Abstract writing
Cecilia utkast
Many research publications require an abstract, which is a brief synopsis of the text outlining its major points. As Samuel Johnson (1755) defined the term, an abstract is "a smaller quantity containing the virtue or power of a greater" (quoted in Oxford English Dictionary).
In research writing, different formats for abstract writing exist, and the information below is therefore of a general kind; students will need to check with their supervisors if their department has specific guidelines for abstract writing.
The length of the abstract will be decided by supervisor, publisher, etc. Generally, though, the word count for abstracts for research articles is 100-200 words.
The function of the abstract is to inform prospective readers of the content and argument of the article, thesis, etc. According to Hernon & Schwartz (2001), abstract authors "need to adopt the art of persuasion—convincing a reader of the worth of reading the paper and perhaps subsequently of using and citing it" (p. 173). These persuasion powers need to be coupled with accuracy and straightforwardness: after having read the abstract the reader should be able to understand the argument of the article, etc. that it describes.
Format of abstracts
Many abstracts more or less follow the IMRaD structure, consisting of an introduction to the topic, a section on method and results, and finally a concluding part that discusses the findings that are being presented in the article. In a study of research abstracts within the field of applied linguistics, Santos (1996) identified a pattern consisting of five "moves". These moves constitute the transitions between the different stages of the abstract, each fulfilling a "communicative purpose" (Santos, p. 485).
In brief, the pattern that Santos identified looks like this:
- Situating the research
- Presenting the research
- Describing the methodology
- Summarising the results
- Discussing the research
(from Santos 1996 p. 485)
This pattern can be applied to other fields as well. As seen in the example below, Santos's pattern highlights the transitions of the text. Not all stages will be found in every abstract, and the order of the moves may vary.Types of abstract
Two common types of abstracts are article abstracts and conference abstracts.
Article abstract
Abstracts usually accompany research articles - in many journals the abstract is published as part of the article, in-between the title and the proper text. Abstract services and journal providers publish abstracts, which serve to inform prospective readers about the contents of the article.Conference abstracts
Another kind of abstract is the one that is submitted to conference cfp:s (call for papers). Researchers wishing to present a paper at a conference send an abstract outlining their proposed paper. Call for papers are sent out well in advance of the actual conference; because of the long-term planning that is necessary for conference participants, conference abstracts are sometimes written before the papers they describe have been written. Therefore, they can not always show the same level of specificity as will be found in article abstracts. To attract the attention of conference organisers, conference abstracts need to be to the point. The author must show his or her command of the topic and the abstract needs to be structured in a way that gives an idea of the organisation of the presentation.
In an editorial in Library & Information Science Research, Hernon & Schwartz (2010) outline the essentials of good abstract writing, focusing on the possible impact of a well written abstract:
To attract readers and entice them to read an entire paper, authors need to adopt the art of persuasion—convincing a reader of the worth of reading the paper and perhaps subsequently of using and citing it. The first step in this type of persuasion is to select a title for the paper that is inviting and not off-putting. Next comes the abstract, in which the author should speak in part to the value of the study and its importance. In essence, the author tries to encourage readers not to abandon the paper but to read on. The first sentence sets the stage and requires good (effective) writing to draw in the reader (who in some cases will be a peer reviewer). The abstract highlights the problem and discusses why readers should care about it. It also reviews the procedures, major findings, recommendations, and conclusions. The abstract might conclude with a few sentences about the value of the study. A good abstract may be the only opportunity to attract readers. For this reason, it is not an afterthought; time should go into its development and presentation.
(p. 173)
A number of articles and books have been written about discipline-specific abstract writing. Here are a few examples:
Medicine
Alexandrov and Hennerici (2007) take their point of departure in the statement that "Writing an abstract means to extract and summarize (think AB – absolutely, STR – straightforward, ACT – actual data presentation and interpretation)" (p. 257):Alexandrov, A.V. & Hennerici, M.G. (2007). Writing good abstracts. Cerebrovascular Diseases, 23, 256-259. [Access via ELIN]Happell (2007) writes about abstracts for conference presentation wihtin the field of nursing. Her article offers practical advice on how to write a good abstract, regarding both structure and content:
Happell, B. (2007). Hitting the target! A no tears approach to writing an abstract for a conference presentation. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 16, 447-453. [Access via ELIN]Fraser, Fuller & Hutber's book Creating Effective Conference Abstracts and Posters in Biomedicine: 500 Tips (2009) offers practical guidance for conference goers.
Fraser, J., Fuller, L. & Hutber, G. (2009) Creating effective conference abstracts and posters in Biomedicine: 500 Tips. Oxford: Radcliffe Pub. [Access via Google Books]
Refs (to the ref list for this section)
Abstract. OED
Hernon, P. & Schwartz, C. (2010). Writing an abstract. Library & Information Science Research, 32. P- 173. [Avaliable via ELIN]
Townsend, S.W., Hollen, L.I. & Manser, M.B. (2010) Meerkat close calls encode group-specific signatures, but receivers fail to discriminate. Animal Behaviour, 80, 133-138. [Access via ELIN]