Writing Abstracts and Introductions

Abstracts and Introductions
Associate Professor Martin Davies
Principal Fellow MGSE/Senior Learning Advisor
Federation University Australia
wmdavies@unimelb.edu.au

Outline
• Abstracts
• Structured Abstracts
• Executive Summaries
• Introductions

Abstracts, Introductions and Literature Reviews
• The Abstract is a separate
document that stands alone in
the document identifying key
points about each segment of
the paper to follow
• The Introduction can incorporate
some literature, outlines the
research “gap”, and narrows
down to the research
question/thesis statement. It is
“wedge”-shaped
• The Literature review forms a
sizable part of the research thesis
or research paper (15-30
percent, or more)
Abstract

Aim of Abstract
• The Abstract has a unique role in academic writing, providing either
an overview, or framework for what is about to be read (Abstract), or
a replacement for what follows (Executive summary).
• Abstracts are around 200-500 words but can be longer
• They generally do not have citations
• Parts of the abstract mirror the sections of the paper/thesis to follow
• They are not “wedge”-shaped but “block”-shaped with implicitly or
explicitly segmented parts:

Abstract Parts
1. Background information (present tense)
2. Principal activity/specific focus (past, present
or present perfect tense)
3. Methodology (past tense)
4. Results (past tense)
5. Discussion/Analysis (past tense)
6. Conclusions (present tense/tentative
verbs and or modal auxiliaries)
Sometimes [5] and [6] and collapsed

Another example (1)
Accreditation of ISO 9000 continues to grow. Whilst manufacturing organisations
were early adopters, in recent years, many organisations from the service sector
have pursued accreditation. In this paper, attitudes towards the standard were
compared to determine if there were significant differences between the views of
manufacturing and service organisations. Empirical data was taken from a
survey of 149 service and 160 Australian manufacturing organisations. Results
showed that differences were not insignificant, particularly in terms of the
benefits sought. For example, [specific results] The implication of the results
suggest that service organisations need to be careful when applying the lessons
learnt from the experiences of the manufacturing sector to overcome the problems
associated with the implementation of ISO 9000. Further, the results of this study
lend support to the argument that the standard is not universally applicable and
may need industry-specific tailoring.

Example analysed (1)
Accreditation of ISO 9000 continues to grow. …
Whilst manufacturing organisations were early
adopters,…
2. Principal Activity (past tense/present perfect tense)
In this paper, attitudes towards the standard
were compared to determine if there were
significant …
Empirical data was taken from a survey of 149
service .
Results showed that differences were not
insignificant,
5. Conclusions (present tense/ tentative verbs and
modal auxiliaries)
The implication of the results suggest that
service organisations need to be careful when
applying the lessons learnt from the
experiences of the manufacturing sector to
overcome the problems associated with the
implementation of ISO 9000. Further, the
results of this study lend support to …
[1] Accreditation of ISO 9000 continues to
grow. Whilst manufacturing organisations were
early adopters, in recent years, many
organisations from the service sector have
pursued accreditation. [2] In this paper,
attitudes towards the standard were compared
to determine if there were significant
differences between the views of manufacturing
and service organisations. [3] Empirical data
was taken from a survey of 149 service and 160
Australian manufacturing organisations. [4]
Results showed that differences were not
insignificant, particularly in terms of the
benefits sought. For example, [specific results
data needed here] [5] The implication of the
results suggest that service organisations need
to be careful when applying the lessons learnt
from the experiences of the manufacturing
sector to overcome the problems associated
with the implementation of ISO 9000. Further,
the results of this study lend support to the
argument that the standard is not universally
applicable and may need industry-specific
tailoring.

