Can you list presentations that you didn't present on CV?++

[Student88]

I work as a research assistant and my supervisor/P.I. presented the preliminary results at a conference that had her name, a few others including mine, as I was part of the project. I am hoping for a publication soon, but in the mean time can I list the presentation on my CV?

Does this hold any weight on a CV or act as a filler?

Thank you in advance.

[Usmivka]

I don't know your field, and that can make a big difference in what is and isn't the norm. So with that big caveat--unless you are the second (or maybe third if there are only three) author/presenter I would view this as filler. Presentations in a number of fields (perhaps with the exception of CS, where presentation of your work is predominantly in conferences) are not held to the same authorship standards as publications, so lots of names tend to get thrown onto the title page. The only presentation/paper work I expect most academics to care about are ones in which you had a direct and major influence in the data analysis and discussion, not just collecting and running samples (I'm assuming you are in something lab oriented). In a presentation, that would mean you are one of the first couple authors most likely.

But admissions comittees will certainly care about all those other things you may have done that don't always warrant a spot high on the authorship list, but are important to your qualifications as a potential grad student. Any lab skills individual/teamwork you can evidence are important, so you might highlight what you did under a "research projects" section or something similar where you highlight your role and what you learned in it.

If you have a publication in the works, say what stage it is in: manuscript in preparation, submitted, accepted, in press...whatever stage you are at. It is important to show that you are working towards this if you have no other papers to your name.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Usmivka

[fuzzylogician]

In my field I would list any publication/presentation that had my name on it, that was accepted to a peer-reviewed conference/journal. Although it's true that presentations don't count as much as peer-reviewed publications and furthermore that being first author counts more than being somewhere in the middle of the author list, it's still a reportable achievement and I would view it as that. Experienced professors on the adcom will know how much value to attribute to different entries on a CV.

[Eigen]

In my field they're standard additions.

The presenters name is usually bolded, but not necessarily first author.

I've given at least one presentation that I was second author on, and I've also been first author on presentations I didn't physically give.

[Student88]

Thank you for the responses!! My field is public health. I learned today that the presentation is now in the works as a manuscript for a peer-reviewed journal. My PI was showing me her draft and it did have my name as one of the authors. I am excited about it and hope that if it is out by the end of the year it could really help me get into a graduate program. My grades meet the cut off for most of the schools I want to apply to but they aren't stellar so I hope it will help.

[Eigen]

Even if it's not out by the end of the year, list it along with where it is in the project, eg:

Smith, Student88 et al; Journal of Public Health (In Preparation, Submitted, Under Review, Etc)

[Student88]

Thank you Eigen! I was just going to ask about including a publication that is "in progress".

[Eigen]

In later stages (read: Tenure Track or later) including "in progress" presentations can look a bit like padding.

But early on, you want people to know not just what's been done, but what you're working on.