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Graduate School

Submission Documents

GradCon uses ScholarWorks. ScholarWorks is UM’s open-access, online archive of research and creative scholarship. 

Please review this document for detailed submission instructions.

Abstracts/Artist Statements/Professional Experience Statements

  1. Submissions may be made for oral or poster presentations in all four discipline categories (STEM, Social Sciences/Humanities, Visual and Performing Arts, and Professional Experiences).

  2. To apply, all UM student applicants must have their faculty mentor review and approve the abstract prior to submission. Faculty & any co-author/presenter names & emails will also be entered on the submission form.

  3. Complete the using your NetID email (ex. AA123456@umconnect.umt.edu) by February 1st (for award considerations) or 15th at midnight. No new submissions will be accepted after the deadline. We encourage you to upload final abstracts at this time, however, updates may be made up to a week prior to GradCon. 

  4. Abstracts (maximum 300 words) should be revised to reflect your most recent work on the project. Explore this page for sample abstracts. Abstracts must include the following elements (as applicable to your field): 

    1. Title: Describe your topic in language that is intelligible to a general audience.

    2. Purpose: State your main thesis or rationale.

    3. Methods: How did you carry out this project?

    4. Originality: What is new about this approach?

    5. Significance: Explain the contribution of this project to your field and/or to society

  5. Artist Statement (maximum 300 words) may be submitted in lieu of an abstract to the Visual & Performing Arts category. Entries may include research or explanation of artwork, sculpture, painting, writing, reading, dancing, playing an instrument, etc.

  6. Professional Experiences Statement (maximum 300 words) may be submitted in lieu of an abstract to the professional experiences category. The professional experiences category is open to graduate students wishing to present capstone projects, white papers, internship experiences, or other applied work that does not fall under the traditional research umbrella. 

 

Presentation Overview

Accepted submissions will be scheduled for in-person oral or poster presentations on Friday, March 6, 2026 in the University Center. For additional logistics on presentation format, printing/uploading posters & presentation slides, and set-up for GradCon, please visit the Day of Presentation page.

Oral Presentations (including Visual & Performing Art) are scheduled in one-hour blocks throughout the day. Each presentation within the block will be 15 minutes total (12 minutes for presentation & 3 minutes allotted for questions).

Poster Presentations will be scheduled for an hour-long session in the afternoon. You will be asked to be in front of your poster for the entire hour as conference attendees circulate and ask questions. Award Session will immediately follow.

Video Recording of Oral Presentations: All oral presentations are encouraged to be recorded & uploaded to ScholarWorks. ScholarWorks is UM’s open-access, online repository that documents, archives, and shares research and creative scholarship. Recording is optional but will give you a permanent link to your presentation that you can share with future employers, colleagues, family members, etc.

Available Assistance & Resources

The Writing Center is providing multiple workshops focused on conference skills as student prepare for GradCon.

If you would like additional assistance in prepping your GradCon abstract, or developing your poster or presentation, please make an appointment through the .

Additional Resources

Writing Workshops at the Writing Center
Sample Abstracts and Statements

- NetID is needed to view (2min)