Post on 19-Jul-2015
ABSTRACT:
“An abstract is a self contained, short and powerful
statement that describes the scope, purpose, results and
contents of work.”
PROPERTIES OF
ABSTRACT
• It does not contain vague statements which force the
reader to refer to the main text.
• The abstract should be the best part of the paper!
• It is the most frequently read part of an article after the
title.
WHO WRITE IT?
• Usually the author of the paper, because they have a first
hand knowledge their piece of research;
• Sometimes professional writers, who abstract books and
articles for a wide audience.
PURPOSE?
• To persuade the reader to see the full text.
• To help readers decide if the articles is relevant for their
purpose.
• To answerer a call of paper in a conference.
• To make it possible for your piece of research to appear
in on line publication database(indexing).
WHAT TO INCLUDE?
• Reason for writing:
What is the importance of the research? Why would a
reader be interested in the larger work?
• Problem:
What problem does this work attempt to solve? What is
the scope of the project? What is the main
argument/thesis/claim?
WHAT TO INCLUDE?• Methodology:
An abstract of a scientific work may include specific
models or approaches used in the larger study. Other
abstracts may describe the types of evidence used in the
research (e.g. qualitative interviews, book reviews, etc.)
• Results:
Again, an abstract of a scientific work may include
specific data that indicates the results of the project. Other
abstracts may discuss the findings in a more general way.
WHAT TO INCLUDE?
• Implications:
What changes should be implemented as a result of the
findings of the work? How does this work add to the
body of knowledge on the topic?
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.
TYPES OF ABSTRACT:
Abstract are usually divided into four types:
• Informative Abstract
• Descriptive Abstract
• Structured abstract
• Presentation and poster abstract
DESCRIPTIVE
ABSTRACT:
• “If you are writing an abstract for a less-structured
document like an essay, editorial, or book, you will write
an indicative abstract.”
PARTS OF DESCRIPTIVE
ABSTRACT
An descriptive abstract is generally made up of three parts:
• Scope
• Arguments Used
• Conclusions
• SCOPE:
“The range of the material dealt with in the original
document as well as the starting premise of the
document.”
• ARGUMENT USED:
“The main arguments and counterarguments employed in
the original document. These arguments should be stated
in the same progression in which they appear in the
document.”
• CONCLUSION:
“ It state the document’s main closing argument and its
implications as suggested by the original author. This
conclusion section might also state plot resolution when
the original document is a work of fiction.”
DESCRIPTIVE
ABSTRACT:Example:
• This report describes a brief, 15-session couples group
therapy format developed by a university-affiliated
human sexuality clinic for the simultaneous treatment of
marital and sexual dysfunctions. The major marital and
sexual themes addressed in this group treatment design,
an overview and description of the structure of the
cognitive-behavioral approach, and a case illustration are
presented.
INFORMATIVE
ABSTRACT:
• “If you are writing an abstract for a strictly-structured
document like an experiment, investigation, or survey,
you will write an informative abstract.”
PARTS Of INFORMATIVE
ABSTRACT
An informative abstract is made up of four parts:
• Purpose
• Methodology
• Results
• Conclusions
• PURPOSE:
“The purpose section of an informative abstract should
state either the reason for or the primary objectives of the
experiment or investigation.”
• METHDOLOGY:
“ It describe the techniques used in conducting the
experiment.”
• RESULT:
“It relates the observations and/or data collected during the
experiment.”
• CONCLUSION:
“state the evaluation or analysis of the experiment results.”
• EXAMPLE:
Subjects’ car clocks were set ten minutes fast in order to determine if deliberately setting a clock ahead will reduce lateness. One group of subjects knew their clocks had been set ahead, while a second group of subjects was not informed of the change. Over a four-week period, the subjects who were aware of the clock change regularly arrived on time or late for their scheduled appointments. Over the same period of time, the subjects who were unaware of the clock change tended to arrive early or on time for their appointments. Data suggest that intentionally setting a clock to run fast does not reduce lateness because one accounts for that extra time in his or her schedule.
COMMON ERROR:
• Inconsistency between text and abstract (~50%)
• Reporting data not present in the paper (~30%)
• Both (15%)
HOW TO FIX ERROR:
• Double check every single piece of data in the abstract
against the data in the body of the article!
STRUCTURED
ABSTRACT:• Also called “more informative” abstracts
• Purposes:
• Help readers quickly judge the findings of a study
• Guide authors into better summaries
• Aid reviewers
• Facilitate electronic searches (e.g, MEDLINE)
• Include headings
• May use incomplete sentences
• Follow journal requirements
Background—Dual-chamber (atrioventricular) and single-chamber
(ventricular) pacing are alternative treatment approaches for sinus-
node dysfunction that causes clinically significant bradycardia.
However, it is unknown which type of pacing results in the better
outcome.
Methods—We randomly assigned a total of 2010 patients with sinus-
node dysfunction to dual-chamber pacing (1014 patients) or
ventricular pacing (996 patients) and followed them for a median of
33.1 months. The primary end point was death from any cause or
nonfatal stroke. Secondary end points included the composite of
death, stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure; atrial fibrillation;
heart-failure score; the pacemaker syndrome; and the quality of life.
Results—The incidence of the primary end point did not differ significantly between the dual-chamber group (21.5 percent) and the ventricular-paced group (23.0 percent, P=0.48). In patients assigned to dual-chamber pacing, the risk of atrial fibrillation was lower (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.66 to 0.94; P=0.008), and heart-failure scores were better (P<0.001). The differences in the rates of hospitalization for heart failure were not significant in unadjusted analyses but became marginally significant in adjusted analyses. Dual-chamber pacing resulted in a small but measurable increase in the quality of life, as compared with ventricular pacing.
Conclusions—In sinus-node dysfunction, dual-chamber pacing does not improve stroke-free survival, as compared with ventricular pacing. However, dual-chamber pacing reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation, reduces signs and symptoms of heart failure, and slightly improves the quality of life. Overall, dual-chamber pacing offers significant improvement as compared with ventricular pacing.
PRESENTATION
ABSTRACT:
• Must be comprehensive
• Must strictly follow format and content rules (the old
“blue box”) and must be neat
• Often contain more details of methods
• More likely to include implications
• May be published in conference proceedings
• Provides opportunity for feedback from others in the field
POSTER ABSTRACT:
• Include lots of illustrations, tables, and graphs
• Keep words to a minimum
• Consider as a billboard, not a summary
FEATURES OF ABSTRACT
WRITING
• Accuracy
• Brevity
• Clarity
• Uniqueness
• Authority
• Language
• formatting
Uniqueness:
“The people who study
your abstract must see
that your study is
interesting and offers
something new”
Authority:
“The abstract should
indicate that quality of the
paper is very good and
everything which is
explained is authentic”
Language:
“The author must be used
mostly English language
but for some countries he
must be used native
language like Japan ,
china”
FORMAT:
• For title
• At the top of the page
• Upper and lowercase letters
• Layout:
It is usually one single paragraph; font size is different
from the main text.
• Length:
One or maximum two pages used only
Documents Maximum length of abstract
Papers and articles 250 words
Notes and short communications 100 words
Letters to the editor 30 words
Long documents like monographs
and theses
300 words
RREMEMBER:
• Make the abstract the best part of the article
• Make sure it stands alone
• Double check every piece of data