As the new year is off the mark so are the plans to begin the fresh year with new academic fervour. Academic conferences and workshops are key in shaping one's work as well as helping one navigate the career. I have talked about the value and utility of participating in these workshops and conferences in a separate post. In most cases, attending these events requires submitting a compelling abstract.
First, a good abstract is necessary to help you stand out. As the number of applicants often exceeds the number of spots available, a good and clear abstract will help your chances. Second, a structured and clear abstract also becomes the skeleton of your paper, therefore, a good abstract goes a long way in simplifying your tasks of research and writing later on.
The art of drafting an abstract is often ignored during academic writing as the focus is on the full length papers and thesis.
While a perfect abstract may be a hard nut to crack, it is easier to draft a good abstract by following certain tips and structures. This post, hopefully, shall help you do so.
The Five Part Structure
While the word limit for abstracts depends on the conference, the workshop, or the publication you may be writing for, the overall structure can be replicated across the board. To illustrate this, I shall take the example of my recently published research as a chapter in the Palgrave Handbook on Political Communication and Performative Leadership.
Part 1: Set the background and the need to address the issue you are going to cover
India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has been one of the most electorally successful populists of the last decade. He came to power in 2014 and retained it in the 2019 general elections. Most previous research on populist discursive strategies, of Modi and others, focuses on the domestic sphere. Therefore, the use of populist style abroad is not fully understood. The US is the second-most preferred destination of migrants from India and the Indian diaspora in turn forms the third largest diaspora in the US.
Part 2: State the Research Puzzle in clear terms in one statement. You might add secondary research questions in another sentence depending on their relative relevance.
This study shall explore whether the populist style transcends domestic borders by focusing on Indian Prime Minister Modi’s engagement with the Indian diaspora in the United States of America (US).
Part 3: State your research methodology and your primary data sources
This qualitative study shall employ discourse analysis. Special attention shall be on the speeches addressed to the massive diaspora audiences at Madison Square Garden (2014) and Howdy Modi (2014).
Part 4: Inform the reader about your results (or expected results/hypotheses depending on the stage of your project)
The research argues that Modi’s diaspora engagement employs a distinctive populist discursive strategy. The direct public engagement of the Indian diaspora under Modi is adapted slightly to the perceived interests and needs of the diaspora. Yet it remains laced with ethnopopulist undertones.
Part 5: Discuss the significance of your findings and how they contribute to the literature or open new debates in the field.
The study highlights that the conception of ‘the people’ can be expanded beyond the domestic borders to include foreign audiences of voters and supporters. Therefore, it opens up avenues to further study the correlation between populist discourse and diaspora's transnationalism.
Final Abstract: India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has been one of the most electorally successful populists of the last decade. He came to power in 2014 and retained it in the 2019 general elections. Most previous research on populist discursive strategies, of Modi and others, focuses on the domestic sphere. Therefore, the use of populist style abroad is not fully understood. The US is the second-most preferred destination of migrants from India and the Indian diaspora in turn forms the third largest diaspora in the US. This study shall explore whether the populist style transcends domestic borders by focusing on Indian Prime Minister Modi’s engagement with the Indian diaspora in the United States of America (US). This qualitative study shall employ discourse analysis. Special attention shall be on the speeches addressed to the massive diaspora audiences at Madison Square Garden (2014) and Howdy Modi (2014). The research argues that Modi’s diaspora engagement employs a distinctive populist discursive strategy. The direct public engagement of the Indian diaspora under Modi is adapted slightly to the perceived interests and needs of the diaspora. Yet it remains laced with ethnopopulist undertones. The study highlights that the conception of ‘the people’ can be expanded beyond the domestic borders to include foreign audiences of voters and supporters. Therefore, it opens up avenues to further study the correlation between populist discourse and diaspora's transnationalism.
Finally, while drafting your abstract be mindful of the word limit, words are a precious commodity. It is also preferable to use active voice and shorter sentences. Always check for grammar and spelling errors before sending in your abstracts.
Feel free to reach out on any of my socials if you need assistance or have any further questions about this.