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.
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Undergraduate Symposium Abstract Rubric
Background/Objective/Problem Statement/Content:
The abstract presents the project’s rationale, “set the stage” or frames the context. This includes having sentence(s) that introduce the research topic and the research question/thesis/purpose is clearly presented.
Methods/Approach/Framework:
The abstract describes the project’s methods, approach, or framework. This includes what research instrument as used (survey, interviews, primary materials, etc.), as well as how the information collected was analyzed.
Findings/Innovation/Significance/Impact:
The abstract articulates the project’s findings, represents an innovation, provides a fresh perspective, etc. This includes stating the facts or main discovery, conclusions, and the significance of the research (does the research fill in gaps in the current research? Does the research look at the problem in a creative way or from a new approach? Etc.)
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 (e.g. if vs. is; both are words, so your spell check program will miss the difference).
Sample Abstracts:
In Humanities
| Title: | ‘The Good and Bad of that Sexe’: Monstrosity and Womanhood in Early Modern England |
| Author: | Brenner, Alletta (UO History and Women’s and Gender Studies Major, Marshall Scholarship and Undergraduate Library Research Award Recipient) |
| Abstract: | Monsters. In the modern mind, they have come to occupy a mere periphery. Rejected by the orderly nature of our scientific universe, they are either subsumed into the categories of routine, abnormal results, or delegated to that of the supernatural—those things which have no place in our system, and thus cannot exist. However, not so long ago, monsters occupied a very different space. Monsters were evidence of the wondrousness of our world, signs of the vastness and variety of God’s creation, and portents of his wrath. Monsters informed and reflected the way we understood our world. In recent times, historians have increasingly looked to monsters as ways of understanding the historical periods in which they appear. Daston and Park, in their extensive work on the history of wonder, have drawn this connection in terms of the heavenly and prodigious qualities perceived of monsters, and how this tied to historical circumstance. These scholars, along with several others, have drawn a clear line between the rise of monsters and periods of social, religious, and political unrest. For whenever war, famine, or discord have come to pass, monsters, as virtual embodiments of uncertainty and strife, have swelled in quantity, growing at times to such numbers as to become even strikingly ordinary.
Word Count: 209 |
In Science
| Title: | Characterization of a Gene Required for Cell Fate Specification in Drosophila Photoreceptors |
| Author: | Oluloro, Ann (UO Biology and Biochemistry Major, McNair Scholar) |
| Abstract: | During the development of an organism, cells undergo differentiation in order to perform specialized tasks. To understand how cells differentiate as neurons, our research focuses on identifying genes required for the development of photoreceptor neurons (R cells) in the fruit fly, Drosophila. In this study, we used a technique known as Mosaic Analysis with a Repressible Cell Marker (MARCM) to create mosaic flies in which undifferentiated precursor cells were homozygous for a new z6 mutation. We then characterized the phenotype caused by the z6 mutation and observed that in mutant z6 adults, R1/R6 cells adopted the fate of R8 cells but not R7 cells. Through a series of complementation tests, we were able to create a preliminary map of the location of the gene that z6 disrupts.
Word Count: 127 |
In Social Science
| Title: | Oregon’s Wheelmen: Oregon Bicycle Culture and Advocacy During the Golden Age of the Wheel (1885-1900) |
| Author: | Kurushima, David (UO Humanities Major, Student Undergraduate Library Research Award Recipient) |
| Abstract: | Bicycle culture and bicycle advocacy, as a social and environmental movement, are considerably dynamic forces in Oregon today; yet, to the astonishment of many Oregonians, the history of bicycling and bicycle culture in the state dates back to well over a 120 years. In the 1890’s, before the proliferation of the automobile and the subsequent development of related environmental, economic and social concerns, the bicycle enjoyed a brief golden age in Oregon as it did across the U.S. Although the bicycle’s Belle Epoch was most evident in the heavily urbanized cities and towns of the north eastern United States, the bicycle frenzy that swept the country in the late 19th century did not by any means pass unobserved by Oregonians. By the mid 1890’s a nascent yet considerably extensive bicycle culture had taken root in the state. Unsurprisingly, many of the characteristics and trends that had come to define this early bicycle culture in other parts of the U.S. were consciously and, in many cases, inevitably replicated in Oregon. As they had in more urbanized states, such as Massachusetts and New York, newly formed cycling clubs and wheelmen associations—overwhelming composed of well-to-do white males—became the driving forces behind Oregon’s early bicycle movement. Although these groups were fairly exclusive organizations, they came to define a cohesive bicycle culture and became the nearly forgotten symbols of a brief yet intriguing period in the state’s history.
Word Count: 236 |
In Art
| Title: | Campus Sculptures |
| Author: | Brown, Alison, Spanish Major |
| Abstract: | The lost wax method of casting a bronze sculpture is centuries old, yet pieces from ancient times still survive to tell the stories of our ancestors. This is the spirit of a bronze: an emotion and a message, immortalized. As a bronze artist, I believe it is my purpose to celebrate the tales we tell as humans through sculpture. To tell my own story, I have gathered my experiences of joy and intrigue from the University of Oregon and have commemorated them in a statue of the Oregon Duck Mascot. As an entrepreneurial sculptor, my goal is to share my creativity with other alumni who want their experiences remembered in bronze.
Word Count: 111 |