This document provides tips for presenting a paper at an academic conference. It begins with an introduction on the importance of conference presentations. It then provides 8 tips: write for your audience, adhere to time limits, rehearse, start confidently, maintain eye contact, use transitions, encourage questions, and have a natural closing. The document acknowledges the Scientific Research Group in Egypt and their mission to promote research integrity among researchers in Egypt. It notes the slides were adapted from various online presentations.

1. Aboul Ella Hassanien,
Founder and Chair of the Scientific Research Group in Egypt,
Professor at Cairo University
Faculty of Computers & Information
Information Technology Department
Email: aboitcairo@gmail.com
http://www.egyptscience.net/ &
http://www.fci.cu.edu.eg/~abo
http://scholar.cu.edu.eg/abo
https://eg.linkedin.com/in/aboul-ella-hassanien-48a9528
Tips for presenting a paper at an
academic conference
‫العلمى‬ ‫البحث‬ ‫مهارات‬ ‫محاضرات‬ ‫سلسلة‬
‫المصرية‬ ‫البحثية‬ ‫العلمية‬ ‫المجموعة‬

2. Acknowledgment
The essential mission of SRGE toward the research
and education in Egypt is to foster learning and
promoting research integrity in the current and next
generation of researchers in Egypt. SRGE is
rededicating itself to this fundamental purpose.
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3. Permission is granted to use or
modify this presentation to
support education about the
responsible conduct of research,
scholarship, and creative
activities. Users are expected to
cite this source.
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4. Agenda
 Introduction
 Where Do You Start?
 Why Go to Conferences?
 Tip (1)
 Tip (2)
 Tip (3)
 Tip (4)
 Tip (5)
 Tip (6)
 Tip (7)
 Tip (8)
 Conclusion

5. Introduction

Presenting at an academic
conference is an important part of
a researcher's life, and is an
opportunity that most young
researchers look forward to.
However, while it is no doubt an
exciting experience, it presents a
scary prospect for most
researchers. It is natural for even
senior and experienced
researchers to feel a tad nervous
while addressing a large
audience, but for young
researchers who are presenting
for the first time, the whole
process can be overwhelming.
Conferences are the best way
for academics to network with
each. If you are presenting a
paper, others can see what you
are working on, and the
informal sections of the
conference, like food and drink
breaks, encourage

6. Where Do You Start?
 Conferences are the
best way for
academics to network
with each.
 If you are presenting
a paper, others can
see what you are
working on, and the
informal sections of
the conference, like
food and drink breaks,
encourage
conversation and

7. Why Go to Conferences?
 To get published
 To meet your reviewers
 Stay at the conference hotel
 Buy coffee
 Birds of a feather (BOF’s) and Special interest
groups (SIG’s)
 To meet your editor
 Get invited to submit
 See what the editor wants
 To meet coauthors
 Share your research with your field
 Get feedback that can make your work better

8. Tips
 Write your paper with the
audience in mind
 Adhere to time limits
 Rehearse in front of a friend
 Start confidently
 Maintain eye contact with the
audience
 Use transitions
 Encourage questions and
discussions
 Ensure that the closing is
natural
Tips for
presenting
CP
audience in
mind
Start
confidently
Rehearse in
front of a
friend
Adhere to
time limits
Eye contact
Use
transitions
Encourage
questions
and
discussions
the closing
is natural

9. Tip (1) : Write your paper with the
audience in mind
 A conference paper should
be different from a journal
article. Remember that your
paper is meant to be heard,
not read.
 Audiences typically have
lower attention spans than
readers; therefore, keep the
content simple and
straightforward.
 Structure the paper well, with
a clear introduction, body,
and conclusion.
 Use language that is simple
and clear.
 Explain any technical terms
that you have used and
provide a quick recap of the
main points wherever
needed.

10. Tip (2) Adhere to time limits
 Generally, paper
presentation sessions at
conferences are 20-30
minutes long, so prepare
your material accordingly.
 Also, be prepared for any
last-minute changes in
session timings.
 If you have been allotted
20 minutes, be ready with
a short skeleton outline,
just in case the speaker
before you has overshot
his/her time limit and you
only get 10 minutes to
present.
 Conversely, keep some
extra material handy
because you may get 30
minutes instead of 20.

11. Tip (3) Practice in front of a
friend
 Reading in your mind will not
help you keep time simply
because reading aloud in
front of an audience takes
longer.
 Practice a few times in front
of a friend or in front of the
mirror, so that you are
familiar with the content, will
boost your confidence.
 Recording a video of your
practice sessions is also a
good idea as you can view
them later and understand
where you need to improve.
 However, do not practice too
much just before the actual
session, or your voice might
sound dull and tired.

12. Tip (4) Start confidently
 How you begin your
presentation matters a great
deal. You will have to gain the
audience’s confidence and
attention within the first 10-20
seconds of your session.
 Begin with a quick introduction
about yourself as this will help
establish your credibility.
 Make sure you prepare for this
in advance. Carefully select a
few highlights and be ready with
a brief self-introduction.
 Here’s an example: “Good
morning everybody! My name
is Abo. I am a master student
from the University of Cairo,
Egypt and I am a member of
the Scientific Research Group
in Egypt, Today, I am going to
present a paper titled …..”

13. Tip (5) Maintain eye contact with
the audience
 As you begin your presentation,
smile. Be calm, and breathe
deep. This will help you relax
and dissolve any awkwardness
between you and the
audience.
 Be mindful of your posture:
stand straight and hold your
head up. This will help you
make eye contact with the
audience and will also make
your voice more audible. Do not
read to the desk.
 Talk clearly, loudly, and
energetically. But don’t be too
fast: remember that there could
be people in the audience
whose native language is not
English.
 Take advantage of pauses to
look up at your audience, give
your audience time to react to
what you say, or to let what you

14. Tip (6) Use transitions
 Remember to use transitions when
moving from one idea to another:
transitions ensure a smooth flowing
presentation.
 Some useful transitions are “furthermore,”
“in addition,” “consequently,” “meanwhile,”
“finally,” etc.
 When using the same idea twice, you can
begin with “A similar idea is” or “Another
example is,” etc.
 When giving a point-by-point explanation,
it is best to mention the total number of
points at the outset; for example: “There
are reasons for this. The first reason is….;
the second reason is; etc.” This approach
will help readers keep track of the points
you are discussing.
 Additionally, sometimes a simple pause or
a direct statement such as “Let’s move to
the next part of the presentation” or “To

15. Tip (7) Encourage questions and
discussions
 If you don’t understand
a question,
you could ask for it
to be rephrased. Don’t
worry if you don’t
know the answer to one or
two questions: you can
thank the person for
raising it, saying that you
have not explored this
angle, but will definitely
think about it.
 If there are no questions,
you can give a cue by
pointing out a weakness
of the paper. However,
don’t be too bothered if
there aren’t any questions
even after you’ve asked a

16. Tip (8) Ensure that the closing is
natural:
 Ask if there are any
questions, offer your
contact information, and
tell the audience that you
would be open to
receiving questions from
them over email.
 If there are questions,
answer them. If there
aren’t any questions, just
say thank your audience
for attending the session
and walk off the stage.
 However, do not leave the
room immediately. People
might come to you with
questions that strike them
after you have concluded
the presentation, or might

17. Acknowledgment
The essential mission of SRGE toward
the research and education in Egypt is
to foster learning and promoting
research integrity in the current and
next generation of researchers in Egypt.
SRGE is rededicating itself to this
fundamental purpose.
**Slides are adapted from several presentations on the
internet