How do medical communicators distill the results of complex studies into just a few hundred words?
Often, they do it by writing conference or meeting abstracts.
Abstracts function like calling cards for scientific research. They are concise summaries that communicate the purpose, methods, results, and implications of a study to conference organizers, meeting attendees, and other targeted audiences.
Writing conference or meeting abstracts allows medical communicators to do what they do best: accurately communicate scientific concepts to a targeted audience.
If writing abstracts is on your medical writing to-do list, we’ve got a few tips to share.
What Are Conference and Meeting Abstracts?
Conference and meeting abstracts are summaries of research prepared for conferences or professional meetings that convey the purpose, methods, findings, and implications of a research study to a specific audience.
Why Are Conference and Meeting Abstracts Important?
Abstracts introduce conference organizers and attendees to a research study and its significance.
Conference organizers use abstracts to evaluate whether a study is appropriate for presentation at a conference. Equally important, conference attendees often use abstracts to determine whether to attend a particular session and to quickly assess the relevance and importance of a research project.
How to Write a Strong Conference Abstract
Writing an effective abstract requires balancing completeness and brevity. Within a strict word limit, medical communicators must summarize a study’s purpose, methods, results, and importance in a way that engages readers and meets conference requirements.
So, what does an effective conference abstract include? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presentation How to Write an Abstract provides a concise guide to the elements of a meeting abstract.
Title
The title of the abstract should be clear and compelling enough to make readers want to learn more. Conference attendees often use the title to decide whether to read the abstract, attend the presentation, or visit the poster.
The CDC provides examples of a weak and a strong abstract title:
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Weak title: “Sexual risk among MSM”
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Strong title: “Sexual risk among men who have sex with men (MSM) in a national probability sample: Prevalence of risky behaviors and temporal trends, UK 2012”
Background Section
The background includes 1 to 3 sentences that answer these questions:
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Why is this research important or unique?
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What is the context for the research, and what is already known about the subject?
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What are you hoping to discover (or what is your hypothesis)?
Note: the level of background detail included in the abstract will depend on the audience.
Here are examples of weak and strong background sections from the CDC:
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Weak background: “Research will be presented on MSM to determine if behaviors changed recently while syphilis increased among MSM.”
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Strong background: “Research in the UK has found that samples from community venues and clinics overestimated sexual risk among all MSM compared to population‑based samples. There is little data on sexual risk among MSM in the US from population‑based surveys and no data on temporal trends in sexual risk. We examined nationally representative data on MSM to determine if behaviors changed recently while syphilis increased among MSM.”
Methods
The methods section includes 3–8 sentences that explain how the research was conducted, the population studied, the research methods used, and the study timeline.
The CDC provides this example of a strong methods section:
“A multi‑level intervention was delivered and evaluated across five years (2006‑2011) in a large public school district in Los Angeles, California. One intervention component sought to improve students’ awareness and utilization of condom availability programs (CAPs) in schools by working with key school personnel, particularly nurses, to more effectively implement district CAP policies. Six intervention and six control high schools participated in the study. A total of 15,936 students were eligible for the study. Final analyses included survey data from 13,733 high school males across five years (T1 – T5). A mixed model logistic regression analysis was used to test for an intervention effect on males’ reports of services sought from the school nurse. Random effects on the student level were included to control for repeated measures on the same student.”
Results
The results section is typically the longest part of the abstract, usually 3–8 sentences. It describes the main findings using data and explains whether the findings support the study hypothesis or research objectives. This section should only include results of the study; it should not speculate about the future.
The CDC provides this example of a strong results section from a qualitative abstract:
“Participants were ethnically diverse (65% non‑white) and 85% (n=17) reported UAI with concurrent binge drinking during the past 3 months. Analysis of in‑depth interviews specifically with those engaging in UAI and binge drinking, revealed that men 1) face challenges navigating community normative drinking expectations, such as peer pressure to drink and “hook up” with sexual partners, 2) believe that binge drinking and episodic substance use enhance experiences of disinhibition, euphoria, and spontaneous sexual behavior, and 3) express a desire for intimacy and ability to trust anonymous partners, relying on partner‑focused responsibility (an assumption that partners will disclose if HIV‑positive or use a condom to protect the participant).
Conclusions Section
The conclusion section of the abstract should be 2–3 sentences long and should describe the main findings and why they are significant.
Conclusions should be supported by results.
Here is an example of a strong conclusions section, according to the CDC:
“The Project Connect Health Systems Intervention was successful in linking sexually active adolescents to sexual and reproductive health care. Results were particularly striking for girls. As opposed to attempting to change provider behavior, this approach capitalizes on existing, adolescent‑focused expertise in the local provider community. It is a low‑cost, sustainable strategy for effectively linking adolescents to much needed care.”
The 4 Cs of Abstracts
In addition to including all the right elements, the writing must be strong. The CDC describes 4 characteristics of successful abstracts:
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Complete. Provides an overview of the project, research, or analysis.
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Concise. Includes only the information necessary to convey the key message.
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Clear. Is well organized, easy to read, and free of unnecessary jargon.
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Cohesive. Flows logically from one section to the next.
Tips for Writing a Winning Abstract
Keeping these characteristics in mind can help strengthen your abstract. The following tips can help you write a clear, compelling conference or meeting abstract:
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Plan ahead. You will write a better abstract if you don’t wait until the last minute to prepare it.
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Pay attention to submission instructions. The instructions will provide the requirements, including the deadline and word limit.
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Seek expert advice. If you’re new to writing abstracts, ask an experienced colleague, mentor, or editor to review your work.
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Use active voice. "We examined..." "We tested..." "We found..." rather than "There were..." or "It was..."
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Proofread. Always double-check for spelling and grammar errors. Ask someone else to review it with fresh eyes.
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Stay within the word limit. If the limit is 300 words, every word counts.
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Limit and define acronyms. Nothing slows down a reader like excessive use of unfamiliar acronyms. Always define them on the first reference.
Learning to Reduce Wordiness
Abstracts need to be short and to the point.
Abstracts need to be short and to the point.
AMWA’s online course (also part of the Certificate in Medical Editing), Eliminating Wordiness: How to Effectively Shorten Abstracts and Other Writing, also part of the Certificate in Medical Editing, helps medical communicators reduce clutter by eliminating nonessential information and replacing wordy expressions with succinct phrases. They also learn to prune unnecessary words and phrases, avoid repetition, and employ strong action verbs to create concise, impactful scientific communications.
Enough said.
Conclusion: The Value of a Well-Written Abstract
A clear and concise abstract serves as a gateway to important scientific research. A well-crafted abstract can increase the visibility of a study, attract conference attendees, and help ensure that meaningful findings reach the intended audiences.
For medical writers and communicators, abstract writing is an opportunity to translate complex science into clear, accessible messages that help research reach the right audience. To strengthen your abstract-writing ability, explore AMWA's educational programs and resources for medical communicators.
