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HowtoWriteaScientificAbstract:12StepswikiHow

HowtoWriteaScientificAbstract
ThreeParts:

PreparingtoWriteanAbstract

StructuringanAbstract

CheckingStyleandFlow

Ascientificabstractsummarizesyourresearchpaperorarticleinaconcise,clearlywrittenwaythatinformsreadersaboutthe
article'scontent.Researchersuseabstractstodeterminewhetherapaperisrelevanttotheirworkand/ordecidewhichpapers
toacquireandread.Foracademicconferences,participantsonlyreceivecopiesoftheabstractsinproceedings.When
readerssearchthroughelectronicdatabasesforarticles,theabstractisusuallythesolepartofthepaperthattheyseewithout
cost.Typically200250words,ascientificabstractconsistsoffivekeyparts:titleandauthorinformation,background,
methods,results,andconclusions.[1]

Part

PreparingtoWriteanAbstract

Completeyourresearchpaper.Authorsusuallywritetheirabstractsaftertheyhavefinishedtheirresearch
paperssothattheabstractcontainsthemajorpointsofthearticle.Ifyouneedanabstractforaconferencepaper
proposalbeforeyourpaperiscompletelyfinished,besuretohaveadraftoroutlineformofthepaperfromwhichyou
cancreateyourabstract.

Readyourresearchpapercompletely.Highlightorunderlinetheimportantpointsandcopyandpastetheminto
aseparatedocument.Afteryoufinishreadingyourpaper,reviewyourunderlinedmaterialandselectsentences
thathelpexplaintheresearchtopic,researchquestion,methods,results,andconclusion.Retainthismaterialforyour
abstract.[2]

3
Part

Identifykeywords.Rememberthatonlinedatabaseshavekeywordsearchenginesforfindingabstracts.Note
relevantkeywordsthatwillhelpresearchersfindyourpaper.Settheseasideforuseinyourabstract.

StructuringanAbstract
Explainthebackgroundofyourstudy.Usingthematerialandkeywordssetasidefromyourpaperasthebasis,
write13introductionsentencesthatexplaintheresearchtopic,purposeofthestudy,andresearchquestion(s).[3]

Thefirstsentenceshouldbeinteresting,eyecatching,anddrawthereaderintoyourpiece.[4]Astheshortestpartof
theabstract,yourbackgroundshouldconveywhatalreadyisknownaboutthesubjectandhowitrelatestoyourpaper.
Thebackgroundalsoexplainswhatwedonotknowyetaboutthesubjectandthuswhatthestudyexaminedand/or
whatyourpaperpresents.[5]
Thinkoftheresearchpaperashavinginvestigatedaparticularscientificquestion.Otherresearcherswillvalue
knowingyourresearchquestion.
Yourbackgroundsectionshouldanswerquestionslike:WhatdidIstudy?Whyismyresearchquestion
important?WhatdidmyfieldofstudyknowaboutmyresearchquestionbeforeIdidthisstudy?Howwillthis
studyadvanceknowledgeinourfield?[6]
Trytouseanactivevoiceandreducepassivelanguagethroughoutyourabstract.Forexample,write:"I
interviewedCassandra"insteadof"Cassandrawasinterviewedbyme."
Minimizeuseofpronounslike"I"or"we."Writeabout"thestudy,""thispaperexamines,"or"thisresearch"
insteadof"mystudy"or"Iwriteabout..."
Keepyourabstractinthepastorpresenttensebutnotinthefuture.Forinstance,donotwrite:"thispaperwill
examine"but"thispaperexamines"or"theresultsshowed."

Shareyourresearchmethods.Thesecondlongestsectionoftheabstract,yourmethodssectionshouldexplain
in23sentenceshowyouconductedyourstudyandwhatexactlyyoudid.Didyouusequalitativeand/or
quantitativemethods?Methodscanincludelabexperiments,ethnographicfieldwork,interviews,surveys,and/ordata
analysis.Yourmethodssectionshouldanswerthefollowingquestions:
Whatwastheresearchdesign?
Howlongdidthestudylast?
Whatwasthesamplesize?
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Howdidyourecruitparticipants?
Whatwastheresearchsetting?[7]

Demonstrateyourresults.Write12sentencesdescribingtheresults/findingsofyourstudy.Majorfindings

includekeyquantitativeorqualitativeresultsoridentifiedtrends.[8]Yourresultssectionisthemostimportantpart
ofyourabstractbecauseitexplainswhatyoudiscoveredandtherelevanceofyourworktootherpeople'sresearch.
Thisisthetimetoelaborateandgivedetails.[9]

Concludewiththemainpointandimpactofyourresearch.In12sentences,iterateyouroverallsummaryof
theprojectanditstheoreticaland/orpracticalimpactonthepertinentfield(s)ofstudy.Statewhetheryour
researchhasfilledaknowledgegap.Theconclusionshouldbedatabasedandveryfactual.Donotpresent
unsubstantiatedpersonalopinions.[10]Endyourconclusionwithastrongfinalsentence.

