Professional Development: Abstract Writing Basics for Conference Submissions

No matter what stage you are at in your career, writing a clear, concise, and engaging abstract can be a tricky endeavor.   “A good abstract really sells the research. It makes people want to read it,” said Corey Cook, associate professor of psychology at Pacific Lutheran University.   Cook and Amanda Montoya, associate professor of psychology at University of California in Los Angeles, described several strategies to get started when developing an abstract for a conference presentation or poster.   Montoya walked through two frameworks that provide a structure for abstract content, both of which she has used with her students in their own work.