the initial research questions that inspired your project. Think about the big questions in the secondary literature of your field.
• Try a free-writing exercise. Imagine that you are explaining your project to someone who is in your department, but is unfamiliar with your specific topic. What can you assume they already know? Where will you need to start in your explanation? How will you establish common ground?

Contextualizing your narrow research question within larger trends in the field will help you connect with your audience.  You might be really excited about a previously unknown nineteenth-century poet. But will your topic engage others?  You don’t want people to leave your presentation, thinking, “What was the point of that?” By carefully analyzing your audience and considering the concerns of the conference and the field, you can present a paper that will have your listeners thinking, “Wow! Why haven’t I heard about that obscure poet before? She is really important for understanding developments in Romantic poetry in the 1800s!”

Writing your conference paper

I have a really great research paper/manuscript/dissertation chapter on this same topic. Should I cut and paste?

Be careful here. Time constraints and the needs of your audience may require a tightly focused and limited message. To create a paper tailored to the conference, you might want to set everything aside and create a brand new document.  Don’t worry—you will still have that paper, manuscript, or chapter if you need it. But you will also benefit from taking a fresh look at your research.

Citing sources

Since your conference paper will be part of an oral presentation, there are special considerations for citations. You should observe the conventions of your discipline with regard to including citations in your written paper. However, you will also need to incorporate verbal cues to set your evidence and quotations off from your text when presenting. For example, you can say: “As Nietzsche said, quote, ‘And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you,’ end quote.” If you use multiple quotations in your paper, think about omitting the terms “quote” and “end quote,” as these can become repetitive. Instead, signal quotations through the inflection of your voice or with strategic pauses.

Organizing the paper

There are numerous ways to effectively organize your conference paper, but remember to have a focused message that fits the time constraints and meets the needs of your audience. You can begin by connecting your research to the audience’s concerns, then share a few examples/case studies from your research, and then, in conclusion, broaden the discussion back out to general issues in the field.

Don’t overwhelm or confuse your audience

You should limit the information that you present. Don’t attempt to summarize your entire dissertation in 10 pages. Instead, try selecting main points and provide examples to support those points. Alternatively, you might focus on one main idea or case study and use 2-4 examples to explain it.

Check for clarity in the text

One way to anticipate how your ideas will sound is to read your paper out loud. Reading out loud is an excellent proofreading technique and is a great way to check the clarity of your ideas; you are likely to hear problems that you didn’t notice in just scanning your draft.  Help listeners understand your ideas by making sure that subjects and verbs are clear and by avoiding unnecessarily complex sentences.

Include verbal cues in the text

Make liberal use of transitional phrases like however, therefore, and thus, as well as signpost words like first, next, etc.

If you have 5 main points, say so at the beginning and list those 5 ideas. Refer back to this structure frequently as you transition between sections (“Now, I will discuss my fourth point, the importance of plasma”).

Use a phrase like “I argue” to announce your thesis statement. Be sure that there is only one of these phrases—otherwise your audience will be confused about your central message.

Refer back to the structure, and signal moments where you are transitioning to a new topic: “I just talked about x, now I’m going to talk about y.”

I’ve written my conference paper, now what?

Now that you’ve drafted your conference paper, it’s time for the most important part—delivering it before an audience of scholars in your field!  Remember that writing the paper is only one half of what a conference paper entails. It is both a written text and a presentation.

With preparation, your presentation will be a success. Here are a few tips for an effective presentation. You can also see our handout on speeches .

Cues to yourself

Include helpful hints in your personal copy of the paper. You can remind yourself to pause, look up and make eye contact with your audience, or employ body language to enhance your message. If you are using a slideshow, you can indicate when to change slides. Increasing the font size to 14-16 pt. can make your paper easier to read.

Practice, practice, practice

When you practice, time yourself. Are you reading too fast? Are you enunciating clearly? Do you know how to pronounce all of the words in your paper? Record your talk and critically listen to yourself. Practice in front of friends and colleagues.

If you are using technology, familiarize yourself with it. Check and double-check your images. Remember, they are part of your presentation and should be proofread just like your paper.  Print a backup copy of your images and paper, and bring copies of your materials in multiple formats, just in case.  Be sure to check with the conference organizers about available technology.

Professionalism

The written text is only one aspect of the overall conference paper. The other is your presentation. This means that your audience will evaluate both your work and you! So remember to convey the appropriate level of professionalism.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Adler, Abby. 2010. “Talking the Talk: Tips on Giving a Successful Conference Presentation.” Psychological Science Agenda 24 (4).

Kerber, Linda K. 2008. “Conference Rules: How to Present a Scholarly Paper.” The Chronicle of Higher Education , March 21, 2008. https://www.chronicle.com/article/Conference-Rules-How-to/45734 .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Presenting Thesis in Conferences: Oral and Poster Presentation

• First Online: 04 November 2018

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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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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.

Journal vs conference papers: Key differences & advice

Journal and conference papers are not the same, and both formats have advantages and disadvantages. A good understanding of the key differences between journal and conference papers avoid s pitfalls, such as copyright issues when wanting to turn a conference into a journal paper at a later stage.

What is a journal paper?

A journal paper is a written piece of academic work – presenting empirical research, a theoretical discussion, or both – published in an academic journal. Most journal papers or articles are peer-reviewed , meaning they undergo a rigorous review process involving several stages and rounds of revisions before they are published.

Therefore, authors of journal papers tend to target journals with a high impact factor to publish their work. There are other criteria that play a role when selecting a journal to publish research . However, the impact factor remains a crucial one, as publications in high-impact factor journals strongly influence academic promotions.

What is a conference paper?

Conference papers are usually submitted several weeks before the actual conference, and circulated among conference participants in preparation for the actual presentations. However, not all conferences require conference papers. And some conferences make the submission of a conference paper optional.

