a brief summary of a research article thesis review conference proceeding

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What is an Abstract?

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An abstract is a summary of points (as of a writing) usually presented in skeletal form ; also : something that summarizes or concentrates the essentials of a larger thing or several things. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online)  

An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline, and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript, acting as the point-of-entry for any given scientific paper or patent application. Abstraction and indexing services are available for a number of academic disciplines, aimed at compiling a body of literature for that particular subject. (Wikipedia)

An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of an article. It allows readers to survey the contents of an article quickly. Readers often decide on the basis of the abstract whether to read the entire article. A good abstract should be: ACCURATE --it should reflect the purpose and content of the manuscript. COHERENT --write in clear and concise language. Use the active rather than the passive voice (e.g., investigated instead of investigation of). CONCISE --be brief but make each sentence maximally informative, especially the lead sentence. Begin the abstract with the most important points. The abstract should be dense with information. ( Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association)

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Write Abstracts, Literature Reviews, and Annotated Bibliographies: Home

• Abstract Guides & Examples
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What is an Abstract?

An abstract is a summary of points (as of a writing) usually presented in skeletal form ; also : something that summarizes or concentrates the essentials of a larger thing or several things. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online)  

An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline, and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript, acting as the point-of-entry for any given scientific paper or patent application. Abstraction and indexing services are available for a number of academic disciplines, aimed at compiling a body of literature for that particular subject. (Wikipedia)

An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of an article. It allows readers to survey the contents of an article quickly. Readers often decide on the basis of the abstract whether to read the entire article. A good abstract should be: ACCURATE --it should reflect the purpose and content of the manuscript. COHERENT --write in clear and concise language. Use the active rather than the passive voice (e.g., investigated instead of investigation of). CONCISE --be brief but make each sentence maximally informative, especially the lead sentence. Begin the abstract with the most important points. The abstract should be dense with information. ( Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association)

Abstract Guidelines

An abstract of a report of an empirical study should describe: (1) the problem under investigation (2) the participants with specific characteristics such as age, sex, ethnic group (3) essential features of the study method (4) basic findings (5) conclusions and implications or applications. An abstract for a literature review or meta-analysis should describe: (1) the problem or relations under investigation (2) study eligibility criteria (3) types of participants (4) main results, including the most important effect sizes, and any important moderators of these effect sizes (5) conclusions, including limitations (6) implications for theory, policy, and practice. An abstract for a theory-oriented paper should describe (1) how the theory or model works and the principles on which it is based and (2) what phenomena the theory or model accounts for and linkages to empirical results. An abstract for a methodological paper should describe (1) the general class of methods being discussed (2) the essential features of the proposed method (3) the range of application of the proposed method (4) in the case of statistical procedures, some of its essential features such as robustness or power efficiency. An abstract for a case study should describe (1) the subject and relevant characteristics of the individual, group, community, or organization presented (2) the nature of or solution to a problem illustrated by the case example (3) questions raised for additional research or theory.

• What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge including substantive findings as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic. Literature reviews are secondary sources, and as such, do not report any new or original experimental work.Most often associated with academic-oriented literature, such as a thesis, a literature review usually precedes a research proposal and results section. Its ultimate goal is to bring the reader up to date with current literature on a topic and forms the basis for another goal, such as future research that may be needed in the area.A well-structured literature review is characterized by a logical flow of ideas; current and relevant references with consistent, appropriate referencing style; proper use of terminology; and an unbiased and comprehensive view of the previous research on the topic. (Wikipedia)

Literature Review: An extensive search of the information available on a topic which results in a list of references to books, periodicals, and other materials on the topic. ( Online Library Learning Center Glossary )

"... a literature review uses as its database reports of primary or original scholarship, and does not report new primary scholarship itself. The primary reports used in the literature may be verbal, but in the vast majority of cases reports are written documents. The types of scholarship may be empirical, theoretical, critical/analytic, or methodological in nature. Second a literature review seeks to describe, summarize, evaluate, clarify and/or integrate the content of primary reports."

Cooper, H. M. (1988), "The structure of knowledge synthesis", Knowledge in Society , Vol. 1, pp. 104-126

• Literature Review Guide
• Literature Review Defined

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How to Write an Abstract | Orvium

An abstract summarizes a research paper, article, or thesis and briefly overviews the study’s key points, purpose, methodology, and results. Writing an abstract can be daunting for novice and experienced researchers. This article will discuss how to write a concise, clear, and informative abstract.

What is an Abstract?

The abstract is one of the most critical components of a research paper , as it represents the entire study. An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding , or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper’s purpose. When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript or typescript, acting as the entry point for any academic article or patent application .

Why Write an Abstract?

Writing an abstract is important because it provides readers with a brief overview of the study and its main findings . This allows readers to determine if the study is relevant to their interests and whether they should read the entire paper. Additionally, abstracts are often used in databases and search engines , which means that a well-written abstract can increase the visibility of the research and attract more readers.

Types of Abstracts

There are two main types of abstracts: descriptive and informative . A descriptive abstract is a brief summary of the main points of a research paper that provides a general overview of the study. It describes the study but doesn’t give any details on the methodology or the results. Descriptive abstracts are often used for shorter papers or for papers that are not research-based, such as essays or opinion pieces.

Informative abstracts, such as research articles or theses, are often used for longer papers. An informative abstract, on the other hand, provides a more detailed summary of the study and includes information on the purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions. It gives readers a clear idea of what the study is about and what the main findings are.

Informative abstracts can be further categorized into two types : structured and unstructured. Structured abstracts have a specific format that includes headings for each section, such as purpose, methods, results, and conclusions. This format makes it easier for readers to quickly find the information they need. Unstructured abstracts, however, do not have a specific format and are written in a paragraph format.

