This document provides guidelines for writing effective abstracts for conference submissions. It discusses that abstracts should be concise summaries that effectively communicate the purpose and key findings of a research project. The document offers tips for crafting abstracts, such as starting early, using a clear and concise title, following formatting guidelines, and ensuring the abstract has clarity, style and addresses the conference theme. Examples of well-written abstracts are provided and two checklists are included to help authors evaluate their abstracts prior to submission. The overall objective is to equip researchers with the skills to write abstracts that enhance their chances of acceptance to their target conferences.

1. Writing Abstracts for Conferences

2. Introduction
• Introduction
• The purpose of this module is to provide guidelines for writing abstracts for
conferences. The key objective is to provide participants with skills for identifying
appropriate conferences and adhering to the conference guidelines in order to
enhance the chances of getting your abstract accepted in one of your favorite
conference. The module uses the AfREA conference as an example but feel free to
check other conferences in order to hone your skills.
• Writing an abstract may seem like a daunting task especially for the novices. Many
novices may struggle with this task at first, although it is an important first step for a
poster, a presentation or an article. This module provides guidelines for developing
effective conference abstracts. Conferences abstracts are unique in that they are
prospective are often short but should provide sufficient detail to allow conference
organizers to make a decision based to 200-550 words.

3. The purpose of this module is to provide guidelines for
writing abstracts for conferences. The key objective is to
provide participants with skills for identifying appropriate
conferences and adhering to the conference guidelines
in order to enhance the chances of getting your abstract
accepted in one of your favorite conference. The
module uses the AfREA conference as an example but
feel free to check other conferences in order to hone
your skills.

4. • Writing an abstract may seem like a daunting task
especially for the novices. Many novices may
struggle with this task at first, although it is an
important first step for a poster, a presentation or an
article.
This module provides guidelines for developing
effective conference abstracts.
Conferences abstracts are unique in that they are
prospective are often short but should provide
sufficient detail to allow conference organizers to
make a decision based to 200-550 words.

5. Objective
• To describe conference abstract
• To discuss types of abstracts for professional meetings/conferences
• To describe the key elements of an abstract
• List steps in developing and preparing an abstract

6. Pre-assessment
• The scholars will write an abstract before going through the course content and
that abstract paper will be a guide checking were they have done it correctly and
where they need to revise. Participants are encouraged to identify an upcoming
conference they wish to attend and develop an abstract they can eventually
submit to conference organisers
• Please write a conference abstract (maximum of 300 words)

7. Course Content
• An overview of conference abstract
An abstract is a brief summary of the paper you want to
present at conference. It describes a paper you are
proposing. It is intended to capture the reader’s attention
by proposed paper problem, methods and findings. A
conference abstract needs to capture the attention of the
reviews, which potentially have hundreds of abstract to
evaluate. Secondly an abstract needs to speak to the
conference theme. This module explores the key
elements of a conference abstract and provides tips for
crafting effective one that will capture the attention of
conference organizers. We encourage you to look at
AfrEA’s conference guidelines and submission portal.

8. • A conference abstract is often prepared before a full-draft article. It is usually 250-
500 words and is a standalone document, it needs to relate well to the conference
theme or strands. It is important therefore, to examine carefully and to adhere to
the conference guidelines and formatting requirements. Abstracts that do not
meet the specified format are usually rejected early in the proceedings, so pay
attention to each conference’s rules!

9. The following are examples of Social Science
conference abstracts. These provide an example of
what constitute good abstracts. As you read through the
abstract, try to identify what each sentence represents.

10. Title: “Subtype of Autism: Developmental Verbal
Dyspraxia” by Amanda Babin and Morton Gernbascher
(Mentor), Psychology
• Example abstract 1

11. • The purpose of this research is to identify a subtype of autism called
Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia (DVD). DVD is a motor-speech problem,
disabling oral-motor movements needed for speaking. The first phase of the
project involves a screening interview where we identify DVD and Non-DVD kids.
We also use home videos to validate answers on the screening interview. The
final phase involves home visits where we use several assessments to confirm
the child’s diagnosis and examine the connection between manual and oral motor
challenges. By identifying DVD as a subtype of Autism, we will eliminate the
assumption that all Autistics have the same characteristics. This will allow for
more individual consideration of Autistic people and may direct future research on
the genetic factors in autism.
• Abstracts adapted from this link
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12. Example abstract 2
• Title:“The Tony Hawk Learning Project” by Lauren Silberman and Elisabeth
(Betty) Hayes (Mentor), Curriculum & Instruction

13. • The study is to show how even a “sport” video game can incorporate many types
of learning, to call attention to what might be overlooked as significant forms of
learning, and to understand and take advantage of the opportunities video games
afford as more deliberate learning environments. The aspects explored are the
skills and techniques required to be successful in the game, the environment that
skaters skate in, the personal vs. group identity that is shown through the general
appearance of the skater, and the values and icons that the game teaches
players. We are finding that sport video games support learning; we hope to find
how one learns about oneself as a learner from playing.
• Abstracts adapted from this link
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14. General tips
• Start early
• Start drafting the abstract early so you can leave the draft for a few days and
return to it later with a fresh perspective to edit and refine. Find out if you need to
register for a password in advance to upload your abstract. If registration is
required, do this in advance – don’t wait until the deadline, especially if the
deadline is in the evening or on the weekend when it is less likely that an
administrator will be available to help you with any technical difficulties you
encounter (Happen, 2008).
• Avoid being shut out!
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15. 09/01/2018 15

