How to Design Abstract Templates That Are Mobile-Friendly

How much influence do abstract submissions really have on an academic event? Long before sessions are finalized or schedules are published, abstracts set expectations for an event’s quality, scope, and direction. They provide the earliest insight into the research that will be presented.

Because of this, collecting abstracts is not simply an administrative step. It involves creating a submission process that feels clear, intuitive, and consistent. Well-designed abstract templates help authors understand what information will be required and how their submitted abstract will be used.

In this blog, we look at how abstract templates influence the submission process, especially when viewed on mobile devices. 

What “Mobile-Friendly” Actually Means for Abstract Templates

To the average person, “mobile-friendly” typically means a webpage that loads easily on a phone. However, for abstract templates, the expectation goes further. Mobile-friendly abstract templates should be easy to read, simple to follow, and realistic to finish on a small screen, even when time and attention are limited.

Readable without zooming: The text has to be large enough to read immediately without needing to adjust the phone’s display. If zooming becomes necessary, many readers lose interest before reaching the end.

Clear structure: The information in the template should be organized in such a way that it makes sense to the reader without any additional explanations. Headings should clearly identify what each section in the abstract covers. 

Minimal scrolling fatigue: Reading on a mobile app or device can become tiring when the content appears as a single continuous block of text. Abstract templates work better when ideas are broken into shorter paragraphs with visible separation. Each scroll should reveal something new and meaningful, not more of the same dense text.

Start With a Clear Content Hierarchy

Mobile readers rarely approach abstracts with patience. They simply scan, decide, and continue their work within seconds. A strong content hierarchy will help ensure that important information surfaces quickly, thereby reducing decision fatigue for the reader. 

Title visibility: On a phone screen, titles should appear right away and be clear enough to tell if an abstract is worth reading within seconds. Large, readable titles let viewers decide whether to continue reading, while buried titles take longer to find and reduce engagement.

Author and affiliation placement: Names and affiliations should follow the title without overpowering it.

Section order: Reading through abstracts is easier when the section order is well-known by the reader. Context first, focus next, details later.

Opening lines: Most often, the first few lines determine whether a person continues reading or scrolls to another article. On mobile, clarity in the opening matters more than completeness.

Primary focus upfront: What the abstract is about should be obvious early. Viewers should not have to go to multiple pages to understand the core idea or topic area.

Balanced spacing: Text grouped together feels heavier on a mobile device and makes progress harder to follow. Balanced spacing breaks content into clear sections and helps readers move through the page more comfortably.

Avoid competing elements: Displaying too many fields at once can overload a small screen.

Consistent structure across submissions: When all abstracts follow the same hierarchy, comparison becomes easier for reviewers and attendees.

A good hierarchy emphasizes what is most important first, supports scanning, and minimizes unnecessary effort. Organizers benefit from a fair review process, faster evaluations, and a more consistent experience regardless of device.

Keep Paragraphs Short and Scannable

Long paragraphs perform poorly on mobile because most reviewers and attendees do not read abstracts line by line on small screens. Most will scroll through quickly to decide relevance, often while switching between tasks. 

A dense abstract template will slow the reviewer down and increase the likelihood of dropping off. On the other hand, shorter paragraphs allow key information to surface at the reader’s fingertips sooner.

Ultimately, if an abstract is easy to scan, it gets read more frequently.

Limit Required Fields Thoughtfully

One of the easiest things you can do to increase your abstract completion rates is to limit the required fields, especially on mobile. When an author opens a submission form, they make a quick judgment about the amount of work involved in completing it. A long list of mandatory fields can feel overwhelming before they even begin.

Some fields are essential. These provide the minimum information needed for review and scheduling:

• • Title
  • Author names and affiliations
  • Abstract text
  • Topic or track selection

Other details can remain optional until later. For example:

• • Secondary author details
  • Funding information 
  • Keywords beyond the minimum
  • Extended author bios

The fewer required fields, the lower the chance that an author will abandon the submission early, especially when submitting from a phone or while multitasking.

Use Headings That Work on Small Screens

On small mobile screens, users typically scroll through content before actually reading it. However, headings help them understand the structure without needing to read every line. In abstract templates, headings signal when the contextual information ends and when the detailed information begins. 

Headings let reviewers quickly navigate abstract submissions and attendees easily find the points most relevant to their interests.

When headings are short and clear, they stay on a single line and avoid crowding content on small screens, which helps keep abstract templates scannable, comparable, and easy to understand across mobile devices.

Avoid Overloading Abstracts With Formatting

Overloading abstracts with formatting makes it difficult for those viewing on mobile devices. Small screens can process text much more easily than visually complex elements, and anything that interrupts vertical reading slows understanding. The best abstract template must allow quick scanning and comparison.

• • Tables can disrupt the layout on mobile devices and force readers to zoom in or scroll left or right.
  • A long list of references may also push other key information in your abstract further down the screen.
  • Excessive links add clutter and detract from the abstract’s primary focus.

Simple abstract formats reduce technical errors, increase review speed, and create a positive user experience for both reviewers and attendees using mobile devices.

Align Abstract Templates With Your Event App

When an abstract template goes through multiple stages (event app, reviewer, attendee), consistency in the layout is crucial. It helps ensure the clarity of the abstract template is maintained at each stage, regardless of who is viewing it  and on which device.

Submission view: At the submission stage, abstract templates should be as simple and obvious as possible. When contributors see a layout that closely matches how their abstract will later appear, it removes guesswork. If someone knows how their submission will look on a mobile device, they will most likely avoid overloading a section.

Reviewer view: Reviewers view the abstract differently. They look for similar content and compare entries one against another. Reviewers have little time for deliberation as well. The review view should be identical to the submission view so reviewers can focus on evaluating the author’s work rather than how it is laid out.

Attendee view: Once abstracts are in the event app, they serve a new purpose. Attendees browse to decide where to spend their time. As long as the abstract template is consistent between finding titles and summaries, key sections are easy to navigate.

Why Mobile-Friendly Abstracts Matter More Than Ever

Mobile-friendly abstracts matter more now as people’s reading behaviors have fundamentally changed. Abstracts are no longer accessed in a single predictable setting or on a single preferred device. They are opened quickly, often on phones, and read in short windows of time. Therefore, content requiring users to zoom and scroll repeatedly is less likely to be read carefully.

Furthermore, abstracts are viewed while performing other tasks, not during focused reading sessions. That reality places more pressure on clarity. When the structure is obvious, and the text is easy to follow, readers understand the point without rereading. In contrast, when abstracts are crowded or unclear, readers’ interest wanes. 

As mobile devices continue to influence how attendees experience events, creating abstract templates that respect this reality supports better engagement throughout the event.

Common Abstract Template Mistakes To Avoid

• • Forcing contributors to fill in too many required fields.
  • Placing secondary information above the title pushes the main topic out of view on first load.
  • Adding tables or complex formatting that do not adjust well to mobile layouts.
  • Letting abstract templates display differently between submission, review, and event app views.
  • Ignoring font size and line spacing standards makes text appear either crowded or irregularly spaced.

Final Thoughts

Abstract templates affect much more than submissions. They influence how smooth the review process will be and how easy it will be to browse through abstracts when the program goes live. When the process feels intuitive, contributors are more likely to submit complete, thoughtful abstracts that support a strong and well-structured event program.

Above all, when templates work well on mobile, content stays readable, comparisons feel fairer, and browsing becomes easier across all devices. To see how this applies in real time, schedule a demo to see how Dryfta integrates into a single workflow for submitting abstracts, reviewing them, and creating a successful event.