If you are a close follower of conferences you’ll have noticed some differences in the formatting styles of their conference papers, including citations and references. Because of this lack of uniformity in conference paper formatting, it is very necessary to first check the conference conventions and paper submission guidelines of the conference organizer before you start writing your conference paper.
Such guidelines will usually provide information on how to cite the particular conference paper you are involved in. You can find this information on the conference organizer’s website and/or brochure. It is very important to adhere to citation and other rules because flouting them can lead to the rejection of your conference paper, even if it is of very high quality.
Below is information on how to cite a conference paper according to some of the more popular citation styles. We cover how to input the title of the paper, name of the conference and other required details in standard format and when using square brackets / parenthetical citation. The following formats are based on APA and MLA.
APA [7th edition]
Conference presentation
| Reference list format | Last Name of article writer, Initials. (Year, Month Days). Title of article [Conference Session]. Name of conference, City, Country. Video URL |
| Reference list example | McKenna, M. (2021, June 28-30). Analyzing the inflation/unemployment relationship [Conference presentation]. AEA Annual Conference, California, CL, United States. https://conference.aea.org/2021-video |
| In-text citation format | Parenthetical: (Last Name of conference paper Author, Year published) Narrative: Last Name of conference paper Author (Year published) |
| In-text citation examples | Parenthetical: (McKenna, 2021) Narrative: McKenna (2021) |
Note
- Apart from [Conference session], other descriptions such as “[Paper presentation],” “[Poster session],” and “[Keynote address]” can also be used, if more appropriate.
- If a video of the conference presentation is available, provide the link at the end of the reference (as shown in the reference example above).
Abstract of a conference presentation
- To cite only the abstract of a conference presentation, add the word “abstract” as part of the bracketed description (e.g., “[Conference presentation abstract]”).
| Reference list format | Last Name of article writer, Initials. (Year, Month Days). Title of article [Conference presentation abstract]. Name of conference, City, Country. URL |
| Reference list example | McKenna, M. (2021, June 28-30). Analyzing the inflation/unemployment relationship [Conference presentation abstract]. AEA Annual Conference, California, CL, United States. https://conference.aea.org/2021-video |
| In-text citation format | Parenthetical: (Last Name of conference paper Author, Year published) Narrative: Last Name of conference paper Author (Year published) |
| In-text citation examples | Parenthetical: (McKenna, 2021) Narrative: McKenna (2021) |
MLA [8th edition]
Conference proceedings
| Reference list format | Last Name of conference paper editor, First Name Initial, editor. Title of collected proceedings, Month Day range, year: Title of collected proceedings. Publisher, Year of publication. |
| Reference list example | Lukpat, Alyssa U., editor. Proceedings of the Twenty-fifth Annual Conference of the Somalia Philosophical Society, September 19-21, 2021: Session on The Essence of Philosophy in the 21st century, Somalia Philosophical Society, 2022. |
| In-text citation format | Parenthetical: (Last Name of conference paper editor) Narrative: Last Name of conference paper editor |
| In-text citation examples | Parenthetical: (Lukpat) Narrative: Lukpat |
A section of conference proceedings
| Reference list format | Last Name of conference paper Author, First Name. “Title of paper.” Title of collected proceedings, Month Day range, year, edited by, Publisher, Year of publication. Page number range. |
| Reference list example | Ali, Jabir “The Science of Philosophy.” Proceedings of the Twenty-fifth Annual Conference of the Somalia Philosophical Society, September 19-21, 2021: Session on The Essence of Philosophy in the 21st century, edited by Alyssa U Lukpat, Somalia Philosophical Society, 2022. Pp. 250-259. |
| In-text citation format | Parenthetical: (Last Name of conference paper Author) Narrative: Last Name of conference paper Author |
| In-text citation examples | Parenthetical: (Ali) Narrative: Ali |
Chicago [17th edition]
According to the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) “A paper included in the published proceedings of a meeting may be treated like a chapter in a book. If published in a journal, it is treated as an article.”
