Abstracts
What to do if you are abstracting your own writing
When do people write abstracts?
What is an abstract?
What to do if you are abstracting someone else’s writing
How not to write an abstract:
Types of abstracts
All abstracts include:
An abstract lets readers get the gist or essence of your paper or article quickly, in order to decide whether to read the full paper. Components vary according to discipline. An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work
Highlight key phrases and sentences
Reverse outlining: The process involves writing down the main idea of each paragraph on a separate piece of paper
Descriptive abstracts
Scholars often write abstracts for various applications: conference presentations may require an abstract or other short summary for a program; journal articles almost always require abstracts; invited talks and lectures are often advertised using an abstract
A full citation of the source, preceding the abstract.
The most important information first.
The same type and style of language found in the original, including technical language.
Key words and phrases that quickly identify the content and focus of the work.
Clear, concise, and powerful language.
Do not refer extensively to other works.
Do not add information not contained in the original work.
Do not define terms.
Informative abstract
It incorporates key words found in the text and may include the purpose, methods, and scope of the research.
The majority of abstracts are informative. A good informative abstract acts as a surrogate for the work itself.
When submitting articles to journals, especially online journals
When applying for research grants
When writing a book proposal
When completing the Ph.D. dissertation or M.A. thesis
When writing a proposal for a conference paper
When writing a proposal for a book chapter
Don’t look back: After reading the entire work, put it aside and write a paragraph about the work without referring to it.
Cut and paste: You can read through the entire paper and cut and paste sentences that capture key passages
Identify key terms
