Upcoming Virtual International Conferences Detailed Guide

 

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to network with one's peers and superiors as well as learn about ongoing trends in one's field is to partake in high-level academic events that are held for the benefit of those involved in that field. If you're looking for a guide to take you through the world of academic virtual conferencing in 2023, and beyond, this is the article for you.

Virtual Conferences

Virtual Conferences are typically large-scale events that bring together an array of research professionals, scientists, educators, policymakers, students, and others in the field. The activities of these events include lectures, workshops, and networking sessions.

Virtual Summits

Virtual summits are often meetings with high-profile professionals to discuss the latest findings in an area. However, some summits function as conferences.

Virtual Symposia

Virtual symposia are events where experts in the field make presentations to an audience.

The pandemic has forced many event organizers to change their organizing approaches and put in place a number of coronavirus safety practices and health protocols for their upcoming events. The vast majority of International Conference organizers in 2023 will adopt such a new approach instituting these major changes at least until the pandemic subsides entirely. In fact, most scheduled international conferences throughout 2023 will take place entirely online as virtual conferences and webinars.

Spotting & Skirting Predatory Virtual Conferences

Fake virtual conferences usually disregard or completely ignore peer review, which is what any top conference organizer will attest to, is the foundation for building a high-quality academic event. They are run by for-profit companies which may present themselves as non-profit. And they often funnel accepted papers in known predatory journals or never publish a virtual conference proceedings book at all. The result is big profits for the organizers, and academics and researchers have lost their pockets, with little to nothing to show for all the valuable time they put in and expenses they've borne.

Too many researchers believe predatory Virtual Conferences are only a problem for early-career researchers in developing countries because of the misconception that early-career professionals are more "gullible" to the wiles of predatory virtual conference organizers. This is, nevertheless, far from the true nature of the situation. A lot of the apparently high-quality and attractive websites belonging to phony virtual conference organizers are full of lies. This being the case, it is easy to see why it's not always easy to tell a bogus virtual conference from a legitimate one.

Fortunately, there are criteria to determine if an online conference is predatory. Whether one is a researcher with an article to submit, a student who wants to earn credits for his/her course, an industry professional who's looking for innovative discoveries and inventions, or an educator who is keen on updating their knowledge, it is important to do some research online to find out if a virtual conference is being organized by legitimate and trustworthy organizers or not. The following nine signs help spot phony, fake, and fraudulent conference organizing firms anywhere in the world.

●     An Event Title That Seems Just Too Good To Be True

Does the title of the virtual conference seem a little too extraordinary to believe? "Must Attend" and "Highly Anticipated" are two terms used by predatory virtual conference planners to attract not just attendees but also presenters. If a virtual conference claims that it is a global event, but all the organizers or delegates seem to come from a single country, beware. And if the organizers use a name that implies they're based in one country when they actually seem to be operating in another, run for the hills.

The Solution

Although the virtual conference website's URL won't really be the principal giveaway, it's a good place to start when analyzing the legitimacy of an online conference. Veteran virtual conference attendees have found that many predatory online conferences use subdomains for their generic websites, such as Nursing.conference.com

●     The Schedule Of Events For The Virtual Conference Seems To Be Too Good To Be True

Does the description of the technical virtual conference's program attempt to cover everything except the kitchen sink? Virtual conferences whose programs do not appear to be specialized in any way or which attempt to combine different disciplines in unusual ways may lack credibility. The term "interdisciplinary" can be a good indication. This particular tactic directly targets early career researchers who are understandably happy to fulfill the criteria for being accepted as a presenter for the event. This is only possible because the virtual conference has such a broad agenda.

The Solution

Inquiring about the virtual conference of one's peers and getting their opinion on the event before submitting or registering to attend is a great option. One's more experienced colleagues will likely have a thorough understanding of online conferences in one's field and can help guide them before they make a decision.

●     The Communication Capabilities Of The Virtual Conference Organizers Is Too Poor To Be True

Does the online conference website feature oddly written language, or is it littered with spelling and grammar errors? Crudely written content can be a good sign that the organizers behind it are less than legitimate. Hosting a virtual conference is often a large investment of time and money for associations and committees, so it's quite rare to find a legitimate virtual conference website that has loads of grammar and spelling mistakes in it.

