Popular Science Articles: Conference Papers VS Journal Papers, What's the Difference? Is the recognition of the academic circles the same?

Only a first-year graduate student in the field of computer deep learning can have an idea for a paper. The next step is to start writing. I would like to ask everyone, is it suitable for the first paper to be published in a journal or a conference?

1. The concept of conference papers and journal papers

1.1 Conference Papers

Conference papers refer to academic research papers prepared and submitted for participation in academic conferences. It is an important way for researchers to share their research results and discoveries with fellow scholars. Conference papers usually include a description of research questions, a review of related research, research methods, experimental results, data analysis, and conclusions.

The purpose of writing conference papers is to introduce research results, viewpoints and innovations to the academic community, communicate and discuss with other researchers, and obtain peer feedback and review opinions. Acceptance of conference papers usually goes through a rigorous review process, including peer review, to ensure quality and academic reliability.

The benefits of submitting a conference paper include: presenting one's own research results in academia, networking and collaborating with peer scholars, receiving feedback and mentoring to improve research, increasing one's academic reputation and enhancing professional development.

The requirements and format of conference papers may vary with different academic conferences, so when preparing papers, you should carefully read and follow the conference's submission guidelines and requirements. This includes the paper length limit, format requirements (such as font, line spacing, citation format, etc.), abstract and keyword writing, etc.

1.2 Journal Articles

Journal papers are research papers prepared and submitted for publication in academic journals. Compared with conference papers, journal papers pay more attention to in-depth research, detailed data analysis and comprehensive discussion.

The purpose of writing journal articles is to widely disseminate research results in academia, provide reference and citation materials for other researchers, and promote the progress of the subject field. Journal papers generally go through a peer review process, that is, experts and scholars in the same field review and review papers to ensure their academic quality and reliability.

When writing a journal article, you need to pay attention to the following aspects:

1. Research questions and innovation points: clarify the research questions, determine the research objectives and innovation points of the paper, and ensure sufficient academic value and research significance.
2. Literature review: A comprehensive review of the research literature in related fields, including the progress, controversies, and shortcomings of existing research, to demonstrate the background of the study and the basis of existing research.
3. Methods and experimental design: describe in detail the methods, experimental design and data collection process used in the study, ensure the repeatability of the experiment, and provide sufficient data to support the research conclusions.
4. Results and Discussion: Present and explain the results of the study, conduct an in-depth discussion and analysis, compare with existing research, and comment on the significance and limitations of the findings.
5. Citations and references: Accurately cite the research results of other scholars, and list the references at the end of the paper, following the corresponding citation format and norms.

Writing journal papers needs to strictly follow the journal's submission requirements and format requirements. Different journals have different subject areas, review processes, and submission requirements. Therefore, when choosing a journal, you need to carefully read and follow the journal's submission guidelines and requirements.

1.3 Summary

Conference papers are submitted for an academic conference, that is, papers published in domestic or international academic conferences.

If the paper is accepted by the conference affairs group of the academic conference, the paper will be published in the "Proceedings" of the conference, and you will also be required to participate in high-end academic peer exchange meetings to introduce your research findings to the academic community. Of course, contributors are free to choose whether to participate in the conference, and will not affect the publication and retrieval of papers.

A journal paper is a paper submitted for an academic journal, that is, a paper published in an academic journal. There are academic and non-academic points. Journal papers are mainly published in monthly/quarterly/annual/irregular journals. Once a journal paper has been accepted, contributors simply wait for publication.

2. Differences

2.1 Differences in content

Conference papers: usually introduce the preliminary findings of the research work or the innovative ideas emerging during the research process, which are unfinished editions, and the number of pages is not as many as journal papers;

Journal papers: What you send out is the work that you have completed at this stage. It is not just the presentation and discussion of an idea. It requires more comprehensive and in-depth research than conference papers.

At the same time, conference papers focus on communication and generally do not go through the peer review process; journal papers will go through peer review. In this part, your paper is likely to be rejected, and the average acceptance rate of journals is 40%-60%.

2.2 Differences in the review cycle

Compared with journal papers, the feedback efficiency of conference papers is much higher.

Conference papers: The review period is relatively short, usually about 2 weeks, and the fastest one only takes 1 week, and some conferences with a little water can be accepted even in a few days.

