Establishing an Academic Track Record

Not long ago, new graduates were hired on the basis of their promise. Today, they need proven track records that include conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications. They cannot wait for graduation to start building their Curriculum Vitae (CV)

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ESTABLISHING AN ACADEMIC TRACK RECORD

Not long ago, new graduates were hired on the basis of their promise. Today, they need proven track records that include conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications. They cannot wait for graduation to start building their Curriculum Vitae (CV), as competition for grants, post-doctorate positions, and jobs require that students are already active in their fields. Presenting at Conferences

Giving a conference presentation can help relieve writer’s block or get students out of the general malaise that comes from pouring over research for extended periods of time. Preparing for a public presentation can motivate students to write, construct charts, and verbally describe their data. Students can receive feedback from peers and established researchers who are working on the same topic. Attending presentations can make students aware of the trends and current research being conducted. Alternatively, attending a conference can devastate students’ self-esteem and set their writing back months if their presentation does not go as well as planned. This section offers practical advice to ensure this will not happen. Each discipline offers a number of conferences of different forms and sizes. They can range from large, annual national conferences hosted by associations, to small conferences built around a specific theme. Attendance can from range from thousands to fewer than one hundred people. Since attending conferences cost both time and money, students need to be strategic about presenting at a conference that is right for them. It may be tempting to focus one’s efforts on presenting at large, competitive association conferences, but if students are still collecting data or are in the early stages of analysis, it is advisable to wait. There are more appropriate venues to present research in progress and working papers. Graduate symposia do not have the status of a professional conference, but they can provide excellent opportunities. They are good places to practice public speaking and discuss early research results. It may be less costly to attend because they generally do not ask registration fees, and food and drinks may

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be provided. Graduate symposia can provide opportunities to network with one’s peers and some are held at prestigious universities boasting highly respected faculty members. Many feature an established researcher as the keynote speaker. However, I agree with Mumby (2012) who recommends limiting the number of symposia. They are low risk, but offer low rewards. These conferences do not carry much weight on a CV. Students will only hear other graduate students presentations and will not learn from more experienced presenters. Some smaller conferences may be less intimidating and can be more rewarding to attend. Novice presenters might have more people attend their presentations than they would at a large conference because they are not in competition with several concurrent sessions. Smaller events may also include time allotted for group

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