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Activity
Question:
What is an
abstract also
known as?
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ACTIVITY:PURPOSE OF WRITING AN ABSTRACT –
what it does for you and academically
PERSONAL
ACADEMIC
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PURPOSE OF WRITING AN
ABSTRACT
PERSONAL
• You have a chance to gather
your thoughts
• Decontextualize your
methods, data, and
assertions
• Reinforce your knowledge
on the subject
• Maintain your ability to be
clear and concise
ACADEMIC
• Useful summary of large
amounts of work
• Efficient way to share
new ideas
• Tool to easily decide
whether further reading
is needed
• Archive document
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Types of abstract
There are fundamentally 2 types of abstract.
Descriptive abstract and Informative abstract
Another type of abstract which is common with
science and engineering disciplines is the
graphic abstract
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Graphic Abstract
Computer storage and retrieval systems
such as the Internet influenced some
scientific publications to start including
graphical abstracts alongside text
abstracts.
The graphic abstract is intended to
visually summarize the main thrust of
the article.
It is not intended to be as
comprehensive as the text abstract; it is
supposed to indicate the type, scope,
and technical coverage of the article at
a glance.
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Informative vs Descriptive Abstracts
What goes into the content of each abstract?
INFORMATIVE
ABSTRACT
DESCRIPTIVE
ABSTRACT
1. A summary of the report
2. An overview description of what the paper covers without delving into its
details or substance
3. It includes : background, purpose, methodology, results, and conclusion of
the project
4. It is like listing the table of contents in paragraph form
5. Also known as limited or indicative abstract.
6. May be viewed as a standalone document.
7. It is usually between 150 and 200 words.
8. Also known as the complete abstract
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Answer to activity:
Informative Abstract
The informative abstract, also known as the complete abstract,
is a summary of a paper's substance.
It includes its background, purpose, methodology, results, and
conclusion.
An informative abstract may be viewed as a standalone
document.
It is usually between 150 and 200 words.
Descriptive Abstract
The descriptive abstract is a description of what the paper
covers without delving into its details or substance.
It is like listing the table of contents in paragraph form.
For these reasons, the descriptive abstract is also known as the
limited or indicative abstract.
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CONTENT
IDEAS
1. What was the purpose of
the research? Importance?
2. What does the current
research say? What
problem did you address?
3. How did you attempt to
solve this problem?
4. What method (s) were
used? What was done?
5. What significant data was
collected?
6. What new ideas, problems
emerged?
7. What can be concluded?
LANGUAGE
1. Formal diction: no casual
or colloquial language
2. Avoid jargon whenever
possible*
3. Do not use contractions
(couldn’t, didn’t)
4. Use abbreviations to
avoid repetition, BUT ONLY
AFTER you have defined
them
5. Do not include personal
narrative, opinion or
commentary
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Activity: Look at the sample abstract below and try to identify the
sections of the abstract which describe the purpose and topic, the main
sections, and the conclusions.
This report investigates the current state of scanner technology and
examines the predicted future advancements of scanners. A brief history
of the scanner and its operation is initially outlined. The discussion then
focuses on the advantages and limitations of the five main types of
scanners in common use today: drum scanners, flatbed scanners, sheetfed scanners, slide scanners, and hand held scanners. The performance
of these scanners is examined in relation to four main criteria:
resolution, bit-depth, dynamic range and software. It is concluded that
further technological advances in these four areas as well as the
deployment of new sensor technology will continue to improve the
quality of scanned images. It is also suggested that specialised scanners
will increasingly be incorporated into other types of technology such as
digital cameras
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Answer to activity:
Abstract
Blue = purpose + topic
Black = main sections
Green Italics = conclusion
This report investigates the current state of scanner technology and
examines the predicted future advancements of scanners. A brief history of
the scanner and its operation is initially outlined. The discussion then focuses
on the advantages and limitations of the five main types of scanners in
common use today: drum scanners, flatbed scanners, sheet-fed scanners,
slide scanners, and hand held scanners. The performance of these scanners
is examined in relation to four main criteria: resolution, bit-depth, dynamic
range and software. It is concluded that further technological advances in
these four areas as well as the deployment of new sensor technology will
continue to improve the quality of scanned images. It is also suggested that
specialised scanners will increasingly be incorporated into other types of
technology such as digital cameras
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ACTIVITY: Read the 3 abstracts provided in the following slides.
Compare the 3 abstracts and comment on them.
