6-1
Writing the Abstract
Overview Topics to be covered in this chapter include
• Purpose of the abstract • Content of the abstract • Strategies for writing abstracts
Purpose of the Abstract An abstract provides a concise summary of an article and serves as a “sales tool” for that article. As the summary, the abstract must accurately reflect the article’s most important points as well as the importance of the study. To readers who read an abstract but do not have immediate access to the rest of the article (for example, readers who read an abstract on Medline), the abstract must make sense by itself. An abstract must also “sell” the article. Because an abstract is usually the first part of an article that readers scan, it must—in just a few words— make readers want to learn more about the study. Content of the Abstract Like an article, the abstract contains descriptions of a study’s background and its hypothesis or purpose, the methods, the results, and the conclusions. Some abstracts actually contain these subheadings. Those abstracts are called structured abstracts. Because the length of an abstract is limited (typically to 200–250 words; about 1 double-spaced page), only the most important information can be included. Furthermore, information not stated in the main body of the article must not be included in the abstract. Always check the author instructions of the journal to which you are submitting your article; requirements for abstracts vary from 1 journal to another.
Writing and Publishing Scientific Articles
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