Q: How can I write a conference abstract based on a literature review paper?
I'm working on a literature review paper (narrative type), and I would like to participate in a conference (oral presentation) with a literature review. I have to write an abstract about it, and I wonder if it is common to write conference abstracts about reviews. If yes, do you have any tips?
It is unusual to present literature reviews in a conference. Conferences are aimed at presenting and discussing the latest and the most happening or hot topics in a particular subject area. Narrative reviews are best published in a journal. I am not sure if the conference you are planning to attend even accepts an abstract related to a narrative review; please confirm this with them. What I am also not sure of is what type of conference you are attending and the subject area that it covers, but the audience in a conference is perhaps not the correct target for a narrative/literature review since they would be more interested in knowing what is happening at the forefront of the research activities in a given field.
In any case, the abstract for a narrative/literature review for a journal article should start with two lines of background information on the topic being discussed in the review. This should be followed by one sentence of the aim of the review. Then, in the next 2-3 sentences, you should describe the methods that you have used – you need to specify which databases you have searched, how many articles you have reviewed, the time-frame of the articles. You should next state the main observations from the review that you have performed in 2-3 sentences. As concluding remarks – in 1-2 sentences, you should state what is the inference and what is your opinion about the findings from the literature review. You can make some general recommendations and should close the abstract by stating the larger implications of the findings.
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