Lecture Nine Writing an Abstract Contents 1 Introduction

Lecture Nine Writing an Abstract 理 类学术英语写作

Contents 1 Introduction to the Abstract 2 Writing of the Abstract 3 Abstract VS. Introduction 4 Language Use in the Abstract 上海理 大学外语学院

Questions v How many parts does a formal article include? v Which part is most frequently read ? v Which part is the most important part? v Why? 上海理 大学外语学院

Introduction of the Abstract v Significance and purpose of abstract v Forms and types of abstract v Content of abstract 上海理 大学外语学院

Warm-up Questions v What is an Abstract in academic writing like? v Length? v Its location? 上海理 大学外语学院

The Abstract v A short, self-contained, powerful summary of an article, paper or thesis v The miniature version of the paper 上海理 大学外语学院

The Abstract Keep the question below in your mind v What are the Differences Between Introduction and Abstract? 上海理 大学外语学院

Significance of Abstract v It is the most frequently read part of an article after the title. v The abstract should be the best part of the paper! v THE REVIEWER’S/EDITOR'S JUDGMENT is somewhat decided by reading the Abstract alone 上海理 大学外语学院

Significance of Abstract "A well-prepared abstract enables readers to identify the basic content of a document quickly and accurately, to determine its relevance to their interests, and thus to decide whether they need to read the document in its entirety" (American National Standards Institute, 1979 b). 上海理 大学外语学院

Significance of Abstract "A well-prepared abstract enables readers to identify the basic content of a document quickly and accurately, to determine its relevance to their interests, and thus to decide whether they need to read the document in its entirety" (American National Standards Institute, 1979 b). 上海理 大学外语学院

Purpose of Abstract v To help readers identify the basic content quickly and accurately. v To determine its relevance to readers’ interest in deciding whether to read the full paper. v To provides reminders for readers after they’ve read the article v To make it possible for your piece of research to appear in on-line publication databases (indexing) In general, the abstract reflects on the professionalism and integrity of the work. 上海理 大学外语学院

Questions v How long is an abstract? v When do you write the abstract? 上海理 大学外语学院

Types of Abstract Forms of Abstract 1. Abstracts of a single paragraph. 2. “Structured” abstracts consisting of a few brief paragraphs. 上海理 大学外语学院

STRUCTURED ABSTRACT (example) A Five-Gene Signature and Clinical Outcome in Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer ABSTRACT Background Current staging methods are inadequate for predicting the outcome of treatment of non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We developed a five-gene signature that is closely associated with survival of patients with NSCLC. Methods We used computer-generated random numbers to assign 185 frozen specimens for microarray analysis, real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis, or both. We studied gene expression in frozen specimens of lung-cancer tissue from 125 randomly selected patients who had undergone surgical resection of NSCLC and evaluated the association between the level of expression and survival. We used risk scores and decision-tree analysis to develop a gene-expression model for the prediction of the outcome of treatment of NSCLC. For validation, we used randomly assigned specimens from 60 other patients. Results Sixteen genes that correlated with survival among patients with NSCLC were identified by analyzing microarray data and risk scores. We selected five genes (DUSP 6, MMD, STAT 1, ERBB 3, and LCK) for RT-PCR and decision-tree analysis. The five-gene signature was an independent predictor of relapse-free and overall survival. We validated the model with data from an independent cohort of 60 patients with NSCLC and with a set of published microarray data from 86 patients with NSCLC. Conclusions Our five-gene signature is closely associated with relapse-free and overall survival among patients with NSCLC. 上海理 大学外语学院

Types of Abstract v Abstracts are genre-sensitive (i. e. components vary according to discipline) v an abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work. v an abstract of a humanities work may contain thesis, background, and conclusion of the larger work. An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted. 上海理 大学外语学院

Types of Abstracts are usually divided into two main categories: DESCRIPTIVE/INDICATIVE AND INFORMATIVE Descriptive abstracts describe: • What the text is about • The issues or problems explored • The purpose and methodology of the research Informative abstracts describe: • What the text is about • The issues or problems explored • The purpose and methodology of the research • The results • The conclusion and recommendations 上海理 大学外语学院