In addition to these types of abstracts, there are also graphical and visual abstracts . These types of abstracts use images or diagrams to summarize the main points of the study. They are often used in fields such as science or medicine, where complex concepts can be challenging to explain in words alone.

Overall, the type of abstract used depends on the type of paper and the intended audience. Descriptive abstracts are appropriate for shorter articles or articles that are not research-based, while informative abstracts are more appropriate for longer papers or research articles. Structured abstracts are helpful for readers who want to quickly find specific information, while unstructured abstracts are more narrative. Graphical and visual abstracts can be helpful in fields where complex concepts are best communicated through images.

How to Write an Abstract

Writing an abstract can be challenging, but researchers must master this skill. Here are some tips on how to write an effective abstract:

Step 1: Understand the Requirements

Before you start writing your abstract, it’s essential to understand the requirements. Refer to the journal or conference guidelines and ensure your abstract meets the required word count, formatting, and content guidelines.

Step 2: Identify the Key Points

Identify the key points of your research paper or article. These may include the purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions. Make sure that these key points are clear and concise.

Step 3: Write the First Draft

Write the first draft of your abstract. Begin with a brief introduction that provides background information on the topic. Then, summarize the key points of your research paper or article. Make sure that your abstract is concise and easy to read.

Step 4: Edit and Revise

Edit and revise your abstract. Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Make sure that your abstract is clear, concise, and informative.

Step 5: Get Feedback

Get feedback on your abstract. Ask a colleague or mentor to review your abstract and provide feedback. Make any necessary changes based on their feedback.

Tips for Writing an Effective Abstract

Here are some additional tips that can help you write an effective abstract:

• Keep it concise : your abstract should be no more than 250 words.
• Be clear : use clear and concise language to summarize your research.
• Use keywords : include relevant keywords to help readers find your research.
• Be specific : provide details on the purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions of your study.
• Follow the guidelines : ensure your abstract meets the guidelines provided by the journal or conference.

Writing an abstract is an essential skill for researchers. An effective abstract is concise and informative and summarizes the research paper’s or article’s key points. By following the tips outlined in this article, researchers can write an abstract that effectively communicates the purpose of their research.

If you’re in need for inspiration, why not take a look at the research articles published on Orvium? Here, you can see what other researchers are writing about and connect with likeminded individuals over subjectcs that matter to you.

If you want to learn more about Orvium and how we support the academic publishing industry, make sure to visit our website and platform . And also, make sure to follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Linkedin , or Instagram to keep up with the latest news and product features

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Abstract vs Synopsis: Meaning And Differences

When it comes to writing, certain terms can be confusing, especially when they seem to have similar meanings. Two such terms are abstract and synopsis. While they may be used interchangeably in some contexts, they actually have distinct meanings and purposes.

So, which one is the proper word to use? The answer is that it depends on the situation. Both abstract and synopsis can be used to summarize a longer piece of writing, but they are typically used in different contexts.

An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper’s purpose. It is a standalone piece of writing that provides an overview of the main points of the larger work.

A synopsis, on the other hand, is a brief summary or general survey of something. It is typically used in the context of a book or movie to give readers or viewers an idea of what to expect without giving away all of the details. A synopsis is usually longer than an abstract and may include more descriptive language.

Now that we have a better understanding of what abstracts and synopses are, let’s dive deeper into their individual characteristics and uses.

Define Abstract

An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper’s purpose. When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript or typescript, acting as the point-of-entry for any given academic paper or patent application.

An abstract is not merely an introduction in the sense of a preface, preamble, or advance organizer that prepares the reader for the thesis. In addition to that function, it must be capable of substituting for the whole thesis when there is insufficient time and space for the full text.

Define Synopsis

A synopsis is a brief summary or general survey of something. It provides an overview of the main points of a text or subject. A synopsis can be used to summarize a book, article, or movie. It is often used in the publishing industry to help agents and publishers determine if a book is worth publishing.

A synopsis is usually a condensed version of a larger work. It is typically written in a clear, concise, and objective style. The purpose of a synopsis is to give the reader a quick overview of the main points of a text or subject. It is not meant to be a substitute for the original work, but rather a summary of its main ideas and themes.

How To Properly Use The Words In A Sentence

When it comes to writing, using the right words in a sentence is crucial. In this section, we will discuss the proper usage of the words “abstract” and “synopsis” in a sentence.

How To Use “Abstract” In A Sentence

The word “abstract” is often used in academic writing, particularly in scientific research papers. It refers to a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper’s purpose.

Here are some examples of how to use “abstract” in a sentence:

• The abstract of the research article provided a concise summary of the study’s findings.
• Before reading the full article, I always skim the abstract to see if it’s relevant to my research.

It’s important to note that an abstract should be written in a concise and clear manner, using simple language that can be easily understood by readers who may not be experts in the field.

How To Use “Synopsis” In A Sentence

The word “synopsis” is often used in the context of literature, film, or television. It refers to a brief summary or general survey of something.

Here are some examples of how to use “synopsis” in a sentence:

• The book jacket provided a synopsis of the novel’s plot.
• Before watching the movie, I read the synopsis to get an idea of what it was about.

It’s important to note that a synopsis should be written in a way that entices the reader or viewer to want to know more about the subject at hand. It should be clear, concise, and engaging, while still providing enough information to give the reader or viewer a general understanding of the subject.

