Jie Shen
Humans are, by nature, social animals.
Long-time followers may remember how terrified I was when I first attended the Society for American Archaeology’s annual meeting—so much so that I wrote a socially anxious person’s conference recap as soon as I got back. Unexpectedly (not unexpectedly at all), I’ve been going to more and more conferences as I’ve got older: three international ones in the past year, and this year I’m planning to organise sessions at two conferences myself. So after submitting my last conference abstract today, I’ve decided to slack off and write a bit about attending and organising conferences.
One thing to say up front: I’m more familiar with how annual meetings and large conferences are organised and how registration works. Everything mentioned here concerns meetings with open registration. Small workshops organised by universities or institutes, and invitation-only conferences, are outside this post’s scope.
I. The Basics
So far, I’ve attended SAA (Society for American Archaeology), SEAA (Society for East Asian Archaeology), EAA (European Association of Archaeologists) and ICAZ (International Council for Archaeozoology). Some meet annually, like SAA and EAA; some every four years, like ICAZ; and some every one or two years depending on circumstances, like SEAA. Conferences are usually organised by a society, sometimes hosted jointly with a local university or research institute. Dates, locations and registration details usually appear on the society’s website six months to a year in advance. The location usually changes each time, depending on who’s hosting. If it’s an interesting city, it’s often easier to attract people to attend (go sightseeing).
Registration for these conferences tends to open very early, six months to a year before the meeting, with submissions closing around six months beforehand at the latest. So keep an eye on the website well in advance if you’re interested. Once registration opens, start preparing the research you want to present and deciding which session to join.
Besides the website, invitation emails from session organisers and session invitations in WeChat groups are important sources of information. These make it easier to find sessions close to your research interests and meet relevant scholars and students.
II. Membership and Conference Registration
Registration is one of the more complicated parts of attending, because many societies’ registration websites have poor interfaces and guidance, leaving you pretty confused. Generally, it goes like this: create a website account, log in, register as a society member and pay the membership fee, then register for the upcoming conference and pay the registration fee. Membership and conference fees often range from a few dozen to over a hundred dollars or euros, but students usually get a discount, so don’t select the wrong category. Each society also has its own rules. SEAA membership, for example, lasts three years for one payment—a good deal. With EAA, you need to wait a while after joining for the system to process your membership before registering for the conference, or you’ll be shown an astronomical registration fee.
Common membership benefits include newsletters and journals, as well as training activities for members. Keep the confirmation page or payment record after paying so you can claim reimbursement later.
If you just want to listen and aren’t presenting, you may only need to pay the membership fee or the conference registration fee, depending on the arrangements (see the website). You might even be able to slip in unnoticed (there really are a lot of people, and badges are barely checked).
III. Submitting Conference Abstracts
Once registration opens, panel/session registration and individual presentation registration usually happen at the same time. If you want to organise a panel, submit the panel abstract early so you can start inviting participants.
1 Panel submission
At SAA, for example, each panel has three roles: chair, discussant and presenter. The chair organises the panel and chairs it during the meeting. The discussant is usually an established scholar invited to comment or lead discussion. Presenters give talks, and can also be chairs or discussants. More presenters means more chairs: with two chairs, for example, you can have up to 16 presenters; beyond that, you need another chair.
Organisers usually work with students or scholars they know. Once the panel has been submitted (or they’ve decided to organise it), they each contact people they know in relevant fields and invite them. So when designing the panel topic and abstract, have a rough idea of whom you want to invite, and make sure the topic can accommodate their research.
At SAA, organisers can send invitations through the submission system. SAA provides a fixed email template with a unique submission link. When presenters open it, they receive an invitation in the system; accepting adds them to the panel. It’s best to first send your own email introducing yourself, the panel topic and abstract, then send the system invitation once they’ve agreed. Even if some scholars aren’t attending themselves, they’ll forward the email to relevant colleagues or students, which can help expand your contacts.
It’s perfectly normal for invitations to be declined. Scholars often organise their own panels, have already accepted other invitations, or simply aren’t planning to attend. After one round, send another based on the replies. Sometimes you’ll even end up sending batches of cold emails. Don’t take rejections personally.
For SEAA, you need four people before submitting a panel. Once submitted, it appears in the panel list on the individual submission page. Organisers can no longer edit or manage it through the system or invite participants there, so they need to email the other participants themselves and remind them to select the panel when submitting individually.
2 Individual submission
Individual submissions usually come in two forms: a paper, the familiar presentation of about 15 minutes; or a poster, where you’re assigned a place in a large room and stand by your poster talking with visitors, without a formal presentation.
A paper presentation generally doesn’t require a full written paper, just an abstract, though you may need to submit a paper for an award competition. The advantage is being able to tell the full story of your research and easily meet people in your field within the panel. Posters are more flexible, with more frequent and personal conversations, but sometimes things are quiet and nobody is interested enough to look or ask questions.
EAA’s poster session was just a few electronic screens where people could search and open whatever interested them. It felt pretty half-hearted. I barely saw anyone viewing them, just poster authors taking photos with their own posters (like me).
