Writing Abstracts &
Summaries
Jim Dubinsky
Director, Undergraduate Studies
D/English, Virginia Tech
1
Communication is essential to
scientific enterprise
• In 1995, the National Academy of Sciences
recognized communication as necessary for
conduct of research & fundamental to scientific
enterprise itself (see On Being a Scientist).
• Science Citation Index lists over 3000 peerreviewed publications.
• Each year, over 40,000 scientists apply for
funding from National Science Foundation and
the National Institutes of Health.
2
Shaping of Knowledge
• Scientific experimentation and knowledge are
governed by tacit beliefs and assumptions about
what is factual, valid, and acceptable; these beliefs
are social in nature.
• Communication is central to growth of scientific
knowledge in each discipline.
• Persuasion is an integral part of scientific
communication; it includes the use of sound
arguments and an appropriate style of
presentation, as well as acceptable theories,
methods, and data.
3
Shaping Knowledge (cont.)
• As social enterprise, scientific fields are also
governed by explicit conventions and rules about
what and how to communicate in science.
• Collaboration and cooperation are essential to the
development of scientific theories, research, and
knowledge.
4
Thinking Rhetorically
• Balances purpose, audience, and context
• Focuses attention on-• what the text should say
• how the meaning should be presented
(arrangement, delivery & style)
• when the message should be delivered (kairos)
• why that message and presentation strategy are
appropriate
5
Writing is a Social Act
“Every utterance is oriented on intercourse, on the
hearer, on the reader, in a word, on another
person, on social intercourse of any kind
whatever.”
Bakhtin & Medvedev (1985)
6
Understanding the rhetorical situation
• Ask a few important questions:
• Why is writer writing (purpose)?
• Who are the readers of the text?
• How will those readers read?
• What situational constraints, if any, exist?
• How will these constraints affect the role or
identity the writer establishes?
• What presentational strategies should the writer
consider?
7
What is an Abstract?
An abbreviated, accurate representation of the
contents of a document, preferably prepared by
its author(s) for publication with it.
American National Standards Institute
Taking an original article, understanding it, and
packing it neatly into a nutshell without loss of
substance or clarity.
W. Ashworth
8
Qualities of Abstracts
• Appear at beginning of most journal articles
• Help readers decide whether article is
pertinent
• Used in indexing
• May even appear on their own--abstract
journals or online information services
When do people write abstracts?
• when submitting articles to journals,
especially online journals
• when applying for research grants
• when writing a book proposal
• when completing the Ph.D. dissertation or M.A.
thesis
• when writing a proposal for a conference
paper
• when writing a proposal for a book chapter
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/specific-writing-assignments/abstracts
10
To what uses may an abstract be put?
• Serve as a current awareness source, providing rapid and
accurate communication of professional knowledge.
• Present a condensed and collective view of selected material
for retrospective inquiry and access. Abstracts can enhance
access to rare or historical data and information.
• Provide native language summaries of text-based foreign
language materials, which helps users to overcome language
barriers and to select appropriate materials which can then
be fully translated.
• Provide textual descriptions of oftentimes non-textual
information, such as numerical data.
• Allow users to access and evaluate a larger volume of source
data and information by providing summarized surrogates
to search.
• Allow users to evaluate individual source materials more
easily by providing summaries of key data and information.
http://www.ciesin.org/metadata/documentation/abstracts/guidelines.html
11
ABC Rule
• ABC: Abstract, Body, Conclusion
• derives from classical rhetoric (Aristotle’s
Poetics--all writing should have a beginning,
middle, and end)
• Abstract: provides introductory & summary
material
• Body: all supporting details
• Conclusion: gives readers necessary
information to act.
Abstracts
• Abstract helps readers by addressing the
following issues:
• Purpose: Why are you writing?
• Scope/Methods: What work did you do?
How?
• Results: What did you learn?
• Conclusions: What is the significance?
Effective Abstracts
• Include full citation of the source
• Use one or more well-developed paragraphs, which are
unified, coherent, concise, and able to stand alone (200-500
words)
• Use an introduction-body-conclusion structure in which the
parts of the report are discussed in order: purpose, research
questions, methods, findings, conclusions, recommendations
• Follow strictly the chronology of the report
• Add no new information - merely summarizes report
• Contain stand-alone qualities - the abstract can be
understood without reading the paper
• Are intelligible to a wide audience
Types of Abstracts
• Descriptive: tells what paper is about without
revealing any of the findings. Sounds like a
statement of organization. May read like an
expanded title.
• Used for research reviews, conference
reports
• Informative: usually has most of elements of
descriptive abstract but also provides specific
data and results.
