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The Role of Conferences on the Pathway to Academic Impact Evidence from a Natural Experiment

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  • Fernanda Leite Lopez de Leon
  • Ben McQuillin

Abstract

We provide evidence for the effectiveness of conferences in promoting academic impact by exploiting the cancellation—due to Hurricane Isaac—of the 2012 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting. We assembled a data set of 29,142 papers and quantified conference effects, using difference-in-differences regressions. Within four years of being presented at the conference, a paper’s likelihood of becoming cited increases by five percentage points. We decompose the effects by authorship and provide an account of the underlying mechanisms. Overall, our findings point to the role of short-term face-to-face interactions in the formation and dissemination of scientific knowledge.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernanda Leite Lopez de Leon & Ben McQuillin, 2020. "The Role of Conferences on the Pathway to Academic Impact Evidence from a Natural Experiment," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 55(1), pages 164-193.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:55:y:2020:i:1:p:164-193
    Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.55.1.1116-8387R
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    Cited by:

    1. Kang, Yankun & Leng, Xuan & Liao, Yunxiang & Zheng, Shilin, 2024. "Information disclosure, spillovers, and knowledge accumulation," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    2. Asier Minondo, 2020. "Who presents and where? An analysis of research seminars in US economics departments," Papers 2001.10561, arXiv.org, revised May 2020.
    3. Biermann, Marcus, 2021. "Remote talks: changes to economics seminars during Covid-19," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 114429, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Agnieszka Olechnicka & Adam Ploszaj & Ewa Zegler-Poleska, 2025. "The impact of the virtualization of scholarly conferences on the gender structure of conference contributors," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 130(1), pages 423-445, January.
    5. Gorodnichenko, Yuriy & Pham, Tho & Talavera, Oleksandr, 2021. "Conference presentations and academic publishing," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 228-254.
    6. Marcus Biermann, 2021. "Remote talks: changes to economics seminars during Covid-19," CEP Discussion Papers dp1759, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    7. Yin, Xingbo & Zong, Xiaohua, 2022. "International student mobility spurs scientific research on foreign countries: Evidence from international students studying in China," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 16(1).
    8. Rose, Michael E. & Georg, Co-Pierre, 2021. "What 5,000 acknowledgements tell us about informal collaboration in financial economics," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(6).
    9. Paul Kudlow & Matthew Cockerill & Danielle Toccalino & Devin Bissky Dziadyk & Alan Rutledge & Aviv Shachak & Roger S. McIntyre & Arun Ravindran & Gunther Eysenbach, 2017. "Online distribution channel increases article usage on Mendeley: a randomized controlled trial," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 112(3), pages 1537-1556, September.
    10. Biermann, Marcus, 2024. "Remote talks: Changes to economics seminars during COVID-19," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    11. Rose, Michael E. & Opolot, Daniel C. & Georg, Co-Pierre, 2022. "Discussants," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(10).
    12. Asier Minondo, 2022. "Comments are welcome," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(3), pages 1565-1582, March.
    13. John Manuel Barrios & Laura Giuliano & Andrew J. Leone, 2020. "In Living Color: Does In-Person Screening Affect Who Gets Hired?," Working Papers 2020-38, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    14. Breitkopf, Nikolas & Keloharju, Matti, 2025. "The impact of pre-conference advice on academic talk effectiveness," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    15. Leng, Xuan & Zhang, Yichuan & He, Jiaxin, 2025. "Subways and scientists' productivity under the NSFC program: Evidence from China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    16. Adam Ploszaj, 2025. "Individual-level determinants of international academic mobility: insights from a survey of Polish scholars," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 130(4), pages 2273-2290, April.
    17. Hou, Li & Yang, Ruilu, 2025. "How do academic gatherings promote knowledge production and dissemination?," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2).
    18. Raquel Campos & Fernanda Leon & Ben McQuillin, 2018. "Lost in the Storm: The Academic Collaborations That Went Missing in Hurricane ISSAC," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(610), pages 995-1018, May.
    19. Spiegel, Yossi & Toivanen, Otto, 2022. "From conference submission to publication and citations: Evidence from the EARIE conference," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    20. Baruffaldi, Stefano & Poege, Felix, 2020. "A Firm Scientific Community: Industry Participation and Knowledge Diffusion," IZA Discussion Papers 13419, IZA Network @ LISER.
    21. Stefano Baruffaldi & Felix Poege, 2025. "Like Stars: How Firms Learn at Scientific Conferences," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 71(3), pages 2056-2078, March.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O39 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Other
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • L38 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Public Policy

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