Hi,

Im looking into a part-time PhD.

Quite a few people have mentioned that conference attendance is one of the expenses that I should consider. However, for the PhD that I plan to do (a literature review in Forensic Entomology and Archaeology) I dont believe there are conferences since its such a rare topic. It took me long enough to find a suitable supervisor.

So what happens if you dont attend conferences, will it count against you come the day of your viva?

Hi Dark_Jester! It is helpful to attend conferences to network and to disseminate your results, but it is definitely more important in most subjects to get some publications, although I don't know if this is true of your topic. Your supervisor will be able to tell you whether there are any suitable conferences in your area, I'd be surprised if there were not at all! However, I don't think conferences will be that important or have much influence over the viva so I wouldn't worry too much about that! Best, KB

Viva-wise I don't think conferences have much, if any influence on the success of the viva; except that you are supposed to make contacts and network at them - something I am totally rubbish at. I don't mind the presenting bit but it's the tea, coffee and biscuit schmoosing (sp?) that I am hopeless at! Anyway...

As you go through your PhD you will be expected to fill in a progress report each year, whether you are funded or not. They ALWAYS ask you about conferences attended and presented at. It's all about getting your work out there. You don't have to go to that many and while there is no 'perfect' number if you went to 2, 3 4 over the complete lifespan of your PhD you would be doing well. You could start with a postgrad one or one that has a dedicated postgrad session, move on to a national one and then one international one, again during the entire lifespan of your PhD. If you want to stay in academia, then you should try to go to a few. If you don't, well attending conferences does show that your work has wider resonance beyond it being your own personal project - unless of course it is, which is totally fine :).

While there may not be a conference completely dedicated to your topic, you would be surprised at the lateral links some people make. I have been to quite a few conferences where you look at the list of abstracts and think "wow, never knew that area impacted on my discipline".

I woudn't rule them out completely but if you don't think they are for you, don't get overly stressed about them

Personally I don't think you need to attend conferences at all. Actually I think it's a waste of money, especially if you are self-funding. It's also not as important for a CV as, for example, publishing in academic journals.

I know this is quite a contentious view, but I think some people (not looking at anyone in particular on this forum) attend far too many conferences, sometimes at the expense of getting on with your thesis. Then they over-run, and conferences (including writing talks and time out) can be a factor.

Focus on working on your thesis. If you can attend conferences as well then that's a bonus. But it's not something IMHO that you should prioritise.

I attended an international conference 18 months into my part-time PhD. It was fun, but not essential. I was lucky to get funding from the conference organisers and my department to pay for my air fair to Canada and accommodation. But, again, it was hardly essential.

I find conferences dull, but I see their point i.e. networking etc and to practice presenting.

However, if you're self funding then I agree with Bilbo, they are SO expensive - the one I've just skived was about £500 just for registration - over 3 days, so need to factor in a few extra £hundred for accommodation, travel and food.

What I've done in the past is send in a poster - sometimes send it with a friend, they put it up, you get the thing to put on your cv but often you don't actually have to be there. Having said that some conferences won't put it up unless you're there to stand next to it.

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I should add that I have been to five (3 national and 2 international) conferences - I'm hoping to submit in a 3 year timeframe, ie this summer. My conference attendance is by far the lowest of the group I started with - Most of the others have attended way more than me and their international ones were far more international than the two I attended!! Finishing for me is the number one priority.

In my field I find myself really looking at the more local conferences as a waste of time, and the international ones being more of relevance and interest. Recently got sent to NZ on a conference (which was technically a local) had a presentation which all went swell, and ended up with a top-up funding/part time position out of it...so it can be worthwhile getting yourself out there, you never know what will come of networking. Naturally I will still go to much more relevant conferences, but it goes to show that it can be worth your time to get yourself out there. (My work was a presentation of a paper that was just about to be submitted, so it gets attention there as well).

I wouldn't get so hung up on not attending/shunning confs either, it is really good to get critical ideas out there and make you actually explain your work to people who arent as close as you and your supervisor. Too many academics can't communicate for toffee...and when it comes to your job interview after the little world of the PhD they look favourably upon examples that you are able to communicate (not to mention talking about your topic at the interview if asked). Too much of something can be bad though, so just keep it in reason.