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How to Write an Abstract

Michael B. Blank University of Pennsylvania. How to Write an Abstract.

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How to Write an Abstract

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  1. Michael B. Blank University of Pennsylvania How to Write an Abstract

  2. Often when asked to write a report or article, you will be required to include an abstract. This is usually a very concise summary of what the report or article is about and is usually placed before the body of your writing. The abstract can be read to get a quick overview. It tells the reader what to expect in your work and it should be based on all you have written.

  3. Definitions • The word abstract comes from the Latin abstractum, which means a condensed form of a longer piece of writing. There are two main types of abstract: the (1) Descriptive and the (2) Informative abstract. The type of abstract you write depends on your discipline area.

  4. Why do we write abstracts? Abstracts are important parts of academic assignments, most often, reports and research papers. The abstract is usually the last item that you write, but the first thing people read when they want to have a quick overview of the whole paper. I would suggest you leave writing the abstract to the end, because you will have a clearer picture of all your findings and conclusions.

  5. How do I write an abstract? • First read your paper or report for an overview. Identify topic sentences • Read these topic sentences to ensure that they cover the major points in your paper; • Ensure you have written something for each of the key points for either the descriptive or informative abstract; • Check the word length and further reduce your words if necessary by cutting out unnecessary words or rewriting some of the sentences into a single, more succinct sentence; and • Edit for flow and expression

  6. What makes a good abstract? • Uses one well-developed paragraph that is coherent and concise, and is able to stand alone as a unit of information; • Covers all the essential academic elements of the full-length paper, namely the background, purpose, focus, methods, results and conclusions;

  7. Contains no information not included in the paper; • Is written in plain English and is understandable to a wider audience, as well as to your discipline-specific audience; • Often uses passive structures in order to report on findings, focusing on the issues rather than people; • Uses the language of the original paper, often in a more simplified form for the more general reader; • Usually does not include any referencing; and • In publications such as journals, it is found at the beginning of the text, but in academic assignments, it is placed on a separate preliminary page.

  8. Descriptive Abstracts • Descriptive abstracts are generally used for humanities and social science papers or psychology essays. This type of abstract is usually very short (50-100 words). Most descriptive abstracts have certain key parts in common. They are: • Background • Purpose • Particular interest/focus of paper • Overview of contents

  9. Informative Abstracts Informative abstracts are generally used for science, engineering or psychology reports. You must get the essence of what your report is about, usually in about 200 words. Most informative abstracts also have key parts in common. Each of these parts might consist of 1-2 sentences. The parts include: • Background • Aim or purpose of research • Method used • Findings/results • Conclusion

  10. Example • Context: The heightened risk of persons with serious mental illness (SMI) to contract and transmit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is recognized as a public health problem. Persons with HIV/SMI may be at risk for poor treatment adherence, development of treatment resistant virus, and worse outcomes. • Objective: To test the effectiveness of a community-based advanced practice nurse (APN) intervention to promote adherence to HIV and psychiatric treatment regimens. • Design, Setting and Participants: Randomized controlled trial. 238 community-dwelling HIV- positive subjects with SMI who were in treatment at urban public mental health clinics from 2004-2008. • Intervention: Participants in the intervention group were assigned an APN who provided community-based care management at a minimum of one visit/week and coordinated their medical and mental healthcare for one year. • Main Outcome Measures: Viral load and CD4 count at baseline and 12 months, and costs. • Results: Longitudinal models for continuous log viral load showed that the intervention group exhibited a significantly greater reduction in log viral load than did the control group at 12 months (d = -0.384 log10 copies/mm3 (95% CI = -0.165, -0.606, p<0.05). Differences in CD4 from baseline to 12 months were not statistically significant. A cost analysis revealed a potential cost savings of intervention of approximately $600,000. • Conclusions: This project demonstrates the effectiveness of community-based APNs delivering a tailored intervention to improve outcomes of individuals with HIV/SMI. Persons with SMI can successfully adhere to treatment and achieve undetectable viral loads with appropriate supportive services.

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