Advantages and disadvantages of journal and conference papers

The choice between a journal or a conference paper should be a careful one. Both formats fulfill important but different roles in academia. Therefore, a good understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of both formats can help to make an informed decision.

Advantages of journal papers

Disadvantages of journal papers, advantages of conference papers, disadvantages of conference papers, differences between journal and conference papers, questions to ask yourself before submitting a conference paper.

Even though journal papers are more important for academic promotions, submitting a conference paper is not per se the wrong choice. A ‘best conference paper’ award, for instance, can make you stand out when applying for academic jobs.

When embarking on writing a conference paper, it is better to be safe than sorry: At times, it may require reaching out to conference organisers or target journals to make sure that you will not run into copyright or plagiarism issues at a later point.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is conference paper better than journal paper.

In academia, journal papers are considered ‘better’ than conference papers because they have a stronger positive impact on academic careers. Reasons for this are the more rigorous peer-review process that journal papers tend to undergo before publication, the higher standards of journals compared to conference proceedings, and the impact factor of journals.

Can you use a conference paper in a journal?

Are all conference papers automatically published in conference proceedings, do conference papers count as publications.

Conference papers often do not count as academic publications. Therefore, on academic CVs, conference papers tend to be listed under ‘Conferences’ instead of ‘Publications’. Alternatively, they are listed as a separate sub-category under ‘Publications’, but in a way that they are clearly differentiated from other (peer-reviewed) publications.

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Citing a Conference Paper in APA Style | Format & Examples

Published on November 6, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 4, 2023.

The format for citing conference papers in APA Style depends on whether the paper has been published, and if so, in what format. Note that a separate format exists for citing dissertations . You can cite a conference paper easily by using our free APA Citation Generator .

To cite a paper that has been presented at a conference but not published, include the author’s name, the date of the conference, the title of the paper (italicized), “Paper presentation” in square brackets, the name and location of the conference, and a URL or DOI if available.

Cite a conference paper in APA Style now:

Table of contents, citing a conference paper published in a journal, citing a conference paper published in a book, frequently asked questions about apa style citations.

Conference papers are sometimes published in journals. To cite one of these, use the same format as you would for any journal article .

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Conference papers may also be collected in book form. In this case, you can cite one in the same way as you would cite a chapter from a book .

Include the DOI at the very end of the APA reference entry . If you’re using the 6th edition APA guidelines, the DOI is preceded by the label “doi:”. In the 7th edition , the DOI is preceded by ‘https://doi.org/’.

• 6th edition: doi: 10.1177/0894439316660340
• 7th edition: https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0894439316660340

APA citation example (7th edition)

Hawi, N. S., & Samaha, M. (2016). The relations among social media addiction, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in university students. Social Science Computer Review , 35 (5), 576–586. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439316660340

In an APA journal citation , if a DOI (digital object identifier) is available for an article, always include it.

If an article has no DOI, and you accessed it through a database or in print, just omit the DOI.

If an article has no DOI, and you accessed it through a website other than a database (for example, the journal’s own website), include a URL linking to the article.

The abbreviation “ et al. ” (meaning “and others”) is used to shorten APA in-text citations with three or more authors . Here’s how it works:

Only include the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.”, a comma and the year of publication, for example (Taylor et al., 2018).

You may include up to 20 authors in a reference list entry .

When an article has more than 20 authors, replace the names prior to the final listed author with an ellipsis, but do not omit the final author:

Davis, Y., Smith, J., Caulfield, F., Pullman, H., Carlisle, J., Donahue, S. D., James, F., O’Donnell, K., Singh, J., Johnson, L., Streefkerk, R., McCombes, S., Corrieri, L., Valck, X., Baldwin, F. M., Lorde, J., Wardell, K., Lao, W., Yang, P., . . . O’Brien, T. (2012).

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• Conference papers, presentations, theses

Conference papers, presentations

• For conference papers published online, hyperlink the title . If you’re citing a PDF, avoid linking directly to the PDF. Instead link to the page that hosts the PDF.

Published conference paper and presentation

Elements of the reference, author a (day month year) ‘title of paper: subtitle of paper’ [conference presentation],  name of conference , place of conference, accessed day month year., in-text citation, blunden (2007) or (blunden 2007), reference list, blunden j (9–12 may 2007) ‘ plain or just dull collateral damage from the plain english movement ’ [conference presentation],  3rd iped conference , tasmania, accessed 3 may 2019., unpublished conference paper, author a (day month year) ‘title of paper: subtitle of paper’ [unpublished conference presentation],  name of conference , place of conference., blunden j (9–12 may 2007) ‘plain or just dull collateral damage from the plain english movement’ [unpublished conference presentation],  3rd iped conference , hobart..

• If the thesis is online, hyperlink the title and include an accessed date. If you’re citing a PDF, avoid linking directly to the PDF. Instead link to the page that hosts the PDF.

Published thesis

Author a (year)  title of thesis: subtitle of thesis  [type of thesis], name of university, accessed day month year., (rahman 2013) or rahman (2013), rahman m (2013)  using authentic materials in the writing classes: tertiary level scenario  [master’s thesis], brac university, accessed 5 may 2017., unpublished thesis, author a (year)  title of thesis: subtitle of thesis  [unpublished type of thesis], name of university, accessed day month year., rahman m (2013)  using authentic materials in the writing classes: tertiary level scenario  [unpublished master’s thesis], brac university, accessed 5 may 2017..

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Dissertations

The Purdue University Libraries collects, preserves, and provides access to dissertations as original works of scholarship in conjunction with doctorates awarded by the University. Other pertinent student works such as master's and honors theses may also be collected.

What is the difference between a thesis and a dissertation?

At Purdue, “thesis” typically refers to a Master’s program and “dissertation” refers to the Ph.D program. In the early years a thesis was written in many undergraduate programs (i.e B.S. in Engineering).

How can I find dissertations that were written at Purdue?

