Showcase
Prepare and submit abstracts
Prepare and submit abstracts
For GPSA Research Exposition
To participate, you must submit an abstract summarizing your research findings, scholarship, or creative work.
Deadline for submitting abstracts
Wed., Jan. 22, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
Eligibility guidelines
Who is eligible?
- WSU Pullman graduate and professional students
You must pay Pullman campus service and activities (S&A) fees to qualify. - Previous participants in GPSA Research Expo who have not won awards
Previous participants of Research Expo who have not won awards before, can submit their new abstract from a new research topic this year and compete with others to win awards. If the applicant is submitting an abstract that is an extension/completion of the previously submitted/presented incomplete work, the applicant needs to make sure that they share their new results with modified titles putting emphasis on their new updated results (Please note the that previously submitted abstracts are online GPSA and SHOWCASE websites, and the abstract of 2024 will be posted later. So it is not good for applicants and GPSA reputation to present the same work again). If you won an award at a previous GPSA Research Exposition, you are not eligible to participate again. However, you can participate in Academic Showcase if you present a new research topic. - All members of the GPSA Awards and Scholarship Committee
One exception: The committee chair is ineligible.
What can you present?
- Only one abstract as a primary or presenting author
- Only work that has been completed at or for WSU
It cannot be work created as part of an external student internship. - Only projects that have not been presented at a previous WSU Academic Showcase or GPSA Research Exposition
In some fields, it is difficult to shift to a different area of research within one year. Under these circumstances, you may present updates to a previous poster from GPSA Research Exposition or Academic Showcase. Please modify your abstract and presentation to focus on new findings.
Abstract requirements
Your abstract must adhere to the following guidelines:
- Submit your abstract directly to GPSA by the deadline.
- 250-word limit, strictly enforced
- Write for an educated lay audience.
If you have an existing poster with an abstract that uses technical terminology, that abstract may remain part of your presentation. However, the abstract you submit to apply for this event should be written for a general audience and be free of jargon. - Demonstrate original work that is of scientific, scholarly, or creative significance.
- For scientific projects: Clearly state a project goal or hypothesis. Summarize results and conclusions reached.
- For creative projects: Clearly describe the creative endeavor and methods used to accomplish it. Include program notes that provide context for the creative process.
- Represent completed work.
Proposals for future work are not acceptable. If work is in progress (a likely scenario), the abstract should report on what has been done so far. You may indicate next steps, as long as you clearly describe steps already completed. - Follow the format in the template provided below.
Template for abstract submissions
Submitted abstracts must adhere to the following 3-section template. Include the headings below for each section.
- Principal topic
Introduce your topic. Discuss your theoretical framework. Discuss why this research is important and/or relevant in your field. - Method
Clarify your research question/hypotheses/propositions. Describe your data, variables, methods, etc. - Results/implications
Provide a summary of your results. Describe how these results impact your field. Why are these results important in your field of study?
Be advised that abstracts for Academic Showcase follow different formatting requirements.
Submit your abstract
Before you submit, check that your abstract meets all requirements listed above.
Review of abstracts
The GPSA Awards and Scholarships Committee will review abstracts using the GPSA Research Exposition Abstract Evaluation Rubric (pdf), shown below. You will be notified in mid-February if your abstract has been accepted.
| Score | Format/Grammar | Clarity of Objective and Title | Methods | Results and Interpretation | Implications/ Contribution | Communication to the General Audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Meets all formatting guidelines (see guidelines below) with no spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. | Objective of work is communicated clearly with purposeful language and is well justified. | Methodology is well presented and displays a clear progression toward the objectives. | Results presented are clear and related to the objectives. | Abstract communicates how research is clear, substantial, novel, current, or cutting-edge in participant’s field and/or beyond. | Understandable for people from different fields of the present study. |
| 3 | Meets most formatting guidelines: but still within 250 words. | Objective is generally clear, but not consistently. | Methodology is generally clear, but not consistent and/or unclear. | Results support the objective but lack clarity. | Work highlights a limited impact in presenter’s field and/or community but is still relevant. | Understandable but is not written appropriately to use minimum technical terms. |
| 2 | Meets some formatting guidelines, but is over 250 words. | Objective is generally unclear and inconsistent. | Methodology is unclear and inconsistent with the objectives. | Results are preliminary and poorly represent objectives. | Impact of work is unclear, loosely related to the field, not completely current, or poorly presented. | Reaching minimum understanding and isn’t compelling to the general audience. |
| 1 | Did not follow formatting guidelines: Not organized, no headings, or multiple spelling and punctuation errors. | Objective is not stated or underdeveloped nor justified. | Logical errors in methods. Appropriate methodology is unclear. | Results are not sufficient enough to support the objectives of the work | The original contribution or appropriateness to the field is not presented or loosely justified. | Unnecessarily vague writing to general audience. |
| Score |
Looking ahead
As you develop your abstract, it may help to keep in mind criteria that judges will use to evaluate your poster and presentation on competition day. You will find those criteria listed in the GPSA Research Exposition Poster Grading Rubric (pdf).