Presenting your work at conference – why not give it a go?

Anna Conrad encourages more dietitians to pluck up the courage to share their work with a wider audience.

Have you ever attended a conference and felt tempted to present your own work but been daunted by the very idea and not sure where to start? 

You are definitely not alone. But presenting a poster at conference is a fantastic and fairly easy way to showcase work that you have been involved with.  

It’s not just for research – it can be used to present findings from an audit or service evaluation, or outcomes from a service development. It does take some effort to organise and there will be costs to consider, but the benefits are numerous. You will develop skills in analysing and presenting data, scientific writing, oral presentation and networking. It can also be a helpful stepping stone if you are considering combining a clinical career with research. You will usually get priority for any study leave allocation. 

Qualified dietitians, as well as dietetic assistants and dietetic students who have been involved in audit and service evaluation – for example as part of their dissertation – can present at a conference.  

The following are things that I learned from presenting my work at conference which might help you to decide to take the plunge. 

What are you going to present? 

• Have you undertaken an audit, service evaluation or project that has educated colleagues, benefited your patients or changed your practice? 

• Have you been involved in developing a new service which you feel has improved patient care? 

• Do you have an interesting case study that you feel other dietitians or clinicians working in your speciality can learn from? 

If you are interested in the work you are doing, chances are others will be interested in it too. In a research, capacity and culture survey conducted at Guys and St Thomas’ as part of development of a research strategy for nutrition and dietetics, a significant number (88.1%) of staff have been involved in research, audit and service evaluation, but less than 36% of staff have presented their findings at conference. In our busy clinical practice, undertaking audit or service evaluation – let alone research – can seem like an impossible task. Barriers to allied healthcare professionals AHPs getting involved in research, which can also extend to audit and service evaluation, include lack of protected time, prioritising clinical care, lack of knowledge and lack of support (Pager et al, 2012). 

If time is a barrier to you conducting an audit or service evaluation, why not supervise a dietetic student or cast your net wider to other AHP students or medical students? Most universities ask for dissertation projects for their undergraduate or MSc students. This can be a mutually beneficial exchange, as the student can use the data for their dissertation, and you can present the work at a conference. 

You also have the added benefit of developing supervisory skills, which is great for your CV. I have been fortunate to supervise two undergraduate students, one dietetic and one medical, who both went on to present the data at conference. This is always an option if you don’t want to present or can’t attend a conference yourself. 

Why not collaborate with a colleague? You can combine ideas, motivate each other and share the workload. Recently graduated dietitians may feel more confident with collecting and handling data, having recently completed their dissertation, than a senior dietitian with lots of clinical experience but who left university years ago.  

Working on a project together could be a really effective way to combine skills and knowledge and support one another, and may increase the likelihood of the project being completed. 

Speak to your line manager about whether you can get any protected time. After all, it will likely confer service benefit and improved patient care, and if you are presenting that work at conference, it raises the profile of the whole department. 

Choosing your conference There will likely be a conference dedicated to your speciality, where your work would be most relevant to be shown and garner the most interest. Talk to more experienced colleagues about the best conference/s to attend. Don’t forget, the BDA Research Symposium is held every December, with the aim to provide the evidence base for our practice and showcase work from dietitians, dietetic students and researchers. The 2025 Research Symposium, which will be held on 3 December, has seen a record number of submissions across 22 streams. Submissions are closed for this year but you can still attend and submissions for 2026 open in April. More information on the symposium can be found at bda.uk.com/events/upcoming-events/researchsymposium.html 

Have a look at the conference programme and speakers to see if it is of interest and then consider the practicalities of attending. For example, what are the dates of  conference, and will you be able to get time off work? What is your study leave allocation, and will you be entitled to the whole time, bearing in mind that the conference may be two to four days, or will you be expected to take some or all of the time as annual leave? Can the department cover your absence? Is anyone else in the department attending the conference? It may be that both of you can’t attend. Read your department study leave policy and speak with your line manager well in advance of applying for any conference. 

Applying for funding 

Conferences can be expensive to attend, especially if they are over multiple days. In addition to the conference registration fee, there will be travel and accommodation, unless you are lucky enough that the venue is on your doorstep, and incidentals such as meals and poster printing (unless you have access to an in-house printing service).  

However, there are definitely ways to cut costs. Most conferences offer an early bird discount if you register well in advance, and booking train or airline tickets early usually gives cheaper prices. Using booking sites such as opodo.com and Booking.com can get the best discounts. You could also consider staying in an Airbnb rather than a hotel or sharing a room if there is another colleague attending the same conference. 

Conference fees are usually discounted for AHPs and students or if you are a member of the conference organising body, so consider taking out an annual membership. There are added benefits of becoming a member, including access to journals and guidelines, access to webinars and ground rounds, discounted educational events, opportunities to become involved in guideline groups, and invites to meetings and voting rights, and only members can be considered for a prize for any work presented at conference. 