The Purdue Libraries holds one copy of each title from 1882 to present. In some cases these have been marked confidential or have restrictions in place for a limited period of time. The original paper copies do not circulate and must be viewed in Archives and Special Collections. These can be requested through the Libraries catalog . Please log in to request your item. When the request is received, it is pulled from the storage Repository and delivered to be viewed in the Archives and Special Collections Research Center on the 4 th floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library (HSSE). This is located in Stewart Center, 504 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907. You will receive a confirmation email when the item is ready along with directions to the Archives.

More information:

The first Thesis is available to be viewed in Archives and Special Collections . Early Purdue University Theses and Dissertations (starting in 1882 and scanned up to 1906 so far) have been scanned and are available online. Open access copies are available online through the Theses and Dissertations, Purdue e-Puds (including some copies from ProQuest). Copies available for loan: Some of the theses and dissertations have been microfilmed and can be requested for off campus use through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) . Also, some paper duplicates will show up in the catalog, please request the copy that does not say “Only viewable in the Archives.” Alumni can request an electronic copy of their theses or dissertation from the past by contacting [email protected].  If you have questions about depositing your thesis or dissertation, please contact the graduate school Thesis and Dissertation Office . 

How can I find theses or dissertations from U.S. institutions?

Go to Dissertations and Theses (PQDT) . It offers a comprehensive listing of bibliographic entries for theses and dissertations in the Dissertation Abstracts database. Theses and dissertations listed since 1997 are available in PDF digital format for users affiliated with Purdue University with access to theses and dissertations from CIC institutions. For those entries not full-text, 24-page previews are available. For non full-text entries and possible borrowing of non-Purdue titles, consult Interlibrary Loan .

How can I find dissertations that are free?

• From Center for Research Libraries (CRL) search for available paper-bound titles. CRL has more than 750,000 uncataloged foreign [non-U.S. or Canadian] doctoral dissertations, of which approximately 20,000 are presently in this database. Please consult with CRL if you are unable to find a dissertation that you may require.
• Cybertheses permits access to selected French dissertations from 1972 to the present. This database can provide access to another index where full-text provision for selected dissertations [theses in French] may be provided.
• NDLTD - Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations . NDLTD provides access to thousands of digitally available dissertations and theses. Both U.S. and foreign dissertations and theses can be accessed through this site for those institutions participating within this association.

Searching for Dissertations and Theses in Education

• Dissertations and Theses (Native ProQuest interface) Central resource for information about doctoral dissertations and master's theses. Dissertations and theses published by Purdue Graduate Students from Fall 2018 onward can be found in the Hammer Research Repository

• Purdue e-Pubs - Theses and Dissertations Link to Theses and Dissertations that Purdue students have wished to make openly available

What is the difference?

• Dissertations & Theses is not limited by any subject area and has more than 2 million entries.
• ERIC is limited to the field of education and has over 25,000 dissertations: those authors submit and those from ProQuest Dissertations &Theses database.
• Purdue e-pubs is limited to the Purdue students that have chosen to make their dissertation or thesis openly available.
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An Example Conference Paper

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How to Create a Research Poster

• Poster Basics
• Design Tips
• Logos & Images

What is a Research Poster?

Posters are widely used in the academic community, and most conferences include poster presentations in their program.  Research posters summarize information or research concisely and attractively to help publicize it and generate discussion. 

The poster is usually a mixture of a brief text mixed with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats. At a conference, the researcher stands by the poster display while other participants can come and view the presentation and interact with the author.

What Makes a Good Poster?

• Important information should be readable from about 10 feet away
• Title is short and draws interest
• Word count of about 300 to 800 words
• Text is clear and to the point
• Use of bullets, numbering, and headlines make it easy to read
• Effective use of graphics, color and fonts
• Consistent and clean layout
• Includes acknowledgments, your name and institutional affiliation

A Sample of a Well Designed Poster

View this poster example in a web browser .  

Image credit: Poster Session Tips by [email protected], via Penn State

Where do I begin?

Answer these three questions:.

• What is the most important/interesting/astounding finding from my research project?
• How can I visually share my research with conference attendees? Should I use charts, graphs, photos, images?
• What kind of information can I convey during my talk that will complement my poster?

What software can I use to make a poster?

A popular, easy-to-use option. It is part of Microsoft Office package and is available on the library computers in rooms LC337 and LC336. ( Advice for creating a poster with PowerPoint ).

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Feature-rich professional software that is good for posters including lots of high-resolution images, but they are more complex and expensive.  NYU Faculty, Staff, and Students can access and download the Adobe Creative Suite .

Open Source Alternatives 

• OpenOffice is the free alternative to MS Office (Impress is its PowerPoint alternative).
• Inkscape and Gimp are alternatives to Adobe products.
• For charts and diagrams try Gliffy or Lovely Charts .
• A complete list of free graphics software .

A Sample of a Poorly Designed Poster

View this bad poster example in a browser.

Image Credit: Critique by Better Posters

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• Last Updated: Jul 9, 2024 5:34 PM
• URL: https://guides.nyu.edu/posters

APA (7th Edition) Referencing Guide

• Information for EndNote Users
• Authors - Numbers, Rules and Formatting
• In-Text Citations
• Reference List
• Books & eBooks
• Book chapters
• Journal Articles

Published conference papers

Conference papers, sessions and presentations.

• Newspaper Articles
• Web Pages & Documents
• Specialised Health Databases
• Using Visual Works in Assignments & Class Presentations
• Using Visual Works in Theses and Publications
• Using Tables in Assignments & Class Presentations
• Custom Textbooks & Books of Readings
• ABS AND AIHW
• Videos (YouTube), Podcasts & Webinars
• Blog Posts and Social Media
• First Nations Works
• Dictionary and Encyclopedia Entries
• Personal Communication
• Theses and Dissertations
• Film / TV / DVD
• Miscellaneous (Generic Reference)
• AI software
• APA Format for Assignments
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• EscAPA7de - the APA escape room
• One Minute Video Series (APA)

If a conference paper has been published (for example, in a proceedings), the published form is usually either a chapter of an edited book or an article in a journal. Cite it according to the appropriate pattern.