Chooseatitleforyourabstract.Yourtitleshouldsummarizetheabstractandconvincereviewersorpotential
readersthatthetopicisimportant,relevant,andinnovative.Theabstracttitlecanbethetitleofyourpaper.Be

suretoincludeyourname,institutionalaffiliation(ifapplicable),andcontactinformationunderthetitle.[11]
Someorganizations,journals,orconferencesrequireaspecialformatforthetitle,whichcouldbealluppercase
letters,bolded,oritalics.[12]

Part

CheckingStyleandFlow

Readyourabstractaloudandcheckcontentaccuracyandflow.Yourabstractshouldbeshortandconcise
butalsoflowsmoothly.Makesureyouhaveadequatetransitionsfromsentencetosentenceandconsideradding
transitionwordslike"additionally"or"furthermore."Fixanyproblemsentencesthatrepresentyourfindingsinaccurately
orareunclearintheirmeaning.
Readtheabstractasifyouwereanotherresearcherdecidingwhethertoreadyourpaper.Doyoufindthe
abstracthastherightinformationtohelpyoudecidewhethertoreadit?Ifnot,askyourselfwhatismissing.

Proofreadforcorrectgrammar,spelling,andpunctuation.Considerprintingoutyourabstractandeditingit
withapencilorpen.Havingyourworkinprintversusonyourcomputerscreencanhelpyoucatchadditional
mistakesandenvisionhowyourabstractwillappearinprintedmediums.Becauseyourwritingstyleimpactsreaders'
perceptionofyourwork,effectivestyleandaccurategrammarandmechanicsareimportantelementsofasuccessful
abstract.
Besuretoplacecommasandperiodswithinquotationmarks,e.g."Miltonsaid."insteadof"Miltonsaid".
Donotendsentenceswithprepositions(of,for,about).
Varyyourverbsandnounsfromsentencetosentenceanduseaprintoronlinethesaurusforsynonymsin
ordertonotsoundrepetitive.
Avoidvagueadjectiveslike"very"and"many."Trytoquantifyyourfindingswithspecificnumbersorconditions
thatoffercomparisons.Forexample,"135interlocutorsparticipated"or"SubjectA'sperformancewasthirty
percentbetterthanSubjectB'sperformance."
Writtenyearsshouldnothaveapostrophes.Thus,write"1990s"ratherthan"1990's."
Eliminateunnecessarycontentandaddanymissingimportantpiecesofinformation.[13]

Completeawordcount.Makesurethatyourabstractisnottoolongorexcessivelyshort.Aimtohaveasclose
tothewordcountlimitaspossible,whetherforexample,200or250words.Somejournalsorconferenceswill
rejectabstractsthataretoolongsobesuretobeaccurate.

Shareyourabstractwithafriendorcolleague.Havinganotherpersonreviewyourabstractwillensurethat

yourabstractmakessensetopotentialreaders.Iftheyhavesuggestionsforchanges,rereadyourabstractandrevise
yourwork.

Tips
Reviewtheabstractguidelinesforthespecificjournalorscholarlydisciplineforwhichyouarewriting.Mostdisciplines
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(e.g.biologyorsociology)havetheirownstylisticconventionsforabstracts.Useotherabstractsfromyourfieldas
examplesforstyle.
Donotincludereferencestootherpapers,nonstandardabbreviations,oranykindsofillustrations.Forabbreviationsyou
doinclude,alwaysspellthemoutthefirsttimeyouusethemunlesstheyareincommonuse.[14]

Warnings
Ifyouwriteanabstractforaresearchpaperthatyoudidnotwrite,rememberthatitisnotyourjobtoreviewthepaper,
criticizeitsmethods,orofferyouropinionontheimportanceorrelevanceoftheresearch.

SourcesandCitations
1.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136027/
2.https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/706/1/
3.https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/706/1/
4.www.med.upenn.edu/focus/.../WritingaResearchAbstract_CompIB.doc
5.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136027/
6.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136027/
7.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136027/
8.http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWsections.html#abstract
9.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136027/
10.www.med.upenn.edu/focus/.../WritingaResearchAbstract_CompIB.doc
11.www.med.upenn.edu/focus/.../WritingaResearchAbstract_CompIB.doc
12.www.med.upenn.edu/focus/.../WritingaResearchAbstract_CompIB.doc
13.https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/706/1/
14.www.acponline.org/residents_fellows/competitions/abstract/prepare/res_abs.htm

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