For First-Time Submitters
What is an abstract?
An abstract is a short 300-word summary of the content of your presentation that tells readers what the presentation will be about and how it will contribute to the theme of the symposium. The word “abstract” typically refers to a summary of a research paper, but artists/makers doing presentations about their work will submit one too, as will organizers of roundtable discussions. TSA will use the abstract you submit to decide which presentations to accept into the program and to group individual presentations into thematic sessions. Your abstract will be printed in the symposium program, which will allow attendees to decide which sessions they wish to attend. Accepted abstracts are also published in the symposium proceedings along with your full text paper and archived on TSA Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/.
Research papers
-Connect to the theme of the symposium
-Be engaging. Tell your reader why they should be interested in your presentation.
-Clarify how your proposal represents original research or a new perspective on the topic.
– Make your abstract clear, concise and well organized.
-Be clear about on the intended audience.
-Break down your concepts enough that they will be interesting and accessible to a broad audience of textiles enthusiasts
-Describe how your research furthers the Textile Society of America mission to create a vibrant, diverse and inclusive program
Artist and maker presentation
Artists and makers are encouraged to submit presentations, which can take a different format from academic research papers. Please abide by the tips above, but take the following into account as well.
-How does your presentation address the conference theme?
– Why do you use textiles/fibers in your work?
– How has your research shaped your work?
– Do you incorporate traditional techniques, materials, or processes, and, if so, have you adapted or changed them in some way? Why?
-Write in first person. While you’re encouraged to write about your own work, our review process is intended to be blind, so your name should not appear in your title or abstract.
BE SURE TO PROOFREAD! Your abstract should be focused and well-organized and should demonstrate to the readers a high degree of care. Please have a friend or colleague read over your paper to check for clarity, as well as errors in spelling and grammar.
Outside resources for abstract writing:
These are good general guides that may help with your writing process, but they do not reflect the exact opinions of TSA’s organizing committee.
From the Chronicle of Higher Education blog: https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/the-conference-abstract/23051
From North Carolina State University’s graduate History department: https://history.ncsu.edu/grad/conference_abstracts.php
Detailed blog post on constructing an abstract:
https://bakercatherine.wordpress.com/2017/03/15/how-to-write-a-conference-abstract-a-five-part-plan-for-pitching-your-research-at-almost-anything/
If you have questions about writing your abstract or submitting in general, please contact hiddenstories@textilesociety.org. We are happy to help! Please be mindful of the deadline and send your questions well in advance.