Conference proceedings (online)
| Notes format | First Name of conference paper Author, Last Name. “Title of Paper,” in Title of Proceedings or Collection (Place of publication: Publisher, Year published), page number range, DOI, or URL |
| Notes example | James, Hughes “A Study of the Impact of Machine Learning on the Electronics Industry,” in 2019 IEEE Conference on New Technologies (Houston: IEEE, 2019), 130–38, https://doi.org/19.1749/THS.2019.1135087 |
| Shortened note format | Last Name of author, “Title of conference paper,” page. |
| Shortened note example | Hughes, “A Study of the Impact of Machine Learning,” 130. |
| Bibliography format | Last Name of conference paper Author, First Name. “Title of Conference Paper,” In Title of Proceedings or Collection, starting page of chapter-ending page of chapter. Place of Publication: Publisher, year. DOI or URL. |
| Bibliography example | Hughes, James. “A Study of the Impact of Machine Learning on the Electronics Industry,” in 2019 IEEE Conference on New Technologies, 130–38.Houston: IEEE, 2019. 130–38, https://doi.org/19.1749/THS.2019.1135087. |
Conference proceedings (print)
| Notes format | First Name of conference paper Author, Last Name. “Title of Chapter,” in Title of Proceedings or Collection in Title Case and Italics, ed. Editor1 et al., Series Name in Title Case, vol. xxx (Place of Publication: Publisher, year), page[s]. |
| Notes example | Ram, Shravan. “Another look at Newtonian Calculus,” in The Earth and Mathematics: 21st International Math Conference, ed. Dickson Tom, Lecture Notes in Mathematics, vol. 1767 (Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag, 2021), 69. |
| Shortened note format | Last Name of author, “Title of Chapter in Title Case,” page[s]. |
| Shortened note example | Shravan, “Another look at Newtonian Calculus,” 71. |
| Bibliography format | Last Name of conference paper Author, First Name. “Title of Conference Paper,” In Title of Proceedings or Collection, edited by….., starting page of chapter-ending page of chapter. Series Name, vol. xxx. Place of Publication: Publisher, year. |
| Bibliography example | Shravan, Ram. “Another look at Newtonian Calculus,” in The Earth and Mathematics: 21st International Math Conference, edited by Dickson Tom, 68-74. Lecture Notes in Mathematics, vol. 1767. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag, 2021. |
Paper presented at conference (unpublished)
| Notes format | First Name of conference paper Author, Last Name. “Title of Paper in Title Case” (paper presented at Name of Conference, Location of Conference, Month, Year). |
| Notes example | Freeman, Shen. “New Methods to Enhance Learning in Youth” (paper presented at the 11th Annual Conference of the American Education Society, Long Beach, CA, November, 2019). |
| Shortened note format | Last Name of conference paper author, “Title of Chapter.” |
| Shortened note example | Shen, “New Methods to Enhance Learning in Youth.” |
| Bibliography format | Last Name of conference paper Author, First Name. .” “Title of Paper.” Paper presented at ………………, Location of Conference, Month, Year. |
| Bibliography example | Shen, Freeman. “New Methods to Enhance Learning in Youth.” Paper presented at the 11th Annual Conference of the American Education Society, Long Beach, CA, November, 2019. |
Harvard [In Cite them Right 9th edition]
Conference paper
| Reference list format | Last Name of conference paper Author. (Year of publication). ‘Title of paper.’ Title of conference: subtitle. Location and date of conference. Place of publication: Publisher. Page number range. |
| Reference list example | Joe, C. (2018). ‘Genetics and agriculture: a critical perspective’, International conference on agriculture. Cambridge University, 7-9 February. Cambridge: Institute for Agric Development. 160-172. |
| In-text citation format | Parenthetical: (Last Name of conference paper Author, Year published) Narrative: Last Name of conference paper Author (Year published) |
| In-text citations | Parenthetical: (Joe, 2018) Narrative: Joe (2018) |
Note
If available online, include the following:
- Available at: URL (or DOI if available)
- (Accessed: date) (not needed if DOI is used)
Conference proceedings
| Reference list format | Last Name of conference paper Author/Editor. (Year of publication). Title of conference. Location and date of conference. Place of Publication. |
| Reference list example | Joe, C. (2018). International conference on agriculture. Cambridge University, 7-9 February. Institute for Agric Development. |
| In-text citation format | Parenthetical: (Last Name of conference paper Author, Year published) Narrative: Last Name of conference paper Author (Year published) |
| In-text citations | Parenthetical: (Joe, 2018). Narrative: Joe (2018) |
Conclusion
Conference papers formats often vary according to each particular conference. This variation also includes differences in citation style. So, in order to know how to cite your conference paper, it is necessary to first study the citation rules and other paper submission guidelines of the conference you intend to participate in.