Posters · Glossary
What is an abstract submission?
An abstract submission is the short summary of a study that researchers send in response to a conference's call for abstracts, usually a few hundred words under set headings. A committee reviews it, often without author names, and decides whether to accept the work as an oral presentation, a poster or neither. The poster comes after acceptance.
Most people meet the abstract as a hurdle to get through, written quickly before a deadline. Yet it is the only thing the committee sees, it is often printed in the programme, and it fixes what the poster will later have to deliver.
Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder
5 min read · Published
| Abstract submission | Poster acceptance | Oral acceptance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is judged | A few hundred words under headings | The same abstract, accepted for a board | The same abstract, accepted for a talk |
| Typical format | Background, methods, results, conclusion within a word or character limit | A printed or digital board, often A0 or a set size | A timed slot, often 10 to 15 minutes with questions |
| Audience | A review committee, often blinded | People walking a poster hall | A seated session audience |
| What the author controls next | Nothing after the deadline, except withdrawals | Design, pitch, handouts and links | Slides and delivery |
| Publication | Often printed in the programme or a journal supplement | Usually the abstract only is published | Usually the abstract only is published |
What a call for abstracts asks for
A call for abstracts sets the deadline, the topics or tracks, the word or character limit, the required headings and whether the author can state a preference for a poster or a talk. Many also ask for keywords, author affiliations, conflict of interest declarations and confirmation that the work has not been presented elsewhere. The ICMJE recommendations describe what an abstract should contain for a journal article, and the same logic applies: context, purpose, basic procedures, main findings with specific effect sizes where possible, and principal conclusions. For trials, ICMJE recommends giving the registration number at the end of the abstract.
Writing one that gets accepted
Reviewers often read dozens or hundreds in a short period and score each against the same criteria, usually relevance, originality, methods and clarity of results. Make each heading do its job: one or two sentences of background ending in the aim, a methods section that names the design, sample and main outcome, results with actual numbers, and a conclusion that follows from those numbers. Avoid writing results will be presented, which gives the committee nothing to judge. For randomised trials, the CONSORT extension for abstracts lists the items reviewers look for, such as the number randomised and the primary outcome result. Ask a colleague outside the project to read it cold and say what the study found; if they cannot, the results sentence is not doing its job.
Presenting before publishing
Authors sometimes worry that presenting a poster will count as prior publication and stop a journal considering the paper. The ICMJE's guidance on overlapping publications says journals may still consider a complete report that follows a preliminary report such as an abstract or poster displayed at a scientific meeting. What a journal will not usually accept is a full paper already published elsewhere, including in full conference proceedings. Tell the journal about the presentation when submitting, and check the specific conference's policy on embargoes before discussing results publicly.
From accepted abstract to poster
Acceptance fixes the title and usually the authors, and the programme may already print the abstract, so the poster must match what was submitted in substance. It can go further: updated numbers from a completed analysis, figures, limitations and a clearer conclusion. If results changed materially after submission, say so on the board and in your pitch. Read the poster guidelines that arrive with acceptance, since they specify size, orientation, session times and sometimes required elements such as disclosures, which is information the abstract stage rarely gave. Keep a copy of the submitted text, because the board and the pitch should be checked against it before printing.
Common mistakes
Missing the character limit because spaces or headings were counted differently is surprisingly common; paste the text into the submission system early. Others include submitting planned work with no results, using abbreviations without defining them, stating a conclusion that the results do not support, and leaving out the sample size. Some authors submit the same abstract to several overlapping conferences, which many calls prohibit. Finally, many forget to list all co-authors correctly, and corrections after acceptance are often impossible. Submission systems also time out or slow down in the final hours before a deadline, so aim to submit a day early.
Where it shows up in the product
Two parts of the product touch this process from different sides. For organisers, the abstract submission form example is a classic form with separate background, methods, results and conclusion boxes, each labelled with its own character limit, plus a co-author table, a preferred presentation format question and conflict of interest declarations. For presenters, the poster generator can take the accepted abstract's text as its brief and lay it out on one of forty A0 layouts, 32 of which include an abstract section in their default copy. Attaching a file to ground the draft is available from the Starter plan. Numbers in the brief fill the key numbers and charts, so check every block against the submitted abstract.
Questions people ask
How long is a conference abstract?
It depends entirely on the call. Limits of 250 to 400 words are common, and some systems count characters instead, including or excluding spaces. Tables and figures are sometimes allowed and sometimes counted against the limit. Always follow the specific call, and draft to about ten percent under the limit so late edits do not push you over.
Can I submit an abstract before the study is finished?
Many conferences accept abstracts with preliminary results, especially when the deadline falls months before the meeting. Some explicitly allow work in progress. Include real results where they exist, clearly labelled as preliminary, rather than promising results later. Committees generally score abstracts with data higher than those describing plans alone.
Is abstract review blinded?
Often, but not always. Many conferences remove author names and affiliations before review to reduce bias, which is why submission systems ask you not to name institutions in the abstract text. Others use open review. The call for abstracts usually says which approach it follows, and blinded systems may reject abstracts that reveal the authors.
What does an encore abstract mean?
An encore abstract is work already presented at another meeting and submitted again, often to reach a different audience or region. Some conferences welcome encores in specific categories, while many prohibit them or require disclosure of where the work was first presented. Check the rules, and never present an encore as new work.
Can I change the title after my abstract is accepted?
Minor corrections are sometimes allowed before the programme is printed, but substantial changes usually are not, because the abstract was accepted as submitted. If results changed, keep the accepted title and explain the update on the poster. Contact the organisers early if a correction is essential, such as a missing author or a factual error.
What happens if my abstract is rejected?
Ask whether reviewer comments are available, since they often point to fixable problems such as missing results or unclear methods. Revise and submit to another suitable meeting, checking that meeting's rules on previously submitted work. Rejection at a competitive conference often reflects limited slots rather than poor quality, and many strong studies are accepted on a second attempt.
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Create a poster with OneCraftRelated questions
- Abstract vs introduction on a research posterAbstract vs introduction on a poster: the abstract sums up the whole study, the introduction sets up the question. What each holds and when to drop one.
- What is a poster session?What is a poster session: a conference slot where researchers stand beside their boards and discuss the work. What to prepare, board sizes and how to talk.
- What is peer review?What is peer review: experts checking a study before it is published. Single, double and open review compared, and what a poster abstract review checks.
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