Research Student - Conferences

Conferences

During your studies you will almost certainly go to some conferences. This is part of the working life of research academics, and you should expect to become familiar with them as part of your research training.

You will go to your first conferences (or workshops, other kinds such as summer schools) largely for what you can learn: you will meet other people in your own research area, listen to talks that tell you about current work in the area, and get used to discussing your work with others.

By your second or third year, however, you should be going to conferences in order to present your own work. Typically this will include writing a paper for the conference proceedings. Writing papers and presenting them is not an explicitly required part of your research degree, but it is a key skill in effective research. In addition, your thesis will look more solid to the examiners if it is backed up by papers of yours that have been accepted for conferences.

Funding

You will want to obtain money to fund your attendance at the conferences (another key skill in effective research!). Your first step should always be to discuss funding with your supervisor, who may already be able to pay from money under his or her control. If you have a studentship, that may include an amount for research costs, including travel.

Remember that a key part of the justification, certainly for any funding from the School, will usually be value for money. An expensive trip will need greater justification in terms of benefits, whether to your studies or to the School. (Benefit to the School is normally counted in published papers.) You will also need to get a letter (or email) of support from your supervisor.

A small amount of funding is available from the School to cover research student training, including training aspects of conference participation. You can also expect to get funding from the School to present a paper at at least one conference in Britain or Europe. For more expensive conferences you will either need to get the additional funding from elsewhere, or give evidence that your paper is of exceptional quality.

Funding from the School is available from the School's Research Committee; your supervisor or the Research Secretary can tell you more about how to apply. Online application forms are available at the Research Committee website.

Conferences as skills development

Both kinds of conference attendance are part of your skills development and should be covered in your forms GRS1A/B and discussed with your Thesis Group.

Note that a specific recommendation on your RSMG report forms will improve your chances of getting School funding for travel.