Abstract Marking Criteria

ASCN UK Abstract Marking Criteria

When each abstract is being reviewed, the following marking criteria will be used by the reviewers.
It is expected that the following key elements would be included in all abstract submissions.

Format
Please state if you wish to submit a poster, an oral presentation, or if you are happy with either a poster or an oral presentation.

Title
The title should be reflective of the abstract and the topic should be relevant to a specialist audience.

Abstract Content
• There should be no reference to any products or to institution names.
• Aims and objectives should be clearly identified.
• Introduction: must be clear and succinct.
• Body of text: should be well structured and of interest.
• Conclusion: should summarise the key learning from the abstract.
• Harvard referencing should be used.
• References should be pertinent to the abstract, with a minimum of two and a maximum of three references used.

Good Knowledge of Subject Area
• The subject matter should be well explored.
• The abstract must demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge.
• The subject matter should add value to our profession and/or patients.

Overall Impression
• All abstracts MUST be written in English.
• The abstract should be grammatically correct, with no spelling mistakes and good sentence structure.
• The tone of the abstract should allow for easy reading.
• The word count should be sufficient for each section and all abstracts should aim for a minimum word count of 200 words.

Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes should be S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound.

Key Words
Key words should be relevant to the abstract.
After your abstract has been accepted for a poster or oral presentation, the same criteria as above will apply for the marking of your poster/presentation, along with the following additional points:
• You must ensure that the contact details of all authors are provided.
• You must declare whether you provide consent for ASCN UK to share your abstract and presentation/poster.
• You must declare any conflicts of interest.