16. Use short and unique titles
A short, unique title will help grab the audience’s attention. Include in the
abstract a clear statement of the topic, how the research or program was
undertaken, and who will find the results interesting (Watson, 2006). The 2016
AFREA conference for example received 758 Abstracts and 513 were selected
over a two months period. This shows that high level conference can be high
throughput and you need to be crafty for your abstract to be accepted.
Examples include:

17. Comply
• Diligently follow all abstract style and formatting guidelines.
• Most conference abstracts will specify word length. Some will also provide
guidelines on font, font size, spacing, text justification, margins, how to present
quotes, how to present authors and works, whether to include footnotes or not.
• Make sure that you strictly adhere to all guidelines, including submission
instructions. If an abstract proposal does not provide abstract style and formatting
guidelines, it is generally appropriate to stay around 250 words .
• Make sure that you orient your abstract topic to address any specific conference
theme.

18. The UNDP issued a requested for conference proposals
and provided the following criteria for preparing
abstract. What length are you required to submit?

19. Adapted from UNDP’s National Evaluation Capacities
Conference 2017 (NEC 2017). “People, Planet and
Progress in the SDG Era” Istanbul, Turkey, 16-20
October 2017.

20. Clarity
• There is need to be parsimonious in your description. In short, you need to
say what you need to say and nothing more. Style: Lessons in Clarity and
Grace (also known as Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace and Style:
Toward Clarity and Grace) is a book by Joseph M. Williams (1933-2008) that
provides clear guidelines for establishing clarity in academic writing.

21. Edit and clean out your text
• It is important of clean your text and make sure that it does not contain errors.
• Clean text so that reviewers score your work highly.
• Always print out a copy to read, as it is much easier to catch typos that don’t
involve misspelled words.
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22. Style
• Use professional language and style and adhere to academic language.
• Avoid contractions and if there are no citation guidelines, you can use the
American Psychology Association guidelines.
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23. Concision
• With a 250-500 word limit, write only what is necessary, avoiding wordiness. Use
active voice and pay attention to excessive prepositional phrasing. Learn to cut
unnecessary text from your sentences. Lessons in Style and Grace provide
excellent guidelines for concision in your writing.
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24. Abstract Checklist 1
• The following checklist can serve as an essential guide for checking your work
before submitting and abstract.
• These guidelines were adapted from
http://fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/swisher/6800_17_D/Abstract_Evaluation_Form.doc. It
provides guidelines for assessing the technical quality of the proposal

25. • Is the purpose of the study stated? Do the authors give you enough information to
understand why they conducted the study?
• Is there some explanation of how this particular study contributes to the overall body of
knowledge about the topic?
• Does the abstract discuss theory? Does it indicate that the research contributes to
theory?
• Do the authors provide enough information for you to understand the research
objectives and question?
• Does the abstract explain the key features of the research methodology (design,
sampling, data collection, data analysis)?
• Does the abstract provide the key findings or results of the study? Can you figure out,
broadly, what the authors learned?
• Do the authors provide some indication of the potential implications for future research
or ideas about the potential applications of their work?
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26. Abstract Checklist 2
• The checklist allows you check if you have complied to the submission
procedures and additional conference.
• The source is adapted from the following link guidelineshttp://www.academic-
conferences.org/policies/abstract-guidelines-for-papers/

27. • I have found and followed the “guidelines for authors” from the journal website.
• The abstract is the correct number of words.
• I have written my abstract as a complete text. The reader can understand the key
results of my research without reading the whole paper.
• The main keywords or index words are contained in the title and abstract.
• I have used as many index words as possible (usually 5) to make it as easy as
possible to search my article online. I have consulted the official keywords in my field if
appropriate. I have included both general (for non-specialists) and specific (for
specialists) key words for interdisciplinary journal papers.
• I have fully spelled any abbreviations that should be spelled in my field. I have
reintroduced those abbreviations in the introduction since the abstract should be
written as a separate document.
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28. • I do not include references from other individual papers directly in the abstract. I only describe
my own research, well-known theories or methods, or problems of the field in general.
• I have included a sentence describing the research methodology used in the paper.
• I did not copy and paste any of the sentences from the paper directly into the abstract—
especially the first two sentences of the introduction.
• There are no weak verbs such as “discuss,” or “examine,” or unclear terms such as “various
methods.” I have described precisely how I did my research and what I found.
• (Recommended but not required.) The sentences of my abstract follow the same general
structure as the rest of my paper: introduction, methods, results, and discussion.
• I have specifically stated the exact results, implications, and/or importance of the findings. I
have quantified (used numbers or %) if possible.
• In the first few sentences of the abstract, I have shown how my paper addresses a research
problem, a limitation of previous methods, or an issue or “gap” in the research in my field (not
required but a characteristic of well-written abstracts in any field).
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29. Summary
• The module has illustrated the importance of identifying relevant conference
themes in order to draft your abstract. Once you have identified the conference
theme, the next step is to craft your main message for the conference and then
evidence that support your conclusions.
• The module also provides example abstracts that you can use to craft your own,
but always bear in mind that each conference provides specific guidelines and it
is important to follow these.
• The module provides 8 tips for craft effective conference abstracts (start early,
use short and unique titles, comply, clarity, concision, editing and tidying your
work and style). The last section are two checklists that you can also use as
check boxes before you send out your conference abstract.
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