GUIDELINES FOR writing a precise ABSTRACT in a

GUIDELINES FOR writing a precise ABSTRACT in a scientific paper

An abstract is va stand-alone document vthat briefly states the essential information vof a paper, article, document, or book. vshould reveal the scope of the paper and topics discussed.

Writing an abstract is bringing down the essence of a whole paper into a paragraph(s), which should be no more than 10% of the length of the original.

Writing an abstract is bringing down the essence of a whole paper into a paragraph(s), which should be no more than 10% of the length of the original. The abstract should be the last part written before a work is submitted

It answers the same questions as the paper/report itself: 1. What was done? 2. Why was it done? 3. How was it done? 4. What was found? 5. What is the significance of the findings?

Types of Abstracts: Ø Informative abstracts Ø Indicative Abstracts Ø Descriptive Abstracts (Executive Summary)

Informative abstracts: v. The most common and useful. v. Gives the reader a sense of the major picture of a document without including the details. v A sentence or two should be devoted to each major section of the paper.

Informative abstracts: v. Sentences should cover the problem, hypothesis, method, results, and conclusions. v. Two hundred words is a good length for briefing the reader on each part of the document.

Indicative Abstracts: üis a guide to the contents of an article but does not reveal any detail. üThe subject and scope of the original article and sometimes the method by which the problem was solved are included.

Indicative Abstracts: üShould cover the problem, its significance, possible solutions or hypotheses explaining it, and ü the methodology used to test a hypothesis or solution. üIndicative abstracts make readers curious about the work by posing questions but withholding specific answers

Descriptive Abstracts (Executive Summary): § presents a general view of your subject, scope, and/or conclusions and recommendations. §It is suitable for essays and technical reports I intended for a general readership. §It would include a brief description of the subject, a complete report of the findings or conclusion, and some recommendations.

How do you write an abstract? to write an effective abstract is to start with the complete draft. 1. Highlight the objective and the conclusions that are in the paper’s introduction and discussion. 2. Bracket information in the methods section of the paper that contains keywords.

How do you write an abstract? 3. Highlight the results from the discussion or results section of the paper. 4. Compile the above highlighted and bracketed information into a single paragraph. 5. Condense the bracketed information into the key words and phrases that identify without explaining the methods used.

How do you write an abstract? 6. Delete any extra words and phrases. 7. Delete any background information. 8. Rephrase the first sentence so that it starts off with the new information contained in the paper, rather than the general topic. One way to do this is to begin the first sentence with the phrase “this paper” or “this study. ”

How do you write an abstract? 9. Revise the paragraph so that the abstract conveys the essential information. 10. Do a word count, revise till it meets the requirement.

Do abstracts vary by discipline (science, humanities, service, art, or performance)? Ø Abstracts do vary from discipline to discipline, and sometimes within disciplines. Ø the basic sciences and social sciences - emphasis on methods than do abstracts in the humanities; Ø Humanities abstracts - explain the objectives than science abstracts do.

Do abstracts vary by discipline (science, humanities, service, art, or performance)? Ø However, even within single disciplines, abstracts often differ. Ø Make sure to ask for examples of abstracts from your field.

What should an abstract include? Although abstracts vary somewhat from discipline to discipline, every abstract should include four main types of information. • It should state the main objective and rationale of your project, • it should outline the methods you used to accomplish your objectives,

Contd /- ……. What should an abstract include? • it should list your project’s results or product (or projected or intended results or product, if your project is not yet complete), • and it should draw conclusions about the implications of your project.

What should my Objective/Rationale section look like? What is the problem or main issue? Why did you want to do this project in the first place? The first few sentences of your abstract should state the problem you set out to solve or the issue you set out to explore and explain your rationale or motivation for pursuing the project. The problem or issue might be a research question, a gap in critical attention to a text, a societal concern, etc.

What should my Objective/Rationale section look like? What is the problem or main issue? Why did you want to do this project in the first place? The purpose of the study is to solve this problem and/or add to the understanding of the issue. NOTE : Occasionally, hypothesis is stated in this section of the abstract; or else it is mentioned in the “Conclusions” section.

