Workshop: Writing an Abstract for a Paper, Talk or Poster

Workshops A good abstract is critical, whether you’re writing a paper, or planning a talk or poster on your research. The abstract is what draws people to your talk—or turns them away—and it may be the only part of a scientific paper that many people read. So, what makes an abstract “good” and how can you make your own abstracts good? In this hands-on writing workshop, participants will analyze a series of abstracts from ASA-CSSA-SSSA journals to understand what the components of an abstract are, how those components fit together in a coherent whole, and what makes some abstracts more effective and compelling than others. Participants will then give each other feedback on abstracts they’ve each written in the past or are working on currently, and will have time to revise their abstracts afterward. Along the way, we will discuss general writing topics such as developing a main message, stylistic concerns (sentence structure, passive vs. active voice, etc.), and the dos and don’ts of giving and receiving feedback. This workshop will be most useful to graduate students who have already written an abstract in the past or are in the midst of learning this skill. Participants should bring one of their own abstracts to the workshop for critique.