More Examples Of Abstract & Synopsis Used In Sentences

In order to fully understand the difference between abstract and synopsis, it can be helpful to see how each word is used in context. Here are some examples of how abstract and synopsis can be used in a sentence:

Examples Of Using “Abstract” In A Sentence

• The artist’s abstract painting was difficult to interpret.
• The article included an abstract at the beginning to summarize the main points.
• Her writing style is very abstract and can be hard to follow.
• The concept of time is abstract and difficult to define.
• The sculpture was very abstract and didn’t resemble anything in particular.
• The author’s abstract ideas challenged the reader’s understanding of the topic.
• The teacher asked the students to write an abstract for their research paper.
• The abstract nature of the problem made it difficult to find a solution.
• The painting’s abstract shapes and colors were meant to evoke emotion in the viewer.
• The scientist’s abstract theory was met with skepticism by his peers.

Examples Of Using “Synopsis” In A Sentence

• The movie’s synopsis gave away too much of the plot.
• The publisher requested a synopsis of the author’s new book.
• The synopsis of the play was included in the program for the audience’s convenience.
• The student’s synopsis of the article was concise and well-written.
• The synopsis of the study was published in a scientific journal.
• The synopsis of the novel on the back cover convinced me to buy it.
• The agent asked the writer to send a synopsis of her manuscript.
• The synopsis of the TV show was misleading and didn’t accurately represent the series.
• The editor requested a synopsis of the article before commissioning the writer to write it.
• The synopsis of the documentary was intriguing and made me want to watch it.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

When it comes to writing academic papers, it’s crucial to understand the difference between an abstract and a synopsis. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of using these terms interchangeably, which can lead to confusion and misunderstandings. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

Mistake #1: Using “Abstract” And “Synopsis” Interchangeably

One of the most common mistakes people make is using the terms “abstract” and “synopsis” interchangeably. While they may seem similar, they have distinct differences. An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help readers quickly ascertain the paper’s purpose. A synopsis, on the other hand, is a brief summary or general survey of something. It is often used in the context of a book or movie to give readers or viewers an idea of what to expect.

Mistake #2: Including Too Much Detail In An Abstract

Another common mistake is including too much detail in an abstract. An abstract should be a concise summary of the main points of a paper, not a detailed explanation of every aspect of the research. Including too much detail can make the abstract too long and difficult to read, defeating its purpose of providing a quick overview of the paper.

Mistake #3: Not Including Enough Detail In A Synopsis

Conversely, some people make the mistake of not including enough detail in a synopsis. A synopsis should provide enough information to give the reader a general idea of what the book or movie is about, but it should not give away all the details or plot points. It should be engaging enough to pique the reader’s interest without giving away too much.

Tips On How To Avoid Making These Mistakes

To avoid making these mistakes, it’s important to take the time to understand the difference between an abstract and a synopsis. Here are some tips:

• Read examples of abstracts and synopses to get a better understanding of how they differ.
• When writing an abstract, focus on the main points of the paper and avoid including unnecessary details.
• When writing a synopsis, provide enough information to give the reader a general idea of what the book or movie is about, but avoid giving away too much.
• Always proofread your abstract or synopsis to ensure that it is clear, concise, and free from errors.

Context Matters

When it comes to writing summaries of longer texts, two common options are abstracts and synopses. However, the choice between the two can depend on the context in which they are being used.

Examples Of Different Contexts

Let’s explore some different scenarios and how the choice between abstract and synopsis might change:

• Academic research papers: In the context of academic research papers, abstracts are often used to give readers a brief overview of the paper’s contents. The abstract should provide a clear and concise summary of the research question, methodology, results, and conclusions. On the other hand, synopses are more commonly used in book proposals or grant applications to give an overview of the entire project.
• Marketing materials: In marketing materials, such as product descriptions or press releases, abstracts are often used to provide a snapshot of the product or service being offered. A well-written abstract can entice potential customers to learn more about the product or service. Synopses may also be used in marketing materials, but they tend to be more detailed and are often used to provide an overview of a company’s history or mission.
• Legal documents: In the context of legal documents, such as contracts or briefs, synopses are often used to provide a summary of the key points. A well-written synopsis can help readers quickly understand the important details of the document without having to read through the entire thing. Abstracts may also be used in legal documents, but they tend to be more focused on the overall purpose or goal of the document.

As you can see, the choice between abstract and synopsis can depend on the specific context in which they are being used. By understanding the purpose of each and the context in which they are appropriate, you can ensure that you are using the right tool for the job.

Exceptions To The Rules

When abstracts and synopses might not apply.

While abstracts and synopses are important tools for summarizing information, there are certain situations where they might not be the best choice. Here are some exceptions to the rules:

1. Creative Writing

Abstracts and synopses are commonly used in academic and technical writing, but they may not be suitable for creative writing. In this context, the goal is to engage the reader’s imagination and emotions, rather than simply conveying information. Therefore, authors may choose to use alternative methods for summarizing their work, such as:

• Back cover blurbs
• Pitch statements

These methods are designed to entice readers and give them a sense of the story or message, without giving away too much detail.

2. Legal Documents

Legal documents, such as contracts and briefs, require precise and specific language to avoid ambiguity or misinterpretation. While abstracts and synopses can be useful for summarizing legal arguments, they may not provide enough detail to be legally binding. In these cases, it is important to use language that is clear, concise, and unambiguous.

3. Scientific Research

Abstracts and synopses are commonly used in scientific research to summarize findings and conclusions. However, in some cases, the complexity of the research may require a more detailed summary. For example, a study that involves multiple variables, methods, and statistical analyses may require a comprehensive summary that includes:

• Background information
• Research questions
• Methodology
• Conclusions

While this type of summary may be more time-consuming to write, it can provide readers with a more complete understanding of the research.

Practice Exercises

Now that we have a better understanding of the differences between abstracts and synopses, it’s time to put our knowledge into practice. Here are some exercises to help you improve your understanding and use of these terms in sentences:

Exercise 1: Abstract Or Synopsis?

