Poster abstracts submitted to NCURA should serve as the initial report of knowledge, experience, or best practices in the field of research Administration. Submissions are evaluated by a review committee.
A well-written abstract is more likely to be considered as a finalist and, ultimately, for a recognition award. To expedite the review process, to assure effective communication, and to elevate the work toward the recognition award following, the following general suggestions will be helpful in submitting your abstract and description.
General suggestions
- Check for proper spelling and grammar.
- Use a standard typeface, such as Times Roman with a font size of 12.
- It is important to keep nonstandard abbreviations/acronyms to a minimum, to allow for readability and understanding.
- Do not include tables, figures, or graphs in the abstract. Such content is appropriate for the poster.
- Abstract should be 250 words or less and should summarize the overall objectives being presented in the poster. This can be included in bullet point format if preferred.
- The application should include a detailed description of poster make up itself and include the outcomes to be presented. Limit to 500 words (use the less=more concept).
- Try to organize the abstract with the following headings where appropriate, as explained below; purpose, methods, results, conclusions.
Title
The abstract title conveys the content/subject of the poster. The title may be written as a question or the title may be written to suggest the conclusions, if appropriate. A short concise title may more easily catch a reader’s attention. Try to not use abbreviations or acronyms in titles.
Purpose
The introductory sentence(s) may be stated as a hypothesis, a purpose, an objective, or as current evidence for a finding. Hypothesis is a supposition or conjecture used as a basis for further investigations. Purpose is a statement of the reason for conducting a project or reporting on a program, process or activity. Objective is the result that the author is trying to achieve by conducting a project, program, process or activity.
Methods
Briefly describe the methods of the project to define the data or population, outcome variables, and analytic techniques, as well as data collection procedures and frequencies. A description of statistical methods used may be included if appropriate.
Results
The results should be stated succinctly to support only the purpose, objectives, hypothesis, or conclusions.
Conclusions
The conclusion(s) should highlight the impact of the project, and follow the methods and results in a logical fashion. This section should not restate results. Rather, the utility of the results and their potential role in the management of the project should be emphasized. New information or conclusions not supported by data in the results section should be avoided.
Important note
Poster program finalists are determined following evaluation of each actual poster by the review committee. Finalists will be notified by email no later than June 25th.