Abstract FAQs

Your abstract will be on our public website viewable to the general public. Change names and locations for people or places that should be kept confidential.  The Conference Proceedings (electronic copies of the full papers and videos presented at the conference) will also be on our website and viewable to the general public, so if there is sensitive content, make sure to clearly request (on the abstract submission form) that your paper be excluded from these Proceedings. 

Your abstract will appear in the Conference program and on the BT Conference website.

It will not be possible for online participants to present live to the onsite conference. Anyone who wants to present to the onsite rooms has to be there in person. They will also need to record their session in advance to make sure it is available in the app to online participants.

However, we are accepting abstracts from people who are only able to participate online. They will be required to make a recording of their presentation, and it will be available in the app to onsite and online conference participants alike. 

At the moment we haven't made a firm decision about whether we would schedule a time for people to specifically interact with such presentations as a group - but there has been a suggestion of someone opening a zoom room to interact with such a paper at a particular time, in lieu of the onsite Q&A sessions.

You may create and develop your ideas in whatever language is preferable for you, but you need to provide a translation of your abstract into English in order for the abstract committee to be able to evaluate it. 

Your presentation will also need to be accessible in English, so If you wish to present in a spoken or signed language other than English, please contact us by email to talk about options for translation or interpretation. In most cases you will need to provide your own translation or interpreter.

You are welcome to discuss complex issues, about which people are likely to have different viewpoints, as this encourages critical thinking and growth. However, please use the following guidelines to approach such topics in ways that build a constructive learning environment and do not unnecessarily foster controversy.

• Focus on principles not people

• Do your research well, and stick to verifiable facts and evidence-based conclusions rather than stereotypes

• Recognise diverse perspectives, and seek to understand and respectfully represent viewpoints that are different from your own.

• Humbly explore your own assumptions and recognise any potential blindspots

• Ask a few other people to read your paper and give feedback, including those who might disagree with you

• Avoid exaggeration, sensationalism and emotionally-loaded terms

We are planning to offer mentoring support while presentations are being prepared, such as refining the thesis, giving feedback on the argument, or helping to structure an engaging and well-timed presentation. If you would like this kind of help please indicate it on the abstract submission form. If you are able to offer such help, please also indicate this on the submission form.

You can easily find websites with tips on how to write a good abstract. You can find some ideas here:

• Top Tips on Writing an Abstract for a Conference

• Writing Conference Abstracts | Dr Laura Varnam

• How to Write a Good Abstract for a Conference Paper | UACES

• How to write a killer conference abstract: The first step towards an engaging presentation.    

Remember that your abstract will be reviewed by a committee looking for scholarly content. But remember too that your abstract must interest your audience. Why should they attend your session? Your abstract should convince them of the importance of your topic and your research.