Writing the Abstract for
BI490/492
Emmy Misser
Manager, Writing Centre
Points we will cover
•
•
•
•
Definition
Examples
Strategies for writing a successful abstract
Resources on writing the abstract
Abstracts
• An abstract is an academic summary
• It literally “abstracts” or siphons off the key
points
• Abstracts frequently introduce an academic
journal article or a comprehensive research
report
• Abstracts act as overviews or previews for a
reader to determine if the entire text merits
reading
Mulvaney and Jolliffe, 2005, p 124
Abstracts
• Abstracts are brief summaries written to
give readers the gist of an article or a
presentation
• Here we are concerned with two kinds:
– Informative abstracts—to be written for your
thesis
– Proposal abstracts—to be written for your oral
presentations in January
Bullock, 2005
Their Purpose
• Informative abstracts
– Summarize and introduce a project/ article
– Show the reader what to look for in the text
• Proposal abstracts
– Persuade someone to let you write on a topic
– Do a project
– Conduct an experiment
– Present a scholarly paper at a conference
Bullock, 2005
Informative Abstracts
•
In about 100-250 words an informative
abstract answers the following questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
•
•
Why did you do this study or project?
What did you do, and how?
What did you find?
What do your findings mean?
These questions represent the
component parts of the abstract
They reflect the reasoning that structures
the text
U of T’s Handout
Proposal Abstracts
• Contain the same basic information as the
informative abstract but they are not
written to introduce a project
• They are written to stand alone
• Often they are written before the project is
done
In your case
• Although your abstract is a written before
your research project is done
• You should follow the guidelines for an
informative abstract
An informative abstract
•
•
•
•
Should present as much as possible of
the quantitative and qualitative
information of the text and also reflect its
reasoning
This means that you include your major
findings and interpret them
You structure the abstract so that all the
reader’s main questions will be answered
Here is an example
• This study was undertaken to determine the wavelengths of light
that are most effective in promoting photosynthesis in the aquatic
plant Elodea canadensis since some wavelengths are generally
more effective than others. Rate of photosynthesis was determined
at 25° C, using wavelengths of 400, 450, 550, 600, 650, and 700nm
and measuring the rate of oxygen production for 1-h periods at each
wavelength. Oxygen production was estimated from the rate of
bubble production by the submerged plant. We tested 4 plants at
each wavelength. The rate of oxygen production at 450 nm
(approximately 2.5 ml O2/mg wet weight of plant/h) was nearly 1.5
greater than that of any other wavelength tested, suggesting that
light of this wavelength (blue) is not readily absorbed by the
chlorophyll pigments. In contrast, light of 550 nm (green) produced
no detectable photosynthesis, suggesting that light of this
wavelength is reflected rather than absorbed by the chlorophyll.
Pechenik, 2004, p 208-209
• Can you identify purpose, methods, results, discussion?
•
This study was undertaken to determine the wavelengths of light
that are most effective in promoting photosynthesis in the aquatic
plant Elodea canadensis since some wavelengths are generally
more effective than others (1) . Rate of photosynthesis was
determined at 25° C, using wavelengths of 400, 450, 550, 600,
650, and 700nm and measuring the rate of oxygen production for
1-h periods at each wavelength (2). Oxygen production was
estimated from the rate of bubble production by the submerged
plant (2). We tested 4 plants at each wavelength (2). The rate of
oxygen production at 450 nm (approximately 2.5 ml O2?/mg wet
weight of plant/(h) was nearly 1.5 greater than that of any other
wavelength tested (3), suggesting that light of this wavelength
(blue) is not readily absorbed by the chlorophyll pigments (4). In
contrast, light of 550 nm (green) produced no detectable
photosynthesis (3), suggesting that light of this wavelength is
reflected rather than absorbed by the chlorophyll (4).
•
1. Purpose, 2. Method, 3. Results, 4. Discussion
Writing for the audience with a purpose
The Writer:
• selects the most relevant findings and
interpretations
• anticipates the questions the reader or audience
will ask
• answers all four questions and the reader knows
which one is being answered through the writer’s
choice of words and sentence structure
• structures the answers to reflect the reasoning
behind the project
Good writing strategies
1. Why did you do this study or project?
– This study was undertaken to determine the wavelengths of …
2. What did you do, and how?
– Rate of photosynthesis was determined at 25° C, using
wavelengths…
– Oxygen production was estimated from the rate…
3. What did you find?
– The rate of oxygen production at 450 nm… was nearly 1.5
greater than that of any other wavelength tested,
4. What do your findings mean?
– suggesting that light of this wavelength (blue) is not readily
absorbed by the chlorophyll pigments.
•
Title: Survey of the metazoan parasites of bluegill (Lepomis gibbosus
Linaeus) and pumpkinseed (L. machromirus Rafinesque) of Lake Opinicon,
Ontario.
• Forty-one pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus Linaeus) and twenty-four
bluegill (L. machromirus Rafinesque) were collected by seining from
shallow water in Lake Opinicon, Ontario, in September 2001. Fish were
categorized into two age classes: ≤2-years-old and ≥3-years-old. Fish
were necropsied and metazoan parasites were collected and identified.
Posthodiplostomum minimum (Platyhelminthes; Trematoda)
metacercariae occurred on the liver, heart and kidneys of bluegill and
pumpkinseed. Clinostomum complanatum (Platyhelminthes; Trematoda)
metacercariae were encysted in the gill cavities of pumpkinseed.