• Proceedings published in book form normally have the title of the specific conference as the title of the book, and have editors. For example: Empowering 21st Century Learners Through Holistic and Enterprising Learning: Selected Papers for Tunku Adbul Rahman University College International Conference 2016 , edited by Geok Bee Teh and Siew Chee Choy
• Proceedings published in journal form might be a special issue of the organising body's regular journal, or a special periodical series may exist to host the conference papers. The presence if volume and issue numbers can help with identifying these.
• You can also check for an ISBN or an ISSN . A book will have an ISBN, while a journal will have an ISSN. Contact the library if you are unsure.

Paper published in conference proceedings, book form:

Paper published in conference proceedings, journal form:

The presentation delivered at a conference may only be available as an informally published work online, or may only have been delivered live and is not available in full. Follow the pattern given below.

Paper or session presented at conference, not formally published in proceedings (also used for Poster Presentations):

• Make every effort to find all of the required details, however you may find that some papers are missing certain details (for example, there may not be a named editor). In this case you can skip this detail and move to the next part of the citation.
• The title of a conference (for example, the Fourth Annual Conference of the Applied Engineering Association) is something that should be capitalised in a sentence, therefore it is capitalised in the titles of the conference proceedings and conference papers. Notice the example given above: Empowering 21st century learners through holistic and enterprising learning: Selected papers from Tunku Abdul Rahman University College International Conference 2016
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6 Tips For Giving a Fabulous Academic Presentation

6-tips-for-giving-a-fabulous-academic-presentation.

Tanya Golash-Boza, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of California

January 11, 2022

One of the easiest ways to stand out at an academic conference is to give a fantastic presentation.

In this post, I will discuss a few simple techniques that can make your presentation stand out. Although, it does take time to make a good presentation, it is well worth the investment.

Tip #1: Use PowerPoint Judiciously

Images are powerful. Research shows that images help with memory and learning. Use this to your advantage by finding and using images that help you make your point. One trick I have learned is that you can use images that have blank space in them and you can put words in those images.

Here is one such example from a presentation I gave about immigration law enforcement.

PowerPoint is a great tool, so long as you use it effectively. Generally, this means using lots of visuals and relatively few words. Never use less than 24-point font. And, please, never put your presentation on the slides and read from the slides.

Tip #2: There is a formula to academic presentations. Use it.

Once you have become an expert at giving fabulous presentations, you can deviate from the formula. However, if you are new to presenting, you might want to follow it. This will vary slightly by field, however, I will give an example from my field – sociology – to give you an idea as to what the format should look like:

• Introduction/Overview/Hook
• Theoretical Framework/Research Question
• Methodology/Case Selection
• Background/Literature Review
• Discussion of Data/Results

Tip #3: The audience wants to hear about your research. Tell them.

One of the most common mistakes I see in people giving presentations is that they present only information I already know. This usually happens when they spend nearly all of the presentation going over the existing literature and giving background information on their particular case. You need only to discuss the literature with which you are directly engaging and contributing. Your background information should only include what is absolutely necessary. If you are giving a 15-minute presentation, by the 6 th minute, you need to be discussing your data or case study. At conferences, people are there to learn about your new and exciting research, not to hear a summary of old work.

Tip #4: Practice. Practice. Practice.

You should always practice your presentation in full before you deliver it. You might feel silly delivering your presentation to your cat or your toddler, but you need to do it and do it again. You need to practice to ensure that your presentation fits within the time parameters. Practicing also makes it flow better. You can’t practice too many times.

Tip #5: Keep To Your Time Limit

If you have ten minutes to present, prepare ten minutes of material. No more. Even if you only have seven minutes, you need to finish within the allotted time. If you write your presentation out, a general rule of thumb is two minutes per typed, double-spaced page. For a fifteen-minute talk, you should have no more than 7 double-spaced pages of material.

Tip #6: Don’t Read Your Presentation

Yes, I know that in some fields reading is the norm. But, can you honestly say that you find yourself engaged when listening to someone read their conference presentation? If you absolutely must read, I suggest you read in such a way that no one in the audience can tell you are reading. I have seen people do this successfully, and you can do it too if you write in a conversational tone, practice several times, and read your paper with emotion, conviction, and variation in tone.

What tips do you have for presenters? What is one of the best presentations you have seen? What made it so fantastic? Let us know in the comments below.

Want to learn more about the publishing process? The Wiley Researcher Academy is an online author training program designed to help researchers develop the skills and knowledge needed to be able to publish successfully. Learn more about Wiley Researcher Academy .

Image credit: Tanya Golash-Boza

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Dissertation & Thesis Conference

Call for proposals.

• How to Register
• Conference Sponsors
• Virtual Poster Session
• How to Create a Virtual Poster
• 2023 Conference Session Recordings

Save the date ! The 2024 Chicago School Annual Dissertation and Theses Conference will be held Thursday, October 24 through Saturday, October 26.

The Chicago School Annual Dissertation and Theses Conference aims to provide students in different places in their research with tools, skills, and expert knowledge on how to manage the dissertation and thesis process.

The Conference is coordinated by The University Library, The Online Writing Learning Center, the National Centers for Teaching and Learning and faculty volunteers.

We are excited to invite faculty, or students in collaboration with faculty, to contribute their expertise to our upcoming Dissertation and Thesis Conference, designed to support graduate students during the crucial phases of their research projects. Those interested are encouraged to submit proposals for one-hour workshops, information sessions, or panel discussions focusing on common challenges encountered by students in writing their dissertations or theses. 

Proposal Submission Guidelines:  

• Abstract : Provide a concise description of your session, outlining the topic and its relevance to dissertation or thesis writing. The abstract should clearly communicate the purpose and focus of your session and should not exceed 300 words. 
• Learning Objectives : Include 3-5 learning objectives detailing what attendees will learn or be able to do as a result of attending your session. Objectives should be actionable and measurable. 

