Tips on Abstract Writing

Tips on Abstract Writing for First-Time Conference Presenters

The general outline for a research project (not always in this order) is:

• Title
• Abstract - This is a brief (no more than 150 words) summary/overview of the project, which should include:
  • rationale – why is your research necessary?
  • research question – what problem are you trying to solve with this research?
  • methodology – what process do you use to try to answer the research question?
  • conclusion – what is the outcome of your research?
  • implications – what is the potential impact of your research?

If you’re responding to a specific CFP (call for papers/call for proposals), make sure your abstract includes specific references to the theme of the conference/area that are mentioned in the CFP.

• Introduction
  • Statement of problem – explain what it is that you’re researching
  • Purpose of research – say what you intend to find out from this research
  • Rationale – why this particular research is necessary (how it is different from other research that has been done) and what it will add to the body of knowledge in the field
• Literature Review
  • Talk about the research that has already been done on this topic, summarizing it
    • Begin with a very short history of the problem and how there is a need for the sensor you are proposing, and overview of what the sensor is/how it’s used
    • Organize this by the kind of research and what’s been learned from it, not just as a random set of paragraphs discussing one source each
  • At the end, connect this back to your research question/hypothesis so readers can see how you got there from the existing information and how what you’re doing is new
• Methods
  • Describe what your analysis will do and how you will do it, specifically
  • Justify the methodology
    • Why are you choosing this approach?
    • You may want to draw on and/or reference significant theoretical approaches you’re using
    • How will the methodology help you determine the answer to your research question?
• Data Collection, Analysis, and Evaluation
  • How will you gather data/what data will result from this?
  • How will you analyze the data?
  • Why are these methods the best ones for your goals?
• Discussion
  • Significance of problem – explain (again, but in different words) why it is important to find a solution to the problem
  • Discuss the limitations of the existing research and explain (again, but in different words) the implications of your research: how it is going to affect future research (scholarly and/or policy implications), its influence on other fields (theoretical and/or policy implications), and potential for direct use (practice implications)
  • This can include a brief discussion of what the next step in researching this area will be after your research is completed
  • Be sure to address why anyone should care about this research

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