THE UNIVERSITY of NORTH CAROLINA at CHAPEL HILL

‍‍How to Write a Successful Abstract for the UNC Water and Health Conference

To present your research in the most effective way, and to increase your chances of having your abstract accepted please refer to the abstract submission rubric. These criteria will be used by peer reviewers to select the abstracts for the verbal and poster presentations.

Your abstract should briefly explain the importance and novelty of the research, be accurate and succinct, and readable. Keep it short and to the point (500 words):

  • What (i.e. the focus): Clearly explain your idea or question your work addresses.
  • Why (i.e., the purpose): Explain why your focus is important.
  • How (i.e., methods): Describe how you collected information/data to answer your question.
  • Results: Share your results–the information you collected. What does the data say?
  • Conclusion: State your conclusion(s) by relating your data to your original question. Discuss the connections between your results and the problem. If your project is still ‘in progress’ and you don’t yet have solid conclusions, use this space to discuss what you know at the moment (i.e., lessons learned so far, emerging trends, etc).

TUTORIAL VIDEOS
Do you find it helpful to review an example of a technical document before you create one on your own? If you answered yes to any of these questions, check out the short tutorial videos we have created to guide you in the abstract writing process. This is a highly competitive review process, and these tutorials are intended to help you strengthen your abstract.

Abstract writing tutorial, part 1:


Abstract writing tutorial, part 2:


ABSTRACT WORKSHOPS
We offered Drop-in Abstract Workshops this year to answer your questions about writing an abstract for the 2022 Water and Health Conference. Both workshops followed a similar format:

  • Overview and guidelines for abstract submissions
  • FAQ (Frequently asked questions) about abstract structure, format, previous examples and writing an abstract that is in progress.
  • Q&A (Question and answer) – Specific questions submitted beforehand, and live questions

Both workshop recordings are posted below. Please note the April 26th recording was edited to only include the FAQ and Q&A sections. The April 12th video covers all three sections.

April 12, 2022 Abstract Writing Workshop:


April 26, 2022 Abstract Writing Workshop:

TOP ABSTRACTS FROM 2021
You can view a list of the most highly rated abstracts for last year’s 2021 Water and Health Conference here.

Guidelines for Submitting Abstracts

  • Abstracts must be received by the deadline of May 2, 2022
  • Abstracts must be submitted via the online forms (see buttons at top of this page)
  • Abstracts are limited to 500 words
  • Title of abstracts is limited to 15 words
  • Submissions must include key learning objectives for your presentation. Please include key learning objectives in the ‘Full Abstract Submission’ question on the form
  • Submissions must include abstract themes. Please select up to 3 applicable themes on the form
  • Incomplete abstracts cannot be reviewed
  • Multiple abstracts submitted on a single study will be rejected
  • Submit original work only

Selecting Preferred Presentation Format

Please select the formats in which you are willing to present/publish your presentation at the time of abstract submission. This choice cannot be changed after the review committee has made its final decision (i.e., if you are not willing to present a verbal, please choose poster only).

  • Submitted abstracts will be considered eligible for either one verbal or one poster presentation.
  • Authors select one of three options:
  • 1) Verbal Presentation (will NOT be considered for poster)
  • 2) Poster Presentation (will NOT be considered for verbal regardless of score)
  • 3) Verbal or Poster Presentation (will be considered for either verbal OR poster based on score)

Please note that declining to have your abstract considered for poster presentation does not improve the chance of being accepted for a verbal presentation. This option should be selected primarily by authors not willing/able to present a poster.

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