• Used for research reports
Informative Abstract
• Usually contains/represents full argument of
the report
• topic and purpose of study
• methods used
• results obtained
• conclusions drawn
• Must be condensed (5% or less of total length
of full paper)
Abstract (cont.)
• If report follows Introduction, Methods, Results and
Discussion (IMRAD), usually abstract will as well:
• Topic introduced in present tense (usually a
sentence or two)
• Background/need for study (usually w/o
references to prior work)
• Methods and results described in past tense
• Major conclusions and implications in present
tense (Olsen & Huckin; AIP 1990; CBE 1994)
Constructing the Abstract (first steps)
• Focus on the basic features
• Identify relevant information
• Extract, organize, and reduce the relevant
information into a coherent whole
• Refine the abstract through editing and
proofreading
The Art of Abstracting by Edward T. Cremmins (pp. 15-17)
18
Writing the Parts of an Abstract
1.
2.
Choose a title that indicates the topic of the paper.
Purpose: State the topic or research question(s).
Highlight relevant past research.
3. Important Specifics:
• Describe research methods (this may also
include the type of data analysis used).
• Describe the results and/or findings.
4. Present conclusions, recommendations or
implications.
Revising the Abstract
• Read your abstract all the way through:
• add transition words to tie ideas together,
• eliminate unnecessary content and add in
things that are missing,
• correct errors in mechanics, and
• proofread.
Example of a Scientific Abstract
Usability and User-Centered Theory for 21st Century OWLs
By Dana Lynn Driscoll, H. Allen Brizee, Michael Salvo, and Morgan Sousa from The Handbook of Research on
Virtual Workplaces and the New Nature of Business Practices. Eds. Kirk St. Amant and Pavel Zemlansky. Hershey,
PA: Idea Group Publishing, 2008.
This article describes results of usability research conducted on the Purdue Online
Writing Lab (OWL). The Purdue OWL is an information-rich educational website that
provides free writing resources to users worldwide. Researchers conducted two
generations of usability tests. In the first test, participants were asked to navigate the
OWL and answer questions. Results of the first test and user-centered scholarship
indicated that a more user-centered focus would improve usability. The second test
asked participants to answer writing-related questions using both the OWL website
and a user-centered OWL prototype. Participants took significantly less time to find
information using the prototype and reported a more positive response to the usercentered prototype than the original OWL. Researchers conclude that a user-centered
website is more effective and can be a model for information-rich online resources.
Researchers also conclude that usability research can be a productive source of ideas,
underscoring the need for participatory invention.
Example of Informative Abstract
Technology for fast-cure concrete, used in other construction areas in
the past, recently found application in highway pavement. During July
1986, a 4-in. (10.2-cm) concrete overlay was applied to 7 mi. (11.2 km)
of U. S. Highway 71 north of Storm Lake, Iowa. The project team
developed a new type of concrete mix that cures fast to allow traffic onto
the road in only 24 hours. This innovation provides an example of
cooperative government-industry effort and successful procurement
policies implemented by a government agency. Initiated as a response to
competition from other materials, the development of fast-track
concrete illustrates the process and involvement of many organizations
in product innovation. This paper describes the development of paving
technologies in Iowa, the formation of an industry association, and the
innovation process to bring about technical improvements and cost
competitiveness. The implications section describes elements of
government policy to foster an increased rate of innovation in U.S. public
construction, including supporting increased technical capability, using
demonstration projects, encouraging competing technologies.
Descriptive Abstract
This progress report summarizes the XXXXX
Laboratory work performed for the Reactor
Development Program during January 1997
in the following research and development
areas: Experimental Breeder Reactor No. XI
(EBR-XI), LMFBR Design Support,
Instrumentation and Control, Reactor
Physics, Reactor Safety, Energy and
Environmental Systems, and Other Fast
Breeder reactors.
Descriptive Abstract #2
This report examines factors affecting fuel
demand in International Energy Agency
member countries, describing how regulatory
measures to limit pollution by passenger cars
have affected fuel use.
“Fuel Efficiency of Passenger Cars.” International
Energy Agency Report 92-64-1243-8 (1991).
Sample Abstract
Modern solar systems for converting the sun’s
energy into heat are gradually coming into wider
use, but the efficiency of various system
components has inhibited the growth of the
industry. This paper is a study of a dual method
for concentrating the sun’s rays and of removing
more heat from the circulating medium. The
efficiency of the design is shown to be higher
than than of the Wooster system. The design
improvements show new potential for solar
energy applications.
Evaluating the Sample
• Writer cares little for readers
• Sentence 1 sets the stage, but it is gratuitous for
knowledgeable audience
• Sentence 2 is misguided attempt to be clear, avoiding use
of appropriate terms such as “solar collector” and “heat
transfer”--likely terms for literature search.
