Q: How to choose a reputable conference related to my research field?

Like predatory journals and publishers, predatory conferences are also on the rise. Hence, it is always a good idea to verify whether a conference is legitimate before you register for it. Here are a few tips that will help you:

1. Check whether the organizer is a well-known and reputable association. In your case, IEEE is generally considered a reliable association.
2. Sometimes, if a conference is fairly new or slightly outside your research area, you may not have heard about it. This does not necessarily mean that it is not legitimate.
3. If you happen to come across such a conference, look up the people who are on the organizing committee. If they are well-known and active researchers in the field, the conference is probably reputable. However, there are some scam conferences that use the names of popular researchers without their knowledge, so it's always a good idea to cross-check with your advisor.
4. How did you get to know about this conference? Did they send out an email invitation to submit papers? If that is the case, it is best to avoid attending the conference. These are likely to be predatory. Reputable conferences don't send emails to individuals: conferences are generally advertised through call for papers.
5. Another good way to identify a reputable conference is to look up the list of speakers in the past years. If they are established researchers in your field, the conference is probably reputable. However, the level of the conference may not be great if just one two of the speakers are well-known. If at least half of the speakers are known names in your field, the conference might be good to attend.

Related reading:

• How to identify predatory conferences: The Think.Check.Attend checklist

• Considering presenting a paper at a scholarly conference? Choose carefully