Read the following summaries and determine whether they are abstracts or synopses:

Exercise 2: Fill In The Blank

Fill in the blank with either “abstract” or “synopsis” to complete the following sentences:

• Before I read the entire book, I like to read the __________ to get a quick overview of the content.
• The __________ of the research paper was only one paragraph long.
• The movie __________ gave away the entire plot, so I knew exactly what was going to happen.
• After I finished reading the article, I wrote a brief __________ to summarize the main points.

Exercise 3: Writing Practice

Write an abstract and a synopsis for the following article:

Article Title: The Effects of Exercise on Mental Health

Abstract: This article examines the relationship between exercise and mental health. The research suggests that regular exercise can have a positive impact on mood, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. The article also discusses the potential mechanisms behind these effects, including the release of endorphins and the reduction of stress hormones. Overall, this article provides evidence to support the use of exercise as a complementary treatment for mental health.

Synopsis: The Effects of Exercise on Mental Health is an article that explores the connection between physical activity and mental well-being. The article highlights various studies that suggest that exercise can lead to improved mood and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression. It also delves into the potential reasons for these effects, such as the release of endorphins and the reduction of stress hormones. The article concludes that exercise can be a valuable tool in the treatment of mental health conditions.

Remember to always check your work to ensure that you are using the correct term in the appropriate context.

After exploring the differences between abstracts and synopses, it is clear that these two terms are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings in the world of writing and publishing. An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help readers quickly understand the paper’s purpose. On the other hand, a synopsis is a summary of a book, play, or movie that outlines the main plot points and characters.

It is crucial to understand the differences between abstracts and synopses, especially when writing or publishing academic papers or creative works. Using the wrong term can lead to confusion and misinterpretation. Therefore, it is essential to use the correct terminology when referring to these two concepts.

Key Takeaways

• Abstracts and synopses are two different terms and should not be used interchangeably.
• An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject.
• A synopsis is a summary of a book, play, or movie that outlines the main plot points and characters.
• Understanding the differences between abstracts and synopses is crucial when writing or publishing academic papers or creative works.

Finally, it is essential to continue learning about grammar and language use to improve your writing skills. There are many resources available online, such as grammar books, writing courses, and online communities where writers can share their work and receive feedback. By continuously improving your writing skills, you can become a better communicator and achieve success in your writing career.

Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.

Abstract (summary)

An abstract is a brief summary, generally from 100 to 200 words, of the contents of a document such as a research paper, journal article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, and other academic or legal document. The primary purpose of an abstract is to facilitate a selection of documents. A reader can grasp the essential points of the document without reading a full document. A reader can decide what to read and what not to read. Abstracts thus expedite the process of selection and saves time. An abstract, together with index, is a key finding aid of information in today's overabundance of information.

There are mainly two types of abstracts—indicative (descriptive) and informative. Indicative abstracts describe only a metadata (data about the data) of a document, which includes the key research components such as purpose, scope, and research methodology. Indicative abstract simply describes what kind of research or writing the document is about and it does not contain any material content of the document such as conclusions. Informative abstracts , on the other hand, explain both material contents as well as its metadata. Other types of abstracts include critical abstracts which are "condensed critical reviews". [1] A critical abstract is an evaluative summary of the document and the abstractor describes the strength and weakness of the paper often comparing with other works in the field.

• 1.1 Indicative Abstract and Informative Abstract
• 1.2 Critical abstract
• 1.3 Other types of abstract
• 2 Length of abstracts
• 3.1 Example
• 4.1 Abstract of Title
• 4.2 Clear Title
• 4.3 Patent law
• 4.4 Administrative process
• 4.5 Property abstract
• 5 Graphical abstracts
• 7 References
• 8 External links

Authors are often asked to submit abstracts when they submit research papers. Abstractors are required to have both a professional training and general knowledge about the subject area.

Abstracts are also an important element for indexing . Indexers and search engines use abstract to find metadata of the contents the document for the purpose of compiling indexes.

Types of abstracts

Indicative abstract and informative abstract.

An abstract is not only a brief summary of a document but it also must be an "accurate representation of the contents of a document." [2] To create an abstract, an abstractor or a writer needs to identify two kinds of information about the document, metadata (data about the data) and the essence of its informative contents. Metadata is a description of what kind of information it is, which includes the purpose, scope, and research methodology. Informative contents are material contents of the document, which includes conclusions, suggestions, and recommendations. Depending on which information it contains, an abstract can be classified into two types: indicative (or descriptive) abstract and informative abstract. [3]

Indicative abstracts contain only metadata of the document and does not include informative contents. Whereas, informative abstract includes both metadata and informative contents. While indicative abstract is short in length and common in abstraction services, author produced abstracts such as those of thesis, journal essays, and articles are usually informative ones.

Telephone interviews were conducted in 1985 with 655 Americans sampled probabilistically. Opinions are expressed on whether: (1) the establishment of a Palestinian state is essential for peace in the region; (2) U.S. aid to Israel and to Egypt should be reduced; (3) the U.S. should (a) participate in a peace conference that includes the PLO,(b) favor neither Israel nor the Arab nations, (c) maintain friendly relations with both. Respondents indicated whether or not they had sufficient information concerning various national groups in the region. [1]

Telephone interviews conducted in 1985 with 655 Americans, sampled probabilistically, brought these results: most (54-56%) think U.S. aid to Israel and Egypt should be reduced; most (65%) favor U.S. participation in a peace conference that includes the PLO; more than 80% consider it important that the U.S. should maintain friendly relations with both Israel and the Arab countries; 70% believe that the U.S. should favor neither side; most (55%) think that the establishment of a Palestinian state is essential to peace in the region. The Israelis are the best known of the national groups and the Syrians the least known. The Arab-Israeli situation is second only to the conflict in Central America among the most serious international problems faced by the U.S. [4]

Critical abstract

A critical abstract is a critical evaluation of the document. An abstractor evaluates the document and often compares it with other works on the same subject. Critical abstract is a "condensed critical review." [1]

Other types of abstract

A modular abstract is a full content description of a document, consisting of five components: Citation , Annotation, Indicative abstract, Informative abstract, and Critical abstract. An abstracting service can use it for various purposes and needs.