An Example of Descriptive abstract Descriptive/ Indicative Abstract 上海理 大学外语学院

Informative abstract Abstract In an early stage of developing emerging technologies, there is often great uncertainty regarding their future success. Companies can reduce this uncertainty by listening to the voice of customers as the customer eventually decides to accept an emerging technology or not. We show that risk and benefit perceptions are central determinants of acceptance of emerging technologies. We present an analysis of risk and benefit perception of self-driving cars from March 2015 until October 2016. In this period, we analyzed 1, 963, 905 tweets using supervised machine learning for text classification. Furthermore, we developed two new metrics, risk rate (RR) and benefit rate (BR), which allow analyzing risk and benefit perceptions on social media quantitatively. With our results, we provide impetus for further research on acceptance of self-driving cars and a methodological contribution to acceptance of emerging technologies research. Furthermore, we identify crucial issues in the public perception of self-driving cars and provide guidance for the management of emerging technologies to increase the likelihood of their acceptance. 上海理 大学外语学院

Types of Abstract Descriptive Informative Often written before a project is completed written after a project has been completed Emphasis is placed on the problem and method; Emphasis is placed on the results and conclusion of the project May be required for As a “heading” in the conference paper proposals primary journals or for progress reports; 上海理 大学外语学院

Types of Abstract v The format of your abstract will depend on the work being abstracted; v An abstract of a scientific research paper will contain elements not found in an abstract of a literature article, and vice versa; v However, all abstracts share several mandatory components. 上海理 大学外语学院

Content of Abstract Introduction • Define purpose and scope of study, ie, the question Methodology • Describe materials and methods used Results • Summarize the results Discussion • State the conclusions and their implications 上海理 大学外语学院

• What problem does the project attempt to solve ? Why do we care about the problem? • Why were you drawn to this project? What is your main argument? • How did carry out the Why? • It is extremely important to project ? catch people’s attention in How? • this did you go about • How What was found or created part. finding your as a result of results? your procedure? What? • • Don’t go enough into toodetail muchyet Provide • What areinclude the larger do not actual data detail! So implications ofstatistics). your work? (e. g. survey What? • What is the bigger picture? • NEVER predict your • How does this work add to the results!!! body of knowledge on the topic? • Work on incorporating these implications into your very last sentence. Content of Abstract v Introduction v Methodology v Results v Discussion

Content of Abstract (Zoltan, 2005) Key parts (1)Metalinguistic awareness contributes to effective writing at university. (2)Writing is a meaning-making process where linguistic, cognitive, social and creative factors are at play. (3)University students need to master the skills of academic writing not only for getting their degree but also for their future career. (4)It is also significant for lecturers to know who our students are, how they think and how we can best assist them. (5)This study examines first-year undergraduate Australian and international engineering students as writers of academic texts in a multicultural setting at the University of Adelaide. (6) A questionnaire and interviews were used to collect data about students’ level of metalinguistic awareness, their attitudes toward, expectations for, assumptions about and motivation for writing. (7) The preliminary results of the research show that students from different cultures initially have different concepts about the academic genres and handle writing with different learning and writing styles, but those with a more developed metalanguage are more confident and motivated. (8)The conclusion can also be drawn that students’ level of motivation for academic writing positively correlates with their opinion about themselves as writers. (9) Following an in-depth multidimensional analysis of preliminary research results, some recommendations for writing instruction will also be presented. 上海理 大学外语学院

