Undergraduate Presentation and Publication Opportunities

One of the best things you can do for professional development is present your research at a conference. Several professors in the department regularly accompany undergraduate students to conferences for this purpose, so keep an eye out for opportunities. If you are working on a research project in a class, and you think it has the potential to make a good presentation, speak with your professor about presenting your work at a conference.

The best place to present your research is at an undergraduate conference because you will have less stress there, and people who attend are usually very supportive of undergraduates. They want you to have a positive first experience as a presenter at a conference! Here are a few undergraduate conferences you might consider. If you come across additional conferences for undergraduates, please let us know.

Georgia Undergraduate Research in Psychology (GURP) Conference

Carolinas Psychology Conference

Georgia Southern Psychology Conference (Details soon to come)

Regional Conferences

Or you might try regional conferences that would be for all levels of professionals, but they tend to be a bit friendlier and supportive than national or international conferences.

Georgia Psychological Society

Southeastern Psychological Association

Publication Opportunities

Another avenue toward professional development is to publish your research. Publishing is a bit tougher, but it’s worth the work. Just as with conferences, it is best to submit research to an undergraduate journal so you won’t be competing with professors who have been conducting and publishing research for decades. If you are not sure where to submit your work, undergraduate journals or regular journals, ask your professor.

Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

The Yale Review of Undergraduate Research in Psychology

Many professionals choose to submit their work to a conference, present it there if accepted, get feedback from attendees, then work on a final manuscript to submit to a journal. Although it is generally not accepted practice to present the same project at two conferences, it is perfectly acceptable (even encouraged) to present your work at a conference and then submit it for publication.

We hope you take these steps in your professional development. Psychology is an exciting discipline, and you will enjoy sharing your research with others!

Last updated: 10/9/2018