Abstract requirements

The most important function of your abstract is to show that you have a valuable contribution to the congress and secondly, to lure the audiance to your presentation. Abstracts will only be taken into account for the abstract selection procedure when they are written in English and do not exceed a maximum of 350 words. Abstracts should contain the following subheadings:

1. Title
2. Introduction
3. Methods
4. Results
5. Conclusion
6. Keywords

1. Title

Titles must be functional, should be direct, and need not be dull. Use simple language, be concise and informative.

2. Introduction

Background information: give information that is useful for introducing your research and that makes clear to the reader why you are asking your research question.
The research question or aim of the study: state the question either as a question or as a hypothesis. Use key terms that will re-appear in the answer to the question in your conclusion.

3. Methods

Name the materials used and methods applied in your research or study. Describe the approach or the study design, including both independent and dependent variables and use of statistics.

4. Results

Describe the results obtained based on the research or study question and the methods applied.

5. Conclusion

The answer: give a clear summary of the outcome to the research or study question. Discussion: only if important for your research, state some conditions that could have influenced your data. Keep it as short and concise as possible.
Implication: it is of great importance to state the implication or relevance of your research or study. Do not use words like ‘we intend to study' or ‘work will be done to prove ..' etc.

6. Key words

The most important words of your research (±3), this can be your subject, method, etc.

Word count

Your abstract should not exceed the maximum of 350 words.

General remarks

Write short sentences and us simple words, avoid abbreviations and jargon. Do not include unimportant details to fill up space. If you can summarize your research in fewer words than the maximum, do so! Please read the abstract of the 2009 "Best Abstract Award" winner as an example.