When you aim to have your poster presentation showcased, submitting an abstract is the first step. In a way, it is your research’s first impression.
The AMA Research Challenge is the largest national, multispecialty research event for medical students and residents with a $10,000 grand prize, presented by Laurel Road. David M. Harris, MD, a former research advisor for the AMA Research Challenge offered insight on the key steps to preparing and submitting an abstract.
Learn about past AMA Research Challenge winners:
- 2020: Posters on ventilators, e-cigarettes land top honors.
- 2021: Moraxella catarrhalis project lands grand prize.
- 2022: Top prize-winning research offers clues on infertility biomarkers.
- 2023: Research on bile duct cancer detection earns first place nod.
Know the rules
For the AMA Research Challenge, all abstracts must be submitted using an approved template, available on the AMA Research Challenge website. The deadline for abstract submissions is July 16, 2025.
Abstracts must be submitted without pictures or graphs—save those for your actual posters—and should not exceed 350 words. Additional information that should be included but—doesn’t fall within the word count—includes the author’s name, co-author’s name, page numbering and any ancillary entrant information.
“As someone who has reviewed these [submissions] many times before, I can say that not following the format or rules is an easy way to get your abstract disqualified,” said Dr. Harris, a radiation oncologist at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Health.
Dive deeper:
- 1st-time poster presenters offer tips on medical student research.
- What judges look for in medical poster presentations.
- 4 tips for medical students to get their start as researchers.
Parts of an abstract
As far as actual content of an abstract goes, it can be broken down into four key components.
Background: This sets the table for your topic, including introducing the problem you aim to solve or the question you aim to answer through your research.
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Methods: The methods are the “how” of your presentation. Explain how you went about gaining data or insight on the topic in a straight-forward manner. “It should be very dry and matter of fact [saying] this is what I did,” Dr. Harris said. “You don’t need much fluff.”
Results: Highlight your key research findings in this section and do so without interpretation. “Some of you may have done really extensive research and it may not be possible to list all your results,” Dr. Harris said. “In that case you want to highlight the key findings. You can go into more detail in your poster.”
Conclusion: This is your summary and your theory on what your research indicates. This is also where researchers will point out limitations of their body of study and offer thoughts on the direction of future research.
Speaking generally, Dr. Harris offered a few additional tips. Among them: Make sure you proof-read your work and keep character count in mind throughout your abstract.
“Always stay concise in your abstract,” Dr. Harris said. “You don’t want to get too wordy. This is not like writing a poem or a novel.”
Dive deeper:
- From poster to print: Get published as a medical student, resident.
- Poster presentation 101: Make your work stand out at a conference.
- 5 reasons to showcase your work in the AMA Research Challenge.
