Tips for those starting out with calls for papers and presentations

When I first started trying to break into research, writing, and attempts to publish and present, there were a lot of things that became really daunting. Three of the main ones were

1. Finding opportunities.
2. Knowing what to put in my abstract and other application materials.
3. Convincing myself that someone might actually want to read what I had to say.

I don’t think I’m that different from most beginning writers, and honestly some of the time I still struggle with some of these things. They are, however, interconnected issues. Tackling even one of them makes the other two easier to deal with and overcome.

Finding the right opportunity

If you can find the right fit for your interests, everything else is going to fall into place. For instance, if the opportunity you find closely aligns with your interests and the things you’re already thinking about – chances are you’ll have a lot of ideas rolling around your head, and it will be more a task of organizing them, and then coming up with fresh ideas from scratch.

Some good places to start finding the right opportunity might include:

• Journals you come across frequently in your research or academic studies. If you see it frequently, you’ve likely been reading or writing about topics that would interest the editors of those journals.
• Organizations with missions or ideals that match something you’ve already written or researched. Give yourself an easy job finding content. Chances are you also have comments or suggestions from a professor or colleague that took a look at your work. Why not turn that into something that does more than gather dust on the shelf or on your hard drive?
• Journals or conferences that publish or are associated with organizations found in the citations for articles or books that you feel are particularly compelling or interesting. The math on this is easy: They thought it was interesting enough to publish + you thought it was pretty awesome = you’ve found a good match for content.
• Perusing lists of opportunities to find inspiration (which may be why you found your way to this blog). If you’re truly interested in publishing or presenting, it pays to take a look at what’s currently available. If you haven’t established a niche, then so much the better – you’ll have more opportunities to choose from.

Planning and explaining your concept

Trying to figure out what to write can be a little nerve-racking – particularly the first few times. It helps to have a clear idea what you enjoy thinking about. This will, and should, heavily influence your best writing, and allow you to select the right places to submit for publication or presentations. After all, no one wants to read about a topic from an author that isn’t invested in the details.

Consider the following suggestions as you think about what to write, and whittle down your topics to their most interesting concepts.

• Ask Yourself: What topics do you most engage with in the news or publications in the profession? These can turn out to be low-hanging fruit that will be easily discussed and interesting to others.
• Ask Yourself: What have you already studied or researched that you found particularly compelling or that you feel capable of discussing on a deeper level? There’s no need to re-create the wheel, you’ve already devoted a lot of time and energy to research and again, thinking updating some resources and research might be just the thing to get you started! Plus, as I mentioned above, you’ve likely already got some pointers on where to take your writing from colleagues or professors – that’s a real bonus as you’re getting started.
• Peruse some requests for papers or articles and look at their requirements – sometimes the best way to figure out what you want to write is to see what options are available for writing or presenting. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing quicker for me than to find out someone else is thinking about the same topics as I have and realizing that they’re looking for someone to write about it. (Check out all the options posted on our site for some inspiration!)

Building credibility with yourself and others

Take a chance on yourself! You have something to offer or you probably wouldn’t be interested in writing and publishing in your field. Give yourself some credit, be honest with yourself about the strengths and weaknesses of what you can contribute, and have enough courage to give it a try. You may not succeed right away, but publishing in journals and presenting at conferences has more to do with tenacity and learning from your mistakes than your natural ability to write.

Sometimes what you really need when you aren’t sure if you can add something to the conversation is to build some credibility with yourself. Fortunately, the credibility with yourself often increases your credibility with others – not to mention your confidence. Some ways you can do that might include:

• Finding an unpaid role as an editor for a journal that can get you some experience with the writing and publishing process – not to mention, you’ll get experience in the field and credibility as a researcher and producer of quality content.
• Write the article you wish you could read and have a trusted colleague, review it and make suggestions or talk to you about its place in your field of study. This kind of insight can help you as you try to work through the process and can help you establish professional relationships that will allow this kind of back-and-forth so both you and your colleagues can benefit.
• Search through all your old college papers and focus on the ideas. I know I’ve plugged this a couple of times already, but it’s a great way to go. Search through all your old college papers and focus on the ideas your professors and instructors were interested in or that they told you were particularly well formed or thought out. In many cases they have already been participating in the same academic discussions you are attempting to join – their insights will be valuable to you.

Above all, have fun with the process! No matter the reason you are researching, if you are enthusiastic and interested in the topic, that is going to flow into your writing.

In addition to my brief thoughts, you should really check out a post from Emily Ford at In the Library with the Lead Pipe called Becoming a Writer-Librarian that has aged rather well.