IFRA training workshop on « How to answer a call for paper? Choosing a title and writing an abstract » with Dr. Cyrielle Maingraud-Martinaud

Date: 26 September 2019

Location: IFRA-Nigeria’s library (IAS, UI)

On 26 September 2019, Dr. Cyrielle Maingraud-Martinaud hosted a 2-hour workshop at IFRA-Nigeria themed on "How to answer a call for paper? Choosing a title and writing an abstract". The workshop focused on how best to understand, analyse and respond to a call for paper for an academic conference.

This workshop is the first organised by Dr. Cyrielle Maingraud-Martinaud who is the new research associate and deputy director of IFRA. Her research focuses on the interactions between political systems and identity politics, with a special scrutiny on religion. She has presented papers and conveyed panels in several international conferences, both in Europe and Africa.

WHAT WAS THE WORKSHOP ABOUT?

Presenting a paper at an academic conference is a critical component of any academic career. It is especially important for PhD students so that they can publicise their research, present and discuss their findings and receive feedback and advice from their peers. To maximise the chances to be selected to present a paper at a conference, it is necessary to understand the criteria the conveyors use to evaluate the submissions.

The workshop was divided into two parts.

PART 1 – LECTURE

In the first part of the workshop, Dr. Cyrielle Maingraud-Martinaud explained the different steps to take in analysing and responding to a call for paper. She insisted on the importance of attending conferences during the PhD, not only for networking but also to get feedbacks from the scientific peers. She then went through different methods to build a sharp and percutant abstract, choose a relevant yet catchy title, select key-words and write a short bio. 

PART 2- CASE STUDY AND SHARING EXPERIENCES

In the second part of the workshop, Dr Cyrielle Maingraud-Martinaud used the example of a paper she recently submitted for a conference in Nigeria to discuss the do and don’t. It was a great opportunity for the participants to consider the different steps of a paper application and also to look more in-depth at an abstract structure. Finally, the participants shared their own experiences, difficulties and successes in submitting a paper to previous conferences, 

15 participants benefitted of the programme, mainly students of the University of Ibadan (but also some students from University of Ilorin and Awolowo Obafemi University, Ile-Ife) doing their PhD (or about to start one) in social sciences and humanities.