The Solution

Browsing the online conference's website and learning as much as possible is key. Reading critically will help in recognizing if the language is written in a weird way, and if so, avoiding the virtual conference at all costs is the best possible decision one can make.

●     The Sponsors For The Online Conference Seem Too Prominent To Be True

Is there a big gap between the profile of the International Virtual Conference 2023 and the profile of its sponsors? Bogus virtual conferences often mistakenly claim that large organizations are partners or sponsors. If the online conference has many impressive contributors, but one's colleagues have never heard of them, something may be wrong. Predatory virtual conferences will try anything to appear valid, and that often means hanging onto the profile of some of the most renowned organizations. Being wary of overly impressive scientific and organizational committee members are advised as predatory online conferences are notorious for listing leaders in the field of online conferences to fool unsuspected researchers.

The Solution

One should check out the sponsors' page on the website, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A lot of regular virtual conference attendees have even noticed Google being listed as a sponsor in some bogus tech conferences that they've come across. The same has been witnessed for healthcare and medical conferences where big pharmaceutical companies have been listed as sponsors for unknown Online Medical Conferences. Companies of this size don't often sponsor unfamiliar virtual conferences, so it is crucial to beware.

●     The Contact Info Of The Organizers Of The Virtual Conference Aren't Available or Simply Don't Work

Is it difficult to find clear contact details for the organizers? Predatory online conferences often attempt to deceive by hiding contact details or hiding behind fake phone numbers or PO boxes.

The Solution

Checking that the contact details are legitimate is paramount. If it's taking too long to find these details, it's time to be wary. If the contact details can be found, then one should do their best to verify that they are, in fact, real.

●     There's Another Popular Online Conference With Either Exactly or A Slightly Different Title

When searching for the name of the virtual conference, if another online conference with a very similar title appears, then this should be taken seriously. An old favorite of bogus virtual conferences is to give their event a name that almost matches that of an established and respected virtual conference.

The Solution

Carrying out a quick search for the name of the online conference is recommended and if two identical conferences appear, performing an analysis of both is imperative. One should be able to easily distinguish the true from the false. Virtual Conference organizers who have faced the issue of their even being duplicated should contact the fake online conference organizer and ask them to change the name. If they ignore all communications, seeking legal advice is recommended. Being aware and proactive about predatory conferences is necessary for online conference organizers as their conference delegates could sign up and pay for the wrong online conference.

●     The Organizers Associate With Other Known Predatory Online Conference Organizing Entities

When searching for an online conference or its organizers, are any links to known predatory conferences or journals found? If so, this should be taken seriously because these shady organizers rarely act alone.

The Solution

Checking the virtual conference details against Beall's Predatory Journal List (a well-known and often-referred to list by veteran conference-goers worldwide, prepared by Jeffrey Beall, a retired librarian), and Caltech Library's Predatory Conference List is highly recommended. One should also take the time to carry out a search for the name of the organization on Google with the word "predator". Other research that has been duped in the past may have published their experience.

●     The Registration Fees For The Online Conference Seem Too Exorbitant

Are the virtual conference's fees higher than what is standard for one's field? Of course, conference fees can vary, but a common practice for bogus conference organizers is to charge high registration fees to maximize their profits. That's why being wary is crucial, and if the online conference charges the presenters more than the attendees, the alarm bells should start ringing.

The Solution

Reaching out to one's peers, comparing the prices they pay to attend virtual conferences can help. Experienced researchers become suspicious when they see absurdly high registration fees for an unknown conference.

 ●     The Same Event Takes Place Repeatedly Without Much Of A Time Gap

When googling the virtual conference or its organizers, do many different listings appear? If the same conference is held multiple times in different cities, or if the organizer is organizing multiple online or physical conferences at the same time, proceeding with extreme caution is recommended. Some predatory conferences alternate between countries and thus organize three to four physical or even virtual conferences per year, resulting in a net profit.

The Solution

Research, research, research. If the same organizer or virtual conference title appears in more than one location or for more than one virtual conference each year, one should take it as a sign of something fishy going on.

 Not falling prey to shady online conference organizers is important not just for one's career, the saving of precious time and money, but also for one's peace of mind. Making the costly mistake of being fooled by bogus virtual conference organizers can really take a toll on the mind. Using the clues above to spot a bogus online conference before submitting one's research, or worse, paying to register, is the best thing that anyone looking to actively take part in Upcoming Virtual Conferences throughout 2023 can do.