The following text was supplied
by the Society for Technical Communication (STC):
STC Judging Tips for Abstracts and Displays
STC Judges' Main Goals
How Do We Judge/Evaluate Abstracts?
Common Mistakes Found in Abstracts
How Do We Judge/Evaluate Displays?
Common Mistakes Found in Displays
STC Judges' Main Goals
STC judges focus on how well a student communicates. They judge how
clearly the student explains or shows what the project is about. STC
judges do not analyze the science or the logic of the project.
How Do We Judge/Evaluate Abstracts?
STC judges look for the following in abstracts:
-
Format: Does your abstract
have all the required parts?
-
Syntax: Are your sentences
complete and correctly constructed?
-
Clarity: Is your abstract
easy to understand?
-
Spelling: Look up words in
a reference source if you're not sure!
-
Mechanics: Grammar,
punctuation, and neatness.
See also:
Example abstract and
Abstract Q&A and Hints
Common Mistakes Found In
Abstracts
The following are common mistakes that
STC judges hope not to find in abstracts:
-
Abstract not attached to
the
STC abstract form
-
No adult sponsor's signature on
form (this is required)
-
No title
-
Affect and effect misused
-
Misuse of commas (usually too few)
-
Mixing past and present tense
(past is correct)
-
Starting sentences with numerals
-
Subject and verb not in agreement
-
Acronyms not explained the first
time they appear [Example: The judges are from the Society
for Technical Communication (STC). STC can now be used by itself
in any following sentences.]
-
Sentences too long and
complicated; wordiness, redundancy
How Do We Judge/Evaluate Displays?
The special category STC display judges are concerned only with how
well the display communicates what the student did. Their
instructions are not to speak to the students, or if they do, not to
let it count in the judging. So we're not snubbing you, we're just
judging your display alone! (But remember, the main category judges
do need to interview you, so wait for them to arrive.)
We look for displays that show the
necessary information about the project clearly and effectively.
-
The display design should be clear
and effective.
-
The text fonts should be simple
and readable from a distance.
-
The colors should be pleasing and
effective.
STC judges displays for grades 7-12
only.
See also:
STC Display Hints
Common Mistakes Found in Displays
The following are common mistakes that
STC judges hope not to find in displays:
-
No captions for photos
-
Failure to have a focal point that
lets people know "where to start looking" at the display
-
No titles for graphs
-
Graph axis or axes not labeled
-
Tables without units of measure
specified
-
Not giving credit for borrowed
graphics, etc.
-
Too much text in the display;
especially, too much small type
-
All capital letters in text blocks
(hard to read!)
-
Spelling, grammatical, or
punctuation mistakes (especially bad in large type)
Recommended Reading and Viewing:
Abstract
Q&A and Hints
Example Abstract
2006 Winning Abstracts
Display Hints
STC Contests
Top of page
