End of Life & Death Scholars
Conference and Convention Support
HELPING SCHOLARS SUCCEED IN
REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
This page will be updated regularly for ongoing support.
Conference and Convention Basics
Conference versus Convention:
In the Communication Studies discipline, these terms are often interchangeable. EOL and Death Scholars frequently present research at the following conferences/conventions:
The National Communication Association (NCA)
https://www.natcom.org/
The International Communication Association (ICA)
Western States Communication Association (WSCA)
https://www.westcomm.org/page/convention
Southern States Communication Association (SSCA)
https://www.ssca.net/convention
Rhetoric Society of America (RSA)
https://rhetoricsociety.org/aws/RSA/pt/sp/conference
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Helpful Articles:
1. Academic conferences 101: What they are, why go, how to present and how to pay for it all
[American Psychological Association]
2. 6 Tips For Giving a Fabulous Academic Presentation
[Wiley Publishing]
NAVIGATING (POTENTIALLY) CONFUSING CONFERENCE LANGUAGE:
NCA.
AT THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION (NCA), THERE IS OFTEN CONFUSION ABOUT WHAT CONSTITUTES AN INTEREST GROUP. "INTEREST GROUP" IS THE UMBRELLA TERM FOR NCA-AFFILIATED/SPONSORED/OFFICIALLY-RECOGNIZED DIVISIONS, SECTIONS AND CAUCUSES.
CAUCUS = IDENTITY BASED INTEREST GROUP.
SECTION = CAREER/LEVEL INTEREST GROUP.
DIVISION = RESEARCH INTEREST GROUP.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:
HTTPS://WWW.NATCOM.ORG/ABOUT-NCA/MEMBERSHIP-AND-INTEREST-GROUPS/NCA-INTEREST-GROUPS
GENERAL CONFERENCE/CONVENTION TERMS:
PAPER PANEL = A PANEL OF ACADEMICS PRESENTING EITHER FINISHED MANUSCRIPTS OR PAPERS-IN-DEVELOPMENT FOR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK.
DISCUSSION PANEL = A DISCUSSION-BASED PANEL THAT HAS OPENING COMMENTS FROM PRESENTERS, FACILIATED BY PANEL CHAIRS, AND USUALLY AUDIENCE QUESTIONS/ANSWERS FOLLOW.
Academic Panel Tips
1. Follow-Through.
If you propose a panel to a group of scholars, it's customary to write the formal proposal and submit it to the conference/convention on behalf of the group you have brought together/organized. Usually, the person who proposes an idea to a group of scholars also assumes the role of Panel Chair (or Panel Co-Chair, if there are multiple organizers).
2. Ask for Help.
If you are unsure of the submission norms of the conference/convention, ask the submission coordinator for the conference/convention first. (Information can usually be found on the conference/convention website.)
3. Work Together.
Panels and presentations at academic conferences are collaborative. Ask your prospective panel participants if they would be willing to proofread the panel proposal.
4. Community Mentality.
Ask your prospective panelists questions about how you can support their ideas and scholarship using the panel discussion as a platform for their voice and academic labor.
5. Plan for the worst, but expect the best.
Have a contingency plan for things that may go wrong -- which might include panelists dropping out at the last minute due to a range of issues including (but not limited to) funding issues, travel expenses, or any number of accessibility issues. Ask conference/convention event coordinators about the possibility of remote presentations for panelists who may need to present in digital/online capacities.
Academic Intellectual Property Basics
1. Provide credit where it is due.
If your conference paper or panel is derived from someone else's original work or past panel ideas, make sure to cite and credit all past scholars and contributors. Iterations naturally happen in scholarship, but it is considered bad form to not credit and 'be in conversation' with academic colleagues.
2. All photos and media need to be cited properly.
Visual aids are important for audience engagement and learning in slide and poster presentations. However, using images that are uncredited is a type of theft, which often falls hard on artists, photographers, scholars, etc. Always cite visual aids (unless they are your original work or royalty-free images).
3. Self-awareness goes a long way.
If you choose to use a colleague's work and original ideas as your own, you are deepening the problem of academic theft and creating a hostile environment for scholars who are earnestly seeking ethical research practices and standards. If you choose to pursue a path without self-awareness of how you might impact others, you will develop a reputation among academic communities and niches as disingenuous. This is especially important for early career scholars to understand -- academic niches are small and gossip-prone. Avoid being the subject of gossip by citing and crediting others' original ideas.
4. Aim to collaborate with others.
If you are unsure of how to use others' original ideas, concepts, images, theories, or artwork, it is your responsibility as a researcher to be in conversation with the people producing the intellectual property that you intend to use. This is not only responsible on an ethical research level, but on a human level. Developing relationships with other 'content producers' is paramount if you choose to use their original work in any capacity.
5. Take responsibility.
If another scholar or 'content producer' calls you out for using their original work:
a. Acknowledge their concern and apologize.
b. Remedy the situation by citing them for their original work.
c. Write to publishers and editors about the oversight and make sure original creators are included.
If an intellectual theft has occurred, the burden of proof is not on the original creator to manage.
The burden of proof falls on the scholar who either plagiarizes or iterates off of the original creator. It is usually clear, associated with dates of presentation at conferences or prior publications, when intellectual property has been stolen.
From the Association of Research Libraries,
check out Know Your Copyrights:
https://www.arl.org/know-your-copyrights/
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: "I want to create the same, or similar, conference presentation/panel at another conference/convention... but I'm not the original chair or original creator of the panel/presentation. What should I do?"
Answer: Include the original chair (or co-chairs) of the previous panel/presentation in a conversation about how you want to use their original ideas. Invite them to participate with you and ask permission to use their original ideas. Do not proceed without consulting the original creator -- while iterations happen, it is considered poor behavior (read: rude, and in poor taste) to use scholar's original ideas without including them or citing them (at the very least). A basic invitation or citation is not a form of gatekeeping information, it is a way to make sure that research is undertaken in an ethical way -- which can be traced over time.
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Question: "I don't know if a similar idea has been presented at a conference/convention. What should I do to make sure I'm not plagiarizing someone's work or replicating research or talks that have already been given in a particular way?"
Answer: As a researcher, academic scholar, or 'member of the academy,' it is your responsibility to know and understand the research that has come before you. Scholars are responsible for creating new research, so a good place to start is by looking through conference, convention, event, and publisher information in the topic area that you are considering making a contribution to.
Further
Reading
Articles and Links:
Ghost Authoring: How Professors Steal the Work of Their Students
https://newintrigue.com/2018/03/10/ghost-authoring-how-professors-steal-the-work-of-their-students/
Academia is built on exploitation. We must break this vicious circle
#PleaseDontStealMyWork:
120 testimonies
https://uniavisen.dk/en/pleasedontstealmywork-120-testimonies/
If You Build It, They will Take It: Institutional Theft of the Academic Work of Black Faculty
https://openriver.winona.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=jaep
