Level: Introductory

For researchers or practitioners who would like to improve their scientific communication skills, particularly in relation to summarizing their work for consideration by conferences or academic journals.

Description:

The nature of interdisciplinary research often means that the key elements of a study (i.e. objectives, methods/approach, findings, conclusions and significance) can be challenging to summarise in a succinct and compelling manner. This in turn can mean that good quality science may not be recognized or selected by conference programmers or journal editors simply due to communication difficulties.

Added to these challenges are further disadvantages faced by those for whom English may not be a native language, where English is the language of choice of a given symposia or journal.

This session will take participants through a series of practical steps to improve abstract writing; drawing on lessons-learnt from both conference committees and academic publishing. It will provide a hands-on opportunity for participants to discuss and practice things to avoid and things to aim for when preparing an abstract.

Learning objectives / outcomes:

By the end of the session, participants should:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the different kinds of abstracts that can be written of research findings

2. Have an understanding of what editors and scientific committees look for when reviewing abstracts

3. Recognise key elements to include when composing a short summary of research

4. Be able to select and refine language to make an abstract clear, concise and compelling.

5. Be equipped to ensure that an abstract meets the criteria of different events or platforms

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