Adjudication Criteria for Research Abstracts

To ensure transparency and fairness in the selection process, all submitted research abstracts will be reviewed using a standardized rubric focused on the following criteria.

Relevance to Rural Themes: Does the abstract address rural issues, communities, or innovations?

• Clarity: Is the abstract well-written, coherent, and free of major grammatical issues?
• Innovation: Does the research introduce new ideas, solutions, or perspectives?
• Methodology: Is the research method appropriate and clearly described?
• Impact: Does the research demonstrate potential benefits or implications for rural communities?

Each abstract will be reviewed and categorized using a colour-coded system:

• Red - Reject: Irrelevant to rural themes or lacks clarity/quality.
• Orange - Pending: Requires further clarification or discussion.
• Green - Approved: Meets all criteria and is suitable for presentation.

All student and resident-approved Oral research abstracts will be automatically entered into a random draw. One student presenter and one resident Oral research presenter will each receive a $200 honorarium.

All student and resident-approved Poster presenters will have their posters reviewed in advance (*details will be included in the acceptance email) and will participate in a brief 2–3 minute Q&A with on-site reviewers. One student poster presenter and one resident poster presenter will each receive a $500 prize for having the top score. A sample scorecard will be provided to poster presenters in advance.

We reserve the right to make changes to the process should the need arise.