Submit an abstract for the 4th annual PROPEL Symposium using the link below:
Symposium Abstract Submission Portal
Abstracts must be submitted by April 1st for consideration in the symposium.
Abstract Help
I don't have much data (or any data). Can I write an abstract?
Yes! Even if you don't have any data, describing what you plan to do in your project can be a great abstract, poster, or even a talk!
I work on someone else's project/My data is being used to help another lab member's research. Can I present on that?
Yes! Ask that researcher if they would be ok with you presenting about their project at our sympoisum. When listing authors (see below), that researcher (the person mainly responsible for the project) would be the first author, with you as a second, third, or so-on author (check with this main researcher to find out what the author list should look like and who to list where. They should have final say). It is more than ok to present on project on which you aren't the first author. If you're still not sure, email [email protected].
What are the formatting requirements?
Please follow the following formatting requirements for your abstract submission:
- A descriptive, one-sentance title.
- List of authors with your name bolded
- Maximum length - one page, 12pt font, single spaced
- pdf, doc, or docx file formats only
- Formating your abstract with subheadings (as shown below) is a suggestion and is not required. Submitted an abstract without the subheadings is fine, and will still meet the formating requirements.
How do I write an abstract?
An abstract is a brief summary of your project. There are many ways to organize your abstract, but if you aren't sure how to start, below is a good outline (see the example abstracts linked below for more help):
Title: An abstract title should be one sentence long and describe the major objective or outcome of the project.
Authors: Include everyone's name that has contributed to the project with your name bolded. The first author did the most work on this project (this is usually you, but not always, see above "I work on someone else's project..."), with each successive author contributing less than the one before. The last author is the name of your lab mentor. The minimum number of authors will be two (you and your lab mentor). Check with your lab mentor if you aren't sure who to include as an author.
Background: Give one or two sentences of important information about the field your studying. Then state the problem in the field (hint: you want your project to be part of the solution to this problem, so chose your problem carefully). The problem usually states what information is still unknown about the phenomena you are studying, or what factor of a disease still presents challenges, but there are lots of ways to write a good problem to hook your reader. Finally give your project’s hypothesis and/or objective (what you you will specifically test within your project and how you plan to solve or begin to solve the stated problem).
Methods: Explain your study design. This is what was done, or what you plan to do to answer your hypothesis and/or solve your problem. Be descriptive but brief (max 4 sentences). Remember, this can just be a plan. You don't have to have this completed yet. This is where you get the reader excited that you might just have a great solution to your stated problem!
Results: Describe any outcomes you have so far. If you don't have any outcomes yet skip this section and describe what do you plan to do in the future if you get specific results in the next section (conclusion).
Conculsion: One sentence that describes what is important about the (potential) findings of your project, i.e. how it might help health outcomes or our understanding of a particular biological phenomenon or disease.
If you have additional questions, please email [email protected]. I'm more than happy to help!