Hitting the target! A no tears approach to writing an abstract for a conference presentation.

From the author's experience in reviewing abstracts for conference presentations, nurses do not find it easy or straightforward to write an abstract, nor do they appear to fully understand its aim and purpose. The aim of this paper is to provide a clear understanding of the role of the abstract in the context of conference presentations and to provide a practical tool to guide nurses through the process of writing an abstract for a conference presentation in terms of both the structure and the content. Tips on what to avoid when writing an abstract are included.