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How to write an Abstract for a Conference
Paper
As we are now receiving a large number of Abstracts for the various
Conferences which we are running I feel that it might be useful to those who are
not experienced in writing Abstracts to have a short note on How to write
an Abstract.
The single most important thing about an Abstract is that it is a short
document that is intended to capture the interest of a potential reader of
your paper. Thus in a very important sense it is a marketing document for
your full paper. If the Abstract is poorly written or if it is boring then it
will not encourage a potential reader to spend the time reading your work.
Thus the first rule of Abstract writing is that it should engage the reader
by telling him or her what your paper is about and why they should read it.
Although strictly not part of your Abstract, the title of the proposed paper
is most important. Short attention-catching titles are the most effective.
However, it is also important, for a conference paper, to ensure that the
title describes the subject you are writing about.
With regards the body of the Abstract you need to make a clear statement of
the topic of your paper and your research question. You need to say how your
research was/is being undertaken. For example, is it empirical or
theoretical? Is it quantitative or qualitative? Perhaps it follows the
critical research method. What value are your findings and to whom will they
be of use?
The Abstract should then briefly describe the work to be discussed in your
paper and also give a concise summary of the findings. Finally your Abstract
should not include diagrams and in general references are not required in the
Abstract.
The marketing of your proposed paper needs to be done within the word limit
of 300 to 500 words. It is poor practice not to
use the 300 words and it is considered a bad tactic to go over the limit of
500.
Currently Abstracts received by us are often:
1.
Too short. Some Abstracts are less
than 50 words.
2.
Too long.
3.
Do not explain what the proposed
paper is about.
4.
Spend too long defining the
general topic of the paper as opposed to the particular issues the paper
intends to address.
5.
Are boring.
Although not part of the Abstract as such, most journals and
conferences now expect authors to provide key words at the same time as the
Abstract. Key words are used to find the paper, especially during
computerised searches. Somewhere between 5 and 10 Key Words are normally
required and they should be the words which most closely reflect the content
of the paper.
Finally many journals and conferences are now requiring a short bio to be
sent to the Conference along with the Abstract. The bio usually needs to be
about 50 to 60 words long and a passport photo is also normally required.
We want to encourage all researchers who submit to our Conferences to make
the most of the important opportunity the presentation of your Abstract
represents.
Authors who do not follow these guidelines are more likely to have their work
rejected.
Dan
Remenyi
Visiting Professor
School of Systems and Data Studies
Trinity College
Dublin
dan.remenyi@tcd.ie
http://www.tcd.ie/Statistics/staff/danremenyi.shtml
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