Session Topics of Interest Include, but are not Limited to:  

• Breaking down each section/chapter 
• Developing a compelling research question 
• Effective literature review strategies 
• Methodological considerations and challenges 
• Data analysis and interpretation 
• Writing and revising academic content 
• Navigating the publication process 

Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please submit your abstract and learning objectives to [email protected] by September 13, 2024. For any inquiries, contact [email protected]. 

We look forward to your innovative contributions to enrich our community’s academic pursuits. 

Registration

Conference Registration for individual sessions will open towards mid-late September 2024.

Click here to pre-register to save the date and receive updates, including a notification when registration opens for all the the individual sessions.

Pre-registration is not required.

The Dissertation and Thesis Conference is sponsored by:

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• Last Updated: Aug 16, 2024 2:37 PM
• URL: https://library.thechicagoschool.edu/dissertation-conference/home

Conference Proceeding References

This page contains reference examples for conference proceedings, including the following:

• Conference proceedings published in a journal
• Conference proceedings published as a whole book
• Conference proceedings published as a book chapter

1. Conference proceedings published in a journal

Duckworth, A. L., Quirk, A., Gallop, R., Hoyle, R. H., Kelly, D. R., & Matthews, M. D. (2019). Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , USA , 116 (47), 23499–23504. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910510116

• Parenthetical citation : (Duckworth et al., 2019)
• Narrative citation : Duckworth et al. (2019)
• Conference proceedings published in a journal follow the same format as journal articles .

2. Conference proceedings published as a whole book

Kushilevitz, E., & Malkin, T. (Eds.). (2016). Lecture notes in computer science: Vol. 9562. Theory of cryptography . Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-49096-9

• Parenthetical citation : (Kushilevitz & Malkin, 2016)
• Narrative citation : Kushilevitz and Malkin (2016)
• Conference proceedings published as a whole book follow the same reference format as whole edited books .

3. Conference proceedings published as a book chapter

Bedenel, A.-L., Jourdan, L., & Biernacki, C. (2019). Probability estimation by an adapted genetic algorithm in web insurance. In R. Battiti, M. Brunato, I. Kotsireas, & P. Pardalos (Eds.), Lecture notes in computer science: Vol. 11353. Learning and intelligent optimization (pp. 225–240). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05348-2_21

• Parenthetical citation : (Bedenel et al., 2019)
• Narrative citation : Bedenel et al. (2019)
• The format for conference proceedings published as an edited book chapter is the same as for edited book chapters.

Conference proceeding references are covered in seventh edition Publication Manual Section 10.5

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Undergraduate Thesis Conference February 1–2, 2024

About the conference.

The Weatherhead Center Undergraduate Thesis Conference features the thesis research findings of the Center’s Undergraduate Associates. The conference entails a series of two-hour panels chaired by Weatherhead Center affiliates. Clustered by regional or disciplinary themes, each presentation is followed by questions, commentary, and feedback for the enhancement of thesis work in its final stages.

Weatherhead Center Faculty Associates, graduate students, fellows, visiting scholars, and staff are encouraged to attend the conference and give feedback to the presenters.

The 2024 Undergraduate Thesis Conference will be held in Room K262 (Bowie Vernon Room) on the second floor of the Center for Government and International Studies (CGIS) Knafel Building, located at 1737 Cambridge Street. View Map . 

The conference takes place in CGIS Knafel Building, Room K262 (Bowie-Vernon Room). 

Clare Putnam Program Coordinator, Student Programs and Fellowships.

Christoph Mikulaschek Director, Undergraduate Student Programs; Faculty Associate. Assistant Professor, Department of Government, Harvard University.

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Reference List: Other Print Sources

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

Important Note: Because the 7 th edition of the APA Publication Manual heavily emphasizes digital and electronic sources, it does not contain explicit instructions for certain less-common print sources that earlier editions covered. For this reason, some of the examples below have been adapted from the instructions for sources with similar attributes (e.g., the conference proceedings example is derived from the instructions the 7 th edition manual gives for citing edited collections). Every example below that has been adapted in this way is accompanied by a note explaining how it was adapted.

Please also note: While this resource contains many examples of citations for uncommon print sources that we think are helpful, it may not account for every possibility. For even more examples of how to cite uncommon print sources, please refer to the 7 th edition of the APA Publication Manual.

Entry in a Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Encyclopedia with a Group Author

The 7 th edition of the APA manual does not provide specific guidance on how to cite physical reference works such as dictionaries, thesauruses, or encyclopedias. Therefore, this citation, as well as the one for an individual author of an entry in a reference work, is modeled on that of a chapter in an edited book or anthology, both which are similar in format to reference works.

Institution or organization name. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work (edition, page numbers). Publisher name.

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (1997). Goat. In Merriam Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10 th ed., pp. 499-500). Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

Entry in a Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Encyclopedia with an Individual Author

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of entry. In F. M. Lastname (ed.), Title of reference work (edition, page numbers). Publisher.

Tatum, S. R. (2009). Spirituality and religion in hip hop literature and culture. In T. L. Stanley (ed.), Encyclopedia of hip hop literature (pp. 250-252). Greenwood.

Work Discussed in a Secondary Source

Provide the source in which the original work was referenced:

Nail, T. (2017). What is an assemblage? SubStance , 46 (1), 21-37. http://sub.uwpress.org/lookup/doi/10.3368/ss.46.1.21

Note: Provide the secondary source in the references list; in the text, name the original work, and give a citation for the secondary source. For example, if Deleuze and Guattari’s work is cited in Nail and you did not read the original work, list the Nail reference in the References. In the text, use the following citation: 

Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of the assemblage (as cited in Nail, 2017)….

Dissertation Abstract

The 7 th edition of the APA manual does not provide specific guidance on how to cite dissertation abstracts. Therefore, this citation models that of a journal article, which is similar in format.