You may use the following pointers to guide you (good points and areas that
need improvement):
Grammar: Appropriate/ Inappropriate use of tenses,
Grammar: The lack of objectivity – use of pronouns
Paragraph Structure: Indentation / the length of the abstract
Sentence structure: Choppy: lack in sentence complexity and rhythm
Language: Unnecessary introductory language/tone evident/wordiness
Content: unnecessary details, subject matter too vague or not covered at all,
key information is summarized
Content: the topic is identified/unclear
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Abstract 1:
The following report will be structured into four
sections consisting of history, products, company
structure and two projects that I have worked on.
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Comments on abstract 1:
1. No specific information. There is only one sentence which is
generic; it could apply to any report on any company, and since
that is true the sentence really does not apply to anything at all.
The abstract should provide information about : the history,
products, company structure, and work experience that the
report covers. (Needs improvement – NI)
2. Future tense. In an abstract, do not ever write that your paper
will say something. Just say it! (NI)
3. This example is about the paper, not the subject. It does not
go beyond what the Table of Contents provides. The abstract is
not supposed to detail a paper's structure, it is supposed to
detail a paper's information. (NI)
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Comments on abstract 1:
4. First person, singular referents. There should not
be any use of the word "I.” (NI)
5. Unnecessarily short length. You have a page to
work with; use all that you need. As you gain the
ability to write good abstracts you will become
better able to pare them down. (NI)
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Grade
In total, this example
does not qualify as an
abstract, and would
receive no points.
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Abstract 2 (for a design paper)
In recent years the use of energy efficient truss designs in
residential construction has become more mainstream. To gain
the full benefit of using this type of truss it is necessary to
install a wind wash barrier at the attic edge to prevent air and
moisture from passing through the edge of the attic insulation.
Currently used wind wash barriers are not totally effective at
blocking this air and moisture. Nine design constraints have
been established as a basis for determining the effectiveness of
a new wind wash barrier compared to two existing designs.
Upon completion of an objective evaluation of the three
designs versus the design constraints it is obvious that the
existing designs are not totally effective and the new design
would be very effective and less expensive
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Comments on abstract 2:
1. This is much better than the first abstract. (Good - GD)
2. A greater level of detail provided than the first abstract
(GD)
3. The writer is not outlining the structure of the paper
and is trying to condense the key information. (GD)
4. The topic is identified. (GD)
5. No need for indentation (NI)
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Comments on abstract 2:
6. Unnecessary overall introductory tone of the first three sentences. (NI)
How to solve this : They can all be eliminated or absorbed into the fourth
sentence.
Nine design constraints have been established as a basis for determining the
effectiveness of a new wind wash barrier compared to two existing designs. Upon
completion of an objective evaluation of the three designs versus the design
constraints it is obvious that the existing designs are not totally effective and the
new design would be very effective and less expensive
"Nine design constraints have been established as a basis for determining how
well a new wind wash barrier prevents air and moisture from passing through the
edge of attic insulation in residential construction, as compared to two existing
designs."
Unnecessary lines have now been cut to less than three
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Comment on abstract 2:
7. Vague:
Obviously the paper details the design constraints and shows
how they apply to the three designs being considered. This is
key information.
Another paper could also cover new wind wash designs, but
use different design constraints as its points of comparison.
Such a paper would be significantly different from this one, yet
this abstract is too vague to show that difference. The design
constraints should be stated.
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Grades
This abstract would definitely get
some credit.
Some specific information about the
topic is provided, but more detail and
less or no introduction would be an
improvement.
This example is not far from being a
very good effort, and as a draft it
could have been the basis of that
better effort.
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Abstract 3 (design paper)
A team was formed with the goal of reducing the rework due to lamination by
90% and reducing machining cycle time by 50%. After careful consideration of
possible causes and solutions a five-factor half-factorial design experiment on
the die case process was completed. The five factors were fast shot speed,
intensifier pressure, dwell time, fast shot trip position and system pressure.
Random samples of parts were collected from each test run. The area of the
lamination on two areas of the part was measured. (Name of software) was
used to evaluate the experiment and calculate the statistical significance of
each variable along with any interactions between variables. Results showed
that high fast shot speed, linear slow shot speed and low intensification
interact with one another to produce a lamination free part. The machine was
set to the desired levels and a confirmation lot was run. The results were
better than expected, with lamination having been completely eliminated
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Comment on abstract 3:
1. High level of focus. (GD)
2. Whereas the previous example began with introductory
language on a tangential matter, this last abstract gets directly
to the problem at hand.(GD)
3. The experiment by which the goal will be fulfilled is
detailed. (GD)
4. The result of the experiment is given.(GD)
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Grades
This abstract is
the best of the
three and would
receive full
credit.
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