Journal papers: The review period is relatively long. The fastest domestic Chinese core journals take 1-2 months, and general journals also take about 1-3 weeks. Of course, some "water journals" can also be accepted in a few days or even in a day.

2.3 Differences in Recognition Degrees

Journal papers must be familiar to everyone. Journal papers have a much wider audience than conference papers, and they are currently the most widely used papers. Domestic graduates, postgraduates, and promotions all have a high degree of recognition for journal papers.

Since conference papers are read at academic conferences, the recognition of conference papers is naturally positively correlated with the authority of the academic conference.

For example, some academic conferences are slightly watery and of low value, and the recognition of published papers is naturally limited. However, if it is a high-quality and authoritative conference, its conference papers are also very recognized.

In addition, compared to journal papers published in a certain issue of journals, conference papers may not necessarily be published, and some articles are only read at conferences. Generally speaking, the publication of a paper is conducive to the retrieval and collection of the paper. If it is not published, the article will not be retrieved and collected, and its recognition is naturally not high.

Since the recognition of conference papers is closely related to the authority of academic conferences, this requires us to choose academic conferences carefully. But now there are not many academic conferences, and the quality is also uneven.

3. Some Suggestions for Submission

Look at the host first. Usually, meetings initiated by first-level units are relatively safe and can be retrieved. For example, foreign IEEE, IFAC, domestic China Computer Federation, Chinese Society of Automation, etc. The support of first-level societies is also relatively safe, such as IEEE CS; in addition, international conferences held by well-known universities and research institutions are also guaranteed.

Second, look at cooperative publishers. If you cooperate with the above-mentioned internationally renowned publishing houses, they are basically included in EI source journals, which are worth a vote.

In addition, details such as the session, the chairman of the conference, and the conference website are also rulers. It must be unreliable if the conference does not even have a formal website and invites manuscripts directly by email.

The papers published in high-level academic conferences are comparable to the papers in core journals. The key to the publication of conference papers lies in the selection of conferences. As long as the right conference is selected, the papers will definitely be helpful to the author.

Publishing conference papers can not only add points to your academic resume, but also draw research opinions from all sides for the paper. If you want to become a good researcher, you must not ignore the importance of conference papers. You can start training from conference papers to improve your paper writing level.

4. A little idea of ​​my own

Computer classes are generally published in conferences, because the process from submission to inclusion of journals is too long. And the CS field is changing too fast. After the journals are included, maybe your direction has already undergone many new changes.

The main points to grasp are as follows:

Journals and conferences are two common forms of scholarly publishing in academia, and they differ in a few ways. Here are the main differences between journals and conferences and some advice on how to choose:

1. Scholarly dissemination range and depth: Journals typically target a broad academic readership and can accommodate more, longer papers that delve into a field of study. The conference pays more attention to disseminating the latest research results in a timely manner. The research content is relatively short, but it can communicate and discuss directly with researchers.
2. Review process: Journal papers generally go through a strict peer review process, and need to be reviewed and revised by anonymous reviewers to ensure academic quality and reliability. The review process of conference papers is usually simplified, and may only go through a brief review, with more emphasis on originality and innovation.
3. Publishing speed and timeliness: Conferences usually have clear deadlines and meeting dates, so that research results can be released quickly and communicated with peer scholars. The publication process for journal articles can take a long time, depending on the journal's review cycle and publication time.
4. Academic reputation and influence: Some high-quality academic journals have high academic reputation and influence, and are widely recognized and cited, which can enhance the author's academic status and reputation. Similarly, some well-known academic conferences also have high influence and popularity, which can bring academic recognition to researchers.

Here are a few things to consider when choosing a journal or conference:

1. Target readership: Determine which academic field of readership your research output is suitable for, and whether the topic and scope of the journal or conference are relevant to your research.
2. Academic influence: Check the Impact Factor of journals and the reputation of conferences, understand their status and citations in the academic world, and choose journals or conferences with good reputation and high influence.
3. Publication requirements and formats: Learn more about journal or conference submission requirements, format requirements, and deadlines to ensure your research meets its requirements.
4. Review process and timing: Understand journal review cycles and conference review processes, consider how quickly you want your research to be published, and communicate with your peers.
5. Refer to previously published papers: Look up previously published papers in a related field to see which journals or conferences they were published in, which can help you identify the appropriate journals or conferences to publish your research.

Most importantly, the choice of a journal or conference should match your research goals, target readership and field of study, as well as your individual academic development needs.