Abstracts 101
In the lead-up to the Feminism & Classics IX: COMMUNITIES conference, the FemClas9 Program Committee and WCC Mentorship Team collaborated to put together this “Abstracts 101” panel event focused on writing and reviewing conference abstracts. The event occurred on July 7, 2025.
See below for a recorded presentation by organizers Melissa Funke and Suzanne Lye, as well as a discussion with panelists Eleni Bozia, Sarah Brucia Breitenfeld, Dominic Machado, Melanie Racette-Campbell, and John Serrati.
Facilitators:
Panelists:
Abstracts 101 is the first in a series of pre-conference events leading up to the Feminism and Classics IX Conference in May 2026 (CFP deadline: September 12, 2025). As a follow up to this panel discussion, the FemClas and WCC teams are also co-organizing a workshop in August 2025 for people to receive feedback on their abstract drafts. Stay tuned!
Overview of conference abstracts
Melissa Funke and Suzanne Lye
What are abstracts? What is the purpose of an abstract?
An abstract represents a genre of academic writing that functions to:
Propose a paper for a conference
Summarize an article or chapter
Convey a research project for a grant application
This resource page covers the first of the three functions—that is, abstracts that propose a paper for a conference.
Think of an abstract like a sales pitch. You’re pitching your research idea to a program committee, who will evaluate it based on, among many things (discussed below), whether or not it is a good fit for their conference or panel.
What does a conference abstract do?
An effective conference abstract:
Describes your project concisely and accurately. Word limits for conference abstracts can range from around 200-750 words. Abstracts should fit within those limits while also accurately representing the content of the project. In other words, don’t submit an abstract on one topic and then present a completely different paper!
Summarizes your main argument clearly. A reader should be able to identify and understand your argument immediately.
Communicates the importance or significance of your argument. Have I answered the “so what?” question? Why is my argument important? What are the stakes for my argument?
Reveals your methodology and conclusions. An abstract should provide a roadmap to the paper that you’re going to present. In other words, you’re showing ‘how the sausage gets made’!
Shows how your work is in conversation with existing scholarship, as well as your particular intervention. Again, you’re answering the ‘so what?’ question and showing that you’re part of the discourse through the use of citations and a bibliography. Note that the call for papers (CFPs) will indicate if they require a bibliography.
Represents you and your work in a conference program. Once accepted, your abstract acts as an invitation for people to attend your paper or, if they couldn’t attend, get to know you and your work a little more. Papers are presented and, unless recorded, are gone with the wind. Abstracts are written artifacts of your paper, so in this way, they can represent your work when you’re not present.
“Ensure that your argument is robust: it should clearly state your main claims while also showing how it builds or expands upon previous scholarship. The bibliography and works cited should be relevant and up to date - that is, make sure that you are not only aware of key trends in your topic but also the most recent scholarship on it.” Rosa Andújar, former chair of the SCS Program Committee
What should I consider when writing my abstract?
Before submitting your abstract for a panel or conference, consider the following:
Does it speak to the conference or panel’s theme and/or aims? Some conferences or specialized panels will solicit papers on a particular theme or topic. For example, Feminism & Classics IX (FemClas9) has a clear but broad theme: communities [link]. In order to ensure your abstract and paper is a good fit, read the CFP carefully and customize accordingly (more on that below).
Does it enter into an existing scholarly conversation? How you’re honoring, engaging with, and intervening in the scholarship surrounding your topic should be clear from the abstract.
Are my methods clear? Have I used jargon? The abstract readers for general annual meetings like those hosted by the Society for Classical Studies (SCS), the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS), and the Classical Association of Canada (CAC), or even conferences with a broad theme like FemClas9 may come from a wide range of subfields. Make sure your abstract speaks to that broad audience who may be familiar with your topic but may not specialize in it. Invite them into the conversation!
Does it represent my project as a whole? The abstract should accurately reflect the finished paper that will be presented (more on that below)! No surprises please!
Does the title correspond to the content of the abstract? Titles are so important, because they are the first thing readers see! They signal what a reader should expect from the abstract and the finished paper. The title should represent the abstract well and clearly, as well as be concise yet descriptive. You’re welcome to come up with something clever but note that reader and writer might have different frames of reference. The easiest way to set yourself up for success is to first make sure that the topic of the paper is clear from the title. It may determine who the first reader is. For example, a title that signals towards an archaeological study may be allocated to a reader who is an archaeologist. When in doubt, look at past programs of the conference you’re applying to.
What are the requirements of an abstract?
When writing an abstract, consider scope, length, citations, and anonymity. The scope of the topic, argument, and/or methodology you’re proposing should be suitable for a 15- to 20-minute presentation. The CFPs will also indicate the maximum word length for abstract submissions. For example, FemClas9 has a 500 word limit not including bibliography. Inline citations (e.g., Author Year) show engagement with the existing scholarship surrounding your topic. Bibliographies will do this as well; the CFP will indicate whether or not an abstract submission requires a corresponding bibliography or works cited list. Abstract submissions will be reviewed anonymously, so make sure you exclude any author data from the file name and document proper!
