If you're having difficulties uploading your abstract, please email it to ResearchSymposium@dmu.edu and include your mentor's name and email address, your program, if you're an undergraduate or graduate student, and your expected year of graduation. 

All students and faculty are encouraged to develop research projects to be presented at the Symposium. Awards will be given to the winning presenting author(s) (students, residents, and postdocs only) with the best quality poster and oral presentation.

Important Dates

  • Registration and Abstract Submission Opens: Friday, September 17, 2021
  • Abstract Submission Closes: Thursday, October 14, 2021
  • Notification to Presenters: Friday, October 15, 2021
  • Poster and Video Submission to the DMU Office of Research: Monday, November 8, 2021

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

This year's poster presentations will be pre-recorded and available for viewing online. Those chosen to present a poster will be asked to submit a digital copy of their poster and a 2-3 minute “elevator talk” about their project to the DMU Office of Research by Monday, November 8, 2021.  Presenters will be judged on both the poster and their talk.

If the work is co-authored, only the PRESENTING author will submit on behalf of all co-authors. The names of all co-authors must be listed in the submission form. Poster presenters will receive additional poster guidelines when notified of presentation acceptance.

POSTER VIEWING 

Posters will be available online starting November 30, 2021, for viewing and judging in advance of the DMU Research Symposium. There will also be poster viewing and discussion breakout sessions during the event. This will allow participants to discuss topic areas with poster presenters and other attendees.

Lightning Oral Presentations

Six students will be selected to give a brief five-minute lightning talk. Lightning talks are limited to a maximum of eight slides, including introduction, background, methods, conclusions, references, and acknowledgements. Lightning talk presenters are NOT required to present a poster but may choose to do so. Students will present live on December 2, 2021, with time allowed to answer audience questions. More information will be provided via emails to those that are selected. If the work is co-authored, only the PRESENTING author will submit on behalf of all co-authors. The names of all co-authors must be listed in the submission form.

Abstract Guidelines

All abstracts will be published in the DMU Research Symposium program. Please submit your abstract according to the following guidelines:

  • Format: Microsoft Word format
  • Font: Arial, 11 point
  • Margins: 1 inch on all sides
  • Spacing: Single-spaced
  • Justification: Left
  • Abstract body length: No more than 250 words
  • Type the title first, using sentence casing (only first word and proper nouns capitalized)
  • Italicize scientific names of organisms
  • List all authors, institutional affiliations and short addresses (city and state only)
  • Bold the names of the author(s) presenting the work
  • Include applicable credentials for all authors, including students and mentors (e.g. DPM'24, MSA'22, DO, PhD)

View an abstract example.

Writing Tips

Consider the following questions when preparing your abstract:

  • Does the abstract clearly state the aim of the project (i.e. a research question, theoretical issue, or problem)?
  • Is the significance of work clearly stated?
  • If relevant, are the methods, data collection, and analysis procedures well-designed and appropriate to the question addressed?
  • Are the conclusions justified in relation to the data and/or analysis/description?
  • Is the abstract written clearly and organized well?

IRB or IACUC Approval

If your project involves human or animal research, you must have obtained IRB or IACUC approval, unless you are clearly presenting your work as a proposed project and make it clear that absolutely no research has yet been conducted. Posters involving such research should indicate an approval number or state that no research has been conducted. Anyone giving an oral presentation on a project involving human or animal research must have an IRB or IACUC approval. For questions, please contact the DMU Office of Research at 515-271-1445.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions regarding the DMU Research Symposium? If your question isn’t answered, please contact the Office of Research at ResearchSymposium@dmu.edu or 515-271-1037.

Submission Form

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Oral presenters will be contacted on October 15, 2021. If your abstract is not selected, you will present a poster.

As a reminder, the deadline to submit your digital poster and recording is November 8, 2021. Presenters will receive additional poster guidelines when notified of abstract acceptance.

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Only one individual will be permitted to present the research. Please decide with your mentor who that individual will be.
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For Des Moines University faculty or student research involving humans or animals, please provide the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) ID number under which this research project was carried. If an ID was not assigned, please explain:
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I confirm the work submitted is my own and all co-authors have given written permission for me to present the research at the educational activity. I also acknowledge that research projects are not a solo activity. I confirm that all mentors, preceptors, researchers, and/or institutions are included on my abstract and/or poster.
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Files must be less than 2 MB.
Allowed file types: doc docx.