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation. Dissertation Abstracts International , Vol., Page.

Angeli, E. L. (2012). Networks of communication in emergency medical services. Dissertation Abstracts International, 74 , 03(E).

Dissertation or Master’s Thesis, Published

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation/Master’s thesis, Name of Institution Awarding the Degree]. Database or Archive Name.

Angeli, E. L. (2012). Networks of communication in emergency medical services (Publication No. 3544643) [Doctoral dissertation, Purdue University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Note: If the dissertation or thesis is not published in a database, include the URL of the site where the document is located.

Dissertation or Master’s Thesis, Unpublished

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis [Unpublished doctoral dissertation/master’s thesis]. Name of Institution Awarding the Degree. 

Samson, J. M. (2016). Human trafficking and globalization [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Federal or State Statute

Name of Act, Public Law No. (Year). URL

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Publ. L. No. 111-148, 124 Stat. 119 (2010).  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ148/pdf/PLAW-111publ148.pdf

Report by a Government Agency or Other Organization

Organization Name. (Year). Title of report. URL

United States Government Accountability Office. (2019). Performance and accountability report: Fiscal year 2019 . https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/702715.pdf

Report by Individual Authors at Government Agency or Other Organization

Lastname, F. M., & Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of report . Organization Name. URL

Palanker, D., Volk, J., Lucia, K., & Thomas, K. (2018). Mental health parity at risk: Deregulating the individual market and the impact on mental health coverage . National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://www.nami.org/About-NAMI/Publications-Reports/Public-Policy-Reports/Parity-at-Risk/ParityatRisk.pdf  

Conference Proceedings

The 7 th edition of the APA manual does not provide guidance on citing conference proceedings. Therefore, this citation models that of an edited collection, which is similar in format.

Lastname, F. M., & Lastname, F. M. (Eds.). (Year). Title of Proceedings . Publisher. URL (if applicable)

Huang, S., Pierce, R., & Stamey, J. (Eds.). (2006). Proceedings of the 24 th annual ACM international conference on the design of communication . ACM Digital Library. https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1166324&picked=prox

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• Haverford College homepage
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• Senior Conference & Thesis

Department of English

Senior conference & thesis.

In their critical senior theses, students mark out an area of interest focused on an author, text, genre, theme, or formal feature, familiarize themselves with the major critical voices and debates pertaining to this field, and identify a set of issues that they investigate and analyze in their essays. We look for well-written, persuasive essays that advance interesting and original arguments about texts and interpretations that are based on insightful close readings and smart engagement with relevant critical and background material.

Creative Writing concentrators produce, instead of the critical essay, a portfolio of poems or short stories, a novella, or a screenplay accompanied by a foreword or afterword that reflects on their artistic choices and offers an analytic framework within which the work may be understood.

We are thinking about you during this stressful but important moment at the outset of your senior years. The information below, revised to incorporate the new format for 399f and your various learning spaces, will be a helpful resource as you turn to senior thesis work. Please note that the information and dates for the spring semester may evolve rapidly, depending on how the on-campus situation changes. We look forward to working with each of you and hope you will be in touch with any questions.

Thesis Topic and Faculty Consultant

Submit essay topic/preference for Faculty Consultant.

Thesis Topic Description

Submit one-paragraph description of project, approved by Faculty Consultant

2023-2024 English Faculty Consultants

Kim Benston

• Renaissance Literature (including Shakespeare)
• Drama/Performance/film
• African-American Literature
• Literature & Philosophy
• Selected Topics in Poetry and Narrative
• Critical Animal Studies

Elizabeth Kim

• Asian American Literature
• Creative Writing
• Contemporary Poetry
• Visual Studies

Laura McGrane

• British Literature and Culture, Pre-1900
• Theories of the Novel/Historiography
• Aesthetics/Visual Culture
• Digital and Media Studies
• 18th C Literature and Culture
• South African Literature and Politics

Asali Solomon

• Contemporary Fiction
• African-American Fiction & Poetry
• Caribbean Literature

Lindsay Reckson

• American and African-American Literature
• Performance Studies
• Visual & Media Studies
• Archival Theory & Methods

Gustavus Stadler

• U.S. Literatures
• Queer Theory and History of Sexuality
• Cultural Production and the U.S. Left
• Music in Literature

You have just a few weeks to settle on a topic for your Senior Essay and to choose your Faculty Consultant for the project. We will hold a mandatory meeting for seniors on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 4:15 P.M. in the Meditation Room , where you can exchange tips, clarify doubts, meet faculty consultants, and begin the multiple tasks of Senior Conference.

Consulting with Faculty

On this website, you will find a list of Faculty Consultants with a general indication of the fields in which we specialize. Of course, you are welcome informally to consult any faculty member about your project

In the next few weeks, please talk to at least three of us about your topic for the Senior Essay. Do not hesitate to gather ideas from those whose fields seem outside your chosen topic. After you have consulted with all your faculty choices please fill in the online form expressing your area of interest and your first, second, and third choice of Faculty Consultant. Submit the completed form online no later than October 6 . Remember, you must talk to the faculty members with whom you wish to work before you complete the form.

We assign a roughly equivalent number of students to each faculty member. Those assignments will be made in late September and posted on the English Department office door. As soon as you have been assigned to a Faculty Consultant, you must arrange a meeting to discuss your project and begin the work of refining your topic. By Friday, October 27 , you need to turn in a one-paragraph description of your topic that your Faculty Consultant has approved. Use the submission form on the website.

Choosing your Topic

The department tries to be flexible in the range of topics undertaken. You should begin by thinking through your own interests and desires; afterwards, in consultation with the professors with whom you discuss your interests, you can identify productive lines of inquiry. Please note that your primary text may not be a text in translation. Also, you may do a “creative writing” project only if you already have been admitted to the creative writing concentration. The choice of a central text that you choose is generally limited to genres that you have formally studied. (For example, if you have not taken a film class, we would ask that you not write about a film since you will not have the background in that area.)

