Writing/reviewing abstracts.
My own opinions.
A Thread.
My own opinions.
A Thread.
Firstly, creating an abstract is hard work. But the hard work isn't in the writing, it's the reflection that comes before you start to type. Invest there first. It will make the writing a whole lot easier.
The hard work can be very rewarding though. You could inspire someone, change their career, change your career. You'll likely travel, and if you pick the right conferences, on someone else's money! You'll meet great people, you'll learn a lot.
I prefer to hear experience based talks, they are more relatable, more emotional. If you're coming at me with a theory based talk, I want to see some data and hear about some experiments.
The title IS important. Its the first thing I read, it sets the scene for the rest of the abstract. Does it make me want to read on? Is it targeted? Thing purpose and audience.
You are being judged, so is your story, and in the majority of cases, all I have to judge you on is the words you send me. If you send me four sentences, I have four sentences. Sell it to me!
If you send me four, five or even six paragraphs, they have to flow. That is a lot of text to read, all those words have to count, and add value. If they don't, cut cut cut! Be concise, clear.
I prefer seeing three paragraphs. Beginning, middle and an end, it's a story. Usually results in a readable abstract, forces you to be concise.
Beginning. Set the scene for me, the context. Don't be shy on the adjectives. Place me in your story. Who are the actors? What's your motivation for this talk? Where are we?
Middle. State the problem / Share the success. What were your feelings? How were others feeling? What approach did you take? What were your actions?
End. What was the outcome? The conclusion. What's going to happen next? How are you feeling now? How are the other actors?
Flow. Make sure your abstracts flows and is easy to read. Are you jumping around too much? Do the paragraphs relate well? If it's a story is the timeline in sync?
I don't have time to try and read between the lines, I've hundreds of these abstracts to review. The odd one I may mark as 'if they mean this it has potential' but that is rare.
Proofread. Read it! Read it again! AGAIN! Put it through Hemmingway or Grammarly. Little mistakes stick in reviewers mind, don't let that happen.
Review. Get feedback on your abstract. Ask colleagues or others in the community for a quick review and feedback. There are numerous people always offering to help with reviews.
Have you seen a talk like this? If so, does your abstract make it clear why we need another talk on this, why we need your talk! Or, can you slightly change your angle to make it fresh? Is the topic current?
Don't leave it to the last minute. I don't look at the submission date when reviewing, but in the past, I've gone to my self, that was a late rushed submission, checked the date and it was. Believe me, we can tell!
I'm not going to steal your talk, don't be secretive, give me as much information as you can. As mentioned it's all I have.
You may be hoping to make a big reveal during your talk, a game changer, make sure you tell me about it. In most cases, your abstract doesn't have to be the talk description, so don't worry about giving it away to attendees.
If you tell me you're going to share insight's', tip's', solution's' tell me about at least one of them! You have many, share! Giving me at least one gives me something to judge the others on, without it I'm guessing on the quality of them.
Takeaways. I've read the abstract form, now sell me why I should come and hear the whole story. What will I learn, what will I be able to take back to work, how will it improve me or my career?
Time. If you tell me you need 90 minutes for your talk, you need to elaborate on how you're going to use that time. But also, read the CFP, if we've asked for 30 mins, why are you sending me a 90-minute talk?
With all that in mind. I strongly encourage you to give it ago. The above process doesn't have to end in a talk. It could end up as an abstract for an article. We all have something to share, and there is a medium that will work for you. Sharing is caring.
