Titles and Abstracts Titles Abstracts Titles Used for

Titles and Abstracts Titles; • Abstracts. •

Titles • Used for indexing articles; • Include key words; • List three to four terms that embody the most vital concepts in the paper; • Two lines or less; • Do not use long multiple modifiers (“randomly growing tissue culture axons”); • Rhetorical questions? The answer could be “no”

Abstracts: A Recipe 250 words, 5 -7 sentences; v Sentence 1: The current state of affairs; v Sentence 2: The problem with this state of affairs; v Sentence 3: The new idea, argument, evidence, solution you offer; v Sentence 4: How you arrived at the idea, argument, evidence, solution; v Sentence 5: The outcome.

Abstracts (from Catherine Baker) Step 1: The current state of knowledge in the field. What do we think we know? (What you put here is also a bit of a performance of who you think ‘we’ are, for the purposes of joining this conversation. ) Step 2: Move the narrative forward. Something is WRONG with what we think we know. Step 3: Offer a solution.

Abstracts (from Catherine Baker) Step 4: Method. What did you do—or what will you have done by the time the presentation happens—to solve the problem? Step 5: Resolution. We got there.

Abstracts (from Purdue OWL) A statement of the problem and objectives; A summary of employed methods or your research approach (the significance of the proposed topic should become clear, as well); A self-contained piece of writing that can be understood independently from the essay or project.

Abstracts (from Purdue OWL) Background; Aims; Method; Results; Conclusions and comment.

Abstracts (from UNC Writing Center) Reason for writing: What is the importance of the research? Why would a reader be interested in the larger work? Problem: What problem does this work attempt to solve? What is the scope of the project? What is the main argument/thesis/claim? Methodology: Specific models or approaches used in the larger study; the types of evidence used in the research.

Abstracts (from UNC Writing Center) Results: Specific data that indicates the results of the project; discuss the findings in a more general way. Implications: What changes should be implemented as a result of the findings of the work? How does this work add to the body of knowledge on the topic?

Abstracts (from Chapter 6, Robert Day Scientific English, 2011) “… A summary of the information in a document” (29) By highlighting major points, the purpose of the abstract is to enable the reader to decide whether to read the entire document. General Characteristics: 250 words; Single-paragraph; Mostly past tense; Only give information found in the paper.

Abstracts (from Chapter 6, Robert Day Scientific English, 2011) State the principle objective and scope of the investigation; Describe the methods employed; Summarize the results; State the principle conclusions.

Abstracts (from Chapter 6, Robert Day Scientific English, 2011) Informative Abstract: States problem, method, principle data, conclusion; Can be read independently of paper; Used as the heading of most academic journals. v Indicative (descriptive) Abstract Indicates the subjects dealt with in a paper

Informative Abstract Summarizes the key facts, conclusions, and other important information in the body of the report. Usually about 10 percent of the length of the full report. Summarizes the key information from each of the main sections of the report, and proportionately.

Informative Abstract Phrases information in a very dense, compact way. Sentences are longer than normal and are crammed with information. The abstract tries to compact information down to that 10 -percent level. It's expected that the writing in an informative abstract will be dense and heavily worded. (However, do not omit normal words such as the, a, and an. )

Informative Abstract Omits introductory explanation, unless that is the focus of the main body of the report. Definitions and other background information are omitted if they are not the major focus of the report. The informative abstract is not an introduction to the subject matter of the report – and it is not an introduction!

Informative Abstract Includes key statistical detail. Don't sacrifice key numerical facts to make the informative abstract brief. One expects to see numerical data in an informative abstract. Omits descriptive-abstract phrasing. You should not see phrasing like this: "This report presents conclusions and recommendations from a survey done on grammar-checking software. ” Instead, the informative abstract presents the details of those conclusions and recommendations.

An Example: (taken from Michael J. Katz, Elements of the Scientific Paper, Yale University Press, 1985). How Do Straight Axons Grow? Informative Abstract (key words: cell behavior, quantification of/cell motility mechanisms/development of neural patterns/fractal dimensions/tissue culture, neuronal) Detailed growth paths of embryonic frog and chick axons were measured as the axons elongated in dispersed cultures on acid rinsed surfaces. Mathematical analyses demonstrated that under these conditions axons did not grow randomly but tended to grow straight. It appears that an axonal resistance to bending may be the cause of the intrinsic tendency for relatively straight axonal growth. The natural straightness of axonal growth may be an important developmental determinant of certain in vivo axon patterns. (78 words, 4 sentences, average 19 words per sentence, 25% passive)

(Katz' advice) State what was done. Use past tense. Detailed. Informative growth paths Abstract of embryonic frog and chick axons were measured as the axons elongated in dispersed cultures on acid rinsed surfaces. State the major result. Use the past tense. Mathematical analyses demonstrated that under these conditions axons did not grow randomly but tended to grow straight. Present one major explanation. The present tense is a clue to readers that you are offering a general explanation. It appears that an axonal resistance to bending may be the cause of the intrinsic tendency for relatively straight axonal growth. Point out one significant implication. The present tense indicates a generalization. The natural straightness of axonal growth may be an important developmental determinant of certain in vivo axon patterns.

Detailed growth paths of embryonic frog and chick axons Informative were measured as Abstract the axons elongated in dispersed cultures on acid rinsed surfaces. Mathematical analyses demonstrated that under these conditions axons did not grow randomly but tended to grow straight. It appears that an axonal resistance to bending may be the cause of the intrinsic tendency for relatively straight axonal growth. The natural straightness of axonal growth may be an important developmental determinant of certain in vivo axon patterns. (nominalization) (78 words, 4 sentences, average 19 words per sentence)

Informative Abstract We measured detailed growth paths of elongated frog and chick axons in dispersed cultures on acid rinsed surfaces. Mathematical analyses revealed the axons grew straight. Resistance to bending causes straight growth and indicates a developmental determinant of certain in vivo axon patterns. (42 words, 3 sentences, average 14 words per sentence)

Revision Checklist for Informative Abstracts As you reread and revise your abstracts, watch out for Informative Abstract problems such as the following: Make sure that the informative abstract summarizes all the major sections of the report. (And don't forget—the informative abstract is not an introduction!) • Make sure the informative abstract summarizes all key concepts, conclusions, and facts from the body of the report (including key statistical information). • Make sure that the informative abstract excludes general, obvious, deadwood information and that the phrasing is compact and concentrated. • Make sure that the informative abstract is neither too brief (less than 10 percent) nor too long (more than 15 percent). •