Funding for conferences can be sought from different places: 

1. Check if your department has an education budget and how much. If all the costs aren’t covered, you can seek additional funding from elsewhere. Remember to check the study leave policy and specifics of funding, as conference/ travel/accommodation may need to be booked and paid for centrally and you may not get your money back if you have paid upfront 
2. The BDA provides GET conference grants to support BDA members speaking or presenting posters at conferences and events. The awards can be used to cover the cost of delegate fees, transport or accommodation. More details can be found at: bda.uk.com/about-us/general-and-education-trust/conference-grants.html 
3. Travel grants may be offered by the conference for attendees and members who are presenting, but it is usually a limited number and on a first come, first served basis 
4. The conference or organising body may offer competitive scholarships open to those who can demonstrate how the knowledge learned will be shared with colleagues and how it will benefit your patients 
5. Are you a member of a specialist interest group, such as one of the BDA’s Specialist Groups? Check if they have an education fund that can offer grants to attend conferences, particularly if you are presenting and/or have not attended a conference before. You may be required to help with a project or write a short piece for the group, such as a summary of the conference, in return 
6. Approach nutrition company reps – they will often be able to offer funding support, but you may be asked to provide something in return, such as writing an article for their magazine or website. However, do consider potential conflicts of interest, such as accepting funding from an infant formula company. Also, if your hospital’s feed contract is out to tender, you will not be able to access support from bidding companies 

Abstract, poster and presentation 

In the first instance, you will need to submit an abstract. This is a summary of your work and it should be sufficiently detailed to read as a standalone document. On the conference website there will be a link for abstract submission, where you can find the guidelines on the abstract, including the word count, layout and submission date. Don’t worry if you miss the submission date, there is usually a late-breaking abstract submission as date, although this can leave you with not very much time for organising everything. 

All abstracts that are accepted are considered for poster presentation and/or oral presentation. A poster is a visual summary of your work and is used to augment discussion with conference attendees who view your poster. There will be a judging session, when you will do a short presentation on your work and answer questions, but it’s fairly informal and the judges are usually very friendly. An oral presentation involves presenting your work to a small audience of conference attendees, known as an oral abstract session or flash talk. These are short presentations, typically five to ten minutes. Usually, you can choose to be considered just for a poster presentation, which may feel less intimidating. 

Each conference has its own guidelines for abstract, poster and oral presentation. Read them carefully and do not assume all conferences have the same requirements. For example, last year I submitted an abstract to a conference and was accepted for a flash talk, which is a five-minute talk plus two minutes for questions. I duly created and printed a poster and turned up at the conference, only to find out I didn’t need the poster. Read the guidelines before you start – it will save you wasted time and money, such as for poster printing. Ask a colleague to check your work for errors and to make sure it reads clearly and is understandable for other people who will be unfamiliar with the topic. 

Ensure that you know your data for whichever presentation you are doing – you will be asked lots of questions. Speak to colleagues who have presented at conference so you know what to expect. 

Additional support 

Whether you have undertaken a project alone or in collaboration with a colleague, it is useful to have a supervisor who has experience of research and who can guide and advise you on writing your abstract. It may be that for the findings of your audit or service evaluation you can do some simple statistical analysis which will elevate your work. 

A supervisor can support you and also check for errors. This is important, as noticing an error after an abstract has been submitted or a poster has been printed can be stressful and adds expense if you have to reprint – both these things have happened to me. A supervisor can also help you prepare for the oral presentation by listening to your presentation and asking you questions. 

The supervisor’s name will be added as an author on the abstract but you, as the lead author, will be the one submitting the abstract and will be the one to present the work at the conference.  

Leave yourself sufficient time 

Do not underestimate the time it will take to organise all the different elements, from workplace logistics of applying for study leave and organising clinical cover, booking the conference, travel and accommodation, to submitting your abstract and developing your poster and/or slides. However, all the effort will be well worth it, and you’ll be looking for the next project and the next conference to present it at. 

Writing an abstract for a conference 

• It needs to be within the word count limit stated, approximately 300–350 words 

• The abstract needs to include the title, authors, aims/objectives, methods, results and discussion/ conclusions 

• It must contain the results data, using statistical analysis when appropriate It must not contain tables and charts It does not contain references 

Instructions for a poster presentation

• The poster should be eye-catching and look professional 

• Use clear, concise language 

• Presentations should be in English 

• Text should be large enough to read, minimum of 18 point and larger for the title 

• If possible, convert data to labelled graphs, which are easier to read 

• Include: Title, Authors, Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions, Take-home messages, References 

• Refer to the guidelines regarding the size and orientation of the poster, as this can vary e.g. A0 portrait, approx. 90cm x 120cm high  

• A poster template may be available 

• Submit the poster by the date specified 

• When I put together a poster, I use PowerPoint, customising the slide size to meet the defined requirements 

• Check if you have access to in-house printing, or else use an online printing service for posters  

Giving an oral poster presentation, abstract talk or flash talk 

• Usually two to three minutes for oral poster presentation and five to ten minutes for a slide talk 

• Introduce your topic 

• Present your methods, results and conclusions 

• Summarise the most important points and the take-home messages 

• There will usually be a conference template you need to use for slides 

10 steps to success

1. Decide what work you would like to showcase 
2. Choose your conference 
3. Ensure that you get approval from your line manager to be able to attend the conference before you submit an abstract 
4. Familiarise yourself with your department study leave policy 
5. Consider the costs, including conference fee, travel, accommodation, poster printing and what support you can get to help cover these costs. Remember, booking early will save you money, but ensure you follow your department guidance before paying for things 
6. Read the guidelines on the abstract, poster and oral presentation before you start working on them so you don’t waste time 
7. Ask for support and guidance from more experienced colleagues and get feedback on your work before you submit or print, in case there are errors 
8. For your oral presentation, know your data and be prepared to answer questions 
9. Leave yourself enough time to get everything done 
10. Be brave and have a go! You won’t regret it 

References

Pager, S., Holden, L., and Golenko, X. Motivators, enablers and barriers to building allied health research capacity. J Multidiscip Healthc. (2012) Feb 20(5), pp 53–59.