How should I choose my title? Ø It is best to choose a title that attracts an audience of non-specialists. ØAvoid jargon; instead, make sure that you choose terms that will be clear to a wide audience.

What if the project isn't finished? But you have a hypothesis / preliminary findings ? If, projects are not completely finished by the time presenters need to submit their abstracts, your abstract need not include final results. you can either include any preliminary results that you do have, or you can briefly mention the results that you expect to obtain.

What the project isn't finished? What if my results are negative ? §They can still be useful and informative, and you may include them in your abstract. §However, highlight the main findings. §The significance – is more important than the raw results themselves. §Keep account of the total words.

How to fit all of the data into just 250 words? Be straightforward. § Abstract need not “flow”. § No long or elaborate introduction or conclusion § Don’t include too much background information on your project’s general topic.

How to fit all of the data into just 250 words? Do’s, § focus on what you have done in your project. § If your abstract is still too long, look for unnecessary adjectives or other modifiers that do not directly contribute to a reader’s understanding of your project. § Look for repetitions, and cut out the repeated information.

How to start writing an abstract? ØRe-examine the work you have done so far. ØLook specifically for your objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. ØAfter re-examining your work, write a rough draft without looking back at the materials you’re abstracting.

What stylistic techniques will make my abstract most effective? Avoid jargon. Jargon is a specialized, technical vocabulary that is used for communicating within a specific field. It is not effective for communicating ideas to a broader, less specialized audience i. e. , Undergraduate Symposium.

How to avoid jargon ? Discipline-specific sentence: Hostilities will be engaged with our adversary on the coastal perimeter. Revised for a more general audience: We will fight on the beaches.

How to avoid jargon ? Discipline-specific sentence: Geographical and cultural factors function to spatially confine growth to specific regions for long periods of time. Revised for a more general audience: Geographical and cultural factors limit long-term economic growth to regions that are already prosperous.

How to avoid jargon ? Discipline-specific sentence: The implementation of statute-mandated regulated inputs exceeds the conceptualization of the administrative technicians. Revised for a more general audience: The employees are having difficulty mastering the new regulations required by the law.

How to avoid jargon ? Be concise. § Don’t use three words where you can communicate the same idea in one. § Don’t repeat information or go into too much detail. § Don’t just cut and paste sentences from your research paper into your abstract; writing that is appropriate for long papers is often too complicated for abstracts.

Tips for writing an abstract : v. Use short, direct sentences. v. Vary your sentence structure to avoid choppiness. v. Read your abstract aloud, or ask someone else to read it aloud to you. v. Use past tense when describing what you have already done. v. Don’t cite sources, figures, or tables, and don’t include long quotations. v. This type of material takes up too much space and distracts from the overall scope of your project.

What kind of feedback should oneseek to make sure the abstract is effective? A Professor or a student in your field who is familiar with work in the field will be able to help one to see whether more needs to be said or less has to be said. They will also be able to help with clarity and precision.

What kind of feedback should I seek to make sure my abstract is effective? Ask someone who specializes in a different field to read your abstract and point out any confusing points. Use of this exercise : If you can make your abstract understandable to an intelligent non-specialist, you’ve probably made it effective for the audience of a standard conference or symposium.

How to choose appropriate keywords in a research paper Journals, search engines, and indexing and abstracting services classify papers using keywords. üAn accurate list of keywords will ensure correct indexing üHelps showcase the research to interested groups. T üWill increase the chances of your paper being cited.

How to choose appropriate keywords in a research paper ØRead through your paper ØList down the terms/phrases that are used repeatedly ØFor e. g. , variants of a term/phrase (e. g. , kidney and renal), drug names, procedures, etc. ØInclude common abbreviations of terms (e. g. , HIV).

How to choose appropriate keywords in a research paper ØNow, refer to a common vocabulary/term list or indexing standard in your discipline (e. g. , Geo. Ref, ERIC Thesaurus, Psyc. Info, Chem. Web, BIOSIS Search Guide, Me. SH Thesaurus). Øensures that the terms you have used match those used in these resources.

How to choose appropriate keywords in a research paper Finally, before you submit your article, type your keywords into a search engine and check if the results that show up match the subject of your paper. This will help to determine whether the keywords are appropriate for the topic of the article.

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