Anatomy of a great abstract

Abbreviations. To enhance readability, try to avoid using abbreviations. If you need to, be sure to spell out each one in full when they are first used within your abstract.

Anonymity. Some conferences require abstracts to be anonymised during the selection process for papers and presentations. In these cases, do not mention the names of authors or organisations in the text or title of your abstract. The abstract review process for the Hospice UK National Conference is entirely anonymous. This gives everyone an equal opportunity for their abstract to be selected. 

Author. An author is someone who has drafted or written an abstract. The term also includes anyone who has substantially revised or critically reviewed the abstract.  

Author affiliation. An affiliation refers to the organisation to which an author is linked (for example, as an employee, volunteer, student etc.). It is important to acknowledge the hospice or other organisation that has supported you in your work. This also provides useful information for the reader. Author affiliation should be included for every author who has contributed to the work.  

Check your abstract with your employer. When abstracts are accepted for presentation at conferences, they are often also published. Before submitting your abstract to a conference, you should ensure that any organisation(s) you work with are happy for the work to be published. Many organisations have a specific policy that relates to this.

Conflict of interest. Mention any conflicts of interest.

Drug names. Use generic rather than proprietary names of drugs. 

Ethics. When submitting an abstract in relation to a research study, you should acknowledge that ethical approval was gained. If possible, also include the ethics number.

Figures and tables. You may not be able to include figures and tables (such as graphs, images or diagrams) with your submission. In these cases, make sure that your abstract makes sense without these.

Original work. Many conferences only accept original work for presentation. Check whether this is the case for the conference you are submitting to. If so, ensure your work has not been presented or published elsewhere.

Presentation options. Abstracts can be presented in a number of ways. Familiarise yourself with the options for the conference you are submitting to. Find out about the presentation options at the Hospice UK National Conference.

Readability. Ensure that your work can be shared widely by making your abstract easy to read. Make sure that the title and text of your abstract are concise, clear and simple to understand. Keep sentences short and avoid jargon. You can also use online tools to check the ‘readability’ of your text (for example, Word has an Accessibility Checker).

References. These enable others to read more about the topic of your abstract and understand the context of your work. There are many different referencing styles - make sure to check the desired style for the conference you are submitting to. The Hospice UK National Conference uses the Vancouver referencing style. Learn more about how to reference for our conference.

Research funder. It is good practice to acknowledge funding received from research bodies. You may also like to acknowledge other funders, such as local councils. Hospice UK National Conference abstracts include information on research funder(s) when published.

Scoring abstracts. Abstracts are usually scored against a set criteria. These scores inform final decisions on which abstracts are accepted for presentation. It may be helpful to look at how abstracts are assessed for the Hospice UK National Conference.

Terms and conditions. On submitting an abstract, author(s) are often required to accept any terms and conditions of the conference. Make sure you know what these are.

Themes. Conferences may accept abstracts on a wide variety of themes. Some conferences only accept abstracts on a select number of themes. Others, such as the Hospice UK National Conference, are open to submissions on a wide variety of topics.

Word limits. Conferences often impose a word limit on abstract submissions. This can differ between events, so always make sure to check. It is also worth noting whether anything will be excluded from your word count, such as references.

Work in progress. Some conferences, including the Hospice UK National Conference, will accept abstracts about work that is not yet completed. In these cases, make sure to check the submission criteria to ensure that your work is sufficiently far along.