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Documentation toolkit info card: abstracts
An abstract is a documentation and communication product that provides a written summary of an area of work - so that it can be considered for presentation at a conference.
An abstract:
- Provides a concise summary of the key activities, results and lessons from an area of work.
- Is the basis for deciding whether an organisation's work will be accepted for a presentation at a conference, and whether that presentation will be spoken (oral) or written in the form of poster.
- Follows a strict set of guidelines produced by the conference organisers, including set headings, size of font and number of words.
- Has to meet a set deadline - usually several months before a conference.
Key questions
Key questions to ask before developing an abstract are:
? Is the theme of your abstract directly relevant to the theme of the conference? Or would a different conference or communication activity be more suitable?
? What do you have to say that is particularly special? What results and lessons can you share that will support the work of others?
? What format do you need to use for the abstract? Have you got the right information to follow the format?
Structure and content
These pages show an example of a structure and content outline for an abstract developed by an NGO/CBO support programme involved in HIV/AIDS. The outline shows what the product will contain and in what order. The boxes around it provide some key "dos and don'ts" about how to make an abstract as effective as possible.
Harm-reduction and community mobilisation with injecting drug users on Bangladesh/India border
[DO grab people's attention - by providing strong summaries of your work in the title and first line. ]
Issue
Despite extreme vulnerability to HIV, no programmes existed to participatively address the needs of injecting drug-users (IDUs) in Bangladesh, especially on the Indian border.
[DO highlight what is special about your work - as your abstract may be competing with hundreds of others.]
Project
Society for Health, Economy, Agronomy and Self-Sufficiency (SHEASS), a community group, developed a new harm-reduction strategy with IDUs in Rajshahi, an urban centre near the border. With technical and organisational support from HASAB NGO support programme, they redesigned a traditional detoxification centre into a project based on the needs of the community. It included: • Community outreach to drug users and their families about drug use, sexual health and sexuality • Centre-based treatment for STIs and injection-related infections • Needle exchange • Condom distribution • Training of peer educators • Anti-discrimination campaign in the community.
Results
In its first year, SHEASS changed from an anti-drug centre to a health centre and gave regular support to more than 100 drug users and their families. Between February and November 1997, the monthly number of treatment sessions rose from 107 to 450, and the number of syringes exchanged increased from 7 to 225. The number of condoms distributed almost tripled. Qualitative results include: • Professional blood-donors increasingly asked for help to change their practices • Women were reached as well as men, and became more open to participation • The self-esteem of the children of drug users increased • Stigmatisation by community members diminished. The results were monitored and documented by HASAB - as the basis of a "best practice" harm-reduction model to be replicated elsewhere in Bangladesh and Asia.
[DON'T exaggerate your results. Try to: • Predict what they will be by the time of the conference. • Use words such as "estimated" or "approximately" if you are unsure of the data. • Be specific and avoid vague statements like "results will be discussed in the presentation". ]
Lessons learned
It is vital to: • Base responses on the real needs of IDUs and their community • Mobilise the whole community - including local leaders - and build a good rapport • Address the specific needs of wives and children • Combine promoting harm-reduction strategies with practical services, such as needle exchange.
Location: Bangladesh
Choice 1: Track/category C41; Choice 2: Track/category C20
[DO think carefully about which "track" or part of the conference to apply to. Find one that really suits your subject - so that your abstract stands a good chance of being chosen]
Contact author: Mahbooba Akhter Kabita, HASAB NGO Support Programme, c/o CDS 38/1 Block F Ring Road Shyamoli, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Tel: +880 2 822. Fax: +880 2 815. E-Mail: cds@bdmail.net .
[DO take time to decide upon the primary author. For example, who will represent the work best and who would benefit from the conference.]
Co-authors: Hossain A., Islam A., SHEASS, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
[DO get approval from co-authors and project partners before submitting the abstract. ]
DON'T ignore the guidelines about the structure of the abstract. For example: • Follow the headings given. • Keep to the word limit. • Do a photocopy of the blank form and see if your text fits it before using the actual form.
DON'T miss the deadline for abstracts - which is usually months before the conference.
DO check that your submission is complete and that you have provided all of the information requested.
DON'T re-use your own past abstracts or copy those of others.
Style
This page looks at the style of abstracts - meaning how they are designed. It provides some ideas about how to make them as interesting and attractive as possible.
Use an interesting and lively style for your abstract - so that it will grab the attention of the conference organisers.
Follow the guidelines for the style for your abstract. For example, keep to the instructions about the size of lettering and spacing between lines.
Combine information that is quantitative (i. e. to do with numbers) and qualitative (i. e. to do with feelings) in your abstract- to make it convincing.
Keep your language simple in your abstract. Avoid jargon and abbreviations - so that the conference organisers understand exactly what you are trying to say.
Use a style for your abstract that can be used for your presentation. For example, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance used the text of their abstract as the basis for this poster presentation at the XIII International AIDS Conference in Durban in July 2000.
Source: Documenting and communicating HIV/AIDS work
This is an extract from Documenting and communicating HIV/AIDS work: a toolkit to support NGOs/CBOs, published by the International HIV/AIDS
Alliance in October 2001.
To view the whole toolkit follow this link.
To download this card and three others, complete with graphics, in pdf format (which requires Adobe Acrobat software to read it) follow this link (file size 481kb).