conference proceedings

Conference Proceedings in Print, CD and Online

Proceedings are the backbone of scholarly scientific, engineering and medical conferences as they are the vehicle for delivering the content of the event. Comprised of the papers or manuscripts presented at a conference, the proceedings is a lasting archive of cutting edge research and knowledge. Proceedings are also sometimes called a Technical Digests, Transactions, or Compendiums.
These books commonly include:

  • Full papers (2 to 10 pages)
  • Extended abstracts (2 to 4 pages)
conference proceedings books
Rarely will you find PowerPoint slides in these books. Essentially, the content is text heavy with consistent formatting and styles, page numbering, a table of contents, committee members and author index. Proceedings are delivered on site or after the event depending on how an organization obtains content and the amount of editing required.

Printed Proceedings vs. Proceedings on CD-ROM (or Online)

A printed proceedings is still a very important part of many conferences. Attendees find great value in being able to reference the complete paper within what is normally a packed scientific program with only a few minutes for each speaker. When produced for an event, the printed books are typically perfect bound and the proceedings can be bound as a multi-volume set if the page count is beyond 1250 pages.
Many organizations are considering digital media alternatives to the traditional printed proceedings however many organizations still have a need to print 10 to 50 copies to satisfy a few attendees and have a few copies in the office.

The trend is to place the technical papers on CD or online in order to save cost and produce a more green event. These digital media forms are indexed, fully searchable and easy to navigate. Putting the content online allows an association or society to create an ongoing library to provide to their members. Some organizations provide free access to previous year's content, but only give current content access to conference attendees.

Proceedings as Recorded Sessions

Another growing trend for technical proceedings is to provide the papers as recorded sessions post event in the form of synchronized audio with the presentation materials. This, combined with the full technical paper as a searchable PDF is a rich media resource that can be archived and shared online or on DVD through a variety of access models including e-commerce.

Final Program Books Complement Proceedings


On site, you will always find a conference program book to help attendees select sessions. These program books often include abstracts to help attendees choose between sessions. Then, the full papers are published separately in print or digital media forms. We routinely include the full proceedings on CD attached to the inside cover of the Final Program book.

Conference Proceedings Coordination

Typically, volunteers in the scientific and engineering industry are coordinating their proceedings whereas full-time conference staff coordinate content from speakers in other organizations (e.g. medical or trade). Omnipress partners with numerous abstract management services to ensure a smooth production process from your initial call for papers through conference site delivery of your completed proceedings and final programs.

An online abstract system and/or final paper collection system is used as the content usually goes through a review (or even a peer review process). Having an online system to disseminate and organize reviewers is key to staying organized

Resources