BIOL 163 - Module 3: Checklist for the abstract section Content (Hofmann Section 7.6) Contains the question/purpose of the experiment Yes No Includes the experimental approach Yes No Contains results of the experiment Yes No Contains the conclusions of the experiment Yes No Does not include figures or tables Yes No Does not include general overview sentences Yes No Does not include nonstandard abbreviations Yes No Has “signal words)” Yes No Uses precise words Yes No Uses simple words if possible Yes No Omits unnecessary words and phrases Yes No Establishes importance Yes No Places old, familiar, and short information at the beginning of sentences Yes No Places new, complex, or long information at the end of sentences Yes No Gets to the subject of each sentence quickly Yes No Places the verb of each sentence after the subject Yes No Places the object of each sentence after the verb Yes No Uses first person Yes No Uses active voice Yes No Uses past tense for observations and specific interpretations Yes No Each sentence is relatively short with one main idea Yes No Uses active verbs Yes No Avoids strings of nouns Yes No Uses clear pronouns and prepositions Yes No Uses correct parallel form Yes No Avoids faulty comparisons Yes No Avoids errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation Yes No Writing (Hofmann Chapter 2) Section 2.1 (Individual words) Section 2.2 (Word location) Section 2.3 (Sentence structure and technical style)
