Chapter 1在线视频

Hello everyone

I'm Lu Fengxiang

from Capital Medical University

Now we are going to talk about Chapter One

Understanding International Conferences

Upon completion of this chapter

you are expected to

differentiate types of meetings

understand the principal activities at

academic conferences

and grasp the important information

preparing for academic conferences

Part One Types of Meetings

The definition of MEETING

Merriam-Webster defines MEETING

as "an act or process of coming together"

According to online Thesaurus

MEETING is an assembly or conference

of persons for a specific purpose

Meetings are different from other gatherings

for example

a chance encounter

for it is not convened

a sports game

for there is no verbal interaction

a company of friends

for there is no common goal

or a demonstration

for it is mostly done

by the number of the demonstrators

Meetings are featured by being convened

having common goals

and involving verbal interactions

Generally speaking

meetings cover lecture

one presentation

seminar

typically several presentations small audience one day

symposium

small-size one day

workshop

smaller with active participants

conference

mid-size one or more days

and congress

large several days

2 Lecture

The word "lecture" dates back to the 14th century

meaning "action of reading"

It refers to a speech read or delivered

before an audience or class

especially for instruction or to set forth a subject

A lectern is often used for the speaker in the lecture

A lectern is a raised

slanted stand on which a speaker can place his or her notes

In fact

the word "lectern" comes from the same source as "lecture"

meaning "to read"

3 Seminar

The word "seminar" is derived from Latin

meaning "seed plot"

It is a form of academic instruction

either at an academic institution or offered

by a commercial or professional organization

Often a seminar focuses on a particular subject

in which everyone present is requested to participate

Over the seminar

the assigned readings are discussed

questions can be raised and debates can be conducted

Knowledge in a seminar is gained not by listening

but by reading and talking

4 Symposium

The word "symposium" is derived from Greek

meaning "to drink together"

In ancient Greece

a symposium was a part of a banquet

that took place after the meal

when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music

dancing recitals or conversations

In modern usage

a symposium is a formal meeting

at which several specialists deliver short addresses

on a topic or on related topics

It is characterized by an openly discursive format

rather than a lecture and question-answer format

Compared with a conference

a symposium is usually narrower and more specific

in the range of topics

In terms of scale

it is smaller than a conference

as sometimes a conference

may include several symposiums held simultaneously

The chief characteristic of a symposium

is that it covers a single topic or subject

and all the lectures given by specialists

are completed in a single day

5 Workshop

Originally

a "workshop" refers to a room or a building

which provides both the area and tools

that may be required for the manufacture

or repair of manufactured goods

in the Industrial Revolution era

But now a workshop often refers to a meeting

at which a group of people

engage in intensive discussion and activity

on a particular subject or project

a seminar

discussion group

or the like

It emphasizes an exchange of ideas

and the demonstration and application of techniques

skills

etc

Different from other meetings

workshops emphasize practical performance

besides academic discussions

6 Conference

The Latin roots of the word "conference" means

literally "bring together"

A conference brings together people and ideas

It is a meeting of people who "confer" about a topic

It can take place in different fields

and need not be academic in nature all the time

e.g.

the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

A conference is always prearranged

and involves consultation and discussion

on a number of topics by the participants

An academic conference or symposium is a conference

for researchers to present and discuss their work

Together with academic or scientific journals

conferences provide an important channel

for an exchange of information between researchers

In reality

symposium and conference are often used interchangeably

The format usually involves graduate students

and academics presenting their research work and theories

and defending expanding or changing them

in response to questions criticism

and other feedback from colleagues

Generally

conferences are often sponsored

by a professional organization of the discipline involved

and may be held in a different city each year

A major focus of an academic conference

besides the exchange of ideas

is networking

which is a key to collaboration

funding

employment

and other professional benefits

An academic conference is usually composed of various presentations

with a time span of about 10 to 30 minutes

and the work may be bundled

in a written form as academic papers

and published as the conference proceedings

Usually an academic conference invites some standing scholars

to give keynote lectures

and these keynote lectures

often run up to one hour or longer

In addition to presentations

academic conferences also feature panel discussions

roundtables on various issues

poster sessions and workshops

Academic conferences may also be held online

or something similar

Teleconferences bring people together through live video feeds

allowing people to discuss issues

hear presentations

network

and otherwise do many of the things

they might do at a conference

without leaving their homes or offices

Similar situations can be set up using the Internet

Projectors

web cams and microphones

7 Congress

The word "congress" is most frequently used

to denote the supreme legislative body of a nation

and especially of a republic

e.g.