Back to submission: at SAA, you can submit after paying the conference registration fee, then pay membership within the specified period. At SEAA, you pay membership before the conference payment option appears, then pay registration before the abstract submission option appears. One step at a time; leave a penny unpaid and you can’t go any further.
Since SAA panel and individual abstracts are submitted simultaneously, you can’t browse and choose a panel during your individual submission. You have to arrange it with a panel organiser beforehand, or you’ll be automatically assigned to a general panel later. SEAA lets you choose, but the organisers also say to contact the relevant panel organiser in advance rather than joining without any prior contact.
These large conferences generally don’t do much selection: if you register, you can usually attend, and rejections are rare. So don’t worry too much about being rejected.
At submission, you can also choose to enter award competitions or apply for financial assistance. Assistance is usually a few hundred to cover travel or accommodation. I received a bit at ICAZ; it wasn’t enough for the whole trip, but I was still happy. Many conferences also offer paid guided tours. They’re a little expensive, but can give you special experiences with a dedicated guide. SAA, for example, offers visits to local museums outside opening hours, avoiding the crowds; EAA took a group to Pompeii; ICAZ had a snorkelling trip on an Indigenous-operated boat, with introductions to Indigenous culture and performances.
IV. Preparing Before the Conference
The programme is usually released a few months beforehand. Look for panels or presentations you’re interested in and plan when to attend. SAA and EAA both have dedicated phone apps which (though not very good) are handy for checking the programme.
The main point is to share your research, but a big part is also expanding your social circle. Use the opportunity to meet scholars and students you’re interested in, or introduce your research to relevant people. Besides preparing your presentation, prepare a few common ways of introducing yourself, such as an elevator pitch.
Book hotels and restaurants for group meals early. Hotels become hard to find and prices rise close to the date, while nearby restaurants fill up with archaeologists of every kind. If you want a conference guided tour, sign up early too—they fill up easily.
Afterword
Everything above comes from my own experience, so some parts are one-sided or out of date. When you attend, use the official website. Wishing everyone a smooth, happy conference, with plenty of good food and fun!
学界生存指南 | 如何参与国际学术会议
沈劼 · 2024/10/30 13:37
中文原文
Human is by nature a social animal.
这个号的老粉大概还记得我当初第一次参与美国考古学年会的时候瑟瑟发抖，以至于开完会回来就写了一篇社恐开会回顾。令人意想不到（毫不意外）的是，随着年龄的增长，我参加的会议越来越多，近一年来开了三个国际会议，今年还打算自己组织两个大会的分会场。于是在今天提交完最后一个会议摘要后，我打算来摸鱼写一些参会和组会的经验。
要提前说明的是，我比较了解的是年会或者大会的组织和报名机制。所以这里提到的都是公开接受报名参会的年会或者大会，学校或者机构小范围组织的workshop或者邀请制的会议不在这篇文章的分享范围内。
一、基本情况
