DocFest is our annual tri-faculty virtual conference for graduate research.
26-30 May 2025
DocFest25 theme: Developing Next Generation Researchers
The inspiration for this year’s theme comes from the Charles Sturt University Research Strategy.
The researchers of today step into an everchanging world, in which opportunity abounds, and paths are forged into new and unknown territories. Undertaking your higher degree needs to deliver you into this world with a range of transferable skills that will ensure you are ready to face the challenges and take up the opportunities that present.
Who is DocFest for?
DocFest is for anyone interested in graduate research but especially if you are:
- A graduate research candidate
- An Early Career Researcher
- An HDR Supervisor
- Research support staff
- An Honours student
- Interested in doing a PhD in the future
Call Abstracts for Oral Presentations and e-Posters
As well as a rich program of keynote speakers, expert panels and workshops, HDR candidates, supervisors and research and professional staff are invited to submit abstracts for oral presentations or e-posters in the following themes:
Themes
- Resilient people
- Learning & curriculum development
- Access & equity in education
- Biomedical discovery
- Health, wellbeing & human behaviours
- Indigenous health & education
- Flourishing communities
- Social frameworks
- Law, justice & security
- Religious enquiry, identity & ethics
- Business & economics
- Indigenous self-determination
- Sustainable Environments
- Agribusiness & agriculture
- Food & water security
- Animal health
- Biodiversity & socio-ecological systems
- Indigenous knowledges and connection to Country
- Developing researchers
- Planning & management
- Academic Writing
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Networking & team building
- Communication and dissemination of your research
Topics for oral presentations may include but are not limited to:
- The ways in which research is designed, conducted, managed and attributed including topics related to ethics, academic integrity, data management or IP and commercialisation.
- The use of specific methodological approaches, tools and designs, and methods of data analysis.
- Literature reviews, research proposals, or research findings.
- Navigating the research journey, candidate well-being, time management, career planning.
Abstracts must be received by COB Monday 31 March 2025 and should be submitted to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ABSTRACTS25
In order to include as many quality presentations as possible, abstracts will be reviewed and assessed relative to the conference objectives and for quality and originality.
Writing Amazing Abstracts – Workshop
Join our most popular presenter Nick Hopwood, from the University of Technology, Sydney on Wednesday 26 February as he presents this workshop, Writing Amazing Abstracts, ideal for anyone submitting papers for DocFest. You will learn to craft compelling, high-impact abstracts that communicate your argument, highlight its importance, and persuade readers, reviewers, and editors to engage with your research and full paper. Register here
Guidelines for oral presentations
Oral presentations by HDR candidates or Honours students may relate specifically to their doctoral research projects or can draw more broadly on aspects of their personal research journey.
Oral presentations from research or professional staff may include research or research experiences, resources or support services as they relate to the HDR candidate and journey or to supervision practice. Presentations should be accessible and interesting to a broad audience to help researchers do better research.
Please submit as detailed below.
- An abstract of 100-150 words should be submitted to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ABSTRACTS25 by COB Monday 31st March 2025.
- Please follow this How to write your abstract
- Oral presentations should not be more than 10 minutes with an additional 5 minutes allocated for Q&A.
- Include a PowerPoint or similar (no limit on slide number) using a wide format slide layout.
Guidelines for e-Poster Competition
- An abstract of 100-150 words should be submitted to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ABSTRACTS25 by COB Monday 31st March 2025.
- Please follow this How to write your abstract
- E-Posters should be self-explanatory and should be formatted in portrait as a PDF.
- Refer to How to design an award-winning research poster for tips. Please be mindful that your e-poster will be viewed in digital form on a zoom screen and design your text and content for ease and clarity of viewing.
- All E-Poster presenters are required to give a 5-minute ‘pitch’ including responding to any questions.
- Prizes will be awarded to the best poster presentations.