A conference abstract is an abstract that you submit for consideration at a professional conference.  It is usually much longer than a summary abstract and functions independently from the paper it is based on since the conference scientific review committee will see it and not your actual paper.  Thus, your primary audience for the conference abstract is the conference scientific review committee.  The conference participants -- to whom you will actually deliver your paper -- are your secondary audience.

In addition to impressing the conference scientific review committee, your purpose in writing a conference abstract is to create a "research space" from which to present and to appeal to as large an audience as possible.

Getting Started

Sometimes writing a good abstract is more complicated than writing a research paper.  In a way, the abstract is the opposite of the research paper.  In the abstract you are trying to condense your thoughts and in the paper you stretch them.

The abstract is normally written after the paper is completed.  Writing it well is a mental challenge.  A good abstract is like a good commercial:  you use colours, music, text (and subtext) to make a good commercial, and you use your expertise, ideas, and precise language to make a good abstract.

How much time do you need to write a good abstract?

Writing abstracts is a more time-consuming and complicated activity than it looks.

Abstract Content

The abstract is a very brief overview of your entire study. It tells the reader what you did, why you did it, how you did it, what you found, and what it means.

The abstract should briefly state the purpose of the research (introduction), how the problem was studied (methods), the principal findings (results) and what the findings mean (discussion and conclusion).  It is important to be descriptive but concise--say only what is essential, using no more words than necessary to convey meaning.

The biggest mistake in writing an abstract is to mention that such and such "will be discussed".  The abstract is not a place for waffling; rather it is a succinct summary of the exact details of your findings.  The most important data and findings are contained in it, NOT left out.

Avoid using bibliographic references in the abstract unless they are absolutely essential to understanding the scholarship or results of the study.  However, if your article follows directly from a published work and is a major advance on that specific piece of work, do cite the paper in the abstract.

The end of the abstract is just as important as the beginning. This is where you want to hook the reader.  The concluding lines of the abstract should lead into the first paragraph of the introduction without repeating what has been said.  State the implications of your studies to the field of scholarship in which you are working.

Some points to keep in mind

• While drafting your abstract:  look over your subject to see what disciplinary assumptions are challenged; question the significance of your ideas; emphasize the important results and address limitations in a realistic manner.
  
  
• An abstract will nearly always be read along with the title, so do not repeat or rephrase your title.  It will likely be read without the rest of the document, however, so make it complete enough to stand on its own.
  
  
• Do not refer in the abstract to information that is not in the document.  This is very important and is a little like "truth in advertising." You do not want to give your reader the impression that your study covers information it does not actually contain.
  
  
• Avoid using the first person "I" or "we."  In addition, whenever possible, choose active verbs instead of passive ones (e.g.  use "the study tested" instead of "it was tested by the study" or "I tested in the study").
  
  
• Avoid, if possible, using trade names, acronyms, abbreviations or symbols in your abstract.  You would have to explain these names which would take up valuable room/words.
  
  
• Use non-evaluative language in your abstract; report instead of comment upon your findings.
  
  
• Ease your readers/audience into your topic.  Or, in other words, be sensitive to the needs and knowledge of your audience.  What might seem perfectly obvious to you after working on a longer writing or research project will often be brand-new to your audience.
  
  
• Follow strictly the format requirements (300 words in three paragraphs – introduction, methods & results, and conclusions).  Make sure you have read and proofread the abstract several times.
  
  
• If you have little or no experience writing abstracts, ask a colleague who does to review your finished abstract.  He or she will be able to help you identify where an improvement could be considered.
  
  
• Above all, DON’T PROCRASTINATE!  Delay just isolates you and drains your energies.

Sample Abstract

Long Term Safety of ISA247 in Plaque Psoriasis After 60 Weeks of Dosing

Norman R. Wasel;¹ Charles Lynde;² Richard Langley;³ Robert Bissonnette;⁴ Robert B. Huizinga;⁵ Kim Papp;⁶ SPIRIT Study Investigators;⁷

1. Stratica Medical, Edmonton, AB; 2. Lynderm Research Inc., Markham, ON; 3. QEII Health Science Center, Halifax, NS; 4. Innovaderm Research Inc., Montreal, QC; 5. Isotechnika Inc., Edmonton, AB; 6. Probity Medical Research Inc., Waterloo, ON; 7. Canada

Introduction: ISA247, a new calcineurin inhibitor (CNi), demonstrates comparable efficacy with less toxicity than cyclosporine. A 60 week Phase III study with ISA247 in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis has been completed.

Methods: Plaque psoriasis patients (n=309) with ≥ 10 were enrolled into a 24 week study followed by a 36 week extension study. Patients were initially randomized to either placebo (12 weeks), 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 mg/kg bid of ISA247 for 24 weeks. Placebo patients changed to 0.3 mg/kg bid at 12 weeks with all other groups converted to this dose at 24 weeks. After a total of 60 weeks of treatment, patients were followed for an additional 12 weeks. The primary objective of this extension study is to investigate long-term safety and tolerability of ISA247.

Results: The four most common treatment-related adverse events included hypertesion (10.8%), exacerbated hypertension (3.4%), nasopharyngitis (3.0%) and nausea (1.7%). Renal function (mean GFR) remained stable over the 60 weeks, with 4.5% of patients experiencing a 30% decline in renal function. Renal function returned to normal in these patients after discontinuation of drug. PASI 50 response remained stable (67%, 68%, 67% and 63%) at weeks 24, 36, 48 and 60.

Conclusions: Results of this 60 week study demonstrate that long-term use of ISA247 was generally safe, well tolerated, and efficacious in the treatment of patients with stable plaque psoriasis.

For more abstract examples from past CDA conferences, visit www.dermatology.ca/conference/abstracts