Presenting a poster or paper at a research conference is almost always proceeded by the submission of an abstract on the work to be presented. An abstract is a summary of the research to be presented, which begins with brief introductory statements about the research and concludes with a statement of the significance of the research project. It is imperative that you write a quality abstract in order for it to be accepted. In addition many conference participants choose which posters/talks to attend based on the information contained in the abstract. A well-written abstract can help you draw an interested audience to your research presentation.
When should you present your work?
Posters can be presented at almost any stage of a research project and are an excellent way to get feedback on work in-progress. Typically, students who have been doing research for 2 quarters are in a good position to present a poster. If possible, discuss your research progress with your faculty and research mentors. They should assist you in the abstract writing process.
Where should you present your work?
There are many conferences that may be appropriate for you to present your work at. Your faculty mentor or research advisor can give you some ideas on national meetings for you to attend and/or present at. This handout is designed to give you some general guidelines for presenting your research at the University of Oregon’s Undergraduate Symposium.
What are abstract guidelines?
Once you have identified a meeting to participate in, you will need to check the Abstract Guidelines for that particular meeting. It is VERY important that you follow these guidelines, otherwise you risk having your abstract rejected.
- Abstract deadline date – These are usually very strict: an abstract received late will not be accepted
- Word Restriction – Most meetings have a word (or character) restriction (typically 200-250 words). Abstracts that exceed this word count will be cut off at the restricted number when published or NOT accepted
- Format – All meetings will require a specific format for an abstract, including specific margins, font and/or font size. They will also require a certain way to list the authors and to present their affiliations.
How do I write an abstract?
Your abstract should include the following information:
- Introductory sentence(s)
- Statement of hypothesis, purpose or question of study.
- General methods/procedures used.
- Primary result(s)
- Primary conclusion of the work
- General statement of the significance of the research
Before submitting your abstract, double check your grammar, run a spell check and a word/character count, and be sure to submit it by the deadline. Always print out a copy to read, as it is much easier to catch typos that don’t involved misspelled words.