AMA Q&A

What’s the difference between writing a conference paper and writing a keynote? At what stage do you add acknowledgements to a publication?

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I‘ve been asked to deliver a keynote at an upcoming conference. But what’s the difference between a keynote and a conference paper?

(L.C.)

First of all, congratulations! An invitation to deliver a keynote at a conference is a reflection of how highly your work is esteemed by your colleagues, and should be celebrated!

And after you’ve finished the champagne (or high-fiving your bemused pets), you can get down to the business of writing your keynote. Keynote papers are usually longer than the average conference paper: keynotes are often around 45-55 minutes long, whereas conference papers usually fall within the range of 15-25 minutes in duration. But that doesn’t mean that keynotes are simply super-long conference papers!

While a keynote should be based on your original research, it should also aim to engage thoughtfully with the broader themes of the conference. The main differences between keynotes and regular old conference papers are scope and perspective: if a conference paper is all about looking at the nitty gritty details of a topic under a microscope, a keynote is all about using details to try to gain a bird’s-eye view. Ideally, it takes some specific bit of research or data and applies it to the big questions a conference is addressing.