Helping Give Away Psychological Science/Standard Operating Procedures/Tips for Conference Attendance

= Tips for Conference Attendance = Professional development is important, and attending conferences is a great way to disseminate information, learn, and build your CV.




 * 1) Look at conference deadlines and requirements
 * 2) Registration deadlines
 * 3) Early bird registration is usually cheaper
 * 4) Registration as a member can sometimes be cheaper (i.e., become a member and then register for the conference)
 * 5) You can find registration information on the conference's website
 * 6) It is best to have things to present (posters, talks) to make attending a conference worth the cost
 * 7) Check to see when the submission deadline is as it is often much earlier than the registration for the conference
 * 8) Make sure to look at the conference's theme for the year if planning to submit research (sometimes conferences will want you to tie your research into their theme)
 * 9) Check the requirements for how long your submission can be
 * 10) Check to see if there are certain ways they want you to format your submission
 * 11) It is important to pay attention to the location of the conference as this can impact travel costs, especially if the conference would require a flight vs. being able to drive there
 * 12) If presenting, it is important to check with any co-presenters that they are willing to travel to the conference
 * 13) Ask others in HGAPS or at your university if they are attending the conference and about opportunities at the conference
 * 14) Splitting hotels and/or travel can make trips much cheaper
 * 15) Traveling together can increase time with HGAPS or university members and can foster ideas, relationships, and collaboration
 * 16) Get involved with note taking if HGAPS has been asked to take notes for the conference (reference here for how to take notes at a conference)
 * 17) Check to see if the conference is looking for volunteers to help with the event (this can sometimes come with free registration for the conference)
 * 18) Apply for grants and travel awards
 * 19) Small travel awards and poster funding are sometimes available
 * 20) Small travel grants (some APA divisions offer funding if you submit under them, ABCT usually gives some funding awards)
 * 21) Look into your university’s department of scholarships and funding (often times undergraduate research offices have travel grants and graduate schools often have travel awards available for students)
 * 22) The Psychology department at your university may award travel money to student presenters (this is more typical for graduate students)
 * 23) Check with your research mentor to see if they have funding they can use to help you travel to present research
 * 24) Other organizations at your university may give grants and money awards
 * 25) UNC
 * 26) Carolina’s Center for Public Service
 * 27) Office for Undergraduate Research
 * 28) Graduate Student Research Funding
 * 29) NSCU
 * 30) Office of Undergraduate Research Travel Awards
 * 31) Duke
 * 32) Undergraduate Research Support Conference Grants
 * 33) Maryland
 * 34) Undergraduate Research Presentation Grants
 * 35) Undergraduate Research Awards
 * 36) Appalachian State
 * 37) Office of Student Research Funding



** Please add more information and resources especially for other universities!

After you register or submit research

 * 1) Check for updates about the conference
 * 2) General info such as…
 * 3) Scheduling changes (especially relevant since COVID as some conference may switch to online if numbers go up)
 * 4) Time changes
 * 5) Correspondence about your project
 * 6) Submission status (whether your poster, talk, etc. has been accepted, rejected, or is still pending)
 * 7) Check in with your team when there are updates
 * 8) Keep your team informed of any updates you receive as they may not see them

If accepted or want to attend the conference regardless

 * 1) Make your poster (if you are presenting a poster)
 * 2) Go here for tips on how to make a poster
 * 3) Book flights and arrange travel early
 * 4) Flights are cheaper if you buy them earlier
 * 5) Tuesday is generally the cheapest day to buy flights on most major airlines
 * 6) Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday are typically the cheapest days to fly
 * 7) Airlines like Spirit and Frontier can be a cheaper option if not traveling with luggage; however, if you are traveling with luggage they can often be more expensive
 * 8) Since COVID consider getting travel insurance in case the conference is cancelled, pushed back, or moved online
 * 9) The more people you stay with, the cheaper your arrangements can be
 * 10) Airbnb is often a good option, conference hotels are convenient (but expensive!)
 * 11) Consider staying in a hotel room with others traveling from HGAPS or your university to reduce costs
 * 12) Consider if you need to get a rental car or will just use public transportation/ Uber
 * 13) It may be cheaper to get a rental car and split the costs with others going from HGAPS or your university


 * 1) Look at the schedule for talks and workshops for the conference
 * 2) Plan out which presentations you plan on attending
 * 3) Look at what is free to attend (CE sessions are typically not free, but many other talks and session are)
 * 4) Choose talks from and about people and topics that you are interested in
 * 5) Network and learn!
 * 6) Do some research about the presenters you are planning to attend
 * 7) This will help you know more about what is being presented
 * 8) Help you have better conversations with them
 * 9) Sometimes presenters link suggested articles to read for their talks
 * 10) If presenting, check to see when you are scheduled to present and inform your team
 * 11) Posters must be able to travel or must be printed at your location
 * 12) Make these plans as soon as possible
 * 13) Ensure your poster will travel safely and meets restrictions
 * 14) Conferences will typically have size limits or even templates
 * 15) Prepare an elevator pitch if presenting a poster
 * 16) A 2-3 minute overview of the poster/ research
 * 17) Be prepared to answer questions about your research
 * 18) Prepare your talk if presenting a workshop or symposium
 * 19) Create slides for your presentation
 * 20) Rehearse your presentation
 * 21) Be prepared to answer any questions about your presentation
 * 22) Look at things to do in the city
 * 23) Restaurants, museums, or just general exploring can be nice while you’re in a new place