• Sentence 3 is ambiguous (is efficiency determined
theoretically, experimentally, or both? How is efficiency
measured?)
• Citing Wooster article violates principle of complete,
easy-to-read information.
• It is short (79 words).
Revised Abstract
The successful design of cost-effective solar energy
systems depends mainly on the development of
higher conversion efficiencies. A theory is given or
the thermal performance of a new solar collector
array that combines reflected and refracted light
rays. The theory is applied to the design of a
complete system for solar heating of a building.
Dynamic operating characteristics for a one-month
interval are given for the collector array and heat
transfer devices and cost efficiency is compared with
that of conventional design.
Use References Carefully
• Don’t “handwave”
The development of this widget has not been
successful in the past because of the thermal
mismatch14 in the glass-to-metal seals.
Not clear here how the reference to R.F. Bond’s Glass-toMetal Sealing Techniques is being used. Does Bond
discuss 1) the nature of thermal mismatches in glasses
bonded to metals, 2) the poor choice of materials that
results in thermal mismatches, or 3) the thermal
mismatch problems that occurred in the bonding of a
specific widget.
Better Use of Reference to Bond
• The development of this widget has not been
successful in the past because, as noted by
Bond,14 the bonding of testalloy to Cornea
Glass No. 13 results in a slight thermal
mismatch and leakage in the normal range of
operating temperatures.
Sentence Placement
• Where you place citation in a sentence can affect the
meaning.
We have examined a digital method of spread-spectrum
modulation for multiple-access satellite communication and
for digital mobile radio telephony.1,2
----------------------------• Better Placement
We have examined a digital method of spread-spectrum
modulation for use with Smith’s development of multiple-
access satellite communication1 and with Brown’s
technique of digital mobile telephony.2
Reader Benefits
• Careful and correct use of literature references
will improve the quality and readability of any
report.
• Readers benefit because they are directed to a
pertinent source you have chosen carefully
and used effectively to enhance or expand
upon a key point.
Exercise – read and revise
Observations on the skin tumors in workers exposed to coal tar in a
charcoal briquette factory were reported. Six of 10 cases of tar
tumors occurred inside the factory and four occurred on the
outside. All of the skin tumors involved the face. The principal
localizations, in decreasing order of incidence, were the nose (8
localizations), the eyelids (7 localizations), the lips (4 localizations),
and the ears (2 localizations). The tumors appeared after widely
varying periods of exposure, ranging from 1 year to 43 years. The
histologic variety of these tumors were independent of the duration
of exposure. In half the cases, there were multiple tumors. Three
major types of tumors revealed by histologic results were
keratoacanthoma, papilloma, and epithelioma. All these tumors
were curable with therapeutic methods now available:
electrocoagulation and radiotherapy. In comparing the delay in
appearance of tumors as a function of job assignment, it was noted
that the 5 patients showing tumors within the first 10 years of
exposure were those most highly exposed to coal tar.
32
Read and revise
The personality characteristics of adolescent drug
abusers were studied in a comparison of an adolescent
drug abusing group and an adolescent nondrug abusing
group from middle and upper middle classes. The
variable of sex was also studied. The Minnesota
Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was used to
evaluate personalities. Results showed that there were
certain personality characteristics which distinguished
adolescent drug abusers from nonabusers. Drug
abusers were more nonconforming, tended to reject
social conventions and lacked the ability to form
satisfactory emotional relationships. No difference was
found between male and female users based on MMPI
scales.
33
Summary
• Before you write
• Skim (read the article to get an overview)
• Look for advance organizers such as
• preview statements, introductions, headings, illustrations,
titles, and conclusions
• Reread the article slowly
•
•
•
•
Underline key points/terms
Highlight main idea/writer’s purpose
Jot down questions
Label main parts (intro, body, conclusion)
• Reread only highlighted / underlined material
34
Summary (cont.)
• When you write the Summary
• List the main ideas from the article w/o looking back
at it often. Translate into your own words
(paraphrasing).
• Reread the article and check your main ideas for
completeness.
• Reread your list of main ideas and draft a short
summary of about one paragraph that restates the main
ideas of entire article in your own words.
• Reread the article and check it against the draft for
completeness. Have you caught the essence of the
article? Should you add any information? Did you
include an opinion? (DON’T INCLUDE OPINIONS)
35
Checklist for Summaries
• Does the summary accurately reflect the article?
• Is there any important information missing?
• Are ideas presented in same order as in the
original article?
36
Some Online Resources
• Electronic Reference Formats Recommended
by the American Psychological Association
http://www.apastyle.org/manual/index.aspx
Web Extension to American Psychological
Association Style (WEAPAS)
http://www.beadsland.com/weapas