Abstract
2. Principal activity/specific focus (past, present
or present perfect tense)
5. Discussion/Analysis (past tense)
6. Conclusions (present tense/tentative
verbs and or modal auxiliaries)

Your Turn (1)
[1]This article, based on narrative inquiry, explores how academics with/out
formal leadership positions experience and understand themselves as leaders
in [2] their everyday working contexts. [3] A single case of a fixed-term
academic was chosen to illustrate how different analytical lenses – „plot
analysis‟ and „discourse analysis‟ – can unpack the complexities of experience
associated with non-positional leadership, a topic scarcely represented in
studies of leadership in higher education. [4] Two interdependent plots – the
heroic plot and the victimised plot – were found to recur throughout the
participant's narrative. [5] These plots signified the conflictual dynamics and
the unique subjectivity in which this person made sense of himself as a leader.
[3] The analytical lens was then shifted to pay greater attention to the ways
in which broader networks of discourses were at play within this
participant's narrative. [4] Using discourse analysis, the discourses of
autonomy and masculinity, among others, were present in constituting the
unique subject positions the participant took up. [5] The article concludes
with a summary of methodological contributions this study offers to the field
of leadership in higher education.

Your Turn (2)
[1] This paper explores the growth of corporate branding in higher
education (HE) and its use by academic and professional managers as a
[2] mechanism for not only enhancing institutional reputation but also
for facilitating internal culture change. [3] It uses Bourdieu’s framework
of field, capital and habitus to analyse case studies of branding in two
English business schools from the perspectives of academics,
management and professional staff and students. [4] The findings reveal
a number of tensions and inconsistencies between the experiences of
these groups that highlight the contested nature of branding in HE. In an
era of rankings, metrics and student fees, [5] it is suggested that
branding has become an important means through which HE leaders
and managers (re)negotiate the perceived value of different forms of
capital and their relative positions within the field. Whilst branding
operates at a largely ideological level it has a material effect on the
allocation of power and resources within institutions. [6] This is an
important development in a sector that has typically privileged scientific
capital and contributes towards an understanding of the ways in which
leadership is ‘distributed’ within universities.

Your Turn (3)
[1] More than 3 million students study outside their home country, primarily at a Western
university. A common belief among educators is that international students are insufficiently
adjusted to higher education in their host country, both academically and socially. Furthermore,
several groups of international students experience considerable amounts of stress while adapting
to the culture of the host-institute. Several researchers argue that [2] studies on adaptation of
international students should widen its focus to the underlying mechanisms that leads towards this
“misalignment”. In a [3] cross-institutional comparison among 958 students at five business
schools in the Netherlands, differences in academic performance between local and international
students were identified by focussing on their levels of academic and social integration. Students‟
academic integration was measured with the Students‟ Adaptation to College Questionnaire
(SACQ), while students‟ social integration was measured with a newly developed and validated
questionnaire. [4] The results indicate that the degree of academic success of international
students is multi-faceted. International students with a (mixed) western ethnic background
perform well on both academic and social integration, and also attained higher study-performance
in comparison to domestic students. In contrast, international students with a non-Western
background are less integrated compared to other international students. Nevertheless, they have
a similar study-performance. Finally, academic adjustment is the main predictor of study-
performance for Dutch, Western and Mixed-Western students. Social adjustment was negatively
related to study-performance. [5/6] The lack of fit for predicting long-term study success of non-
Western students indicates that their academic and social integration processes are more
complex and non-linear.

Your Turn (4)
[1] Two lines of thinking are becoming increasingly important in higher
educational practice. The first derives from constructivist learning theory, and the
second from the instructional design literature. Constructivism comprises a
family of theories but all have in common [2] the centrality of the learner's
activities in creating meaning. [6] These and related ideas have important
implications for teaching and assessment. [3] Instructional designers for their
part have emphasised alignment between the objectives of a course or unit and
the targets for assessing student performance. “Constructive alignment”
represents a marriage of the two thrusts, constructivism being used as a
framework to [4] guide decision-making at all stages in instructional design: in
deriving curriculum objectives in terms of performances that represent a suitably
high cognitive level, in deciding teaching/learning activities judged to elicit those
performances, and to assess and summatively report student performance. The
“performances of understanding” nominated in the objectives are thus used
tosystematically align the teaching methods and the assessment. [5] The process
is illustrated with reference to a professional development unit in educational
psychology for teachers, but the model may be generalized to most units or
programs in higher education.

