How to write an abstract.doc

How to Write an AbstractWhat is an abstract?An abstract is a brief, accurate, and comprehensive summary of the contents of the article without added interpretation or criticism. A well-written abstract will make the reader want to learn more about your research, read your paper, or attend your presentation. Abstracts also serve as a summary of the research so the paper can be categorized and searched by subject and keywords. There are different ways to summarize researches in various fields in the arts, sciences, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. How does an abstract appeal to such a broad audience?The audience for this abstract covers the broadest possible scope-from expert to lay person. You need to find a comfortable balance between writing an abstract that both shows your knowledge and yet is still comprehensible-with some effort-by lay members of the audience. Limit the amount of technical language you use and explain it where possible. Always use the full term before you refer to it by acronym. Remember that you are yourself an expert in the field that you are writing about-dont take for granted that the reader will share your insider knowledge. Even if you get used to presenting ideas to people who speak your “language,” its unlikely that when it comes time to get funding or publish, you will need to speak beyond those disciplinary boundaries.What should the abstract include?1. Motivation or Statement of Problem: Why do we care about the problem and the results? What problem are you trying to solve? This section should include the importance of your work, the difficulty of the area, and the impact it might have if successful. 2. Methods or Approach: What did you actually do to get your results? Did you analyze three plays, interview 125 students, write a memoir, invent a more powerful photovoltaic cell, or translate a book? Did you approach your subject using a specific theoretical framework, technical procedure, or methodology?3. Results or Product: As a result of completing the above procedure or investigation, what did you learn, create, or invent?4. Conclusions or Implications: What are the implications of your answer? Tell to the reader if it is going to change the world, be a significant step forward or simply serve as a road sign indicating that this path is a waste of time (all of the results are useful). State also if your results are general or specific to particular case.What characteristics of a good abstract?1. An abstract should reflect correctly the objectives and contents of the article. Do not include information that does not appear in the body of the article in the abstract. If the investigation extends or replicates previous research, it must be recorded in the abstract, with a brief citation of the author (initials and family name) and year. It is suggested that the author compare the abstract with the outline of the articles headings in order to verify the accuracy of the abstract.2. Self-contained: Define all unique terms, abbreviations (except units of measurement), and acronyms in the abstract. Include names of the authors (initials and family name) and dates of publication in citations of other publications (and give a full citation in the list of references). If the article does not have a separate Keywords section, embed them in the abstract as this will enhance the readers ability to find them; this will also help in indexing.3. Concise and specific: Each sentence should be as informative as possible, especially the lead sentence. Make it brief. The total length of the abstract should not exceed 120 words, in one paragraph, if possible. Begin the abstract with the most important information but do not repeat the title. It may include the purpose of the investigation, the results and conclusions, or whatever is the most important to inform the readers.4. Coherent and readable: Write clearly. Here are some suggestions as to write clearly: Use verbs rather than the noun equivalents. Use the active rather than the passive voice, but without personal pronouns. Use the present tense to describe results without continuing applicability or conclusions drawn. Use the past tense to describe specific variables manipulated or tests applied. Use the third rather than the first person.How do we go about writing the abstract?1. Review your original article. Outline its main themes and highlights to use for your abstract.2. Write a rough draft. Summarize the article using new words. Dont copy and paste from the original! This rough draft should be longer than your finished product so you can delete unnecessary words. Let yourself brainstorm while you edit.3. Re-read your original article and try to pinpoint any concepts you could use as keywords for an Internet search. Headings, titles or table of contents are usually good sources of keywords.4. Write an introductory sentence. This will be a statement of purpose for your article. It should introduce your central concept.5. Write the body. This will be a brief description of the subject matter, roughly one or two paragraphs. Embed keywords into the first 20 words of the body. Make them inconspicuous so they dont break the readers concentration.6. Write a one or two sentence conclusion. This should entice someone to read more.7. Edit and revise your abstract as needed. It is best to let a day pass before you return to it with fresh eyes. Edit unnecessary words. Be sure you clearly present your main points.There are two main types of abstract: the Descriptive and the Informative abstract. The type of abstract you write depends on your discipline area.1. Descriptive abstractsDescriptive abstracts are generally used for humanities and social science papers or psychology essays.1) A descriptive abstract identifies the topics in the report, and is an extended statement of purpose.2) Make a list of all the topics covered in the research paper that needs to be talked about.3) Descriptive abstracts are short! No more than 100 words.4) Simply introduce the subject to the reader.5) Revise your abstract a few times to make sure it is clear and concise and that it reads in the same voice as the paper.2. Informative abstractsInformative abstracts are generally used for science, engineering or psychology reports.1) Summarize your paper. The summary should be thorough, but brief.2) Start by making a list of all the information the reader should know just by reading the abstract. 3) Proofread your abstract and have somebody else proofread it for you. Does it make sense?Common Problems1. Too long, too much detail, or including too much introductory/methodology material.2. Using too much jargon. Use plain English and active voice where you can, and simple sentences.3. Not using complete sentences.4. Too short, or not giving the reader sufficient context and completeness: Shorter is not always better.5. Vagueness.Helpful tips for writing an abstract1. Abstract may have a formal tone, but avoid using the passive voice (the experiment was performed) unless the publication requires it.2. Abstracts are typically a paragraph or two and should be no more than 10% of the length of the full essay. Look at other abstracts in similar publications for an idea of how yours should go.3. You may repeat sentences from your paper in your abstract. In some cases, your papers introductory paragraphs may be suitable for the abstract, but they will have to be condensed and rewritten to fit the purposes of the abstract. 4. Remember to use keywords important to your field of research or to use words that indicate your field (biochemical engineering, for example, or the history of By