In indicating your topic and paragraph on the form, be as specific as possible. If you have a very definite idea already, include that (e.g. “Who (or What) Speaks?: Discerning the Subject in Three Stories from La Frontera (Anaya, Anzaldua, Cisneros).” Or you can say something less formal: “I’m interested in looking very closely at images of windows in at least one of Virginia Woolf’s novels, maybe Mrs. Dalloway , and I’d also like to talk about her essays.” If you only have a vague notion, you may indicate a general area of interest (“I want to work on technology in contemporary American poetry” or “I’d like to write on themes of loss in fiction about refugee journeys”), but you should use this opportunity to focus your thinking as sharply as you can.

Using the Library / Meeting with the Librarian

Each senior will attend a meeting with Semyon Khokhlov, the Humanities librarian. You should contact him to schedule this ( skhokhlov [at] haverford.edu ); he will be available to meet with you between October 27 and November 17 . To take full advantage of that meeting, you will want to come with well-formed questions about your topic. Note, this meeting is required.

We encourage you to read widely at this stage of your thesis preparation so that you develop a sense of the issues and approaches being addressed by the larger critical community about your text, author, or topic. You might also take a look at essays previous generations of seniors have written and sign up for extended borrowing privileges using the Senior Thesis Resources page .

Project Proposal and Bibliography

By November 17 , you will complete a detailed annotated bibliography of relevant critical and theoretical sources for your project and submit this document to your faculty consultant. Your annotations should take the form of working notes shaping the purpose and direction of your own essay. You may point out how certain sources will help you to

locate and to advance your own argument, and you may also define positions that are unlike your own, which your work will effectively challenge. You might find it helpful to divide the bibliography into two parts-- "likely to be used"/"unlikely to be used," or "important to my argument"/"unimportant to my argument." What's critical here is to make this stage a genuinely helpful one rather than stalling before you get to the real work. The annotations should be engaged and productive. We will expect you to keep working on your senior project over the winter break.

By December 15 , you will complete a detailed annotated bibliography of relevant critical and theoretical sources for your project and submit this document to your faculty consultant. Your annotations should take the form of working notes shaping the purpose and direction of your own essay. You may point out how certain sources will help you to locate and to advance your own argument, and you may also define positions that are unlike your own, which your work will effectively challenge. You might find it helpful to divide the bibliography into two parts-- "likely to be used"/"unlikely to be used," or "important to my argument"/"unimportant to my argument." What's critical here is to make this stage a genuinely helpful one rather than stalling before you get to the real work. The annotations should be engaged and productive. We will expect you to keep working on your senior project over the winter break.

Your final essay should be 25-30 pages in length. Your readers are not absolute about such matters; however, this length is normative, and any essay that is significantly shorter or longer ought to be exceptional (in every sense). Please note these other important deadlines: February 2, 2024 for an outline of your entire essay and 4-5 pages of draft, and March 8 for the completed rough draft. The final draft of your senior essay, along with the “Library Authorization Form” is due at 4 p.m. Friday, April 5, 2024 . No extensions to this final deadline will be given. Any late submission will be marked down a full grade for each day of tardiness.

In your essay, we expect evidence of some serious engagement with secondary materials, whether critical or theoretical. You will begin to develop a bibliography of appropriate critical readings with your faculty consultant early on. While you needn’t overtly fashion your essay as a response to this material, it is expected that you will be writing with an awareness of your relationship to a critical community that both predates and parallels your own interpretive performance. You are entering into a conversation with critical readers who have gone before you.

Those of you doing a creative writing project will be asked to produce a critical introduction to your work of around 10-12 pages, for which a bibliography will also be required. The English department has on file a packet of materials related to this requirement (contemporary writers on writing, etc.). Contact Trish Griffith in Woodside Cottage for the material.

Both your faculty consultant and a second departmental faculty member will read your thesis. These assignments will be made in April (see “Oral comprehensive Exam”). They will agree on a grade for the essay. Your final grade for senior conference is based on the essay grade and the grade for the oral examination.

The Writing Center

The faculty and students affiliated with the Writing Center are available to help seniors with every phase of their project. You might consider setting up a regular appointment with one of the fellows or faculty affiliates early in the year.

In May, you will take a one-hour oral exam covering both major coursework and your thesis. The first half hour of the exam will concern your essay; the second half hour will concern your course work in the major. To refine the latter part of the exam, we will ask you to produce a list of works for which you will be responsible, divided into three groups of your own devising. This task will happen toward the close of the second semester, but it might be useful to begin thinking about this now.

The following criteria apply: choose two works from each of seven courses taken for credit in the major ( and these courses should be those fulfilling major requirements—that is, you should include work from at least two 300-level courses and two pre-1800 courses and two post-1800 courses ) and two literary works and two critical works from each term of Junior Seminar. This amounts to 22 works, at least four of which will be critical texts. Sounds like a lot at first, but you will discover as you begin to look over your coursework how many more works you might be able to choose.

What is a ‘work’?

By “works” we mean a novel, play or long poem (e.g. Montage of a Dream Deferred or ‘Angels in America’); or, if you are assembling material of a small scale, we suggest you include at least three short stories or four reasonably complex lyric poems as the equivalent of one “work.” A film course might be represented by two films, each paired with a relevant piece of film theory or criticism.

Preparing your orals examination groupings

This task should be (reasonably) fun. Remember to ask yourself why you have selected the particular works in question (or better yet, why have they chosen you?). What themes run across them? What questions recurred for you in your journey through the major? Thinking along these lines, come up with three rubrics, and place each work on your list in one of them. The way you frame these groupings gives you some control over the exam in advance, and helps us start up the conversation with some momentum.

