If you’ve ever presented at or organized an academic conference, you’ve probably come across the term conference proceedings. But what exactly are they—and why should researchers, organizers, and institutions care?
Let’s break it down in simple terms.
What Are Conference Proceedings?
Conference proceedings are a published collection of the work presented at a conference. This typically includes abstracts, full papers, or summaries of presentations, depending on how the conference is structured.
They act as the official record of the event and are often made available in print, online, or through academic databases. In short, proceedings help preserve and share the knowledge generated during the conference.
For many conferences, the first step toward getting included in the proceedings is submitting an abstract—a short summary of your research. You can learn more about what abstracts are and how abstract management works.
Why Conference Proceedings Matter
1. They Give Academic Recognition
Getting your abstract or paper accepted into the proceedings means your work passed review and was presented to peers in your field.
2. They Increase Discoverability
When proceedings are published online or indexed by academic databases (like Scopus or IEEE Xplore), your research becomes more visible and easier to cite.
3. They Archive Conference Contributions
Not all conferences record their sessions—but proceedings capture the core ideas shared at the event. They’re a lasting record of who said what, and when.
4. They Enhance Conference Credibility
For organizers, publishing proceedings shows your event is serious and academically valuable. It also makes it easier to attract high-quality abstracts and papers in the future.
What’s Usually Included in Conference Proceedings?
Depending on the conference’s goals and discipline, proceedings may include:
- Accepted abstracts (sometimes called extended abstracts)
- Full research papers
- Poster summaries or case studies
- Workshop and panel reports
- Author bios and affiliations
In many conferences, especially in STEM fields, authors first submit an abstract. If accepted, they’re invited to submit a full paper to be peer-reviewed and included in the final proceedings.
Are Proceedings Considered Academic Publications?
Yes—especially in fields like computer science, engineering, and information technology, where conference proceedings are often as important as journal publications.
However, in other disciplines (like humanities or social sciences), they’re sometimes seen as preliminary publications—a starting point for a future journal article.
What’s important is that proceedings represent peer-reviewed, presented work—making them valuable academic contributions in almost any field.
How Are Conference Proceedings Published?
Publishing methods can vary, but common options include:
- Publishing on the conference’s official website
- Partnering with an academic publisher like IEEE, Springer, or ACM
- Collaborating with a university press or journal
- Uploading PDFs to institutional repositories or digital libraries
The best proceedings are well-organized, easy to access, and clearly tied to a structured abstract management system.
How Leconfe Helps You Manage and Publish Proceedings
At Leconfe, we know that managing conference content from collecting abstracts to publishing proceedings can be overwhelming.
That’s why we built an open-source platform that simplifies the entire process. With Leconfe, you can:
- Accept and manage abstract submissions
- Handle peer review and decision-making
- Publish an online proceedings page with abstracts and full papers
- Export papers to formats ready for publication or printing
It’s already being used by universities across Indonesia to power national and international conferences—and we’re always improving it based on real organizer feedback.
Final Thoughts
Conference proceedings are more than just a post-event task. They’re a powerful way to recognize contributors, share new research, and build the reputation of your event.
It all starts with the abstract—and it ends with a well-organized, accessible collection of the knowledge shared.
If you’re ready to run a better conference, from abstract management to publishing proceedings, give Leconfe a try.