Guidelines for abstracts and papers
These guidelines have been developed to assist you in writing an abstract, your paper, and presenting your paper at NLS2006.
This guide is designed for first-time writers and skilled writers alike, and aims to assist you in making sure that your ideas can be clearly communicated and that your paper can be uploaded to our website with a minimum of editing from the programme committee.
We will be adding to this document with more tips as the deadline for abstracts, and papers, draws closer.
Audience
- Remember that your audience will be Information and Library Studies students, recently graduated librarians, and people working in the information industry.
- Delegates at NLS2006 are still often in the development stage with regard to career and industry interests. People in this phase often gain a great deal from hearing people speak from a personal perspective even if it means hearing about the speaker's failures as well as successes, since they can have the impression that industry leaders have never made mistakes, followed the wrong career path or made the wrong decision.
- At the same time, many delegates are in their second or third career, and would like to hear advice on incorporating skills and knowledge from previous careers.
Abstract Format
An abstract is a brief summary of a paper’s questions, findings and conclusions. Your abstract is the first thing delegates will read about your paper and presentation. A well-written abstract will attract interest from delegates. In the abstract (300 words), state the main ideas of the paper only, avoiding unnecessary details and explanations that are addressed in the body of the paper. Do not include references or notes in the abstract.
Submitting abstract
- Please ensure that you submit your abstract by the deadline. We cannot review or accept late abstracts.
- Ensure that you fill in all the submission details on the site. This will make it easy for us to read your abstract and to contact you.
- Please check the symposium themes and ensure that your abstract fits. We are very happy to accept abstracts based on assignments that you completed as part of your Library and Information course, as long as it fits the themes.
- You don’t need to have written your whole paper before you submit your abstract!
Formatting of Papers
- All papers should be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word Document format, RTF, or Adobe PDF (ensure security features are turned off).
- A margin of 3cm should be allocated at the top and bottom, and left and right-hand side of the page
- All papers should be supplied with clear page numbering
- Font used is Arial size 11, with 1.5 line spacing
- All diagrams, graphs and tables should be reproduced clearly on A4 size paper only
- Presenter’s name and paper title should be in the footer of your document
- Papers should include a bibliography and reference list for all citations, using APA style
Writing Tips
The Programme Committee recommends consulting a style guide if you have any queries about language usage, style or writing advice:
Strunk, William, and White, E B. The elements of style, 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999.
Peters, Pam. The Cambridge Australian English style guide, Melbourne : Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2001.
The Chicago manual of style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.Referencing
Please use APA style for in-text citations and reference lists.
Australian Library and Information Association