What are the major parts of an abstract?
Here is a general order of the major parts of an abstract. Note that these major parts can be interwoven in various ways.
First Paragraph: the opening paragraph should get right to the point, stating the topic, purpose, argument, and significance of your paper. Think of it this way: when a program committee is reading 100-200 abstracts, they will want to know immediately and definitively what a given paper is going to be about. This is when statements like “I argue…” can help signpost! Don’t bury the lead, and don’t lead up to the lead!
Next Paragraph(s): the following paragraphs should provide a succinct summary of your methodology or approach, the state of the scholarship surrounding your topic, and examples/evidence that prove your argument and which you plan to address in your paper. What is the conversation you’re entering? What works are you looking at, both primary and secondary?
Concluding Paragraph: the concluding paragraph should provide a roadmap that outlines the major parts of your paper (spoilers!), followed by a general statement that reiterates and/or contextualizes the broader impacts of your argument.
Note that the argument of your paper is present in all these major parts. In this regard, it should take up the most space in your abstract.
Panelists’ discussion
Eleni Bozia, Sarah Brucia Breitenfeld, Dominic Machado, Melanie Racette-Campbell, John Serrati
On articulating your intervention
Both panelists and facilitators emphasize the importance of articulating your intervention. By this, they refer to your original contribution—that is, what you’re saying that is different from what everyone else is saying, how you’re adding to the conversation or taking it in a different direction, what’s at stake, how you’re moving the needle forward. An intervention is very different from a summary of the scholarship surrounding your topic, which can be useful in setting up the context for your argument but ultimately doesn’t explain why the reader should care about it (‘so what?’). Every word and sentence should have a point and focus: engage, don’t editorialize!
Think of your abstract as a mosaic. You’re creating the scene, but there are others who have contributed the tesserae of your mosaic. Balance your argument and your evidence. Eleni Bozia
On making use of the limited space
Prioritize clarity and specificity over breadth! You have such limited space in an abstract (on average 200-500 words), so each sentence should have an impact.
Inline or in-text citations are important features of an abstract, and the more specific you are (i.e., citing line numbers, pages, key words, a site report, etc.), the better your argument is. But this will all be included in the word count (footnotes are generally not allowed in abstract submissions), so be specific yet concise, and use fewer words when possible (e.g., ‘Author Year’ format instead of full bibliographical citation).
Choose judiciously if you want to include a quotation. If it is a foreign language quote, consider the fact that you would also have to include a translation. Sometimes, a quote can make a big impact, like when your entire argument rests on the interpretation of a specific line of text, so it makes sense to include it for the efficacy of your abstract. Other times, contextualizing a secondary source within the parameters of your argument (plus citation) can communicate your intervention more concisely than a full quote.
Abstracts should be dense, roughly the same density of a collapsed star. Melissa Funke
On striking the balance between submitting speculative new work and already completed work
Conference abstracts are often used to explore new topics, but is that a good practice? Some things to consider:
So much of the academic career is a work in progress, but the key is to submit an idea that you can confidently turn into a paper that accurately reflects the abstract. There should be no surprises! Changes are natural during the research and writing process from abstract to paper, but it’s not a good practice to completely change the core argument of your paper—no one likes click bait! Make sure to stay within the boundaries of your abstract as much as you can but also give yourself the grace to make small adjustments as your idea develops. If you find that your paper is beginning to stray away from your abstract topic, here are a couple options to consider:
Store that idea into a file and save it for another paper! This is also great advice for when the paper starts getting unwieldy.
Email the conference or panel organizers and ask to pivot. It never hurts to ask, and the transparency and honesty can be helpful. The organizers may be able to move you to a different panel that would fit your paper better. They may also be able to publish a more up-to-date abstract on the conference program. This mostly applies to general CFPs, whereas specialized panels and conferences have the extra consideration of whether or not your paper still fits into their specific theme or topic.
Get to a point of your research where you can start making definitive statements. It’s important for your abstract to represent research that is for the most part complete, because that’s when ideas have more of a tendency to evolve or change directions. That’s not to say that papers are not also works in progress! Conferences are a great venue to receive useful feedback, so that you can continue developing your paper into an article, chapter, etc.
Consider your time commitment. To get from abstract to paper depends on a few factors, including your writing process, work habits, and bandwidth. How much time is there between being your abstract getting accepted and the conference proper? What does your schedule look like between the submitted abstract and presented paper? Having an answer to these questions can help you determine whether you have the bandwidth to submit an abstract on a new-ish topic vs an already completed work.
Weigh out the pros and cons of submitting an abstract based on completed work. On the one hand, completed work can read heavy and long, particularly because parts of the paper are copy and pasted from a longer work. If you’re in this camp, a good practice is to focus on just one aspect or question that can be proven in just 15 minutes. On the other hand, early-career scholars and graduate students might want to consider debuting their best work rather than workshopping something in progress, especially if they’re submitting to their first conference. At this stage, you’re building your scholarly profile, so it’s good to submit something that you’ve already written and gotten good feedback on.
