How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

Definition
How to prepare the abstract
Preparing the text

I have the strong impression that scientific communication is being seriously hindered by poor-quality abstracts written in jargon-ridden mumbo-jumbo.

—Sheila M. McNab

Definition

An abstract should be viewed as a miniature version of the paper it goes with. The abstract should provide a brief summary of each of the main sections of the paper: introduction, methods, results, and discussion. As Houghton (1975) put it, “An abstract can be defined as a summary of the information in a document.”

“A well-prepared abstract enables readers to identify the basic content of a document quickly and accurately, to determine its relevance to their interests, and thus to decide whether they need to read the document in its entirety” (American National Standards Institute 1979b). The abstract should not exceed the length specified by the journal (commonly, 250 words), and it should be designed to define clearly what is dealt with in the paper. Typically, the abstract should be typed as a single paragraph, as in Figure 9.1. Some journals, however, run “structured” abstracts consisting of a few brief paragraphs, each preceded by a standardized subheading, as in Figure 9.2. Many people will read the abstract, either in the original journal or as retrieved in a computer search.

The abstract should (1) state the principal objectives and scope of the investigation, (2) describe the methods employed, (3) summarize the results, and (4) state the principal conclusions. Most or all of the abstract should be written in the past tense because it refers to work already done.

Figure 9.1. Abstract (in conventional format) of a fictional scientific paper. This abstract runs slightly less than 250 words and so would comply with typical word limits. Were a real study being reported, the statistical information probably would be more sophisticated. Note that the order of information parallels that in a typical scientific paper.

The abstract should never give any information or conclusion that is not in the body of the paper. Literature must not be cited in the abstract (except in rare instances, such as the modification of a previously published method). Likewise, normally the abstract should not include or refer to tables or figures.

Figure 9.2. Structured version of the abstract shown in Figure 9.1. The two abstracts are the same except for division into paragraphs and inclusion of headings. As noted, the content is fictional.