How to write a good conference abstract
Submitting an abstract to a conference or meeting is a great way to share your research and instigate networking with peers. If accepted, your conference abstract will allow you to receive feedback and ideas to progress your work, boost your presentation skills, and connect with other experts in your field.
Read our handy guide to writing a conference abstract that stands out to improve your chances of being accepted.
Read the submission instructions carefully
It may seem obvious, but our first tip is to take time reading the submission instructions and guidelines.
Each conference will have its own specific guidelines, so it is important to check these early in your submission process. This information can usually be found on the event website or on the submission form.
Make sure you fully understand the submission instructions and ask the conference team if you have any queries before or during the submission process. Abstracts that don’t adhere to all the submission instructions are less likely to be accepted.
Check your topic
Consider if the conference will be the best fit for your abstract.
Read through the topic list and scientific programme for the conference and don’t submit an abstract that doesn’t fit one or more of the topics. Your abstract is much more likely to be accepted if it is on a topic that the conference is interested in!
Correctly structure your abstract
Some conferences require submissions to be made in a specific structure. This could mean using set headers (make sure to factor this into your word count) or submitting your abstract in a particular document format.
Some conferences (like SfE BES) do not specify a structure for abstract submissions, so you are free to structure your abstract in the way that best conveys your research.
Don’t exceed the word limit
This is another simple tip: ensure your submission does not exceed the maximum word limit. For SfE BES this is 300 words, but other conferences may be higher or lower.
Make sure to check if references, tables, and headers are included in the word limit, as this may affect how many you include.
Be clear and concise
You only have a small word limit to communicate your research and impress the conference reviewers so make sure your work is clear and concise.
Your abstract should be engaging, easy to read and written in plain English.
Include a good title
Your title should attract the reader’s attention. Consider how you can make it memorable, whilst remaining clear and informative.
Don't forget to include data
It is important to include data in your results section wherever possible. This helps the reviewers understand the relevance of your research and decide whether they want to hear more about it at the conference.
Some conferences may accept Trial in Progress or Work in Progress abstracts, so please check this.
Submitting case reports
Often conferences will only accept case reports if they illustrate something significantly new or especially unusual. Check the conference's policy to find out more.
Should you include figures, tables and images
It will vary from conference to conference if you can include figures, tables and images.
If you are not able include them to help explain your work, it is important your abstract makes sense without them.
If you can include them, tables may be included in your word count so think carefully about how many you should include. Abstracts containing lots of tables are often difficult to read; be selective and only include relevant results.
Look at previously accepted abstracts
It is a good idea to look at abstracts that were accepted for your conference in previous years, if they are available.
Take a look at any prize winning abstracts, or those that were accepted as an oral presentation to get some ideas of how to structure your submission.
Ask others to check your abstract
Ask colleagues and co-authors to read through your abstract to help you spot errors or areas for improvement. Your supervisors may also be able to offer advice, they could have valuable experience that will help to improve your chances of being accepted.
It is also important to get permission from all your co-authors before submitting the abstract.
Submit on time!
If you don’t submit your abstract on time, it cannot be accepted, no matter the quality!
Make sure to respect the conference you are submitting to by adhering to their submission deadline.
Late breaking abstracts
Some conferences include a late breaking submission deadline. Generally, late breaking submissions should contain novel and high-impact research which include results that were not available at the original submission deadline.
It should not be treated as just an extension of the original deadline!
If in doubt, ask!
If you have any queries regarding the abstract submission process, don’t be afraid to reach out to the conference team - they are there to help you!
