While you’re in college whether it be undergrad or graduate school, your schedule is always full. College students can agree that it’s hard to find the time in the day to do assignments, go to class, get enough sleep, hang out with friends, and eat 3 healthy meals a day. If you are a college athlete, then that just adds that much to your schedule. However, keeping an eye out for “call for papers” can be a great idea when you are wanting to build your academic resume.
Call for Papers are when a conference or journal is looking for academic papers on specific topics. Usually, when these call-for-papers announcements are advertised, there is enough time for those interested to write a paper or edit an already existing paper that fits the topic. Most of the time, the only thing that needs to be submitted is an abstract that tells of what your paper is about. If you are not sure about writing an abstract, there are various examples online.
Looking for calls for papers can be time-consuming and sometimes feels like it is not even worth it, but it can really build your resume especially if you are looking to get into graduate school or pursue a Ph.D. later on. The admissions committee that judges each student’s application to these programs will see that a student is serious about their academics if they see their academic resume includes acceptances of call for papers or that a student has presented in conferences.
The topics for calls for papers vary depending on what type of journal or conference is being planned. For example, recently at my school, the English department put out a call for papers for students to submit an abstract of their papers that they want to try to present. In this conference, most students get accepted and are given the opportunity to get the experience of a conference but on a small scale. Also, the professors who attend are always supportive and it’s cool to watch your classmates show off their hard work from the past year.
One way to find out about calls for opportunities is by meeting with your professors or professors that teach in a specific field that you are interested in. I am in an English graduate program, so the majority of the time, I am focusing on literature and everything that surrounds that. However, recently, I have been interested in the mechanics of writing and the power that words hold. As a result of that, I have begun working with a professor that specialized in writing and she has been able to give the tools and teach me how to find calls for papers for journals and conferences that are in that field.
Being in college is really cool because you are surrounded by so many people who have so much information to share, sometimes you just have to ask! Professors love helping their students and most would not turn down a student if they had questions about building their resume and adding to the education. If you are interested in building your academic resume, take 30 minutes each week to search for a call for papers or meet with a professor to ask questions. It is a lot of work but all worth it in the end when you get applauded for presenting your research!