Q: What should I do if my paper has been accepted by a journal and a conference around the same time?

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I have registered an abstract at a conference and also submitted a paper to a journal. The contents of the abstract and the paper are not wholly but partly duplicated. I was thinking that my paper would not be accepted since both the conference and the journal are at top level, but I was requested by the journal to revise the paper twice with the comments that my paper would suit to its sister journal. At the same time the conference accepted my abstract.

I am thinking if I should withdraw my abstract from the conference immediately, or I should wait for the result from the journal which would take 1 month. Then I am thinking to decline to submit to the sister journal. What should I do?

The research field is clinical surgery, and similar conference papers are often found, and even if my paper is accepted, it would not be so soon, therefore I may have no need to be so sensitive on this matter.

I think there is no problem since the title is not identical (but similar), and the contents are not wholly the same. But still I am anxious since this journal is often making severe comments.

Asked on 12 Jun, 2017

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In fields other than computer science, it is generally acceptable for researchers to present their published work at a conference to maximize outreach. Usually this is not considered duplicate submission. However, when presenting a work that has already been published or accepted, there might be some restrictions on how you can reuse the material that has been published/accepted.

For instance, you may need to provide citations when including figures from the paper in your presentation, as well as citing any text that is taken directly from what has been published. For many journals, however, you may do so without asking prior permission, so long as you include the appropriate citations.

Since your paper has already been accepted by the journal, you should first write to the journal editor and ask him/her if you can present the findings at the conference. The journal might impose restrictions on how you can present the study at the conference: for instance, they might permit you to present only an overview or an excerpt of the findings, and not the study in its entirety.

If you do get the journal's permission, you should inform the conference authorities that your paper has already been accepted by X journal, mentioning the expected date of publication. Mention that you have taken the journal's permission to present it at the conference. Finally, if you get to present your findings at the conference, make sure you cite the journal paper.