Technical writing (ENG 126) – Abstract mEC
2. Abstract
Writing Report Abstracts
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Last full revision by .
Last edited by Dana Lynn Driscoll on February 15th 2007 at 1:48PM
Summary: This handout discusses how to write good abstracts for reports. It covers
informational and descriptive abstracts and gives pointers for success.
Types of Abstracts
There are two types of abstracts: informational and descriptive.
Informational Abstracts
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communicate contents of reports,
include purpose, methods, scope, results, conclusions, and recommendations,
highlight essential points,
are short—from a paragraph to a page or two, depending upon the length of the report
(10% or less of the report),
allow readers to decide whether they want to read the report .
Descriptive Abstracts
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tell what the report contains,
include purpose, methods, scope, but NOT results, conclusions, and recommendations,
are always very short— usually under 100 words, and
introduce subject to readers, who must then read the report to learn study results.
Qualities of A Good Abstract
An effective abstract
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uses one or more well-developed paragraphs, which are unified, coherent, concise, and
able to stand alone,
Dr. SaMeH
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Abstract mEC
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uses an introduction-body-conclusion structure in which the parts of the report are
discussed in order: purpose, findings, conclusions, recommendations,
follows strictly the chronology of the report,
provides logical connections between material included,
adds no new information but simply summarizes the report, and
is intelligible to a wide audience.
Steps for Writing Effective Report Abstracts
To write an effective report abstract, follow these four steps:
1. Reread your report with the purpose of abstracting in mind. Look specifically for
these main parts: purpose, methods, scope, results, conclusions, and
recommendations.
2. After you have finished rereading your report, write a rough draft WITHOUT
LOOKING BACK AT YOUR REPORT. Consider the main parts of the abstract listed in
step #1. Do not merely copy key sentences from your report. You will put in too
much or too little information. Do not summarize information in a new way.
3. Revise your rough draft to
o correct weaknesses in organization and coherence,
o drop superfluous information,
o add important information originally left out,
o eliminate wordiness, and
o correct errors in grammar and mechanics.
4. Carefully proofread your final copy.
Dr. SaMeH
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Abstract mEC
How to Write an Abstract
An abstract condenses a longer piece of writing while highlighting its major points, concisely
describing the content and scope of the writing, and reviewing the content in (very) abbreviated
form. A research abstract concisely states the major elements of a research project. It states:
purpose, methods, and findings of the research.
Writing a good abstract requires that you explain what you did and found in simple, direct
language so readers can then decide whether to read the longer piece of writing for details.
WhiteSmoke software can use its writing enrichment features to check your vocabulary and
suggest more precise words. Its online dictionary and thesaurus software will further help you
refine the language so that each word says exactly what you need it to say.
The audience for an abstract should be broad--from expert to lay person. Find a comfortable
balance between writing an abstract that both provides technical information and remains
comprehensible to non-experts. Keep technical language to a minimum. Don't assume that the
audience has the same level of knowledge as you. Use WhiteSmoke's dictionary to make sure
that the terms you use are clear and correct.
Here's how to write an abstract:
Whatever kind of research you are doing, after you write about it you usually write a short
abstract that provides the reader with the answers to the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What are you researching (what's the question you're asking)?
Why is it significant, important, of interest?
How will you study it, that is, what methods will you use?
How will you demonstrate your conclusions? That is, what evidence have you found?
What are your conclusions?
What do they mean?
An experimental research abstract, sometimes called a scientific abstract, (100 words or fewer)
usually includes, in this order:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The title of the paper.
A brief discussion of context or background.
The study's objectives--what is the question under discussion?
A brief summary of major results and their significance.
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Abstract mEC
5.
6.
Main conclusions (or hypothesized conclusions).
One sentence discussing the relevance or future directions for research.
Abstracts for text-based research projects, or research paper abstracts, (no more than 250 words)
usually include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Paper title.
A brief discussion of context or background.
The study's objectives--what is the question under discussion?
The key subtopics explored? what argument are you proposing about the topic?
A brief reference to the nature of the source material and methodology (if relevant)
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library research?
analysis of fictional texts?
interviews or observations?
6. Main conclusions (or hypothesized conclusions).
7. The implications or significance of the findings.
Use WhiteSmoke while writing an abstract. Its English grammar checker will catch any mistakes
right away. Its contextual spell checking catches errors other softwares miss. WhiteSmoke
writing software makes writing an abstract easier than ever.
An abstract is usually short, only one paragraph. It should never exceed the word limit provided
by the journal or recommended research style manual (for instance, APA style or MLA style).
Make sure it is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Complete - covering all the major parts of the project.
Cohesive - flowing smoothly throughout.
Concise - containing no extra words or unnecessary information.
Clear - remaining readable to both experts and non-experts, even in its condensed form.
How to write an abstract:
1.) Make notes about the logistics and rhetorical situation-
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Deadline (when is it due?)
Length (APA style-100 words; MLA style-250 words, both maximum--check the guidelines for
where the
abstract will be submitted)
Purpose (to communicate clearly to your various audiences what you have researched, to be
accepted at a
conference, to have an article accepted by a journal, etc.), and
Audience (Who are your intended expert and non-expert and what information will they
expect and want to
know?).
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Abstract mEC
2.) Write a draft that follows the guidelines from number 1, above. Get feedback on the draft
from colleagues, supervisors, teachers, etc.--someone who has not read the longer work. See
what questions they have and ask them to explain to you what they expect from the longer work.
This will help you to see if the abstract is doing its job. Use the English grammar checker while
writing the draft and the writing enhancement feature that serves as a vocabulary check.
3.) Revise the abstract based on the feedback. Plan to revise often to get it right and to keep it
within the word limit. Be sure to use the WhiteSmoke spell check and grammar check while
revising. Also, this is a good time to use the powerful thesaurus to suggest more effective
language and the large dictionary to make sure that you are using each word correctly.
4.) Be sure your abstract is grammatically correct with correct spelling and punctuation by using
WhiteSmoke English grammar check and spell check one more time!
Dr. SaMeH
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