NCUR 2009: Preparing Your Abstract

Submission Deadline: December 1, 2008

Please note that NCUR has a competitive abstract review process, so you are strongly advised to work with your mentor and the ATP coordinators in preparing your abstract. Abstracts that do not follow the specified guidelines, or that are submitted late, will be rejected by NCUR. The Adrian Tinsley program will be holding one-on-one abstract writing workshops as follows:

• For the Natural Sciences (to be determined) in the OUR, 200 Maxwell Library
• Humanities (to be determined) in the OUR, 200 Maxwell Library
• Social Sciences (to be determined) in the OUR, 200 Maxwell Library.
  
  If you want to attend a workshop, please come with a draft of your abstract.

Note that NCUR abstracts must be 250-300 words in length (including title and the names of all authors). NCUR requires the following information in an abstract: "Abstracts must include sufficient information for reviewers to judge the nature and significance of the topic, the adequacy of the investigative strategy, the nature of the results, and the conclusions. The abstract should summarize the substantive results of the work and not merely list topics to be discussed." Historically, the abstracts that received the best reviews from NCUR contained the following components:

1. A clear statement of the research question or hypothesis or the creative theme.
2. A brief comment about the relevance and uniqueness of the work.
3. A clear description of the methodology used to explore the question/hypothesis/creative theme.
4. A statement of progress to date, preliminary results, or expected outcomes.

Examples of submitted abstracts from previous NCUR conferences can be found in the Office of Undergraduate Research, room 200, Maxwell Library.

Once you have finished reading this information, go on to the Submitting your Abstract page.

Last Modified: May 21, 2008