Instructions

For purposes of the Undergraduate Research Symposium, an abstract summarizes a professional presentation. It helps authors get to the essence of their work, and helps the Symposium Program Committee decide what presentation category best represents the research.

Note: Titles are limited to 75 characters.  Abstracts are limited to 150 words.

Titles and abstracts (for International Day only) will be available for the general public to read, both are critical; it will help attendees decide whether or not to attend your presentation.

First, write a title that can be understood by the audience you hope to reach (Symposium attendees). For your abstract, write about the "what” and the “why" of your research,  write about your process, methods and results. Finally, provide conclusions, and discuss implications and prospects for future work.

Rewrite and revise (multiple times) using short, active sentences. Kill excess verbiage.  Test your abstract by asking other people to read it, including your research mentor. Rewrite again. Seek clarity and simplicity. Less is more. Thus, a good abstract benefits the writer and serves the reader. The process is easy to describe, but it takes practice. All abstracts will need your research mentor’s approval prior to submitting your abstract.

* Do not include figures, tables, or references in your abstract

Additional Resources