Content of Abstract (Zoltan, 2005) Key parts (1) Metalinguistic awareness contributes to effective writing at university. Writing is a meaning-making process where linguistic, cognitive, social and creative factors are at play. University students need to master the skills of academic writing not only for getting their degree but also for their future career. It is also significant for lecturers to know who our students are, how they think and how we can best assist them. (2) This study examines firstyear undergraduate Australian and international engineering students as writers of academic texts in a multicultural setting at the University of Adelaide. (3) A questionnaire and interviews were used to collect data about students’ level of metalinguistic awareness, their attitudes toward, expectations for, assumptions about and motivation for writing. (4) The preliminary results of the research show that students from different cultures initially have different concepts about the academic genres and handle writing with different learning and writing styles, but those with a more developed metalanguage are more confident and motivated. (5) The conclusion can also be drawn that students’ level of motivation for academic writing positively correlates with their opinion about themselves as writers. Following an in-depth multi-dimensional analysis of preliminary research results, some recommendations for writing instruction will also be presented. (1)background (2)purpose and aim (3)methods (4)results (5)conclusions 上海理 大学外语学院

Content of Abstract What does a good abstract do? v Sparks interest in your project v Provides a concise description of your research project v States in a clear and simple way the main points of your project v Stands alone v Targets your specific audience! 上海理 大学外语学院

Content of Abstract What NOT to Include v Information not contained in the original work; v References to other work; v Quotations from the original work or from other works; v Lengthy explanations of words and concepts; v Unexplained acronyms or abbreviations; v Tables or figures. 上海理 大学外语学院

Content of Abstract Things to Avoid v Avoid unnecessary phrases including “It is suggested that…” or “It is known that…” ØThese can be omitted without changing the message v Avoid rephrasing or restating the title v Avoid jargon that will not be understood by all readers 上海理 大学外语学院

Content of Abstract Exercise Read the following statements and decide whether they are True (T) or False (F). 1. An abstract should normally NOT exceed 250 words. 2. Acronyms should normally be placed within brackets. (T ) 3. References to the literature can be contained in the abstract. (F ) 4. Conclusions should be based on data/info presented within the abstract. (T ) 5. The abstract can be cited as references (F 6. The abstract should contain enough information for a ) critical evaluation of the research (F ) 上海理 大学外语学院

How to Write an Abstract 1. Remember that an abstract typically contains: topic, research question, methods, results, and conclusion. 1. Read your paper in its entirety. Keep the above categories in mind and underline key points (outlined in #1) as you read. 3. After you finish reading, create your abstract stepby-step based on your underlined material. 上海理 大学外语学院

Writing of the Abstract Step-by-step 1. 2. 3. 4. Write 1 -2 introduction sentences that explain topic, purpose, and research question(s). Write 1 -2 sentences describing your research methods (this may also include the type of data analysis you used). Write 1 -2 sentences describing the results / findings. Write 1 -2 sentences containing your conclusions and recommendations. 上海理 大学外语学院

Revising the Abstract • Read your abstract all the way through: - add transition words to tie ideas together, - eliminate unnecessary content and add in things that are missing, - correct errors in mechanics, and proofread.

Abstract VS. Introduction 上海理 大学外语学院

Definition Abstract ‘“ is a short summary that is written at the beginning of a scholarly article or thesis that states the purpose of the paper and its main conclusion. Introduction ‘“ is found at the beginning of any piece of writing that whet the reader’s appetite to read further and give a taste as to what will be in the rest of the pages. 上海理 大学外语学院

Abstract VS. Introduction purpose Abstract Introduction • To state the purpose of the paper • to save reader’s time • to high-lights the important parts of an easy or article • To draw the reader’s interest • to give the information that the reader needs to fully understand the paper 上海理 大学外语学院

Content of Introduction Definition of key terms, if needed (Optional) Relevant background information (Obligatory) Reviews of work by other writers on the topic (Optional) Purpose or aim of the paper (Obligatory) Your research methods, if any (Obligatory) Any limitations you imposed (Optional) An outline of your paper (Obligatory) 上海理 大学外语学院

Content of Abstract Introduction v Define purpose and scope of study, ie, the question Methodology Describe materials and methods used Results Summarize the results Discussion State the conclusions and their implications 上海理 大学外语学院

Abstract VS. Introduction Distinctions between Abstract and Introduction Content Introduction Abstract important rare methodology, experimental procedures, data collection rare crucial results or findings of research rare important previous research 上海理 大学外语学院

