Abstracts | Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair

Your abstract is due no later than March 1, 11:59 pm.
The abstract submission form opens on January 15.

Abstracts are posted on our website by March 2 for the judges to review as they prepare to evaluate your poster boards.

Writing an Abstract?

After finishing research and experimentation, you need to write an abstract. An abstract is a brief, written explanation of the research project. The abstract contains a succinct description of the project’s purpose, the procedures followed, the data collected, and the conclusions reached. This must all be accomplished in 250 words or less on one page.

Every project at our science and engineering fair is required to have an abstract submitted as part of registration and an abstract on the project display board. (When the fair is not held virtually, extra copies of the abstract should be available on your table for preliminary and finalist judges, though this is not a requirement.)

In submitting the abstract you are attesting that the nature of the work and your involvement is accurately described. If some portion is not your work, it should not be part of your abstract unless you cite the assistance. It is OK to receive help with the project but that help must be acknowledged. Please read the CSEF Ethics Statement.

Abstracts are due by 11:59PM on March 1. They will be posted on the CSEF website for reading by our judges. Do not submit your abstract until your research is complete. Judging starts before your interview as judges review your uploaded materials.

The abstract must focus on work done in the current year and should not include acknowledgments, or work/procedures done by the mentor. Please review the information provided below for more detailed recommendations on the content of your abstract and some tips for preparing your abstract for submission that will reduce your chances for mistakes and ensure your abstract will be available to the judges.

Purpose of the Experiment

An introductory statement of the reason for investigating the topic of the project.
A statement of the problem or hypothesis being studied.

Procedures Used

A summarization of the key points and an overview of how the investigation was conducted.
An abstract does not give details about the materials used unless it greatly influenced the procedure or had to be developed to do the investigation.
An abstract should only include procedures done by the student. Work done by a mentor (such as surgical procedures) or work done prior to student involvement must not be included.

Observation/Data/Results

This section should provide key results that lead directly to the conclusions you have drawn.
It should not give too many details about the results nor include tables or graphs.

Conclusions

Conclusions from the investigation should be described briefly.
The summary paragraph should reflect on the process and possibly state some research applications and extensions of the investigation.

Writing an abstract can be a daunting task. Some ideas from past years are available in the Abstract Archives included at the bottom of the page.

To learn more about writing an abstract review and/or download this PDF version of a presentation extracted from the International Science and Engineering Fair Materials.

Tips for Preparing Your Abstract and Submitting It

Prepare and edit your abstract in a word processing document on your computer. Avoid using symbols if at all possible. If your work requires the use of symbols (for example, math) send a copy to the Fair Director and we will give it special handling. It is important that your abstract be well written and free of spelling errors. We send the abstracts to the judges for review prior to the Fair and and to the media if you are an award winner.

After you have reviewed your abstract with your advisor or parents, copy and paste your abstract from the document on your computer into the CSEF online abstract form. Use the red Submit Your Abstract button at the top of this page to access the form. Abstracts are due by March 1. They will be posted on the CSEF website for reading by our judges. Yes, judging as previewing, starts before your interview or arrival at the Fair. Our nearly 400 judges are eager to start reviewing your abstract. Don't forget to submit your abstract by March 1.
_{*Content for this page, including the powerpoint is extracted from the International Science & Engineering Fair materials.}

Abstracts for 2025 Pre-Fair Screening will be posted after March 1.

2025 Middle School Life Abstracts (Projects 1001-2999)
2025 High School Life Abstracts (Projects 3001-3999)
2025 Middle School Physical Abstracts (Projects 4001-5999)
2025 High School Physical Abstracts (Projects 6001-6999)

2025 Special Categories Abstracts

These are based on the technical disciplines that the students selected during project registration. They are only recommendations. See Fair Categories and Technical Disciplines listing for more details.