Abstract: definition and drafting rules
Abstract - a brief, precise summary of the content of the document, including the main factual
information and conclusions, without additional interpretations or critical remarks of the author of the
abstract.
The abstract includes the following aspects of the content of the article:
- subject, topic, purpose of the work (indicated if they are not clear from the title of the document);
- the method or methodology of the work (in case they are novel or of interest from the point of view of
this work), widely known methods are only named;
– extremely accurate and informative description of the main results of the work (actual data,
discovered relationships and patterns), preference is given to new results, important discoveries,
conclusions, data that are of practical importance;
— scope of the results;
- conclusions (may be accompanied by recommendations, assessments, suggestions, hypotheses
described in a scientific article);
- additional information (the name of the organization in which the work was performed or other data
that is important outside the main topic of the study).
The abstract acts as a brief model of the entire article, starting from the problem statement, description
of the methodology and results, to the main conclusions and recommendations.
The abstract is a self-sufficient text that has independent credibility and is able to describe the main
results of the research work without referring to the article itself. He is able to summarize the meaning
of the article. The preparation of the text of the abstract is a synthesis of information identified,
evaluated and selected during the analysis of the primary document. In general, the abstract is a
combination into one logical whole of valuable information revealed as a result of the analysis of the
content of the article. At the same time, the formation of the text of the abstract is not carried out by
mechanical rearrangement and connection of individual elements of the text of the primary source, but
includes analysis and synthesis, as a result of which a new - secondary document is created, a source of
information independent of the article. The abstract should be understandable without reference to the
publication itself.
The main functions of the abstract: informational and search.
When compiling it, such methods of processing primary information are used, such as:
- extraction (extraction from the article of sentences that are included in full or with abbreviations in the
text of the abstract),
- paraphrasing (partial change of individual fragments of the article while maintaining the main
meaning),
- interpretation (construction of the text of the abstract, operating with the general meaning of the
article).