2. Francis Bacon once said, “reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; but writing an exact man”
3. REASONS FOR NOT WRITING
Difficulty knowing where to start
Not knowing how to start
Anxiety about writing skills
Lack of confidence
4. WHAT IS AN ABSTRACT ???
An abstract is a very concise statement of the
major elements of your research project. It
states the purpose, methods, and findings of
your research project.
An abstract is a condensed version of a full
scientific paper.
5. Contd…
Length: between 150 and 250 words.
Layout: usually one single paragraph; font
size is different from the main text.
Position: usually at the beginning of the
paper (but it can appear elsewhere, e.g. in
book of abstracts or on-line).
6. ABSTRACTS ARE NOT…
Not substitutes for the article and should not
be cited as references
Not a summary of the entire article; should
present main finding
Do not contain enough information for a
critical evaluation of the research
Not fully peer-reviewed; up to 60% are never
followed by a complete scientific article
7. CHARACTERISTCS OF AN ABSTRACT
Accurate, coherent, and readable
Concise, specific, and selective
Self-contained, i.e, stand alone
Complete and internally consistent
No references
No tables or figures
No or few abbreviations (must be defined)
Conclusions should be based on data/info
presented within the abstract
8. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ABSTRACT ?
Introduce journal articles
Inform readers about the article content
Help readers to decide whether or not to read the
article
Overview conference programs, abstract
collections and book chapters
9. WHY SHOULD I KNOW HOW TO WRITE
ABSTRACT ???
Helps you present complex information in a
clear, concise manner
Helps you read abstracts more effectively
Helps you conduct research
Helps you write abstracts for future
publications
Helps you condense report information into a
short format for database searches
10. FOUR C’s OF ABSTRACT WRITING
Complete — it covers the major parts of the
project/case
Concise — it contains no excess wordiness or
unnecessary information.
Clear — it is readable, well organized, and not
too jargon-laden.
Cohesive — it flows smoothly between the
parts.
12. CONTENTS OF AN ABSTRACT
Define purpose and scope of study, ie, the
question
Introduction
Describe materials and methods used
Materials and Methods
Summarize the results
Results
State the conclusions and their implications
Discussion
15. WRITING THE PARTS OF AN ABSTRACT
STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS:
1. Write 1-2 introduction sentences that explain topic,
purpose, and research question(s).
2. Write 1-2 sentences describing your research
methods (this may also include the type of data
analysis you used).
3. Write 1-2 sentences describing the results / findings.
4. Write 1-2 sentences containing your conclusions and
recommendations.
16. WHAT TO INCLUDE ???
To put it simple:
What the author did?
How the author did it?
What the author found?
What the author concluded?
17. WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE ???
Information not contained in the original
work
References to other work
Quotations from the original work or from
other works
Lengthy explanations of words and concepts
Unexplained acronyms or abbreviations
Tables and maps
18. 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.
19. PRIOR TO SUBMISSION
CHECK YOURSELF DID YOU:
Follow the instructions!!!!
Include headings exactly as stated in the
instructions/template?
Use short, clear sentences; one idea per
sentence?
Limit your abstract to the word count/character
count requirement?
Edit, edit, edit
Check grammar, syntax and punctuation
20. WHY ABSTRACTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED?
Most common deficiencies encountered (in
order of frequency):
Poor presentation
Weak discussion
Lack of originality
Poor methods
Inappropriate statistical analysis
Inadequate results
21. HOW TO IMPROVE ???
Writing is an art, you can learn
Read published manuscript and abstract carefully in
major journals and focus on detail
Practice; practice; practice
Get help from your mentors and colleagues
Attend classes in writing skills/read books
Make the abstract the best part of the article
Make sure it stands alone
Double check every piece of data
22. SOME WRITING TIPS
Active voice is preferable to passive voice
“We studied 15 patients with ARDS.” is much
better than “Fifteen patients with ARDS were
studied.”
Always use the full term before you refer to it by
acronym [for example, Orthotopic Liver
Transplantation (OLT)]
Write only one thought per sentence.
Eliminate unnecessary words
Ensure that verb tenses are consistent and correct
23. MAKE THE ABSTRACT EASY TO READ
Do not use abbreviations without first defining them.
Don't omit articles or other little words in an effort
to save space.
Avoid jargon.
Write in the third person singular.
Use active verbs rather than passive verbs.
Use short sentences, but vary sentence structure so
that the abstract doesn't sound choppy.
Use complete sentences.
![SOME WRITING TIPS
Active voice is preferable to passive voice
“We studied 15 patients with ARDS.” is much
better than “Fifteen patients with ARDS were
studied.”
Always use the full term before you refer to it by
acronym [for example, Orthotopic Liver
Transplantation (OLT)]
Write only one thought per sentence.
Eliminate unnecessary words
Ensure that verb tenses are consistent and correct](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/abstractwriting-150426035836-conversion-gate01-250225201818-1847e2cb/85/abstractwriting-150426035836-conversion-gate01-ppt-22-320.jpg)