The list you turn in will contain three groupings (about a paragraph each) with texts divided among them. It will also include a separate full list of texts categorized by course. Thus, you will include seven courses (with two texts each) plus the two semesters of Junior Seminar (with two texts under each one). Remember to include title and author for each work. The list is to be typed and 3 copies turned into Trish Griffith by Friday, April 19, 2024.

Orals Examination Format

Three departmental faculty members will examine you: your faculty consultant, your second reader, and one other member of the department (colloquially referred to as a ‘third examiner). These exams are not designed to trick or to intimidate you, but to help you to realize how much you have learned. Often the most exciting exams are really conversations that help you to see the creative power you can generate through the knowledge you already have. A second letter will lay out more specific information about exam preparation in the Spring Semester.

Abstract and Reflective Statement

In addition to your exam list you are required to produce an abstract of your essay (250 words) and a reflective statement (350 words) about your experience working your way through the process to finish your essay. Your faculty consultant and the Writing Center will be able to give you pointers on what goes into an abstract.

The reflective statement can be freer in form, and you can choose to focus on any aspect of the essay or the thesis process that is significant for you. As starting points, we offer the following questions: How or why did you choose your topic? What did you bring to the essay by way of previous reading, exposure to the topic or author, or knowledge of the period? Now that you’ve finished the essay, what new questions fall into focus for you about your topic? Beyond the argument and analysis you presented in the essay, what did you learn about conducting research, crafting an argument, and managing an independent project?

Above all, we hope that the reflective statement gives you an opportunity to convey your honest self-assessment and candid thoughts about the process in general. You will submit the abstract and reflective statement to your thesis consultant on Friday, April 12 . A revised version of the abstract and statement will eventually be required of you by the College Publications office during the exam period.

English 399: 2023-24 Calendar

September 21 :

Senior Thesis meeting (4:15 Mediation Room)

October 6 :

Deadline for submission of essay topic/preference for Faculty Consultant ( Online submission )

October 27 :

One-paragraph description of project, approved by Faculty Consultant ( Online submission )

By November 17 :

Required individual meetings with Semyon Khokhlov, reference librarian; schedule an appointment via email at skhokhlov [at] haverford.edu .

November 17 :

Description (1-2 pages) of topic and thesis statement due along with short bibliography (10 titles) of relevant primary and critical sources; Note: This bibliography goes directly to your Faculty Consultant .

December 15 :

Detailed annotated bibliography due ( directly to your Faculty Consultant )

February 2 :

Full outline and 4-5 draft pages of essay due ( Faculty Consultant )

Completed rough draft due ( Faculty Consultant )

Final draft of essay due at 4:00 p.m. (Woodside Cottage Office #100). You must also submit your title (for the Commencement program) and Library archive forms at haverford.edu/graduation Note: this date is an absolute deadline.

Abstract/reflective statement due ( Faculty Consultant )

Topics and lists of texts for oral exams due

April 24-25 :

Senior Presentations (Meditation Room)

May 8, 9, 10 :

Oral Comprehensive Examinations ( Faculty Consultant offices )

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The Graduate Writing Center

Welcome to penn state’s graduate writing center, i’m having technical difficulties registering for an appointment. whom should i contact.

Please email [email protected]  

What kinds of writing can I work on during a GWC session?

We are prepared to assist you during any stage of the writing process, regardless of genre.  We frequently encounter the following kinds of writing:

• Thesis/Dissertation Proposals and Chapters
• Graduate Coursework (e.g., lit reviews, lab reports, seminar papers)
• Conference Abstracts
• Conference Talks
• Personal Statements
• Letters of Application and Interest
• C.V.s and Résumés
• Teaching Philosophies
• Research Article Manuscripts

We can also help you with critical reading, public speaking, and integrating new media applications with writing objectives.

What happens in a GWC session?

Graduate students are invited to schedule appointments for one-to-one collaborative discussions about any professional or academic writing objective. Our consultants commonly assist writers with theses, dissertations, seminar papers, proposals, personal statements, fellowship applications, CVs, letters of application, among many other genres. Some writers come to the GWC to learn more about grammatical concepts such as connectives (e.g. transitions, prepositions, conjunctions) or to discuss the structural difference between exposition and narration.  Others visit the GWC for assistance with rhetorical principles including argumentation, syntax and paragraph arrangement, word choice, and audience analysis in whatever writing project they are currently undertaking. These collaborative discussions seek both to generate productive feedback about specific projects and to improve students’ writing and critical thinking abilities in general.

How is tutoring different from editing?

We are not a proofreading or editing service. We do not “mark up” papers.  We will not go through your paper line by line to point out every mistake. However, we will happily explain a grammatical concept, evaluate the range of grammatical functions, and collaboratively discover how to strategically apply our discussion to your writing task. We are here to help you improve your abilities to write and to edit your writing.  We hope to empower you throughout your writing process. If your main concern is to have a grammatically correct paper by a given deadline, please consult our current list of editors/proofreaders for hire.

Who uses GWC services?

The Graduate Writing Center began offering its peer-to-peer services to Penn State graduate students in January 1999.  Decades later, we continue to provide consultations for graduate students representing more than 65 different disciplines. Many of these consultations are held with members of Penn State’s international student community, including Argentine, Chinese, French, German, Indian, Korean, Mexican, Nigerian, Russian, Thai, and Turkish students.

Who are the consultants?

Peer consultants are doctoral students in Penn State’s Department of English at University Park who have experience in the teaching and tutoring of writing. The GWC is coordinated each semester by a doctoral student in English and is supervised by a faculty member in English.

How did the GWC get started?

Founded in January 1999, Penn State’s Graduate Writing Center was one of the first writing centers dedicated to graduate-level communication. A collaboration between the Graduate School and the Department of English in the 1990s laid the groundwork for Dr. Jon Olson to develop the GWC. It is staffed by English PhD students who work in the Graduate School’s Kern Building.

The GWC has provided free one-on-one consultations to graduate students since 1999. As early as 2000, it increased the accessibility of these tutoring sessions by offering online consultations in addition to in-person ones .