the Congress of the United States

It also refers to a formal meeting

or assembly of representatives for the discussion

arrangement

or promotion of some matter of common interest

Congress is similar to conference

but the former implies a higher degree of formality

Part Two

Principal activities at academic conferences

During an academic conference

there will be some activities

like plenary sessions

poster sessions

panel discussions and workshops

1 Plenary session

A plenary session is a session of a conference

which all participants are to attend

Such a session may include a broad range of content

from keynotes to panel discussions

and is not necessarily related to a specific style

of presentation or deliberative process

The keynote lectures done in the plenary sessions

are often longer than those done in parallel sessions

Most frequently the keynote speakers

are invited by the organizers

and they are usually quite senior or somehow big-name

They may give a general high level review talks

Parallel session

A parallel session also called a concurrent session

is a session of a conference

which the speakers give their presentations

in separate rooms at the same time

The speakers for the parallel sessions

are selected based on their submitted abstracts

At the end of their presentation

there is time for questions

In a parallel session the size of the audience is limited

Usually a particular topic is arranged for a parallel session

and there are several of such topics

for discussion in a conference

Poster session

In a poster session of a conference

participants present their information through a poster

He or she waits for passing colleagues

to briefly present his or her work and answer questions

In a poster session

the presenter has to tell his or her story more than once

and the interaction between the presenter and audience

can be more intense

Generally there is an award to the best designed poster presented

at the conference

and the winner will receive a prize and a certificate

Panel discussion

Panel discussions at academic conferences

are a useful way

to trigger an exchange of viewpoints among experts

either with prepared statements

or in response to questions from the audience

Due to the on-the-spot interaction

panel discussions are more difficult to prepare than presentations

Part Three

Important information preparing for an academic conference

1 Information about the conference

Attending an academic conference is a big time commitment

We need to know several vital information before we attend

We'd better know the conference's name

date and location

topics for discussion

accommodation transportation weather conditions

and recommendations for clothes and so on

This kind of information can be very comprehensive

involving activities before

during and after an academic conference

2 Paper submission information

Paper submission information includes the types of submissions

and how to submit

The submission types information

generally can be read in conjunction with the Call for Papers

and the Submission Guidelines of the conference

With the help of the Call for Papers

and the Submission Guidelines

we can easily obtain information

to help through the process from abstract submission

to preparing the presentation at the conference

It's important to find out what is required

for example

does the conference want a title

an abstract and title

or a full copy of the paper

What is the word limit that the conference organizer sets

What is the deadline of the abstract

and the paper submission

3 Organizational information

Conference committees and organizational structures

may vary according to different conference circumstances

Generally

there is an organizing committee

an academic committee

and a secretariat for the smooth running of the conference

Sometimes according to the scale and the purpose

of an academic conference

some more committees are needed

for example

advisory committee

executive committee

registration committee

finance committee

local arrangement committee and so on

The organizing committee is charged with the planning

running

and oversight of the conference to ensure

that it meets the objectives stated to the conference

The organizing committee is often composed of the General Chair

the Program Chair

and other selected chairs

The General Chair is responsible for

the overall running of the conference

and serves as the Chair of the Organizing Committee

The academic committee is responsible for

evaluating the submitted papers

the design of the agenda

and the arrangement of academic communication at the conference

The secretariat is responsible for ensuring

that the conference is properly called and organized

Its officials are entrusted with administrative duties

maintaining records

and overseeing or performing all secretarial duties

Part Four Practice

question 1

What are the main differences between the different types of meetings

from the perspective of the meeting-goers

question 2

What are your goals to attend academic conferences in your field