Rebecca shares her experience of attending last year’s iConference in Changchun, China.
For me, living in my PhD research project feels like swimming in a stormy ocean—diving to the depths introduces me to a rich array of creatures I would never see on land, but as I come up for air, a wave of new publications slaps me in the face, fills my mouth and nose and ears, and sends me back underwater to make more connections. At times, I get lost in the vastness, buffeted by unexpected findings that pull me off course. The shifting currents introduce data and theories that seem both conflicting and repetitive . . . until occasional glimpses of clarity break in like sunlight through clouds, giving me hope and renewing my resolve to keep swimming.
The individual nature of PhD projects can be rather lonely and isolating. We are learning a language that our friends and loved ones probably do not speak, and the members of our academic tribe in our university are just as busy and overwhelmed as we are. Preparation for mandatory check-ins, meetings, and milestone reviews leaves little time for socializing and even less energy or desire to have extended conversations in our new shared language.
So, while my fabulously brilliant research advisors toss me life-saving buoys and tethers to keep me anchored, I have also found great encouragement and support from the peer feedback offered at academic conferences, particularly when I can share research in progress. One such opportunity has been the annual iConference.
The 2023 iConference was held in Barcelona, Spain, and I participated in the doctoral colloquium. Being early in my degree program at the time, I was exploring the research directions that were surfacing in the literature, and I was facing a crossroads. The doctoral colloquium gave me the opportunity to share this situation with my international peers, to read and review their study approaches and preliminary findings, and to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the options I faced.
In April 2024, I participated in the iConference for the second time, receiving support from the PAHC Research Degree Funds as I did the year before. This event was held in Changchun, China, and I delivered a poster presentation that highlighted the preliminary results of an ongoing study on instructor-librarian collaborative teaching methods. My initial proposal was due before the first phase of my study would be completed, so the proposal previewed my expectations based on how the study had been going and provided a realistic timeline for completing data analysis before the conference dates. These self-set deadlines also held me accountable for persisting through the study, which I found to be just the right amount of pressure and motivation.
Both poster presentations and doctoral colloquiums lend themselves well to research in progress. These proposals are usually less intense than proposals for full papers or panel presentations, and the conference fees are significantly reduced for students. Presenting research in progress is also a strategic move, soliciting valuable feedback from peers and experts in the field. This early exposure allows us to refine our ideas and methodologies based on constructive criticism before the final work is completed. The key is to be forward-thinking, as the call for proposals generally emerges several months prior to the conference, and soliciting travel funding from your institution can also be time-consuming. In fact, full funding might not even be available, so all related costs should be considered before making any promises. But planning ahead gives us time to develop a compelling initial submission and then incorporate the reviewers’ suggestions into our ongoing research process, ultimately enhancing the quality of our work by the time we present it.
Throughout the iConference programs and other such seminars, I’ve tried to also attend the optional mixers and dinners to meet and interact with other attendees. From these experiences, I have built a network of friendships around the globe, and we speak a variety of languages in addition to this shared academic one. Because we are familiar with each other’s research interests, we continue to exchange relevant articles and resources long after the conference is over. And because we are human, we check on each other, especially when major events hit the news—World Cups, Olympic games, border conflicts, mass shootings, Storm Boris, Hurricane Helene, Typhoon Yagi. Sometimes validating people’s existence means even more than validating their research.
If you weren’t sure if you were ready to join this kind of swim party, here is your sign.
Take a deep breath and show us what you’ve got so far!