What is a Structured Abstract?
• A structured abstract is an abstract with clearly distinct section headings,
stipulated by the journal.
• Can be up to 5 pages for conference submissions, e.g., Academy of Marketing
Science
• Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education
http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/author_guidelines.htm?id=jar
he
• Educational Research:
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/authors/rereabstracts.asp
• Journal of Engineering Education
Basic headings:
• OBJECTIVE
• METHODS
• RESULTS
• CONCLUSIONS

Obligatory and optional headings
• Obligatory headings might include:
– Purpose/Objective
– Design/Methodology/Methods
– Findings/results
– Originality
– Conclusions
• Optional headings might include:
– Population
– Background
– Setting
– Participants
– Intervention
– Outcome measures
– Social implications
– Practical implications

The structured headings differ depending on type of article
• Theoretical paper:
– Background
– Purpose
– Sources of Evidence
– Main Argument
– Conclusions
• Literature review paper
– Background
– Purpose
– Design and methods
– Conclusions

Typical Format
• Purpose
What are the reason(s) for writing the paper or the aims of the research?
• Design/methodology/approach
How are the objectives achieved? Include the main method(s) used for the research. What is the
approach to the topic and what is the theoretical or subject scope of the paper?
• Findings
What was found in the course of the work? This will refer to analysis, discussion, or results.
• Research limitations/implications (if applicable)
If research is reported on in the paper this section must be completed and should include
suggestions for future research and any identified limitations in the research process.
• Practical implications (if applicable)
What outcomes and implications for practice, applications and consequences are identified? How
will the research impact upon the business or enterprise? What changes to practice should be made
as a result of this research? What is the commercial or economic impact? Not all papers will have
practical implications.
• Social implications (if applicable)
What will be the impact on society of this research? How will it influence public attitudes? How will
it influence (corporate) social responsibility or environmental issues? How could it inform public or
industry policy? How might it affect quality of life? Not all papers will have social implications.
• Originality/value
What is new in the paper? State the value of the paper and to whom.

Example
Purpose – The purpose of this article is to assess the concept of grade inflation in higher
education institutions in an effort to determine its prevalence, causes, and strategies which can be
implemented to curtail it.
Design/methodology/approach – A literature review of the problem is presented along with
several strategies as possible solutions to restraining the problem of escalating grades in the
college classroom.
Findings – The problem of grade inflation has been a topic of concern for over a century and
there are no quick fixes or simple methods of reversing this trend but there are several
alternatives presented which could help curtail this trend.
Research limitations/implications – Most of the research is based on anecdotal research.
Very little has been written on how to fix this problem.
Practical implications – This paper brings this issue to the forefront in an effort to engage the
reader, college administrators and educators.
Social Implications – This paper is the building block for future research on this topic. The
culture of the college classroom, teaching and learning could be affected by this issue. The hiring,
training and evaluation of college instructors could be impacted if colleges and universities choose
to investigate the issue of grade inflation at their institutions.
Originality/value – The paper begins with an overview of previous research in this area and
then moves on to what is currently being implemented to curb grade inflation. The authors then
propose several methods and possible solutions which could be implemented to deal with this
problem.

Example
Purpose: Advances in information technology (IT) have made communication and transactions in business
markets more effective than ever before. In spite of the increased popularity of studying buyer–
seller relationships, IT influences on business relationships remain an under-researched area. The
purpose of the current research is to illustrate how a digital bond emerges in a relationship in terms
of the digital bonding process and its influence on other bonds in buyer–seller relationships.
Methodology: A literature review, conceptual analysis, and in-depth case studies are used.
Findings: The digital bond is presented as a special type of bond that is formed in an IT-mediated
coordination effort and from the interaction between companies. An antecedent of the formation of
a digital bond is an existing IT system that is successfully shared in a relationship, or relationship-
specific IT acquired for business activities.
Research Implications: Digital bonds bind business parties through interlocking business-specific activities
affecting other bonds and the business relationship. Digital bonds were also found to be drivers of
the other bonds affecting structural bond strength and the business relationship.
Practical Implications: Managers should engage in digital bonding behavior with selected key suppliers and
customers to increase the efficiency of their firms‟ in day to day processes. Illustration of successful
digital bonding will be provided.
Contribution of the Paper: The concept of the digital bond is introduced as a subdimension of the
structural bonds (technical, time, knowledge, and economic bonds). The digital bonding process is
described and its influence on the business relationship and other bonds depicted.
•