Proteocephalus ambloplitis (Platyhelminthes; Cestoidea) pleurocercoids
were found in the liver tissue of both bluegill and pumpkinseed.
Camallanus oxycephalus (Nematoda) was collected from bluegill and
Cucullanellus cotylophora (Nematoda) and Eustrongylides sp.
(Nematoda) were collected from pumpkinseed. Pomphorhynchus
bulbocolli (Acanthocephala) occurred in the intestinal tracts of both
bluegill and pumpkinseed. P. Bulbocolli in bluegill is a new host record in
Canadian waters. Leptorhynchoides thecatus (Acanthocephala) was
collected from the mesenteries of pumpkinseed. All species of
Platyhelminthes and Nematoda have been previously recorded from
these host species in Canada.
• Does this writer answer the four questions?
• What can be improved in this abstract ?
• 2. What did you do, and how?
• Forty-one pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus Linaeus) and twenty-four
bluegill (L. machromirus Rafinesque) were collected by seining from
shallow water in Lake Opinicon, Ontario, in September 2001. Fish were
categorized into two age classes: ≤2-years-old and ≥3-years-old. Fish
were necropsied and metazoan parasites were collected and identified.
• 3. What did you find?
• Posthodiplostomum minimum (Platyhelminthes; Trematoda)
metacercariae occurred on the liver, heart and kidneys of bluegill and
pumpkinseed. Clinostomum complanatum (Platyhelminthes; Trematoda)
metacercariae were encysted in the gill cavities of pumpkinseed.
Proteocephalus ambloplitis (Platyhelminthes; Cestoidea) pleurocercoids
were found in the liver tissue of both bluegill and pumpkinseed.
Camallanus oxycephalus (Nematoda) was collected from bluegill and
Cucullanellus cotylophora (Nematoda) and Eustrongylides sp.
(Nematoda) were collected from pumpkinseed. Pomphorhynchus
bulbocolli (Acanthocephala) occurred in the intestinal tracts of both
bluegill and pumpkinseed. P. Bulbocolli in bluegill is a new host record in
Canadian waters. Leptorhynchoides thecatus (Acanthocephala) was
collected from the mesenteries of pumpkinseed.
4. What do your findings mean?
• All species of Platyhelminthes and Nematoda have been previously
recorded from these host species in Canada.
The writing process
• Writer-centered
writers
• Write for themselves
• Put ideas down
loosely
• Do not revise for
audience and
purpose
• Are not aware of the
rhetorical situation
• Reader-centered
writers
• Write for the reader
• Structure ideas
carefully
• Revise to establish a
readable text that has
a clear purpose
• Are highly aware of
the rhetorical situation
The rhetorical situation
• Purpose: why are you writing
– Personal, informative, persuasive
• Audience: for whom are you writing?
– Education, expectations, interests, life experiences etc.
• Genre: types of writing with particular conventions for
presenting information
– Letters, reports, web pages, instructions, abstracts, theses, etc.
• Stance: your attitude, how you come across as a writer
– Tone: angry, flippant, analytical, reasonable, composed,
reflective etc.
• Media: print, spoken, electronic
• A writer addresses a specific audience on a specific
topic for a specific purpose
Writing strategies that convey purpose
1. Purpose
– This study was undertaken to determine the wavelengths of …
– Subject + effective passive construction
2. Methods
– Rate of photosynthesis was determined at 25° C, using
wavelengths…
– Subject + effective passive construction
3. Results
– The rate of oxygen production at 450 nm… was nearly 1.5 greater
– Subject + active verb
4. Discussion
– suggesting that light of this wavelength (blue) is not readily…
– Present participle which modifies the previous main clause
Writing strategies that create purpose
• Good use of grammatical sentence slots to
convey purpose
– Subject + verb
• Use of correct verb tense to emphasize purpose
–
–
–
–
was undertaken (purpose),
was determined (method),
was nearly (results),
is not readily (discussion)
• Appropriate use of the passive voice
• Brevity
Why are abstracts important?
• 90% of the time no one is going to read
further than the abstract (in the world of
work)
• It has to be to the point
• It has to be clear to many types of people
• It can’t be loaded with too many specifics
Why are abstracts important?
Abstracts are important because:
• They give a first impression of the document that
follows
• Readers decide whether to continue reading based
on the abstract
• If they do, the abstract will show them what to look
for -Based on U of T’s Handout
• If they don’t, the abstract is either outside their area
of interest or written in a way that discourages
further reading
Before handing in your abstract
• Proofread it several times
• Give it to two readers for feedback
– One outside your field
– One in your field
• Check the word count
An abstract summarizes
the essence of your work
• It is
– Complete
– Accurate
– Self-contained
• It must make perfect sense to someone
who has not read your report/thesis
Pechenik, 2004, p 208
Goal
• Submit abstract for publication in Book of
Abstracts 2005-2006
• Due date?
Resources
• Bullock, R. 2005. The Norton field guide to
writing. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
• Mulvaney, M. K. and D. A. Jolliffe. 2005.
Academic writing: genres, samples and
resources. Toronto: Pearson Longman.
• Pechenik, J. A. 2004. A short guide to writing
about biology. 5th ed. Toronto: Pearson
Longman.
• Procter, M. 2005. The abstract. Writing at the
University of Toronto.
<http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/abstract.html>
Accessed October 27.