Research

With some pre-planning, graduate students and undergraduates can use class research projects to make conference presentations. Attending and presenting at conferences make students more familiar with the norms and habits of scholarship in the discipline. Material presented at conferences is often about two years ahead of current communication journals. Attending conferences allows students to meet and question the primary authors of much of the research they read in class.

The following are three annual conferences students could attend:

• The Northwest Communication Association Conference (NWCA) is a small regional conference held in mid April in Coeur d'Alene , Idaho . Papers or programs must be submitted for consideration by Jan. 20.
• The National Communication Association (NCA) Convention is held in early November. Papers or programs must be submitted for consideration by Feb. 1, the year prior to the conference.
• The Western States Communication (WSCA) Convention is held in mid-February. Programs must be submitted by June 15 and competitive papers by Sept. 15 for consideration, the year prior to the conference.