On strategizing your submission for a general conference (e.g., annual meetings of SCS/AIA, CAMWS, CAC, etc.) as an early-career scholar and/or graduate student
When submitting for a general conference, especially a big annual meeting, a good strategy is to present an idea from your book project or dissertation. Book editors will be reading the abstracts and may reach out to you to see if you’re interested in publishing. Again, make sure you’re not just copy and pasting from a completed chapter. Focus on the best part of your argument from that chapter, then signpost a bigger scope. If you squeeze too much in, you’ll risk confusing your audience.
You might also want to keep in mind a conference’s reputation—that is, knowing which conferences tend to be more open to certain niche topics. This is something you can learn by talking to your mentors, especially if you’re working on a topic that is still pushing the boundaries of what we consider the ‘canon’.
A mentor might also help you understand how a certain conference judges abstract submissions. Do committees require that papers fit a specific category (i.e., Latin prose vs poetry, etc.) and then accept based on fitting a ‘quota’, or do they accept submissions then organize panels accordingly?
On submitting for a specialized Call for Papers (CFP) (e.g., Feminism & Classics 2026)
Specialized CFPs will tend to have a broad but clear topic. Here’s what panelist Sarah Brucia Breitenfeld advises when submitting a paper to a specialized CFP:
Highlight anything in the CFP that intersects with any work that you’ve been doing. Remember, a good abstract builds on work that has already been or is at the precipice of being written.
Try to hit the key words of the CFP as much as possible. It shows that you understand the conversations that you’re participating in and are engaging meaningfully with them. Make it clear to the committee that you have read the CFP that they took time to write and that you’re directly speaking to what the panel or conference is about. For example, FemClas9’s theme is on communities, so you might want to include the word “communities” in your abstract!
For FemClas9’s CFP, pay attention to the keywords and do the work to show that you know what they mean—in other words, don’t just include a term for the sake of including a term. How is your abstract actively engaging with the academic study that we call ‘feminism’? Dominic Machado
On dealing with rejection
Rejection is never fun, but it happens to everyone. If your abstract is rejected for a specialized panel, for example, just remember that it is not a rejection of you. The organizers just found 4-6 other papers that fit their topic better. It may be helpful to even go to the panel you were rejected from and see what your paper might have been in conversation with and learn something from it. Or it may be good to learn how the panel was organized and see how your paper would not have been in conversation with the others. Finally, if your abstract is rejected, you can revise and submit to another panel or conference down the line!
On being an abstract reader
Here are some tips if you are soliciting papers for a specialized panel or are on a conference committee:
Read as a colleague, not as an author or a supervisor. Don’t judge an abstract based on how you would write it.
Be open to non-traditional methodologies, approaches, readings, arguments, etc.
Interrogate your assumptions about certain topics and perspectives. Ask yourself if you’re holding a given abstract to different standards than others, or if you have any epistemological predispositions. At the end of the day, judge every abstract on its own merits.
For readers of general conferences: don’t just think about the program. Yes, papers need to be organized in a way that makes sense, but a neat program risks creating a kind of canon. Be open to novelty and brilliance within the bounds of scholarly rigour.
For readers of specialized CFPs: first, consider how an abstract fits the specialized topic (while some abstracts may be excellent, they may not hit that mark!). Second, try to create some variety of genres and disciplines (e.g., literary sources paired with archaeological and/or visual sources, a balance between Greek, Roman, and other Mediterranean cultures).
Are you in the position to include or exclude? Hopefully, it’s the former, but you may find yourself in a position as a committee member or panel organizer where there are many applicants but only a limited number of spots, so it’s necessary to exclude, sometimes even based on fit (re: specialized CFPs). John Serrati
Main takeaways
“Aim for CLARITY to a broad range of specialists, clearly show YOUR INTERVENTION [i.e., your contribution] and its stakes, and make full use of the BIBLIOGRAPHY to show that you know the main works that speak to your topic.” Naomi Campa, current member of the SCS Program Committee
Conference abstract writing is a genre
Read other abstracts and templates as guiding posts
Write from scratch; don’t copy and paste from a larger work; treat the abstract with the respect it deserves
Focus on your argument and present it in your voice; engage rather than burying yourself in other scholars
A conference abstract is a pitch with the argument as the focus and intervention
Invite your reader in; treat them as intelligent readers; don’t be negative
Be strategic; write for the conference you’re applying to
A conference presentation is part of your self-presentation; it signals that you want to be part of the conversation more actively
Final tips
Your abstract is not simply the first two paragraphs of your introduction. Again, refrain from cutting and pasting from a finished product. Even though an introduction might open like an abstract, it doesn’t necessarily read like one the whole way through.
Don’t open doors you don’t want to go through. If you decide to mention a controversial or weighted topic, make sure you spend time demonstrating that you understand the stakes.
For non-Anglophone scholars, writing abstracts in a given language will read distinctly in another language. For example, a French to English translation of an abstract can sound longwinded. If you’re presenting an abstract translated to English from another language, it might be good to double check the sentence structure with someone.
Write multiple drafts; show your work to others! Find a trusted mentor and take their advice on meaningfully. Need a mentor? Explore the WCC Mentorship Program!