Length of abstracts

An abstract is generally between 100 and 200 words. Some are, however, longer than 200 words and some are shorter than 100 words. In Indexing and Abstracting in Theory and Practise , W.L. Lancaster lists seven factors that affect the length of an abstract. [2]

• The length of the document
• The complexity of the subject matter
• The diversity of the subject matter
• The importance of the item to the organization preparing the abstract
• The accessibility of the subject matter. If the item is a rare material and is not easily accessible, the abstract tends to be longer.
• Cost of abstracting

Abstracts in scientific literature

Scientific literature takes widespread advantage of the abstract as the abbreviated style of choice in order to aptly communicate complex research. In science, an abstract may act as a stand-alone entity in lieu of the paper as well. As such, an abstract is used by many organizations as the basis for selecting research that is proposed for presentation in the form of a poster, podium/lecture, or workshop presentation at an academic conference . Most literature database search engines index abstracts only as opposed to providing the entire text of the paper. Full-texts of scientific papers must often be purchased because of copyright and/or publisher fees, and therefore the abstract is a significant selling point for the reprint or electronic version of the full-text.

Abstracts are not public domain or open-source unless stated by the publisher. Therefore, abstracts are afforded protections under copyright law in many states just as any other form of written speech is protected. However, publishers of scientific articles invariably make abstracts publicly available, even when the article itself is protected by a toll barrier. For example, articles in the biomedical literature are available publicly from MEDLINE which is accessible through PubMed. It is a common misconception that the abstracts in MEDLINE provide sufficient information for medical practitioners, students, scholars and patients. The abstract can convey the main results and conclusions of a scientific article but the full text article must be consulted for details of the methodology, the full experimental results, and a critical discussion of the interpretations and conclusions. Consulting the abstract alone is inadequate for scholarship and may lead to inappropriate medical decisions.

Abstract length varies by discipline and publisher requirements. Typical length ranges from 100 to 500 words, but very rarely more than a page. An abstract may or may not have the section title of "abstract" explicitly listed as an antecedent to content, however, they are typically sectioned logically as an overview of what appears in the paper (e.g. any one of the following: Background, Introduction, Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions).

In journal articles, research papers, published patent applications and patents , an abstract is a short summary placed prior to the introduction, often set apart from the body of the text, sometimes with different line justification (as a block or pull quote) from the rest of the article.

An abstract allows one to sift through copious amounts of papers for ones in which the researcher can have more confidence that they will be relevant to his research. Abstracts help one decide which papers might be relevant to his or her own research. Once papers are chosen based on the abstract, they must be read carefully to be evaluated for relevance. It is commonly surmised that one must not base reference citations on the abstract alone, but the entire merits of a paper.

Example taken from the Journal of Biology, Volume 3, Issue 2 . The electronic version of this article is listed as Open Access as of March 30, 2005, and can be found online. [5]

The hydrodynamics of dolphin drafting by Daniel Weihs, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.

Drafting in cetaceans is defined as the transfer of forces between individuals without actual physical contact between them. This behavior has long been surmised to explain how young dolphin calves keep up with their rapidly moving mothers. It has recently been observed that a significant number of calves become permanently separated from their mothers during chases by tuna vessels. A study of the hydrodynamics of drafting, initiated in the hope of understanding the mechanisms causing the separation of mothers and calves during fishing-related activities, is reported here.

Quantitative results are shown for the forces and moments around a pair of unequally sized dolphin-like slender bodies. These include two major effects. First, the so-called Bernoulli suction, which stems from the fact that the local pressure drops in areas of high speed, results in an attractive force between mother and calf. Second is the displacement effect, in which the motion of the mother causes the water in front to move forwards and radially outwards, and water behind the body to move forwards to replace the animal's mass. Thus, the calf can gain a 'free ride' in the forward-moving areas. Utilizing these effects, the neonate can gain up to 90% of the thrust needed to move alongside the mother at speeds of up to 2.4 m/s. A comparison with observations of eastern spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) is presented, showing savings of up to 60% in the thrust that calves require if they are to keep up with their mothers.

A theoretical analysis, backed by observations of free-swimming dolphin schools, indicates that hydrodynamic interactions with mothers play an important role in enabling dolphin calves to keep up with rapidly moving adult school members.

© 2004 Weihs; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL

Abstract in law

In law, an abstract is a brief statement that contains the most important points of a long legal document or of several related legal papers.

Abstract of Title

The Abstract of Title, used in real estate transactions, is the more common form of abstract. An abstract of title lists all the owners of a piece of land, a house, or a building before it came into possession of the present owner. The abstract also records all deeds, wills, mortgages, and other documents that affect ownership of the property. An abstract describes a chain of transfers from owner to owner and any agreements by former owners that are binding on later owners.

Clear Title

A Clear Title to property is one that clearly states any obligation in the deed to the property. It reveals no breaks in the chain of legal ownership. After the records of the property have been traced and the title has been found clear, it is sometimes guaranteed, or insured. In a few states, a more efficient system of insuring title real properties provides for registration of a clear title with public authorities. After this is accomplished, no abstract of title is necessary.

