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NESS Applicant Resources and Guidelines

Abstract Resources

In this section you will find text and video describing the guidelines and necessary components to aid you in building an abstract for submission to NESS.

The abstract must be no more than 400 words, about half a page of single-spaced text. You must break down the abstract into five separate parts:

  1. Statement of the Problem/Background - Make a brief explanation/statement about the background of the problem.
  2. Research Question/Hypothesis - What is the hypothesis, or what is the problem you are trying to solve, or what is your scientific question? Why is it important? State this in one or two sentences.
  3. Research Design/Methods Used in the Investigation - What methods did you use to solve or research the problem? How did you collect your data? How big was your sample size? What were the main outcome measurements? This will probably be the longest part of your abstract.
  4. Results/Summary of the Investigation - Please state the summary of the results of your investigation? Was the data consistent with your hypothesis? If not, how did it differ? Describe the results.
  5. Interpretation/Conclusion of the Investigation - What is your conclusion of the investigation/interpretation of the results? What are the implications of your results to the world of scientific inquiry? Three to five sentences should be enough to state your conclusion.

Reread your research paper with the five parts in mind. Remember to organize the information, keep your writing short and to the point, and always proof-read for grammar and spelling before submitting. Changes to your abstract after submission are not generally recommended, see FAQs page.

Sample Abstracts

View sample abstracts below. These were previously accepted to and presented in past NESS.

2013 Ruth and William Silen, M.D. Awards Oral Presentation First Place
Angel Byrd, MD/PhD Candidate, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
Abstract Title: “An Extracellular Matrix-based Mechanism of Rapid Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation in Response to C. albicans


2013 Ruth and William Silen, M.D. Awards Poster Presentation First Place in Category, Microbiology, Immunology, Genetics, or Molecular Biology
Rodrigo Romero, Post-baccalaureate, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Suffolk University, Boston, MA - 2011
Abstract Title: “Pharmacological and Genomic Profiling Identifies Deregulation of Classical and Alternative NFκB Signaling in Mantle Cell Lymphoma


2013 Ruth and William Silen, M.D. Awards Poster Presentation First Place in Category Cellular Biology, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, or Physiology
Theanne Griffith, PhD Candidate, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
Abstract Title: “Structural Determinants Responsible for the Role of Neto Proteins as Kainate Receptor Auxiliary Subunits


2013 Ruth and William Silen, M.D. Awards Poster Presentation First Place in Categories in Public Health, Epidemiology, or Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Physics, Chemistry, or Engineering and Clinical or Social Science (including Translational Research)
Share-Leigh Arneaud-Bernard, Community College Student. Roxbury Community College, Boston, Massachusetts
Abstract Title: “Reclassification of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma to Increase Treatment Efficacy

Presentation Resources

Once you have been accepted to NESS you will need to prepare for a poster or oral presentation. These videos are meant to serve as guides on how to transform your abstract into a poster for presentation as well as to help you prepare an oral presentation.

This video resource can be helpful if you are selected for an oral presentation to optimize your presentation skills and preparation for NESS. Please note, the upcoming 2024 NESS is in-person, so you will not need to prepare for a virtual presentation, but many aspects of this video can be of use in preparing you for an oral presentation in-person.

These videos will help prepare you to create and present a poster at NESS.

If you still have questions, please reach out to the Program Manager, Victoria Bhambhani, at Victoria_Bhambhani@hms.harvard.edu for assistance.