WRITING ABSTRACTS Activity Presentation TACE 2014

WRITING ABSTRACTSActivity PresentationTACE 2014 Saeed Karimi-Aghdam PhD Candidate (Applied Linguistics) Department of Languages University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä, 15.12.2014

Pre-Analysis Stage • 1st step: Choose an abstract from a research article (RA) published in a journal related to your own research area. Alternatively, you perhaps want to pick an abstract from your own published or accepted research article. • 2nd step: For your own convenience, it may be better to copy and paste the abstract into Microsoft Word format. • 3rd step: Add numbers at the beginning of each sentence. University of Jyväskylä

Analysis Stage • 1st step: Underline what you consider to be the key clause (or part-sentence) in the abstract. • 2nd step: Count the number of sentences and words in the abstract and write them down. • 3rd step: What is the main (most common) verb tense in the abstract? Why is this tense used? University of Jyväskylä

Analysis … • 4th step: Is there any citations or references to previous research in the abstract? • 5th step: Does the abstract author uses first-person pronouns (i.e. I or we)? • 6th step: Are metadicoursal expressions(i.e. self-referencing or text about you text such as “This article…” or “In the following section…”) used in the abstract? If so, please write them separately. University of Jyväskylä 15/12/2014

Analysis… • 7th step: Are acronyms/ abbreviations used in the abstract? • 8th step: What structural/ rhetorical patterns and stages do you notice in the abstract? (A structural/ rhetorical stage can vary in length from a phrase to a paragraph and does a communicative and functional purpose in a text!) University of Jyväskylä

Abstract: What is that? • Research article (RA) abstract is an important part-genre. *Genre: a type of text or discourse designed to achieve a set of communicative purposes. • RA abstracts have at least four distinguishable functions: • They function as stand-alone mini-texts, giving readers a short summary of a study’s topic, methodology and main findings. • They function as screening devices , helping readers decide whether they wish to read the whole article or not University of Jyväskylä

Abstract …Cont. • 3. They function as previews for readers intending to read the whole article, giving them a road-map for their reading • 4.They provide indexing help for professional abstract writers and editors • 5. They provide reviewers with an immediate oversight of the paper they have been asked to review (mainly in medical literature) Huckin (2001) University of Jyväskylä

RA Abstracts from Various Fields Orsan (2001) 15/12/2014 University of Jyväskylä

Rhetorical Moves/Communicative Stages in Abstracts • Move: is a stretch of text that does a particular job. It is a functional not a grammatical term. A move can vary in length from a phrase to a paragraph. University of Jyväskylä 15/12/2014

Rhetorical Moves…Cont. University of Jyväskylä

Verb Tense in Purpose/Objective/Object Statement • A general rule is that if a genre-name is used (e.g. the purpose of this paper/article….) the present tense is chosen, but if a noun is used that describes the type of investigation (the purpose of this experiment/ survey/ analysis), the past tense is preferred. • With the rather vague term STUDY, it would seem that the past tense is generally preferred. • Presenting the opening statement and the beliefs held by other researchers in the present tense makes them appear widespread and current. Presenting the results in the present tense makes them appear current, ongoing, and somewhat less “negotiable.” University of Jyväskylä

Four Basic Types of Opening Sentences of Abstracts (Move 1&2) • Type A: Starting with real-world phenomenon or with standard practice • Examples: • Corporate taxation rates vary around the world. • Economist have long been interested in the relationship between corporate taxation and corporate strategy. • Type B: Starting with purpose or objective • Example(s): 1. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of the recent change in corporate taxation. University of Jyväskylä

Four Basic Types …Cont. • Type C: Starting with present researcher action • Example(s): 1.We analyze corporate taxation returns before and after the introduction of the new tax rules. • Type D: Starting with a problem or an uncertainty • Example(s): 1. The relationship between corporate taxation and corporate strategy remains unclear. University of Jyväskylä

Compressing Methods Descriptions (Move 3) • Move 3 can include information about data, participants, length of study, location, etc., as well as some indication of the methods used themselves. In general, methods moves are more likely to use past tense and the passive. University of Jyväskylä

Moving on: Results (Move 4) • A general tendency is to present general results first, followed by the specifics. (particularly and specifically to indicate the transition from general to specific). Examples: In sum, in general, overall, more generally. • Thatclause is used to describe the article authors’ own findings as part of move 4. Example: This research shows that… • Strength of claim from strong (e.g., prove) to weak (e.g., suggest). • Thatclause variants give a somehow greater emphasis to the findings than their noun phrase equivalents. Example: The results offer clear evidence of the reality of global warming. The results offer clear evidence that global warming is a reality. University of Jyväskylä 15/12/2014

Concluding a traditional abstract (Move 5) • Final sentences may be descriptive or (positively) evaluative. • Sometimes RA abstracts end with general implications. • Conclusion may be hedged. • It is better to try and say something meaningful in concluding statement of RA abstract, something to which the reader can attach significance. University of Jyväskylä

Reference • Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2009). Abstracts and the Writing of Abstracts (Vol. 1). University of Michigan Press. University of Jyväskylä

Thank you!E-mail: saeed.karimi-aghdam@jyu.fi

WRITING ABSTRACTS Activity Presentation TACE 2014