How to write a successful conference proposal

Presenting at a conference can be a great experience, valuable to the person or people presenting as well as those in attendance. However, what happens when you have an idea for a session, but have never had the opportunity to write a proposal? Here are some practical tips and ideas on writing a successful conference proposal.

There are three main sections of a proposal: the title, the abstract, and the summary. They may go by slightly different names, but the general sections remain the same.

Title: This can be deceptively difficult to write. There is often a short word count limit, restricting the amount of information you can include. A successful title should describe your session topic clearly and concisely, yet still be creative enough to catch the attention of those attending the conference. You want people to be intrigued, but you don't want to give false expectations about what they will get out of the session. You have a little bit of latitude here since you can be more precise in the session abstract. One last thing to keep in mind is the overall conference theme. Find a way to make a connection to the overall theme of the event, often given on the conference website or poster. Using some of the key words from the theme can help in persuading the reviewers to include it in the list of sessions.

Abstract: This can go by different names, but is usually a shorter description of your session included in the conference booklet. This is what attendees will read to decide if they would like to attend your session. If you have the person hooked by the title, you want to keep his or her attention by using some of the key words and phrases from the title in the short abstract. This shows continuity and helps reviewers and attendees get a general sense of what you think are the main points regarding your session. An abstract needs to describe the objective of the session clearly, using detailed information about the content of the presentation and how you plan on delivering it to your audience.

Summary: This is a longer description of your session, building on the content of the abstract. Feel free to use some of the same information, even duplicating words and phrases from the abstract. This keep the thread of continuity weaving through the three main areas of the proposal. The difference in the summary is the connection to theory and/or research. Most proposal reviewers want to see that you are ay least familiar with the main players and studies in this area. Quotes are welcomed, but need to be carefully chosen for their ability to support or extend your ideas. Summarizing or paraphrasing those ideas is encouraged as long as everything is properly cited. It is not expected that you will include a bibliography, but a correct citation is required. The abstract should provide a clear, yet succinct, preview of your session including how the time will be organized. Often, this section is split into two paragraphs with the theory and theme in the first paragraph and the organization in the second, shorter paragraph. Remember, this is not normally published in anything and is only used for reviewers to determine if your session should be accepted. You are trying to convince people who are often familiar with these topics, so you can use more subject specific terms without having to define them.

Two more things to consider when writing proposals is the writing style and quality. This should be written in academic language, free of personal language and colloquialisms. Make sure that the proposal is free of spelling and grammatical errors. It is advisable to ask someone else to look over the proposal before submitting it. It may be helpful to look over submissions from previous conferences. These are often still accessible online.

Writing a session proposal can seem intimidating and time consuming, but can also be very rewarding. It causes you to be dig deeper into your topic, making you become more familiar with the main ideas. Once you have done a few session proposals, you will find they get a bit easier. Don’t stress if your first proposal isn't accepted; simply take the advice given by the reviewers and build on it for the next conference.

Good luck!