Conference papers are a crucial part of academic research and are often required by universities. However, conference papers can feel intimidating to write because they require more time than an average paper and there is a lot of information to keep track of.

In this guide, we will walk through everything you need to know about writing a successful conference paper from start to finish.

What is a conference paper?

A conference paper is a short research paper presented at a conference for feedback and review. It is not a thesis, dissertation, or article that you will eventually publish in an academic journal. Rather, it is the final product of your research—a way to get feedback on your work from peers and others who are interested in what you have written about the topic.

You can think of it as a way to build up your reputation as an expert in the field of study that interests you most. By presenting at conferences and getting published in journals, after each conference paper presentation/publication cycle (which could be quarterly), people will know how valuable your expertise is.

How to write a conference paper

All sample conference papers are written in a form that summarizes the main points of a scholarly presentation. It is usually written by one or more authors, but can also be written by an individual who has conducted research to support their views. A good conference paper will summarize and analyze the results of your research, present new ideas or conclusions about old ones, and provide evidence for these claims. 

Conference paper format

The format for writing a conference paper follows some standard guidelines.

1. Title

Your title should be short and accurate to draw attention to what you will write about in the body of your work (usually between 500-700 words). It should also reflect how well organized it is—there are many different ways this can happen! For example, “Using Social Media as an Aid in Education” vs. “Facebook Influences Students’ Behavior at School.” The latter would probably attract more attention because people want quick answers when they need them.

2. Abstract

An abstract is a summary of the paper. It is usually written in a few sentences and should be easy to read, but not so short that it does not give readers enough information about what you will be discussing in your full-length paper.

All paragraphs within it must be consistent across each sentence type, and the length of each paragraph should vary.

Do not use bold text within this section since boldness tends towards creating unevenness among sentences within paragraphs, which makes reading difficult.

The best way to write an effective abstract is by using an outline. However, if you are not familiar with writing outlines, here are some tips for writing an effective abstract:

• Keep it simple: You do not have time for long paragraphs filled with details; keep things brief and focused on the main points of your research and conclusions.
• Include all pertinent information from each subtopic in its sentence(s): Do not write everything down at once—this can make it harder for readers who want more information or clarification on certain topics later on.

3. Introduction

Your introduction should be written with clarity.

A conference paper example should be illustrated thus: In this section, I will discuss how many different types of research methods have been used to study crowdsourcing and its impact on social media users’ behavior online (e.g., Brown & Gilman).

4. Main body

It is the section that carries all the details. Here, you are expected to provide support for your claim with plenty of data.

In this section, for example, I will explain why crowdsourcing is such an important tool for businesses looking for ways to market themselves online or offline; additionally, I will show how companies like Google use this method when developing new products or services that require consumer feedback.

5. Conclusion and References

Your paper should include a clear conclusion, and a list of references so that readers can access more information if they want to learn more about any topic covered in your article. 

Conclusion

Writing a conference paper is an important professional development step for anyone in academia or the sciences. If you are interested in continuing your research, it is crucial to put together a good piece of work that will be both informative and engaging to your audience.