Language Use Features of an abstract v Concise v Objective v Consistent v Complete v Brief 上海理 大学外语学院

Language Use tense function The present tense Description of background such as comment, discussion, report, knowledge, research The simple past tense work done the present perfect stress the influence brought by research. 上海理 大学外语学院

Language Use voice Objectivity v The third person v Passive voice Interaction The first person Active voice 上海理 大学外语学院

Language Use Is there a shortcut? v Discover it in the published papers— the biggest and most reliable source of the knowledge about the written language v Be aware of the functional and notional language for imitation 上海理 大学外语学院

Language Use Tips v v v Read your target journal; Follow the statements and guidelines; Familiarize yourself with the format; Pick up the stock language; Establish a personal bank of stock phrases for your own use in the future 上海理 大学外语学院

Sentence patterns in the abstract Introduce the problem v … is a problem encountered in… v … is still an open problem. v … has raised the question of… v … has been a popular topic for journal articles. v … are extremely active areas of research because… 上海理 大学外语学院

Sentence patterns in the abstract Introduce the research Verbs: consider, discuss, investigate, study, etc. v This article discusses the reasons for… and offers an insight into… v This paper analyzes some important characteristics of… v The paper examines…and considers… v The author considers two specific subjects which… v A principle of constructing … is considered in the paper. v The influence of …on … is investigated. v The process is analyzed using… v The performance characteristics of …are studied theoretically and experimentally. 上海理 大学外语学院

Sentence patterns in the abstract State the purpose verbs: aim, intend, seek; aim, objective, purpose, etc. v One of the purposes of this study is … v This paper seeks to justify…in terms of… v The aim of this study is to carry out analysis for… v The test is aimed to. . v The study is intended to…

Sentence patterns in the abstract State the Scope Verbs: be, contain, cover, include, etc. v The article contains some practical recommendations on… v Subjects covered include… v Some of the specific topics discussed are… v The scope of the research covers…

Sentence patterns in the abstract Content Verbs: address, concern, conjecture, deal with, describe, illustrate, involve in, look at, present, relate to, support, etc. v v v The paper addresses the problem of… The paper describes the principles and techniques of… The paper presents the data in terms of… This paper is devoted to assessment of… This paper is concerned with the analysis of… This paper presents a mathematical model of a circuit breaker with random variation of parameters. v The author describes a configuration of… v The brief history of…is presented. v Performance goals and various approaches to… are briefly described.

Sentence patterns in the abstract Emphasis Verbs: be, concentrate, give, pay, place. v Attention is concentrated on… v Particular attention is/was paid to… v There has been a focus on…and attention is being paid to… v This report concentrates on… v The greatest emphasis has been on… v The primary emphasis in this article is on…

Sentence patterns in the abstract Describe the Method v The formula is derived from… v The test is demonstrated by using… v The analysis was made with…

Sentence patterns in the abstract Outline chief result Verbs: find, result in, etc. Sentence structure: • It is found/ indicated that … • It was found/observed between/ in… • The results of statistically elaborated computations are tabulated.

Sentence patterns in the abstract State the conclusion Verbs: arrive at, conclude, draw, etc. • It is concluded that… • The paper concludes that…

Sentence patterns in the abstract Make recommendations Verbs: propose, recommend to, suggest, etc. • • • It is suggested that… The data/ results/ solutions obtained suggest that… Recommendations are made regarding… Suggestions were made for further study of… The author proposes an approach to…

Assignment v Read as many abstracts in your field of study as possible; v Find one good abstract, and one poor one; v Make your comments to justify your selections 上海理 大学外语学院

References 1) 刘芹主� (2017). 理 英��写教程. 上海: 上海外�教育出版社. 2) Bailey. S (2003). Academic Writing: A Practical Guide for Students. London: Taylor & Francis Group. 3) What Is an Abstract in Writing and Composition? https: //www. thoughtco. com/what-is-abstract-composition-1689050 4) How to Write an Abstract for a Research Paper – Kibin Blog https: //www. kibin. com/essay-writing-blog/how-to-write-an-abstract-for-aresearch-paper/