In the context of patent law and specifically in prior art searches, searching through abstracts is a common way to find relevant prior art document to question to novelty or inventive step (or non-obviousness in United States patent law) of an invention. Under United States patent law, the abstract may be called "Abstract of the Disclosure." [6]

Administrative process

Certain government bureaucracies, such as a department of motor vehicles will issue an abstract of a completed transaction or an updated record intended to serve as a proof of compliance with some administrative requirement. This is often done in advance of the update of reporting databases and/or the issuance of official documents.

Property abstract

A property abstract is a collection of legal documents which chronicles activities associated with a particular parcel of land. Generally included are references to deeds, mortgages, wills, probate records, court litigations and tax sales. Basically, any essential legal documents that affect the property. The abstract will also show the names of all property owners and how long a particular holder owned it for as well as showing the price the land was exchanged for when it changed owners. Rarely an abstract will mention capital improvements to the property.

Graphical abstracts

Recently, due to the influence of computer storage and retrieval systems such as the Internet , many scientific publications have started including graphical abstracts alongside the text abstracts. The graphic is intended to summarize or be an examplar for the main thrust of the article. It is not intended to be as exhaustive a summary as the text abstract, rather it is supposed to indicate the type, scope, and technical coverage of the article at a glance.

• ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Wilfrid F. Lancaster, Indexing and Abstracting in Theory and Practice (Champaign, IL: University of Illinois, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 1991), 88.
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lancaster, 86.
• ↑ Lancaster, 86-96.
• ↑ Lancaster, 89.
• ↑ The hydrodynamics of dolphin drafting, Journal of Biology .
• ↑ United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) web site, 608.01(b) Abstract of the Disclosure Retrieved March 21, 2018.

References ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Borko, Harold, and Charles L. Bernier. Abstracting Concepts and Methods . New York: Academic Press, 1971. ISBN 978-0874360790
• Cleveland, Donald B., and Ana D. Cleveland. Introduction to Indexing and Abstracting . Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1983. ISBN 978-0872873469
• Collison, Robert Lewis. Abstracts and Abstracting Services. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 1971. ISBN 978-0874360790
• Lancaster, F. Wilfrid. Indexing and Abstracting in Theory and Practice. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 1991. ISBN 978-0878450831
• Neufeld, M. Lynne, Martha Cornog, and Inez L. Sperr. Abstracting and Indexing Services in Perspective: Miles Conrad Memorial Lectures, 1969-1983, Commemorating the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services. Arlington, VA: Information Resources Press, 1983. ISBN 978-0878150434
• Rowley, J. E. Abstracting and Indexing. London: C. Bingley, 1988. ISBN 978-0851574110
• University of Arizona, Pamela P. Brown, and Sylvia Faibisoff. Abstracts and Abstracting Services: A Manual for Students. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Graduate Library School, 1977.

External links

All links retrieved June 14, 2023.

• Abstracts , The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Writing Report Abstracts , The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. OWL provides other helpful hints and tools for writing.
• Philip Koopman. How to Write an Abstract , Carnegie Mellon University.
• Rule 8 PCT, defining the requirements regarding the abstract in an international application filed under Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

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Writing an abstract

What is an abstract.

• An abstract is a brief SUMMARY of a scientific paper. It gives information about the authors, the hypotheses tested, a brief description of the methods used, and the conclusions obtained.
• An abstract is a summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper’s purpose.
• An abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript, acting as the point-of-entry for any given academic paper.

How to Write an Effective Abstract

Clarify your objective of the paper: what you are going to tell

Identify the themes of the conference and formulate your paper accordingly.

Understand the submission procedure and the abstract format. For example:

Title, Name of presenter, Contact details, Category of presentation paper, poster etc. and the Keywords

Stick closely to the length given. (Ex. 250-words)

Ask yourself the following questions: (When writing an abstract)

a. What is the purpose of my paper? b. What approach am I using? c. What are my findings? d. Why are my findings so important?

How to Identify a Good Abstract?

Uses one or more well developed paragraphs: these are unified, coherent, concise, and able to stand alone.

Uses an introduction/body/conclusion structure which presents the article, paper, or report’s purpose, results, conclusions, and recommendations in that order.

Follows strictly the chronology of the article, paper, or report.

Provides logical connections (or transitions) between the information included.

Adds no new information, but simply summarizes the report.

Understandable to a wide audience.

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An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript or typescript, acting as the point-of-entry for any given academic paper or patent application. Abstracting and indexing services for various academic disciplines are aimed at compiling a body of literature for that particular subject. The terms précis or synopsis are used in some publications to refer to the same thing that other publications …

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About: Abstract (summary)

An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript or typescript, acting as the point-of-entry for any given academic paper or patent application. Abstracting and indexing services for various academic disciplines are aimed at compiling a body of literature for that particular subject.

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Home » Research Summary – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

Research Summary – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

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Research Summary

Definition:

A research summary is a brief and concise overview of a research project or study that highlights its key findings, main points, and conclusions. It typically includes a description of the research problem, the research methods used, the results obtained, and the implications or significance of the findings. It is often used as a tool to quickly communicate the main findings of a study to other researchers, stakeholders, or decision-makers.

Structure of Research Summary

The Structure of a Research Summary typically include:

• Introduction : This section provides a brief background of the research problem or question, explains the purpose of the study, and outlines the research objectives.
• Methodology : This section explains the research design, methods, and procedures used to conduct the study. It describes the sample size, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
• Results : This section presents the main findings of the study, including statistical analysis if applicable. It may include tables, charts, or graphs to visually represent the data.
• Discussion : This section interprets the results and explains their implications. It discusses the significance of the findings, compares them to previous research, and identifies any limitations or future directions for research.
• Conclusion : This section summarizes the main points of the research and provides a conclusion based on the findings. It may also suggest implications for future research or practical applications of the results.
• References : This section lists the sources cited in the research summary, following the appropriate citation style.

