Scientific writing 3.0: A reader and writer's guide - Jean-Luc Lebrun, Justin Lebrun 2021
Coherence between abstract and title
Abstract: the heart of your paper
Paper structure and purpose
A rapid keyword count will determine whether the abstract is coherent with the title. The title contains 9 search keywords: [Slit, Arteriotomy, End-to-side, Arterial, Anastomosis, Microsurgery, non-linear, finiteelement, simulation]. In this count, articles (a, an, the, etc.), prepositions (to, of, for, in), and non-search keywords (elucidate, efficacy) are not taken into account.
In our sample abstract, 6 words are both in the title and in the first sentence of the abstract (66%).
(TITLE) Nonlinear Finite Element Simulation to Elucidate the Efficacy of Slit Arteriotomy for End-to-side Arterial Anastomosis in Microsurgery (title)
(FIRST SENTENCE) The slit arteriotomy for end-to-side arterial Microanastomosis is a technique used to revascularize free flaps in reconstructive surgery.
This percentage is good. Why? The reader, having just read the title, expects to know more about it as soon as possible. Can you imagine the first sentence of your abstract disconnected from the message announced by the title? It is unimaginable. Coherence between title and abstract is achieved through the repetition of keywords. Percentages outside the 30%— 80% range should be examined more closely.
0%—20% There is a problem. The first sentence deals with generalities loosely related to the topic of the paper. It contains two title words or less. It sets the background to the problem. If it briefly explains one or two unusual title keywords, this is fine, as long as sentences 2 and 3 mention most of the other title words. Otherwise, the background is too long and, as a result, the abstract lacks conciseness.
80%—100%. Idyllic percentage? Not necessarily. The first sentence repeats the title with just a verb added. Why repeat! The first sentence should expand the title. However, if that sentence contains many more words than the title, then 80—100% may be acceptable.
To summarize, your title merely whets the appetite of your readers; they expect to know more about your title in your abstract. You should satisfy their expectation and rapidly provide more precise details. The first sentence of your abstract should contain at least one-fourth of the words in your title.
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First count the total number of significant (search) words in your title (in your count, do not include non search words such as on, the, a, in, or adjectives). Let’s call that number T. Then, see if your first sentence contains any of the T words. If you find some, underline them IN THE TITLE. Modified forms (a noun changed to a verb or vice versa) are acceptable but synonyms are not. For example, simulation would be considered the same as simulated, but abrasion would not be the same as corrosion. Count the number of words underlined in your title. Let’s call that number U. Calculate the percentage 100 × U/T. What is your percentage? Between 20% and 80%, you are doing fine. Outside this range, investigate. |
A second count will help you identify the strength of the cohesion between abstract and title. Are ALL title search keywords also in the abstract? They should be.
In our sample abstract, 6 out of the 9 words were in the first sentence, three were still missing. But they were in the rest of the abstract (we propose a non-linear finite-element procedure to simulate the operation). All title search keywords were in the abstract.
Think about it. You give high visibility to a word by giving it title status — the highest status in a paper. Why would title words be missing in the abstract? It may be for the following reasons:
· The title word is not important. Remove it from the title to increase conciseness.
· The title word missing in your abstract is really important. Find a place for it in your abstract.
· It may also be that your abstract frequently refers to a keyword not found in the title. Rewrite your title to incorporate that keyword.
· You used a synonym to avoid repetition. Don’t. Repeating a title word in the abstract increases the relevance score calculated by search engines for that keyword. As a result, your title will be brought up towards the top of the list of titles retrieved.
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You have already counted, T, the number of significant words in your title. Read your abstract and see if any of the important title words are missing. If some are, ask yourself why. Are your title claims too broad? Is your title not concise enough? Are you using synonyms that dilute the strength of your keywords and confuse the reader? Decide which reason applies, and modify title or abstract if necessary. |
You now have three techniques to gauge the quality of your abstract.
1. Abstracts have four parts (and one optional part for just-intime explanation of obscure title words as seen in our sample abstract). The part that represents your contribution should be the most developed.
2. Abstracts repeat all title search keywords.
3. Abstracts expand the title in the first one or two sentences because the reader expects it.
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Read your abstract and locate its various parts. Does your abstract have its four essential parts? Are the parts with the largest number of words, those corresponding to the contribution? Are you still using adjectives and remaining vague when you should be precise? |