What are conference proceedings?

Conference proceedings are the collection of papers and/or posters that were presented at an association's conference or meeting. Conferences provide opportunities for people to present their research, and get input from other researchers and colleagues in their field.

Conference proceedings can help you discover:

• who is researching a topic
• what is currently being researched in a particular field

Papers presented at conferences are working papers. They are not typically peer-reviewed journal articles. Some of these papers will go on to be published in peer-reviewed journals, but others will not. 

You can tell that what you have found is a conference paper if, instead of a journal title, a conference or meeting title is listed as the publisher. You will also find Conference session or Poster presentation in brackets. You can see examples at the following:

• Library: Evaluating Resources: Identify conference proceedings
• Writing Center: Common Reference List Examples: Conference Sessions and Presentations

More Information:

• How do I find the full text of conference papers?
• How do I write a conference proposal?
• What are some tips for giving a conference presentation?
   

Do you have other questions about conference proceedings? Ask a Librarian!