I have a conference abstract to submit
Write an abstract a busy reviewer can understand and accept, even when the work isn't finished.
In short
Start here, today. Open the call for papers and copy into one document the deadline (with its time zone), the word limit, the themes or tracks, any required headings, and whether work in progress is welcome. Highlight anything you'd have missed on a quick read. This takes about 15 minutes.
After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.
Step by step
Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.
0 of 7 steps done
Read the call like a contract
Note the word limit, the format (some calls want structured headings or keywords, some limit title length), the themes, and whether abstracts will be published. Check whether the deadline is in your time zone or the organisers'. If you're unsure about eligibility or format, email the organisers; they'd rather answer than reject.
Write the four parts plainly first
Before polishing anything, write one or two plain sentences for each part: the problem, what you did, what you found or argue, and why it matters. If the third part is still uncertain, see the step on work in progress below. Polish only once all four are on the page.
Write for a reviewer outside your niche
Cut background to one sentence and remove acronyms or define them. Describe your method in words a neighbouring field would recognise, and make the contribution explicit with phrases like “This paper shows that” or “I argue that”. Concrete details help: the setting, the period, the sample size, the archive.
Fit the word limit
Write long, then cut. Background, lists of authors you build on and hedging phrases go first, and the finding and the contribution stay. Submission systems sometimes count words differently from your word processor, so leave a small margin.
Be honest about work in progress
If analysis is ongoing, say what you have and what you'll present, for example “Preliminary analysis of the first 30 interviews suggests” or “The presentation will report results from the full sample”. Only promise what you can realistically have by the conference date. Check with your supervisor before promising results that depend on data you haven't collected yet.
Choose the conference on purpose
Ask who will be in the room and whether you want those people to know your work. A small specialist meeting can be worth more than a huge one where six people hear you. Price it early: registration, travel, accommodation and, if you need one, a visa, which can take months. Look for student rates, conference travel bursaries, departmental or faculty travel funds, graduate student association grants and volunteer schemes that waive registration.
Get a reader before you submit
Send the draft to your supervisor or co-authors at least a week before the deadline. Also ask a friend outside your field to tell you, in one sentence, what you found; if they can't, revise. Where there are co-authors, agree on whose names go on the abstract and who presents before you press submit.
Words you can use
Is this you? Signs to look for
- The call for papers closes soon and you have a blank page or a very long draft.
- Your draft opens with three sentences of background and never quite says what you found.
- You don't have final results, so you aren't sure you're allowed to submit.
- You can't tell which conference is worth the money and the time away.
Why this happens
Abstracts are read by reviewers who may be scoring dozens of them, often outside their own speciality and often quickly. They want to see that the work fits the conference, that there is a clear problem, and that you'll have something concrete to say on the day. A vague abstract makes those things hard to see, even when the research behind it is good.
Many conference abstracts describe work in progress, and reviewers know that. What they need is an honest picture of what you'll present, not a finished paper.
Norms differ by field. In some areas, computer science for example, a conference submission is a full paper with peer review and the stakes are high. In others, a 250-word abstract earns a short slot and the real paper comes later. Ask someone in your field which kind of conference this is before you decide how much to invest.
Worth a look (4)
- Manchester Academic PhrasebankUseful phrases for stating aims, describing methods and reporting findings concisely.
- Think. Check. Submit.Simple checklists to help you judge whether a journal or book publisher can be trusted before you submit. They're available in many languages.
- Open policy finderCheck a journal's open access policies, including which version of your paper you can share and where. It replaced Sherpa Romeo, so older guides may still use that name.
- DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)A curated list of peer-reviewed open access journals in every field. Use it to find journals to read and to check that a journal you're considering is legitimate.
When to bring someone in
Your supervisor knows which conferences matter in your field and whether a particular one is worth the cost. For money, ask your graduate coordinator, your faculty of graduate studies and your graduate student association what travel awards exist; their deadlines are often well before the conference itself. If you need a visa to attend, talk to your international student office as early as you can, ideally before you submit.
Find the right person, or talk to Ify