Like the title says, I really wanted to give an oral presentation at this conference. It’s an international conference that is basically my exact PhD topic (in archaeology), so it was a perfect opportunity to get feedback on my research. Instead, they offered me a poster slot. I won’t lie, I’m a bit disappointed since everything at this conference is getting published, and I wanted to get a first paper publication under my belt. I also know that sometimes posters don’t get the most attention. Would it still be worth it to go and present a poster?
Comments
How much will it cost to attend the conference and can you get funding? In general there’s no downside to attending a major conference in your field, and it’s a good networking opportunity as well as a chance to stay up to date with the latest research and trends, which is important. If you are early in your career especially there’s nothing wrong with a poster.
On the other hand, if it’s going to cost you hundreds/thousands to go and it might prevent you from attending another conference where you are presenting a paper, that would be a reason to skip it.
Yes.
Would you prefer that no one gets to see about your research (at least for now), or to have them see it in a format other than what you initially imagined?
I know that poster sessions aren’t always our first choice, but they can be a good way to get started. One really nice thing about them is that you get a lot more time to actually interact with people and talk about your research one-on-one.
Present your poster then submit your manuscript somewhere else.
I hope I can help you because I had the chance only to participate in a competition for public educational purposes of science and research. And I am not in a PhD yet. I suggest you should take it! Maybe you won’t get big attention, but you might be able to connect with other people that can be potential collaborators and get an ideea of who would like to collaborate with in the future. In the same time is important to ask yourself if you think is going to worth the experience. I am recommending such introspection because you might think a place is important so I must be there if I want to become successful, but is not only that. Some spaces are not suitable for everyone, because it doesn’t align with their values and their goals. I think you can ask yourself advisors to help you. They might know a thing or two about this conference and their opinion. It can be helpful to ask other associated people with the department you are and feel they might give you helpful information.
Poster sessions is not necessarily bad. It can give you an opportunity to discuss your research with other people in depth. I’d attend if there’s no cost issue.
Honestly, I think poster sessions are better than talks in your typical conference nowadays. Most talks at conferences nowadays are crammed into such a short period of time its impossible to go into any depth, and there is almost never time for questions from the audience. Posters give you a chance to have an actual conversation with people who are actually interested in your research.
I’ve been really surprised how much I enjoy poster sessions at conferences. In the panel sessions, the Q&A often is dominated by a few longwinded questions by people who didn’t really pay attention to the presentation. They give shallow feedback that sometimes–only sometimes–feels like a subtle way to put grad students in their place, to criticize grad students for not doing what the longwinded professor would to. The poster sessions are a chance to talk one-on-one and are a lot better for networking.