How to Write Research Summary

Here are the steps you can follow to write a research summary:

• Read the research article or study thoroughly: To write a summary, you must understand the research article or study you are summarizing. Therefore, read the article or study carefully to understand its purpose, research design, methodology, results, and conclusions.
• Identify the main points : Once you have read the research article or study, identify the main points, key findings, and research question. You can highlight or take notes of the essential points and findings to use as a reference when writing your summary.
• Write the introduction: Start your summary by introducing the research problem, research question, and purpose of the study. Briefly explain why the research is important and its significance.
• Summarize the methodology : In this section, summarize the research design, methods, and procedures used to conduct the study. Explain the sample size, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
• Present the results: Summarize the main findings of the study. Use tables, charts, or graphs to visually represent the data if necessary.
• Interpret the results: In this section, interpret the results and explain their implications. Discuss the significance of the findings, compare them to previous research, and identify any limitations or future directions for research.
• Conclude the summary : Summarize the main points of the research and provide a conclusion based on the findings. Suggest implications for future research or practical applications of the results.
• Revise and edit : Once you have written the summary, revise and edit it to ensure that it is clear, concise, and free of errors. Make sure that your summary accurately represents the research article or study.
• Add references: Include a list of references cited in the research summary, following the appropriate citation style.

Example of Research Summary

Here is an example of a research summary:

Title: The Effects of Yoga on Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis

Introduction: This meta-analysis examines the effects of yoga on mental health. The study aimed to investigate whether yoga practice can improve mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, stress, and quality of life.

Methodology : The study analyzed data from 14 randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of yoga on mental health outcomes. The sample included a total of 862 participants. The yoga interventions varied in length and frequency, ranging from four to twelve weeks, with sessions lasting from 45 to 90 minutes.

Results : The meta-analysis found that yoga practice significantly improved mental health outcomes. Participants who practiced yoga showed a significant reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as stress levels. Quality of life also improved in those who practiced yoga.

Discussion : The findings of this study suggest that yoga can be an effective intervention for improving mental health outcomes. The study supports the growing body of evidence that suggests that yoga can have a positive impact on mental health. Limitations of the study include the variability of the yoga interventions, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.

Conclusion : Overall, the findings of this meta-analysis support the use of yoga as an effective intervention for improving mental health outcomes. Further research is needed to determine the optimal length and frequency of yoga interventions for different populations.

References :

• Cramer, H., Lauche, R., Langhorst, J., Dobos, G., & Berger, B. (2013). Yoga for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Depression and anxiety, 30(11), 1068-1083.
• Khalsa, S. B. (2004). Yoga as a therapeutic intervention: a bibliometric analysis of published research studies. Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology, 48(3), 269-285.
• Ross, A., & Thomas, S. (2010). The health benefits of yoga and exercise: a review of comparison studies. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(1), 3-12.

Purpose of Research Summary

The purpose of a research summary is to provide a brief overview of a research project or study, including its main points, findings, and conclusions. The summary allows readers to quickly understand the essential aspects of the research without having to read the entire article or study.

Research summaries serve several purposes, including:

• Facilitating comprehension: A research summary allows readers to quickly understand the main points and findings of a research project or study without having to read the entire article or study. This makes it easier for readers to comprehend the research and its significance.
• Communicating research findings: Research summaries are often used to communicate research findings to a wider audience, such as policymakers, practitioners, or the general public. The summary presents the essential aspects of the research in a clear and concise manner, making it easier for non-experts to understand.
• Supporting decision-making: Research summaries can be used to support decision-making processes by providing a summary of the research evidence on a particular topic. This information can be used by policymakers or practitioners to make informed decisions about interventions, programs, or policies.
• Saving time: Research summaries save time for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders who need to review multiple research studies. Rather than having to read the entire article or study, they can quickly review the summary to determine whether the research is relevant to their needs.

Characteristics of Research Summary

The following are some of the key characteristics of a research summary:

• Concise : A research summary should be brief and to the point, providing a clear and concise overview of the main points of the research.
• Objective : A research summary should be written in an objective tone, presenting the research findings without bias or personal opinion.
• Comprehensive : A research summary should cover all the essential aspects of the research, including the research question, methodology, results, and conclusions.
• Accurate : A research summary should accurately reflect the key findings and conclusions of the research.
• Clear and well-organized: A research summary should be easy to read and understand, with a clear structure and logical flow.
• Relevant : A research summary should focus on the most important and relevant aspects of the research, highlighting the key findings and their implications.
• Audience-specific: A research summary should be tailored to the intended audience, using language and terminology that is appropriate and accessible to the reader.
• Citations : A research summary should include citations to the original research articles or studies, allowing readers to access the full text of the research if desired.

When to write Research Summary

Here are some situations when it may be appropriate to write a research summary:

• Proposal stage: A research summary can be included in a research proposal to provide a brief overview of the research aims, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.
• Conference presentation: A research summary can be prepared for a conference presentation to summarize the main findings of a study or research project.
• Journal submission: Many academic journals require authors to submit a research summary along with their research article or study. The summary provides a brief overview of the study’s main points, findings, and conclusions and helps readers quickly understand the research.
• Funding application: A research summary can be included in a funding application to provide a brief summary of the research aims, objectives, and expected outcomes.
• Policy brief: A research summary can be prepared as a policy brief to communicate research findings to policymakers or stakeholders in a concise and accessible manner.

