Resource of the Week #192: “Writing a Great [Conference] Abstract”

Hello again. This week’s resource focuses on writing abstracts of proposed conference presentations. It is titled “Writing a Great Abstract”. It appears on the website of the International Studies Association (ISA).

As you may know, to present research at a conference, one typically must submit an abstract on the research. Experts then peer review the abstracts and decide which research to accept for presentation.

“Writing a Great Abstract” features 4 prominent international-studies scholars who are experienced reviewers. The 4 scholars each answer the following questions:

• “What makes a great abstract?”
• “What are the most common mistakes you see in abstracts?”
• “Do you have any general tips for first-timers trying to get on to ISA's program?"

One scholar notes that a common mistake is to state the research question but not say how the research was done—or to present the methods and findings without stating the research question. I too have often seen this mistake.

Although this resource emphasizes abstracts in the social sciences, much of the advice also applies to abstracts in other research fields. Likewise, much of it also applies to abstracts of journal articles.

Especially if you write conference abstracts, I encourage you look at this resource.

Until the next post—

Barbara