My graduate program is a non-research based. However, I am interested in writing and presenting a conference paper. Is it possible for me to do this even as I am not into research work?
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What is it you intend to present?– FomiteMay 6, 2014 at 16:07
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16If you write a conference paper, by definition you are a researcher!– Nate EldredgeMay 6, 2014 at 16:07
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5Yes!! The main requirements for presenting a conference paper are that you have had one accepted and that you have paid the registration fees.– Dave ClarkeMay 6, 2014 at 16:13
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If I'm already a researcher, can I simply skip altogether my thesis defense? I wanted to do a PhD to be a researcher, not the other way around... WRT the original question, sure you can, anyone can, you have to worry about two things: reviewers should accept your paper and you should be able to pay the expenses to go to the conference and attend it (your institution/supervisor should probably cover that). In any case, nobody is going to ask for your research license :P– TrylksMay 6, 2014 at 16:56
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4I would note that there's a real risk that you'll present good research in the wrong way. Reviewers are very sensitive to small details and can make a subconscious decision not to accept because you didn't follow a certain convention. In a research program, your supervisor will help you learn these conventions. So it helps to have someone with experience who can do a quick proofread and help you get this right. It's also a good idea to start small, and work your way up to more prestigious (and expensive) conferences.– Peter BloemMay 6, 2014 at 21:15
2 Answers
Of course you can submit any paper you want. There are a lot of people, for example in the industry field, that submit papers to conferences.
But as they have stated in one comment, as soon as you start preparing a paper, that per se converts you into a researcher.
Good luck!
Yes - I've attended several research presentations by people who are not "academic" researchers, and who just wanted to present the results of an interesting project. Several companies encourage workers to submit papers as this
1) Increases the prestige of the company
2) Even if you do not patent, by publishing you have made your idea un-patentable by creating prior art. So you've also protected your IP. (NOTE: I'm not a lawyer)