The Importance of Abstracts: Don't Forget Them!

1. AbstractsDo not forget them John MorrisFaculty of Engineering,Mahasarakham University Pablo Picasso: Don Quixote

2. Importance • Abstracts are important • Certainly most read part of every paper • Expect 7 people will read your abstract for every 1 that reads the rest! • Writing the abstract last? • Most of us do that • but • Write it carefully • and • Check it

3. Concise • Editors place limits on word count • Varies with journal • Typically 100 – 300 words • ~200 words is common • You must fit essential details of your paper into ~200 words • Concise, efficient writing is important • You can not waste even one word! • Assume editor will check! • Full paper: 4020 words with 4000 word limit may be OK • Abstract: 220 words in 200 word limit • Likely to be noticed!

4. Summary from previous workshops CoNCISE WRITING TIPS

5. Direct active style • Verb uses active voice • Simpler to write • Slightly shorter Direct active style • Key word is VERB not noun We measured the growth rate with a camera or The growth rate was measured with a camera • NOT We made measurements of the growth rate with a camera • Passive version • Verb is still key word • English passive slightly more complex • Slightly longer • Target of action is subject and first • Some people insist on passive • Refuse to write ‘we’ or ‘I’

6. Active vs Passive Active Passive Good reason Action Target - 1st word Weak reason Keeps writers who insist on passive happy Silly reason Avoids ‘we’ or ‘I’ • Simpler • Shorter • Less stress on grammar • Fewer mistakes Winner: Active by a large margin ! ACTIVE

7. Useless word list KISS: Ch 2, p 6-, • Some words you can do without …. • Gave • Produced • Did • Formed • Used • Made • Performed • Acquire • You can almost always remove them and • Turn the following noun into a verb! Words that should NEVERappear in abstracts

8. Tenses • Rule: If in doubt, simple past tense will be ‘safe’ • Mostly acceptable • Abstracts • First 1 or 2 sentences: general statement of the problem • Present “It is dangerous to drive on Thai Roads” or • Past “Measurements confirmed that Thai write too much” • Remainder of abstract • Your experiment details, results, analysis and conclusions drawn from results • Past (follow ‘if in doubt’ rule) • Sometimes – last sentence: Advice or suggestions from your results future “Our measurements predict that Bangkok will flood again”

9. Noun Phrases • Common in technical papers • Instead of Analysis of patterns in traffic • Try Traffic pattern analysis • Saves 2 words but also • Saves time-wasting decisions Analysis of|with|bypatterns in|for|withtraffic • Sometimes even native speakers will ?

10. Repetition of long technical phrase • Your paper describes hydrogels made from basil seed mucilage • Describe a basil seed mucilage hydrogel • once!! • In all following sentences, simplify to hydrogel • Saves several words • and • Avoids ….. How many more times???

11. Redundancy In the past, researchers have observed … • You do not need ‘in the past’ .. • you wrote observed .. clearly ‘past’ .. so write Researchers have observed … • Similarly Our experimental measurements showed that excess acid slowed the reaction … • Experiments? How else did you find out that the reaction was slowed?? • Write Excess acid slowed the reaction …

12. Myths • Common myth • Avoid personal pronouns! • Silly!! • Personal pronouns • I, we .. The shortest words in English • USE them to shorten your abstract

13. History ABSTRACTS

14. History • Chemical Abstracts • First published 1907 • American Chemical Society • Contains ONLY abstracts! • Cornell University Library • 641volumes – 1907-2000 • Replaced by electronic version, 2001 • Now >40 million abstracts • Critical for chemical research

15. Chemical Abstracts • Cornell University Library Catalogue • QD1 .C51 • 1st Collective Index v.1/10 (1907/1916) 2nd Collective Index v.11/20 (1917/1926) • 3rd Collective Index v.21/30 (1927/1936) 4th Collective Index v.31/40 (1937/1946) 5th Collective Index v.41/50 (1947/1956) 6th Collective Index v.51/55 (1957/1961) 7th Collective Index v.56/65 (1962/1966) 8th Collective Index v.66/75 (1967/1971) 9th Collective Index v.76/85 (1972/1976) 10th Collective Index v.86/95 (1977/1981) 11th Collective Index v.96/105 (1982/1986) 12th Collective Index v.106/115 (1987/1991) • 13th Collective Index v.116/125 (1992/1996) • SUBSCRIPTION CANCELLED FOLLOWING 2000 • Available 641 volumes

16. Typical Chemical Abstracts Entry • Note • Very high information density • Almost complete details of experiments • Numeric data • Physical properties of chemicals • Sufficient detail for use in other research • Chemical researchers often use abstract alone • AND • Cite the paper based on the abstract!

17. Availability of papers • Access to papers • It’s a commercial world • Publishers make money by selling journals or conference proceedings • Cost of papers • University libraries pay for subscriptions • Papers available on intranets to staff and students • Single papers can be purchased • Typically ~$US35 per paper • High cost per page for an 8 page conference paper! but • Abstracts are FREE! • All publishers make them available on WWW • Anybody with internet access can read about your paper

18. Making your mark • Make sure your abstract is good • Many researchers • Read your abstract but • Cannot read your paper • If abstract is good and has valuable data • Some will cite your paper • They may only need your results • Some will write to you for more details • Some will search your web site for your copy • …. Find it some other way • Good abstracts promote your work • Citations • Contacts • Grants

19. Good Abstract: Basic Requirements • Background • Justify your work • Very brief! • Avoid ‘motherhood’ statements • Combine • Justification and • Description of YOUR system in one sentence • Concise • Verbosity • No one wants it!

