Presenting at a conference is an excellent opportunity to develop your presentation skills, share your expertise, and contribute to the professional development of others, all whilst developing a network of those with similar interests!

The first step is to write a standout abstract. The competition for getting your abstract accepted is increasingly fierce, with two to three times more abstracts submitted than there are conference slots. So, how can you ensure yours has the best chance of getting selected and stands out from other applicants? We’ve done our research and this article is jam packed with things you need to know. Whether this is your first abstract submission, or you just need a bit of a refresh, these tips are for you.

Remember that conference organisers are trying to create an interesting and stimulating event, so your abstract must engage the reviewer and let them know that your presentation would capture attendees’ interest.

Top Tips from an Abstract Reviewer – Things You Need to Know

Quality is still the main driver for acceptance. Is your work well written, showcasing engaging concepts in plain English? Is it written in the present tense rather than future tense? Does it follow a clear purpose, scope, method and results? Remember, Stream Chairs are looking for evidence that you can give a stimulating presentation.

However, quality alone will not be sufficient to put you in the running for acceptance.

• Clarity – are the focus, topic, research and progression of ideas clear and connected?
• Value – is the topic important and relevant? Will it capture the audience’s interest?
• Relevant – is your topic not only suitable and interesting to the industry, but also for an audience outside of your own organisation? Consider why people need to know the knowledge or experience you are sharing and what they can take away from your presentation.
• Innovation – is the content of your abstract a particular hot topic within your industry? Does your topic aim to bring a new or improved way of working? Will it have a potential impact on today's processes and methods? Think outside the box about how you can bring something innovative to the attendees!
• Novelty – if you are satisfied that your topic is sufficiently relevant and innovative, consider whether you can make it slightly different to any other potential presentations so that it stands out?
• Quality – is your work well written? Does it use the present tense, not the future tense? Does it follow a clear purpose, scope method and results?
• Conclusion – have you formulated a conclusion in relation to the data and/or premise?
• Length – is it long enough to contain sufficient details but not too long so the reviewer stops reading?

Preparing to Write an Abstract

• Note the deadline for submission. Plan your preparation timelines to ensure you aren’t rushed to meet the deadline and have time to solicit editorial feedback if desired.
• Ensure you have the support of your organisation for presenting and travel so that your time and effort is not wasted.

Writing Your Abstract

• Choose a great title – consider the title to be like the headline in a newspaper, you want it to convey a little of what it is about by using keywords, but you also want something a little playful. You want it to catch people’s eye.
• Don’t give too much away – think about what your main message is and why we need to know about it. The mistake that many authors make is trying to put too much information into an abstract, which is a challenge when the word count is limited and often the result is incomprehensive. Remember that PHUSE ask you to provide a paper along with your abstract. In the paper you can explain your research and what you intend to include in the presentation, along with any further details you wish the committee to be aware of. By doing this, the committee know that you can put together and deliver an engaging presentation and also have a sense of the detail. This detail is extremely useful to the conference committee when it comes to deciding whether to include your presentation in the event’s agenda.
• Make sure your abstract is clear, concise and coherent.
• Ensure it’s worded in the present tense and includes a description of the project, model or innovation.
• Remember to include any important lessons, outcomes or implications.
• Are there any practical applications or strategy implementations that need to be mentioned?
• Don’t forget that you’re writing the synopsis of a presentation – not an article!

Review & Revise

• Firstly, step away from your abstract and revisit it in a few days’ time!
• Then look at the title and first three lines – do they make you want to carry on and read the full abstract?
• Remember: concise is better than lengthy – take out any ‘This article sets out to…’ padded content and cut to the chase!
• Have the abstract proofread

Consider a peer review:

• A fresh pair of eyes has a better chance of picking up things you may have missed.
• If English is not your first language, consider asking someone who is able to review your syntax and grammar.
• Check that your abstract content makes sense.