Course materials for/by Peter L. Patrick. May contain
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Writing Conference Abstracts
Notes for LG554 by Peter L. Patrick
Writing abstracts for conferences is an
important art for academic linguists to master. It is not only a key job skill
for the professional, but a knowledge of how they are written and read can help
in your reading of the literature as a student. The job of conference abstracts
is to inform organizers of your work that is either completed or currently
developing, so that they can judge its intrinsic interest and likely quality
against the others submitted. It is a competitive process, but one to be
undertaken seriously. It projects the future (your ultimate findings; the full
conference paper), and must do so convincingly and responsibly.
Conference abstracts are different in
nature from several related forms: summary abstracts of completed work for
publication (e.g. of dissertations, or of published articles); and projections
of research to be done (often required in applications for funds, permission or
resources). The different audiences and purposes must be kept in mind. In most
cases, all such descriptions of research must be very short, kept to a strict
length limit, and must represent the final product fairly and attractively.
Below are several examples of detailed
instructions for conference abstract writing taken from organizations which
sponsor important lingustics conferences. (This is the most relevant variety
for you to learn, as the other type arise later in one's career!) Check their
websites for further details. Many major conferences nowadays have online
collections of abstracts, which are excellent sources of examples and also good
ways to get the flavor of particular conferences, and (sub-)fields of study. A
few relevant to the traditions this course draws on are listed on my Links page.
Directions
from the LSA
The following is extracted from the LSA (Linguistic Society
of America)'s call for papers (Winter 2000 conference; accessed
from http://www.lsadc.org/2004annmeet/guidelines.pdf
on 24 October 2000. It's one
perspective on how to write abstracts for a general linguistics conference.
Details of submission and address etc. are left out here, but see the source.
Program
Committee Guidelines And Abstract Specifications
When mailing abstracts,
allow sufficient time for delivery delays... All abstracts must arrive by the
deadline. Late abstracts will not be considered, whatever the reason for the
delay.
The four categories of presentations
are: organized sessions, 30-minute papers, 15-min. papers, and poster sessions.
Abstracts of poster presentations, papers and descriptions of organized
sessions will be reviewed with the most stringent criteria being applied to the
longer presentations. The Program Committee will, of course, require that the
subject matter be linguistic, that the papers not be submitted with malicious
or scurrilous intent, and that the abstract be coherent and in accord with
published specifications. ... When the Program Committee meets, members discuss
and judge each abstract on the basis of their collective knowledge and, when
appropriate, on reports from consultants. Then, they arrange each session,
assemble the final program, and select session chairs.
General
Requirements
...
5. Papers must be
delivered as projected in the abstract or represent bona fide developments of
the same research.
6. Handouts, if
any, are not to be submitted with abstracts, but should be available at the
meeting for those listening to the paper.
...
Abstract
Format Guidelines
...
Abstract
Contents
Many abstracts are rejected because they omit crucial information rather than
because of errors in what they include. Authors may wish to consult the model
abstract prepared by the Program Committee... (see online example, in both
'good' and 'bad' versions, at
http://www.lsadc.org/2004annmeet/guidelines.pdf.). A suggested outline for
abstracts is as follows:
Poster
Sessions
Depending on subject and/or content, it may be more appropriate to submit an
abstract to the poster session for visual presentation rather than to the15- or
30-minute session. In general, the sorts of papers which are most effective as
posters are those in which the major conclusions become evident from the
thoughtful examination of charts and graphs, rather than those which require
the audience to follow a sustained chain of verbal argumentation. Therefore,
authors will want to make points in narrative form as brief as possible. The
poster paper is able to "stand alone," that is, be understandable
even if the author is not present, and does not require audiovisual support.
(Posters are another topic we'll discuss in class)
Directions
from the LAGB
The following is extracted from the LAGB (Linguistics Association of Great Britain)'s call for papers (regularly updated; currently http://www.essex.ac.uk/linguistics/LAGB/Autumn03/1.html,
accessed on 19 Nov 2003). It's one perspective on how to write abstracts for a
general linguistics conference. Details of submission and address etc. are left
out here, but see the source.
Call for Papers
Members are
invited to offer papers for the Meeting; abstracts are also accepted from
non-members. The LAGB welcomes submissions on any topic in the field of
linguistics; papers are selected on their (perceived) merits, and not according
to their subject matter or assumed theoretical framework.
How and when
to submit an abstract
Format of
abstracts
...Papers for the
programme are selected anonymously... Abstracts must be presented as follows:
The complete abstract (i.e. the one containing your title and your name) must
be no longer than ONE A4 page (21cm x 29.5cm) with margins of at least 2.5cm on
all sides. You may use single spacing but type must be no smaller than 12
point. If the paper is accepted the abstract will be photocopied and inserted
directly into the collection of abstracts sent out to participants, so the
presentation should be clear and clean. It is extremely important that the
length limit should not be exceeded. Submitting overlong abstracts is unfair to
other prospective speakers, and the committee will not accept them. The
following layout should be considered as standard:
(title)
Optimality and the Klingon vowel shift
(speaker)
Clark Kent (clark@astro.mars.ac.uk)
(institution)
Department of Astrology, Eastern Mars University
The normal length
for papers delivered at LAGB meetings is 25 mins. (plus 15 mins. discussion)...
Content of
abstracts
The following
guidelines may be useful:
LG554 Sociolinguistic Methods page
Last updated 19 November 2003