So you should answer the decision for Papers? It offers tips for this content and presentation of the abstract, along with samples of the best abstracts submitted into the 2012-2013 selection that is abstract for the ninth annual North Carolina State University graduate student history conference.

Typically, an abstract describes the subject you desire to present in the conference, highlighting your argument, evidence and contribution into the historical literature. It will always be restricted to 250-500 words. The word limit can be challenging: some graduate students try not to fret within the limit that is short hastily write and submit an abstract at the last minute, which often hurts their chances of being accepted; other students you will need to condense the Next Great American Novel into 250 words, that can be equally damning. Graduate students who approach the abstract early, plan accordingly, and carefully edit are the ones most frequently invited to present their research. If you are intimidated because of the project, don’t be – the abstract is a form that is fairly standardized of. Stick to the basic guidelines below and get away from common pitfalls and you will greatly boost your abstract.

Diligently follow all abstract style and formatting guidelines. Most CFPs will specify page or word length, and perhaps some layout or style guidelines. Some CFPs, however, will list very specific restrictions, including font, font size, spacing, text justification, margins, simple tips to present quotes, just how to present authors and works, whether or not to include footnotes or perhaps not. Ensure that you strictly adhere to all guidelines, including submission instructions. If a CFP does not provide abstract style and formatting guidelines, it really is generally appropriate to stay around 250 words – abstract committees read a lot of these things nor look fondly on comparatively long abstracts. Make certain you orient your abstract topic to address any specific CFP themes, time periods, methods, and/or buzzwords.

Be Concise

With a 250-500 word limit, write only what is necessary, avoiding wordiness. Use active voice and pay attention to excessive phrasing that is prepositional.

Plan your abstract carefully before writing it. A abstract that is good address listed here questions: What is the historical question or problem? Contextualize your topic. What exactly is your thesis/argument? It ought to be original. What exactly is your evidence? State forthrightly that you’re using source material that is primary. So how exactly does your paper fit into the historiography? What are you doing in the area of study and just how does your paper donate to it? Why does it matter? We understand the subject is essential for you, why should it be important to the selection committee that is abstract?

You should be as specific as you can, avoiding overly broad or statements that are overreaching claims. And that is it: don’t get sidetracked by writing narrative that is too much over explaining. Say what you ought to say and nothing more.

Maintain your audience in your mind. How background that is much give on an interest will depend on the conference. Could be the conference an over-all humanities conference, a graduate that is general history conference, or something more specific like a 1960s social revolutions conference? Your pitch should be worthy of the specificity regarding the conference: the more specific the topic, the less broad background you need certainly to give and vice versa.

Revise and edit your abstract to ensure that its presentation that is final is free. The editing phase can also be the best time to visit your abstract as a whole and chip away at unnecessary words or phrases. The draft that is final be linear and clear and it also should read smoothly. If you should be tripping over something while reading, the selection that is abstract will as well. Ask another graduate student to see your abstract to ensure its clarity or attend a Graduate Student Writing Group meeting.

Your language should really be professional and your style should adhere to academic standards. Contractions might be appealing because of the word limits, but they should really be avoided. If citation guidelines are not specifically given, it is appropriate to utilize the name that is author’s title of work (in a choice of italics or quotation marks) inside the text as opposed to use footnotes or in-text citations.

Misusing Questions

While one question, if really good, could be posed in your abstract, you need to avoid writing one or more (maybe two, if really really good). That you either answer it or address why the question matters to your conference paper – unless you are posing an obvious rhetorical question, you should never just let a question hang there if you do pose a edubirdies.org prices question or two, make sure. Way too many questions uses up way too much space and leaves less room for you really to build your argument, methods, evidence, historiography, etc. Often times, posing too many questions leaves the abstract committee wondering if you are going to address one or all in your paper and when you even know the answers in their mind. Remember, you’re not likely to have previously written your conference paper, however you are expected to own done enough research that you can adequately cover in 15-20 minutes that you are prepared to write about a specific topic. Illustrate that you have done so.

Language that helps you be as specific as possible in presenting your argument is great but don’t get your readers bogged down in jargon. They will be reading lots of abstracts and won’t want to wade through the language that is unnecessary. Ensure that it it is simple.

When students repeat claims, they often don’t realize they truly are doing this. Sometimes this happens because students are not yet clear on the argument. Contemplate it a few more and then write. Other times, students write carelessly and don’t proofread. Make sure each sentence is exclusive and that it plays a part in the flow of the abstract.

The abstract committee does not need to be reminded of this grand sweep of history so that you can contextualize your topic. Place your topic specifically within the historiography.

The samples below represent the five scoring samples that are highest submitted to the selection committee when it comes to ninth annual graduate student history conference, 2012-2013. Two regarding the samples below were subsequently selected for publication when you look at the NC State Graduate Journal of History. Outstanding papers presented at the graduate student history conference are recommended for publication by panel commentators. Papers go through a review that is peer before publication.