SARA 2017 Abstract Contest

SARA, in its bid to encourage scientific communication, is proud to announce its Abstract Contest. Participants show off their scientific writing chops by writing a concise abstract that summarizes their research in a clear and succinct manner. Prizes worth a total of $1000 are up for grabs and the best authors will also get a chance to publish their writing in Substance ÉTS.

Rules

Imagine that you are aiming to present your research at a scientific contest, but you need to convince the selection committee that your research merits inclusion. You have 1000 words to do so. Your abstract has to present your research and its relevance in a clear and succinct manner.

    • Length: Abstracts have a 1000 word limit (not including the title, author list etc., and references);
    • Language: Abstracts must be written in English or French;
    • Content: Abstracts must contain the following elements:: Title, author names, institutional addresses of authors, body of abstract, references. Abstracts can include a maximum of 2 figures/tables. The layout is at the author’s discretion;
    • Format: Abstracts must be submitted as a PDF;
    • Submission Deadline: Friday, December 1st at noon;
    • Registration: Submit your abstract using our Open Journal System platform for peer review at  https://ojs.etsmtl.ca/index.php/SARA. You must register on the platform or login with an existing account. Once you are logged in, click on Author and follow the instructions to Start a New Submission in the Contest section.

Evaluating the abstracts

  • Criteria for evaluating the abstracts
    • Objectives: Context, research problem, and hypothesis;
    • Methods: Experimental methods, approach in resolving problem, Enough information to allow the reader to understand what was done;
    • Results: List the research results until this point. If the project is still in progress, list preliminary results or hypothesis regarding expected results;
    • Conclusions: Statement about the theoretical and practical implications and contributions to the domain, Interestingness and usefulness of project;
  • Prizes: Prizes total $1000 including a $500 First Place prize as well as many Participation Prizes. The best abstracts have a chance to be published in Substance ÉTS;
  • Judges:  A jury of professors and researchers will evaluate the abstracts to decide on the winners.

Questions?

For all questions relating to the contest, write us at sara@etsmtl.ca

Good luck!