10: How to prepare an
abstract for a scientific
meeting
Online submission of abstracts
Online submission is now common for abstracts. The website of the society organising the meeting will include detailed information, and many meetings have a site dedicated to preparation of abstracts. For example, the British Society of Gastroenterology’s home page (http://www.bsg.org.uk) provides clear instructions, with direct access to the abstract submission website (http://www.bsgabstracts.org.uk).
Guidelines for online submission
Specific guidelines must be followed – type only within the specified area and include the title, list of authors, institution, and address. Do not modify the page setup with respect to dimensions or font (print) size. You must declare originality or previous publication.
Snail mail submissions Guidelines
The instructions for postal submissions may look (and usually are!) tedious, but they are designed to ensure high quality reproduction of your work. Abstracts are now rarely edited and typeset – an approach that produced well presented abstracts, regardless of the quality of the original. For speed and efficiency, abstracts may be photographed and reproduced exactly as they first appear (camera ready abstracts). The abstract therefore must be typed within the prescribed area. An appropriate size typeface and a high quality laser printer should be used to ensure good reproduction. Direct reproduction of the camera ready abstract will mean that any errors in spelling, grammar, or scientific fact will be reproduced exactly as you typed them, so take care. Vain hopes that the photographic process might in some way enhance your abstract must be abandoned.
Send the appropriate number of copies. Anonymous copies – without the names of the author and the institution where the work was carried out – are often requested to ensure that the marking system is independent and fair. Make a careful note of the deadline – preparation of abstracts always takes longer
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than expected. Late entries or those not conforming to the guidelines may be rejected out of hand, without evaluation.
The abstract form commonly includes a number of subject categories. Identify the most appropriate category for your work to ensure that the selected reviewer is an expert in your field. Mark whether the abstract will be presented as a poster or oral presentation. You must declare that the abstract is completely original or to submit details if the abstract has been submitted to another meeting or for publication. Full information must be provided.
Preparation of the abstract
The abstract should be prepared with a number of headings – even though the headings themselves may eventually be deleted from the final text.
Title
The title is a concise summary of the abstract and must demonstrate that the work is important, relevant, and innovative. Define the key features of your work and link them together until the title effectively conveys that message.
Authors
Include authors who really have contributed to the work. It is assumed, if the abstract is accepted, that the first author will present the work. The author who presents the work often has to be identified. The name and address of the institution at which the work was carried out is included, with an email address where the authors can be reached if problems arise.
For example, your abstract may be selected for a plenary session, and the organisers will need to confirm that the presenter speaks fluent English and that the work is sufficiently important for such a session.
Background
Start with a sentence or two that summarises previous work relevant to the presentation. Highlight any controversies that your work has helped to resolve.
How to prepare an abstract for a scientific meeting
Aims
What is the point of the study? What is the hypothesis that is being addressed? How is your work different from previous work? Is it useful, exciting, and worthwhile? Does it make a new and significant contribution? To encapsulate these ideas in a sentence or two takes practice.
Patients
If patients were studied, how were they selected? Did they give informed consent? Was the selection of patients random?
Why were patients excluded? Was ethical committee approval obtained?
Methods
The techniques employed must be summarised and novel methods described in greater detail. Minimise the use of abbreviations, which may confuse the reader and assessor.
Note the methods used to test for statistical significance.
Results
Data about patients should be described first, including the numbers studied, sex, age, distribution, and duration of follow up. The key results should then be summarised, usually in four or five sentences that identify the positive features; ensure that any claims can be substantiated. Highlight new developments.
Discussion
What has the work added to the existing body of knowledge? In what way are these new findings important?
Could the findings have occurred by chance or are they statistically significant?
Conclusions
Why is the work important? How might the work be developed further?
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From draft to final version
The draft abstract is now complete. It will be hopelessly over length. To produce this information in an abstract of less than 200 words is a real challenge. Delete any duplicated, superfluous, or irrelevant information. Can the same idea be conveyed in fewer words? If the abstract is still over length, what are the most important results? Can some points be omitted and presented separately at the meeting?
It will take time and many drafts to produce the final version. Start early and plan to complete and submit the abstract well before the deadline. The abstract must summarise the work, but do not forget that it must excite the reviewer in that “brief moment of time” when your abstract is assessed.
Reread the guidelines and ensure that you, your word processor, and secretary have conformed completely with the instructions. Photocopy the original abstract form and ensure that the draft abstract can be laid out effectively within the space available. Circulate the draft abstract to your colleagues and obtain their approval before submission.
Final preparation
The abstract can now be completed and the appropriate number of named and anonymous copies prepared. Do not duplicate submissions – two or more abstracts that describe similar results from the same study are both likely to be rejected. Include an email address to learn the outcome of the assessor’s evaluation.
Outcome
In due course, you will hear the outcome of the assessment and experience the joy of acceptance or the depression of rejection. Few abstracts are outstanding, and few are awful.
The marks for most abstracts hover around the mean and abstracts are either just accepted or just rejected. Temper the joy of acceptance with modesty. The depression of rejection can be minimised by knowing that the abstract was only just rejected.
How to prepare an abstract for a scientific meeting
Presenting the data
The accepted abstract has to be converted into an oral presentation or a poster – another exciting challenge.
Submission of an abstract implies that one of the authors will present the paper or poster in person at the meeting. Late withdrawal of an abstract gives the individual and their unit a bad name.
Conclusion
An abstract that effectively summarises your work clearly and concisely with an apparently effortless presentation can be achieved only with meticulous preparation. In doing so, however, you will share in the excitement of contributing at the forefront of new scientific developments.
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