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Listing an accepted conference presentation on a CV that one couldn’t present?

In our new “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

Is it permissible to list a conference presentation on one’s CV if they had the presentation accepted to the conference, but were unable to present at the last minute? If yes, then how would one indicate that on one’s CV?

In general, I don’t think this is a good idea. If there were some act of nature (such as a winter storm that canceled flights or COVID lockdowns, as happened a few years ago), then it could make sense, as a conference acceptance or invitation is a bona fide accomplishment. But other than that, it seems to me like the answer is “no.”

What do other readers think?

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5 responses to “Listing an accepted conference presentation on a CV that one couldn’t present?”

  1. Michel

    I say ‘no’.

    But conference presentations don’t really count for much of anything anyway.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    My view is that the cv lists stuff you did, not stuff you didn’t do. The exceptions Marcus lists are okay, though.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous

    When a file has very few entries in the category, it might be okay to include a misfire like this. It can show committees that you are trying to be research active. Just make sure it is absolutely clearly labeled. Maybe something like this:

    (refereed conference abstract; accepted, but unable to present due to X) “Paper title,” conference, place, dates of conference.

    There were a lot of these a few years ago where X=pandemic closures. It is unfair for someone to lose credit for an academic achievement due to mere bad luck, so I’m sympathetic to those who want to include these sorts of entries. FWIW, if X = a purely personal reason (e.g., decided to attend a family wedding instead), then I wouldn’t list it.

    Once you have a few entries in the category, delete these sorts of misfires.

    BUT, in the end, it probably doesn’t matter if you do include them or not–conferences have *very* little weight in hiring and promotion decisions. The only exceptions might be the few cases like the APA where acceptance is selective and based on review of a full paper rather than an abstract; those count for something, even if not much.

    Reply
  4. Trevor Hedberg

    I know of a couple cases where a person was unable to attend due to a weather event. Since they happened so last minute, their work was still presented at the conference — usually read by the person chairing the session. In those cases, I think it’s reasonable to note the presentation “in absentia” or something like that. But if you got accepted to a conference and eventually just declined to participate, that should not be listed on the CV.

    Reply
  5. Anonymous

    i think it’s above board but a bad look regardless

    Reply

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