EAGE NEWS
Technical Programme:
What it takes to get selected Tips for a successful Abstract! Caroline Lowrey (Spirit Energy Norway) is currently chair of the EAGE Oil and Gas Division and for some years has acted as a Technical Programme reviewer for the EAGE Annual Conference. Here she has gathered some tips for those submitting abstracts. Abstract title: The title of the abstract should draw the readers in and raise their interest to get them ready to read further. The title for your presentation should be informative but concise. If the number
Caroline Lowrey.
of words is less than 10 or more than 30 – think again. Having a strong title with substance will also help you to write the abstract. Preparation - ‘What do I want to present’?: Possibly your work is not totally complete yet but you know where you are going and what you need to include in the abstract. Make a list of bullet points. Abstract writing: Use your bullet points to guide you towards your introduction, description, and conclusion. Be clear and straightforward, keep the writing simple, stick to the facts, don’t veer off the point and don’t use 10 words when five will do.
Figures: These are very important. They must be relevant, clear and referenced in the text. Print out the abstract and check whether the figures are legible at A4. Remember the basics – scales, figure titles, legend, etc. Peer Review: Get at least three other people to read the abstract (not just your friends). If you are not confident of your English, find a native English speaker to check it – never be afraid to ask for help Final review: Leave at least one clear week between completing your abstract and the deadline for submission. Read your abstract again a minimum of three days after completion, and ask yourself: Am I happy?
Nothing like first-hand experience Filippo Broggini, senior research scientist at ETH Zürich and chair of EAGE’s Young Professionals community, made his first submission to an EAGE Annual in 2013. Here he describes the experience and passes on what he learned. Describe your experience submitting to the Technical Programme (TP). Before London 2013, I had attended other EAGE Annuals. However, I knew that in London it was going to be different since I was going to be part of the TP. I was excited to present for the first time in front of many well known researchers and also in front of fellow students. What are the most important aspects of a successful paper? I believe that an expanded abstract needs to possess two fundamental things to be selected by the TP Committee: good science and clarity. It is important, of course, to present 6
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new scientific advances or discoveries but this has to be done with the utmost clarity. Otherwise, the reviewers will not be able to grasp the meaning of your scientific work if they have to extract it from a poorly written paper. What are your tips to new authors submitting a paper? My suggestions are to first prepare figures, tables, and initial outline for the expanded abstract and then to write the text. The four pages limit is strictly enforced and, for this reason, it is import to decide beforehand which figures and graphs need to appear in the paper. After writing the first draft, it is fundamental to ask colleagues, e.g.,
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supervisors, fellow students, co-workers, etc to review the paper. This feedback is extremely important to improve the clarity of the abstract and to make sure that the scientific message is effectively conveyed. Last but not least, don’t forget to use a spell-checker to avoid submitting an expanded abstract full of typos and grammar errors!
Filippo Broggini.