Is presenting research at a conference more impressive than a paper?

Graduate School
1

<p>Does it look better on a grad school app than a paper? Or is it mostly useful in getting you known to more professors?</p>

2

<p>Depends on the conference and presenter position. Likewise, the impressiveness of a paper depends on the journal and author position.</p>

3

<p>It also depends on the field.</p>

4

<p>Hey MWFN, could you please explain a bit? In particular, what fields generally value journal publications more, and which value conference posters more. Obviously, at this point is is impossible for Fall 2011 applicants to do anything about it, but for the sake of curiosity (and the applicants next year) it would be nice to know.</p>

5

<p>In computer science, conferences are considered equal (or close to equal) to journal publications because it’s the main way that computer scientists disseminate information. The field changes so quickly that the slow process of a journal publication may make information obsolete by the time it is published. Poster presentations are of course different from paper presentations, with the latter being much more impressive. And the reputation/selectivity of the conference also determines the value of the presentation. In computer science, it is often better to present a paper at a highly respected conference than get published in a lesser journal. But publication in a top journal is better than an average presentation.</p>

<p>In the humanities, there is no contest. Publication beats presentation every time.</p>

6

<p>In computer science, conferences are considered equal (or close to equal) to journal publications because it’s the main way that computer scientists disseminate information. The field changes so quickly that the slow process of a journal publication may make information obsolete by the time it is published. Poster presentations are of course different from paper presentations, with the latter being much more impressive. And the reputation/selectivity of the conference also determines the value of the presentation. In computer science, it is often better to present a paper at a highly respected conference than get published in a lesser journal. But publication in a top journal is better than an average presentation.</p>

<p>In the humanities, there is no contest. Publication beats presentation every time.</p>

7

<p>I should also add the applicants to graduate school should not worry too much about how their research is presented (poster, presentation, publication) even though there is a professional hierarchy of each method’s value. The important thing is that you’ve done research and have something to show for it.</p>