Mastering the art of abstract writing is essential for boosting the visibility of your research within a given field and for ensuring its future for your career. Throughout your academic career, you will write many abstracts, covering many different projects and aimed at a wide range of audiences. Practice does make perfect in this case, treat each abstract you write as a stepping stone towards becoming an expert. Never overlook the importance of an abstract either! Often journal editors or conference organisers have to read through hundreds of abstracts, so it is vitally important that your abstract contains all the important and necessary details in a clear and concise way in order for your research to stand out. This blogs aims to show you how to write an abstract for a research paper or a conference. Why is the abstract important?
An abstract should be:
Writing the Abstract: Step-by-Step ProcessWhen writing an abstract, we must be sure to convey the right amount of information without going into long-winded explanations. The order of your abstract is important, so choose an order that helps the reader link each aspect of your work in a logical order (Figure 1). Always remember to ask yourself if the data presented produces any unanswered questions. Figure 1. Formatting Your Abstract What does an abstract include?1. Introduction: “What is the subject?” Write 1–2 introductory sentences that explain the topic, purpose, and research question(s). The background is needed, but it should not be more in-depth than the results. 2. Materials and methods: “How did you conduct the research and generate results?” Write 1–2 sentences describing your research methods (this may also include the type of data analysis you are using). 3. Results: “Why is it important? What are your discoveries?” Write 12 sentences describing the results/findings. 4. Discussion and further directions: “What is the take-home message of your project and its impact?” Write 1–2 sentences containing your conclusions and recommendations. Your conclusions are your study’s contribution to the field. Final tip: In the end, it is very helpful if someone else reads your abstract. If possible, ask your colleagues to provide their feedback. Please keep in mind – an abstract is important not only for the conference selection process; it is also essential for your future publication record. A good title and abstract will lead to more people reading the paper itself (Figure 2). Figure 2. A good abstract will lead to more people being involved in your research. Think of answering these six questions when writing your abstract 1. What the field knows (general) or What is the broad scientific problem Top tips for writing a strong abstract
Written by Dr. Karolina Szczesna Senior Product Manager and Technical Support at Proteintech Ltd. What are the 5 parts of a scientific abstract?However, all abstracts generally cover the following five sections:. Reason for writing: What is the importance of the research? ... . Problem: What problem does this work attempt to solve? ... . Methodology: An abstract of a scientific work may include specific models or approaches used in the larger study. ... . Results: ... . Implications:. How do you write a scientific abstract?Key Steps to Plan Writing an Abstract [4]. Introduction—what is the topic?. Statement of purpose?. Summarize why have other studies not tackled similar research questions?. How has the research question been tackled?. How was the research done?. What is the key impact of the research?. |