How to Write an Academic Conference Proposal

Writing a proposal (sometimes called an abstract) for an academic conference can be difficult, especially for graduate students who are new to the process. The key to a successful proposal is knowing what kind of information to include and how to frame it. With some heavy editing, however, you can make even a still-nascent idea sound like a wonderful paper.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Start with your thesis. Too many people see conference proposals as short papers rather than summaries, and they build toward their thesis. Make your point up front rather than seeing the abstract as a short argument where you end with the conclusion.

2. State your main points rather than arguing for them. Do not include reasons in support of your thesis. Rather, mention the main topics you will discuss in your paper that will do the work of providing evidence once you are at the conference. No one expects you to prove your point in a proposal.

3. Contextualize your thesis. State clearly how your idea intervenes in a current academic debate on your topic. You do not need to cite other scholars in particular, unless your thesis is that focused. However, you do need to show an awareness of the current terms and issues in order to make your thesis seem timely.

4. Edit for brevity. For many people in the humanities, this means eliminating many of the qualifying clauses that are used in standard academic prose. State your point forcefully, and do not feel that it is necessary to hedge and narrow your claims too much. Conference organizers prefer strong papers to cautious ones since they are more likely to draw an audience.

5. Submit the abstract before the due date. This should go without saying, but conference organizers receive a vast majority of proposals on or after the due date. You are more likely to be picked if you appear to be already so comfortable with your topic that there is no need to wait until the deadline.

6. Include a short personal statement along with your proposal reiterating your enthusiasm for the conference. Too many people submit anonymous proposals, and a touch of personal charm always helps you stand out.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not fear rejection. Conference papers are chosen for a variety of reasons, and a topic's merit is only one of them. Often, organizers are more interested in choosing papers with related themes rather than simply choosing the best papers, so do not be discouraged by rejection. Just try again. Check the link to the University of Pennsylvania's "Calls For Papers" below to see some samples of how most CFPs look and what they ask for. Also, check the "Sample Abstracts" link to see some samples of conference proposals from a number of different disciplines.

Resources

• University of Pennsylvania's "Calls For Papers" Site
• Sample Abstracts