20. Good Abstract: No ‘motherhood’ statements • Motherhood • Something that you learnt from your mother • Example: starting your abstract with: Global warming is a major international concern. • Only one person in the world does NOT know this. • Unfortunately, he is President of the United States • These statements waste words in your abstract • Use the words for details of your methods and results • Description of YOUR system in one sentence • Concise • Verbosity • No one wants it!

21. Keep It Simple Verbose abstract In this research, we conducted an experiment to determine whether a new catalytic converter would reduce aldehyde emissions from an engine fueled by E85.

22. Keep It Simple Verbose abstract Just not needed! Obviously this is a research paper! In this research, we conducted an experiment to determine whether a new catalytic converter would reduce aldehyde emissions from an engine fuelled by E85.

23. Keep It Simple Verbose abstract Just not needed! Most papers talk about experiments! In this research, we conducted an experiment to determine whether a new catalytic converter would reduce aldehyde emissions from an engine fueled by E85.

24. Keep It Simple Verbose abstract Vague! What is the paper really about? In this research, we conducted an experiment to determine whether a new catalytic converter would reduce aldehyde emissions from an engine fueled by E85. Finally! Key actions!

25. Keep It Simple Verbose abstract In this research, we conducted an experiment to determine whether a new catalytic converter would reduce aldehyde emissions from an engine fueled by E85. • 24 words  14 words • 40% less! • Significant if you only have 200 words! • Every word counts • You want maximum detail (high information density) • Increase probability that readers will cite YOUR paper Reduces to We measured the reduction in aldehyde emissions from E85 using a new catalytic converter.

26. Keeping it concise • Direct active sentences • Key word is verb! We carried out an experiment to determine the tensile strength • Active word is measure • So .. We measured the tensile strength • Remove useless words • Perform (an experiment to measure …) • Carried out (an experiment to measure .. ) • Addressed (the issue of … ) • Use a direct verb instead • We measured … • We solved …

27. Keeping it concise (2) • Noun phrases • English has too many prepositions! • Difficult for you to choose the correct one • But wrong one is obvious for a native speaker • Use noun phrases instead Tensile strength of steel  Steel tensile strength Modifications[to|on|by] (Which one?) the structure Structure modification • Noun phrases can be quite long Excited by a source of wavelength of 850nm 850nm excitation source • Saves many words and many mistakes

28. Myth (1) • Personal pronouns – Use them! • Ignore any advice that you may not use them • Your analysis must be objective • Writing ‘the present authors’ instead of ‘we’ or ‘us’ does NOT make your argument objective!! • Concise writing is MORE important

29. Abstracts ABSTRACTS MUST STAND ALONE

30. Abstracts often (mostly) read alone • You must be able to understand an abstractwithout access to the paper!! • Journals • Everyone can read abstracts on the web • Only subscribers can read the full paper • Conferences • Booklets of abstracts printed • Full paper may be in handy drive • Many will read the abstractwithout the full paper

31. Abstracts often (mostly) read alone • Constraints • Acronyms • Must be obvious to ALL readers • or • Defined in full • Only define an acronym IFyou use it again in the abstractand it will save space! • No references, eg following Smith [15] • If necessary following Smith (1970) • OK • in chemistry • NMR • GC • MS • IR, UV • OK • in Electrical Engineering • AC, DC • VLSI • CPU • GPU • C++

32. Acronyms - further • Avoid acronyms • Abstract must be read alone • Expand acronyms in FULL in the abstract • Even if you define them again in the text however • Système International ( SI ) units • km, m, mm, mm, nm, … • kg, g, mg, … • s, ms, … • A, mA, .. • Defined by international standard • Understood by everyone • So use them to save space!!

33. Acronyms - General • Capitalization (Strict) Rule • First word of sentence • Proper names – people, places • Acronyms • Too many acronyms makes your paper unintelligible! • Rules • Spell out in full before the first use • Remember – you’re writing English – not in some weird language populated with capital letters known only to a few! So • Full name first (acronym in brackets), eg Symmetric Dynamic Programming Stereo (SDPS) Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) • Not SDPS (Symmetric Dynamic Programming Stereo) • Breaking strict English rules is allowed here • Capitalize words used to form the acronym Symmetric Dynamic Programming Stereo (SDPS)

34. Abstracts RESULTS NEEDED!

35. Results • Detailed results make a good abstract • Actual values should be given • For large tables, summarize key values in the abstract • Don’t force your reader to the full text • Some will not have access to it! • Your reader may cite another paper which has the values needed • Loss of a citation for you ! • Response to one reviewer comment of on my paper on abstracts • Reading full paper is desirable, but sometimes not necessary • You just want a number from it!

36. Abstract models Common abstract faults #1 Technical fault • Lack of numeric results • 100% in one sample from a well-known journal!! • DO NOT follow this model! #2 Verbosity • Wastes space • You want max impact from the (100-200) words allowed! #3 Acronyms in abstract • Abstract will be read alone • Expand all acronyms to full form #4 Reference numbers in abstract • Use authors’ names • Abstract will be read alone

37. Abstracts SUMMARY

38. Summary • Abstract is most important part of your paper • Spend time on it! • Include numeric results • So that others may cite your work from the abstract • Keep it simple • Concise language • Leave out obvious and unnecessary phrases • Good technical English is simple • No ‘motherhood’ statements • They waste valuable words • First sentence justification and background + your contribution

39. Iolanthe(on left) leads the fleet to KohSiChangSeptember, 2015