German and International Research on Oman:
Conference - Bonn (Germany), 2-3 July 1999
Guidelines for the presentation of papers
A. Conference philosophy:
Because of the diversity of research and scholarly interests of Oman Studies Centre members and others attending our conferences, the conferences do not have a central theme.
Instead, sessions may feature invited keynote speakers who will address issues of contemporary or historical significance for Oman or in the field of
research on Oman.
In addition, subject specialists may be chairing panels (in the plenary session) or workshops (outside the plenary session) where speakers will discuss aspects of a single theme or
related themes. Panel sessions should be interactive forums, with panelists speaking for a maximum of 5-10 minutes each, and
with a strong emphasis on discussion. Speakers are invited to make copies or abstracts
of their written papers available as handouts, preferably before the panel
session, so as to encourage interaction during it. Speakers will be actively discouraged from simply reading aloud a written text.
Panels and workshops will be arranged by the convenors of the conference or may be proposed by participants in andvance, preferably from groups of participants instead of single attendants.
The Steering Committee will select presentations on the basis of their relevance to Oman
and to the general objectives of the conference. It may not be possible to accommodate
every proposal. However, every effort is made to give presenters who are not allocated the traditional 30 minutes presentation slot
the chance to present a shorter summary of their research in a plenary session panel or in a workshop.
An oral presentation is not a prerequisite for the publication of a paper in the conference proceedings - the form and extent of a published paper has to be decided separately by
the Committee on the basis of the paper's subject and quality.
B. Your paper:
The Oman Conference is an inter-disciplinary event, not an event devoted to your specific academic discipline.
Your oral presentation should not go to deeply into details which only experts in a specific field can understand and appreciate. The focus should be on the Oman-related aspects of your research, not on general ideas and theories.
The Conference as a whole should give participants an overview over what interesting research and other projects
are being undertaken relative to Oman. It should give them a chance to exchange views and ideas across different
disciplines, and to find ways to work more closely together.
At least one quarter (or more) of your presentation should be devoted to topics such as
- what sort of project is it (e.g. Ph.D. dissertation, a business project)
- what are the objectives of your project or research
- what is the institutional framework of the project (e.g., university, government, company, scholarship, funding organisation)
- why did you chose this research topic or this project, and why did you chose an Oman-related topic or project
- when did your research start, when will it be completed
- will the results of your research be published, and where
- what are your research methods (e.g., study of literature, field research, interviews, experiments)
- what are your main sources or resources (such as bibliographic sources)
- is this a single project or part of a larger research project
- what is the current state of research in this particular field (e.g. who has worked on the topic before you,
who is also working on the same or similar aspects as far as they are related to Oman,
who are the main experts, which universities or institutions are famous for this topic)
- will you do further projects on or in Oman, what are your plans for the future
- will your project or research have an impact in or on Oman
It is not appropriate or necessary to read a long and very academic paper to the audience. If you can convey the essentials of your research to the audience
in 10 minutes, don't stretch your presentation to the maximum of 20 minutes. The organisers would also be glad to
combine 2 to 5 short contributions on similar subjects in one panel.
One of the important objectives of the conference is to foster networking, and your presentation
should help others to find out who you are and what your particular interest in Oman is.
Back to Main Conference Page / Deutsche Konferenzseite
Last updated on 15 March 1999.
Copyright © Steering Committee, Oman Conference