GW Research Day Resources: Writing Abstracts

Writing an Abstract for Your Research Day Poster

Instructor: Tom Harrod

Problem Statement/Introduction:
Make the case why this research is important. Remember to use words that will grab the reader’s attention.
(How does it contribute to the scholarly literature? Identify the gap . Include hypothesis.)

Methods:
What was done to obtain results
(Include research design, setting, population and sample size, duration of the study, research instrument, treatment/procedure)

Results:
Connect to methods – as a result of conducting the above procedure submit what were your findings.
(Refrain from analyzing results)

Conclusion:
Major implications of your findings.
(Include analysis and outcomes)

Too much information:
Avoid including too much background information and details. Should be succinct!
Incomplete sentences:
Avoid using bullets or incomplete phrases.
Jargon: 
Avoid abbreviations, acronyms and jargon unless it is well known to almost all readers (e.g. CDC)
Images/Tables/Graph/References:
Any sort of image, illustration, figure, or table, or references to them.

Examples of well written abstracts

 Smoking Characteristics and Psychiatric Comorbidities of Pregnant Smokers: An Analysis of Quit4Baby Randomized Controlled Trial  
Presenter: Shawn Chiang, Milken Institute School of Public Health

Time Trends in Incidence and Severity of Injury among NCAA Soccer Players, 1990-1996 and 2004-2009
Presenter: Avinash Chandran, Milken Institute School of Public Health

Ultrasound Stimulation of Insulin Release from Pancreatic Beta Cells 
Presenter: Ivan Suarez Castellanos, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Diet as a Risk Factor in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Presenter: Caitlin Bove, School of Medicine and Health Sciences