• Write either a Structured Abstract or
an Abstract of your present paper/thesis
• Show it to the person next to you

What is an Executive Summary?
• Sometimes called a “Management summary”.
• Purpose is similar as Abstract
• Differs from Abstract in terms of length and comprehensiveness
• Features:
– be possibly 10-25% or so of the length of the main report
– be written in language appropriate for the target audience
– consist of short and concise paragraphs
– start with a summary
– be written in the same order as the main report
– only include material present in the main report
– make recommendations
– provide a justification
– have a conclusion
– be able to be read separately from the main report
– sometimes summarize more than one document
Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing:
http://www.mhhe.com/mayfieldpub/tsw/abstract.htm

Differences: Abstracts and Executive Summaries
Abstracts
• Short
• An Abstract is read when
deciding whether or not to read
the main document
• Abstracts = 5 percent of
document
• Functional headings: Context,,
method, results…
• Emphasizes sections in equal
measure
• Never uses “dot” points
Executive Summary
• Longer
• An Executive Summary is the
document in miniature, and may
be read in place of the main
document.
• Executive Summaries 10-25
percent of document
• Can also use descriptive
headings: Preventative
maintenance of the X,
Maintenance backlog and
funding…
• Emphasizes conclusions,
recommendations, justification
• Often uses “dot” points

The “Idealised” Introduction
General Area of study
Specific Area of research
“Gap” in research
Research Question to be answered
Thesis statement (tentative answer)
Outline of the paper to follow
Aim/justification

Examples of Introductions
• Look at examples
• Note the following stages:
– General area
– Specific area
– Gap in research
– Research question/hypothesis/aim/justification
– Thesis statement
– Outline
• Which could be sharper, clearer, and why?

Example of Introduction (1)
• [General Area] In recent years economic imperatives have
provided the pressure for governments to reassess their
relationships with universities. Government are no longer
prepared to accept unquestioned institutional autonomy and
the culture of self-regulation that have for so long been
features of these relationships. Governments are now
concerned that universities be more publicly accountable,
productive and efficient than in the past. [Specific area] As a
result, the move to increase student retention in our
universities in an era of rapidly increasing enrolments has
become a key goal and easing the transition from school to
university is seen as a significant element in this process.

• [Other research] The focus on retention and transition has been
reflected in a recognition that an emphasis on how students learn and
the complex interactions that take place in the learning process are as
important as the traditional focus on teaching methodology (see for
example Barr and Tagg, 1995). School leavers face a number of
challenges in making the adjustment from school to university
(Jones, 1999; Smith, 2003). They are expected to learn challenging
material and to be capable of independent thought, and to adjust to
different teaching styles and an expanded social environment.
[Gap in Research] Until recently, in many disciplines, including the
Commerce related disciplines, little attention has been given to student
learning and the effects of teaching on the learning process.

• [Purpose of Research/Aim] The Faculty of Economics and Commerce at the
University of Melbourne conducted two surveys of the first year Bachelor of
Commerce intake in 1999 as part of a program to ease the transition of
students from school to university and to improve the quality of the teaching and
learning environment. [Justification of Research] The surveys were seen as
a first step in gaining a better understanding of student perceptions of
their approaches to learning and their expectations and experiences in
their first year in the Faculty. In order to gain an understanding of their
perceptions of their previous year of education and their expectations of
the learning context at university, students were surveyed after they had
enrolled, but prior to the start of semester. A second survey was
conducted towards the middle of the second semester to gather student
perceptions of the Faculty environment and to compare these perceptions
with those reported in the first survey. [Overview] This paper presents
the results of the surveys and discusses the implications of these for first
year teaching and learning.

Your Turn: Introduction
Exercise

Writing Abstracts and Introductions

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