How to Cite Conference Papers and Proceedings in a Malaysian Thesis
Knowing how to cite conference papers and proceedings in a Malaysian thesis using APA 7th edition is essential for postgraduate researchers in fields where conference publications represent significant scholarly contributions — including engineering, computer science, information systems, business, education, and many social sciences. Conference papers are often the first venue for cutting-edge research findings before they appear in journals, and Malaysian postgraduate theses in technology and applied science fields routinely cite 20-40% conference papers in their reference lists.
This guide covers every type of conference source you are likely to encounter and provides exact APA 7th edition formats for each.
Understanding the Types of Conference Publications
Before learning to cite conference papers and proceedings in a Malaysian thesis, understand the different types of conference publications you may encounter, as each has a slightly different citation format.
Conference paper in published proceedings: a paper published in a formally published proceedings volume, typically with an ISBN or ISSN, a named publisher, and consistent pagination. This is the most formally published type of conference paper and the most commonly cited.
Conference paper in online proceedings: a paper published in proceedings that are available online, typically with a DOI or stable URL. Many major international conferences now publish proceedings digitally rather than in print.
Conference paper retrieved from a database: papers from conferences like IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, or Scopus that have been indexed in academic databases.
Conference poster or presentation: a poster or oral presentation at a conference that was not published in formal proceedings. Less common as a citation but occasionally relevant.
APA 7th Edition Format for Conference Papers in Published Proceedings
The APA 7th edition format to cite conference papers and proceedings in a Malaysian thesis when the proceedings are formally published:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of paper. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of Proceedings: Subtitle (pp. xx-xx). Publisher Name. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Example:
Rahman, A. H., & Lim, K. S. (2023). Deep learning approaches for Bahasa Melayu sentiment analysis. In J. Ahmad (Ed.), Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Natural Language Processing in Southeast Asia (pp. 234-241). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-xxxxx
Key formatting notes: the proceedings title is italicised; the paper title is not; the editor(s) are listed in the In… (Ed.) format; page numbers are included; and the DOI or URL is included when available.
APA 7th Edition Format for Conference Papers from IEEE, ACM, and Other Digital Libraries
Many Malaysian engineering and computer science theses cite papers from IEEE Xplore and ACM Digital Library. When you cite conference papers and proceedings in a Malaysian thesis from these sources, the format varies slightly:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year, Month). Title of paper. In Title of Proceedings (pp. xx-xx). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/xxxxx
For IEEE specifically, note that the month of the conference is included in the date. The proceedings title includes the full conference name, often abbreviated. IEEE is listed as the publisher for most IEEE conference proceedings.
APA Format for Conference Papers Without a DOI
When you cite conference papers and proceedings in a Malaysian thesis and the paper does not have a DOI — which is common for older proceedings or less formally published conferences — include the URL if the paper is available online, or omit the URL/DOI if the paper is only available in a print proceedings volume that is not online.
If the paper is available from ResearchGate, Academia.edu, or the author’s university repository, do not cite the repository URL — cite the original publication. Repository URLs are not stable. If a DOI is available for the original publication, always use the DOI.
Citing Conference Presentations Not in Published Proceedings
When you cite conference papers and proceedings in a Malaysian thesis and need to cite a presentation or poster that was not published in formal proceedings — for example, a presentation from a conference where only abstracts were published — the format is:
Author, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of paper or poster [Paper presentation/Poster presentation]. Name of Conference, Location.
Note that [Paper presentation] or [Poster presentation] is included in square brackets to identify the source type, as APA 7th edition requires for source types that are not immediately clear from the reference format.
Conference Papers Published as Journal Articles
Some conference papers are later published in journals — either as identical reprints or as substantially revised versions. If a conference paper has been published in a journal, always cite the journal version, not the conference version, as the journal version has typically undergone additional peer review and revision. The citation format is the standard journal article format, not the conference paper format.
Conclusion
Knowing how to cite conference papers and proceedings in a Malaysian thesis accurately requires attention to the specific type of conference publication and the availability of identifying information like DOIs, editors, and publishers. Use reference management software (Mendeley or Zotero) to store conference paper metadata as you collect sources, and verify the exact format of each reference against the APA 7th edition manual before finalising your reference list.