目前我参与过的有SAA（美国考古学会），SEAA（东亚考古学会），EAA（欧洲考古学会）和ICAZ（国际动物考古学理事会），开会的频率有SAA和EAA这样一年一次的，也有ICAZ这种四年一次的，还有SEAA这种1-2年视情况决定的。会议一般是由某个学会主办，有时候联合某地的大学或研究机构承办。开会的具体时间、地点、报名方式一般会在学会的官网上提前半年到一年放出，大部分情况下每次开会的地点都不一样，取决于当次会议的承办方。如果开会地点时候有意思的城市，往往会更容易吸引人过去参会（旅游）。
这几个的会议注册往往很早，会在会议时间前半年到一年就开放注册，最迟会议前六个月左右就会关闭提交，所以有意参会的话一定要提前关注官网的动态。在开放注册后，就可以开始准备自己想要发表的研究和想参与的分会场了。
除了官网外，分会场组织者们发来的邀请邮件，或者微信群里的分会场邀请也是会议信息的重要来源。从这类渠道比较容易找到和自己研究方向相近的分会场，方便更好的和相关的老师和同学交流。
二、成为会员和会议注册
会议注册是参会里比较复杂的一个事儿，因为很多学会的注册网站UI设计和引导都不太好，注册过程看得人云里雾里。一般来说，注册基本遵循以下流程：要先在官网注册一个网页账号，登录后再注册为学会会员，缴纳会员费（membership fee），然后才能注册参与最新会议，再缴纳注册费（registration fee）。会员费和会议注册费往往在几十到一百多刀/欧不等，但是学生往往有优惠，所以要注意不要选错了。此外各家学会都会有一些自己的规定，比如SEAA缴纳一次会费可用三年，非常划算。像EAA，成为会员后需要等待一段时间，系统处理过后才能注册会议，否则就会收到天价注册会议费。
成为会员常见的福利是收到会报（newsletter）和刊物等，也会有面对会员开展的培训活动。在缴费提交后记得保留确认页面或者缴费记录，方便之后用于报销。
要注意的是，如果只想去听会，不打算present的话，可以看情况只交会员费或者会议注册费（具体情况见官网）。甚至也有可能直接浑水摸鱼地摸进去（毕竟会场人真的很多，也基本不查牌子）。
三、会议摘要提交
会议注册开放后，通常来说分会场（panel/session）的注册和个人presentation的注册是同时进行的。所以想要自己组织panel的就要尽早提交panel abstract，然后才好开始邀请参会者。
1 Panel submission
以SAA为例，每个panel里有chiar，discussant，和presenter三个角色。chair就是组织panel以及开会时主持的人，discussant一般是请来做点评或者带讨论的大佬，presenter则是发表的人，同时也可以是chair或者discussant。presenter越多则chair越多，比如两个chair的情况下最多能有16个presenter，再多就要找新的chair了。
Organizer一般都是和熟悉的同学或者老师搭档，等panel提交（或者确定要办之后），再各自去联系熟悉的相关领域的老师和同学，邀请ta们来参会。因此在设计panel主题和摘要的时候就要对想邀请的人大致有一个概念，保证panel主题能够把对方的研究课题包含进去。
邀请时，SAA的organizer可以在提交系统内给想要邀请的人发邀请邮件，邮件模板是SAA固定的，会有一个独特的提交链接，presenter点开后就会在系统里收到邀请，同意邀请后就会被加入panel。所以最好是先自行给意向邀请的人发邮件，介绍自己、panel主题和摘要，对方同意后再通过系统发邮件。某些老师即使自己不去，也会帮忙把邮件转发给相关的同事或者学生，可以帮助拓展人脉。
邀请被拒是很正常的现象，老师们往往自己会组织panel，或者已经接受别人的邀请，又或者压根没打算去。所以一轮发完，根据回复情况再发下一轮，甚至群发cold mail的情况都会发生，面对拒绝不用take it personal。
SEAA的panel则是需要先凑齐四个人才能提交，提交后panel就会显示在个人提交页面的panel list里。提交后组织者就无法再在系统里修改或者管理自己的panel，也无法通过系统邀请参与者，所以还需要组织者自己给其他参与者发邮件提醒ta们在个人提交时选择这个panel。
2 Individual submission
个人摘要提交通常也分两种，一种是paper，也就是我们熟悉的15分钟左右的presentation；另一种是poster，这种就是会被分配在一个大会场里，大家自己站在自己的poster前和观看者进行交流，没有一个正式的presentation。
Paper presentation一般来说不需要真的提交一整篇paper，只要abstract就行，但是如果要参与评奖，可能会要求提交paper。这种形式的好处是可以完整地讲述自己的研究，而且在panel里容易结识和自己领域相关的人。Poster的好处是相对自由，交流更频繁和个人化，但是偶尔也会遇到冷场，没有人感兴趣来看或者提问。
EAA的poster session就是几个电子屏，想看的人自己在系统里找自己感兴趣的点开来看，形式上非常敷衍。我在现场基本没怎么看到有人来看，只有poster作者和自己的poster合影（比如说我）。
回到提交摘要的流程，SAA是交完注册会议费后就可以提交，然后在规定时间内交会员费。SEAA要交完会员费后才出现交会议注册费的选项，交完注册费才出现提交摘要的选项，步步推进，少一分钱都没法继续下去。
在提交摘要的时候，由于SAA的panel和个人abstract是同时提交的，所以个人提交时没办法自行浏览和选择要去哪个panel，只能提前和panel organizer联系好，否则就会后期被自动分配到某一个general panel。SEAA则是可以自己选，但是主办方也提示了，要提前联系好想去的panel的组织者，不能毫无联系地就加入某个panel。
这一类大会基本都是不会过度筛选参会者的，也就是说只要报名基本都能参与，基本没有拒绝的情况，所以大家不用太担心被拒。
提交时还可以选择是否要参与评奖或者申请经济援助，经济援助一般是几百块，用来付路费或者房费。我在ICAZ的时候拿到过一点钱，虽然不足以付全部旅费，但还是很开心。此外，很多会议都会提供付费的Guide tour，价格略贵，但是能在专人带领下有一些比较特别的旅行体验。比如SAA可以在闭馆时间参观当地的博物馆，避开人流；EAA带队去庞贝古城参观；ICAZ则有浮潜体验，做的游艇是原住民经营的，有原住民文化介绍和表演。
四、开会前准备
一般会前几个月会放出会议program，可以从中查找自己感兴趣的panel或者presentation，定好时间去听。SAA和EAA都有专门的手机app，（虽然不太好用但是）用来查看program也很方便。
开会的主旨是分享自己的研究，但也有很大一部分是扩展自己的社交圈。所以趁着开会的机会邀请和结实自己感兴趣的老师和同学，或者把自己的研究介绍给相关的学者都是很重要的事情。开会前除了做好presentation的准备，也要稍微准备一下常用的社交话术，比如elevator pitch。
酒店和聚餐的餐馆要提前预定，因为临期之后酒店会非常难找且涨价，而周边的馆子会塞满了各式各样的考古学家。如果想要参加会议主办方组织的guide tour，最好也早点报名，因为很容易就爆满。
尾声
以上的内容都是基于我个人经验总结的，有偏颇和过时的部分，实际在参会的时候大家还是要以官网的信息为准，祝大家都参会顺利，快乐开会，吃好玩好！