Conferences and journal: A virtuous interaction

摘要

Someone whose name I do not recall maintained that conferences are rarely of use in producing good ideas, whilst they are frequently effective in destroying bad ideas. Over and above the cynicism conveyed by this statement, conferences undoubtedly represent one of the main means of communication and dissemination of research findings, playing a fundamental role in the advancement of scientific activities. A similar activity is undertaken by journals applying a peer-review process aimed at ensuring the quality of papers published. The comparative characteristics of conferences and journal publications are summarised in Table 1.