Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 17.3
Golden Rules #1 and #2 for Preparing Abstracts, Presentations, Manuscripts, Grant
Proposals
1. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS
laid out in the Call for Papers, Guidelines for
Authors, or Call for Proposals.
2.
Do not wait until the last minute to start writing/preparing.
GIVING A PRESENTATION
Congratulations
d
at this point, after completing all the steps discussed throughout this
volume, you have arrived at the final stage of the scientific process
d
disseminating your
results to a wider audience. Without this step, your study would essentially be useless,
because no one else would be aware of your results. Knowledge in science grows through
sharing results in a variety of forums. The two most important forums for communicating
scientific results are scientific conferences and publications. Typically studies will be pre-
sented in abridged format at conferences to be followed by publication in a peer-reviewed
journal. First I will cover conference presentations.
For many, the very thought of public speaking causes anxiety. Some people are more
comfortable with speaking in front of groups than others, and some are better at clearly artic-
ulating spoken ideas. If you are not one such person, don't despair
d
with a few key tips and
practice, you can certainly learn how to give an excellent presentation. Regardless of your
current skill level with public speaking you can only benefit from learning a few more
pointers. You should know that your reputation as a scientist will partially be tied to the
quality of your presentations at conferences.
Recently I attended a conference and while perusing the topics for sale in the exhibition
room, I overheard someone point out a topic to someone else. This person remarked that
the author of that particular topic had given “the worst presentation he had ever seen in
his life.” I am aware of another situation at a conference reception where one attendee, casu-
ally speaking within a group of people, remarked that a presentation he saw that day was
pointless. Unfortunately, this attendee did not realize that the author of the presentation
was standing within the group with which he was speaking. The appropriateness of dispar-
aging colleagues in public where others can overhear should be considered; however, these
examples make clear that the ability to articulate your ideas to your colleagues will partially
shape your reputation in the field no matter how stellar your publication record. Further,
you must be able to communicate clearly in and out of the classroom with your own
students.
At Which Conference Should I Present My Study?
The major conference for skeletal biology is of course the annual gathering of the
American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA). This is held every spring, March
or April, in a different city in the United States (or rarely Canada). Three other associa-
tion meetings are typically held in conjunction with this conference: Paleopathology Asso-
ciation, Human Biology Association,andPaleoanthropology Society every other year (odd
years; even years meetings are held in conjunction with the Society for American