Advantages of Research Summary

Research summaries offer several advantages, including:

• Time-saving: A research summary saves time for readers who need to understand the key findings and conclusions of a research project quickly. Rather than reading the entire research article or study, readers can quickly review the summary to determine whether the research is relevant to their needs.
• Clarity and accessibility: A research summary provides a clear and accessible overview of the research project’s main points, making it easier for readers to understand the research without having to be experts in the field.
• Improved comprehension: A research summary helps readers comprehend the research by providing a brief and focused overview of the key findings and conclusions, making it easier to understand the research and its significance.
• Enhanced communication: Research summaries can be used to communicate research findings to a wider audience, such as policymakers, practitioners, or the general public, in a concise and accessible manner.
• Facilitated decision-making: Research summaries can support decision-making processes by providing a summary of the research evidence on a particular topic. Policymakers or practitioners can use this information to make informed decisions about interventions, programs, or policies.
• Increased dissemination: Research summaries can be easily shared and disseminated, allowing research findings to reach a wider audience.

Limitations of Research Summary

Limitations of the Research Summary are as follows:

• Limited scope: Research summaries provide a brief overview of the research project’s main points, findings, and conclusions, which can be limiting. They may not include all the details, nuances, and complexities of the research that readers may need to fully understand the study’s implications.
• Risk of oversimplification: Research summaries can be oversimplified, reducing the complexity of the research and potentially distorting the findings or conclusions.
• Lack of context: Research summaries may not provide sufficient context to fully understand the research findings, such as the research background, methodology, or limitations. This may lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations of the research.
• Possible bias: Research summaries may be biased if they selectively emphasize certain findings or conclusions over others, potentially distorting the overall picture of the research.
• Format limitations: Research summaries may be constrained by the format or length requirements, making it challenging to fully convey the research’s main points, findings, and conclusions.
• Accessibility: Research summaries may not be accessible to all readers, particularly those with limited literacy skills, visual impairments, or language barriers.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Abstract (summary)

An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis , review, conference proceeding , or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. [1] When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript or typescript, acting as the point-of-entry for any given academic paper or patent application . Abstracting and indexing services for various academic disciplines are aimed at compiling a body of literature for that particular subject.

Purpose and limitations

Abstract types, informative, descriptive, graphical abstracts, abstract quality assessment, further reading.

The terms précis or synopsis are used in some publications to refer to the same thing that other publications might call an "abstract". In management reports, an executive summary usually contains more information (and often more sensitive information) than the abstract does.

Academic literature uses the abstract to succinctly communicate complex research. An abstract may act as a stand-alone entity instead of a full paper. As such, an abstract is used by many organizations as the basis for selecting research that is proposed for presentation in the form of a poster, platform/oral presentation or workshop presentation at an academic conference . Most bibliographic databases only index abstracts rather than providing the entire text of the paper. Full texts of scientific papers must often be purchased because of copyright and/or publisher fees and therefore the abstract is a significant selling point for the reprint or electronic form of the full text. [2]

The abstract can convey the main results and conclusions of a scientific article but the full text article must be consulted for details of the methodology, the full experimental results, and a critical discussion of the interpretations and conclusions. Abstracts are occasionally inconsistent with full reports. [3] [4] This has the potential to mislead clinicians who rely solely on the information present in the abstract without consulting the full report.

An abstract allows one to sift through copious numbers of papers for ones in which the researcher can have more confidence that they will be relevant to their research. Once papers are chosen based on the abstract, they must be read carefully to be evaluated for relevance.

It is generally agreed that one must not base reference citations on the abstract alone, but the content of an entire paper. [3] [5] This is because abstracts may not be fully representative of the full report or article. Therefore, basing reference citations solely on the information present in the abstract could be misleading. [3] [5]

According to the results of a study published in PLOS Medicine , the "exaggerated and inappropriate coverage of research findings in the news media" is ultimately related to inaccurately reporting or over-interpreting research results in many abstract conclusions. [6] A study published in JAMA concluded that "inconsistencies in data between abstract and body and reporting of data and other information solely in the abstract are relatively common and that a simple educational intervention directed to the author is ineffective in reducing that frequency." [7] Other "studies comparing the accuracy of information reported in a journal abstract with that reported in the text of the full publication have found claims that are inconsistent with, or missing from, the body of the full article." [3] [8] [9]

According to the Modern Language Association , there are almost no circumstances in which it is acceptable to cite an abstract: "It only makes sense to cite an abstract if you are writing about the abstract as an abstract and not about the work it summarizes: for instance, if you are writing about different styles of writing abstracts used in the sciences and humanities." [10]

The history of abstracting dates back to the point when it was felt necessary to summarise the content of documents in order to make the information contained in them more accessible. In Mesopotamia during the early second millennium BCE, clay envelopes designed to protect enclosed cuneiform documents from tampering were inscribed either with the full text of the document or a summary. In the Greco-Roman world , many texts were abstracted: summaries of non-fiction works were known as epitomes , and in many cases the only information about works which have not survived to modernity comes from their epitomes which have survived. Similarly, the text of many ancient Greek and Roman plays commenced with a hypothesis which summed up the play's plot. Non-literary documents were also abstracted: the Tebtunis papyri found in the Ancient Egyptian town of Tebtunis contain abstracts of legal documents. During the Middle Ages , the pages of scholarly texts contained summaries of their contents as marginalia , as did some manuscripts of the Code of Justinian . [11]

The use of abstracts to summarise science originates in the early 1800s, when the secretary of the Royal Society would record brief summaries of talks into the minutes of each meeting, which were referred to as 'abstracts'. [12] The Royal Society abstracts from 1800 – 1837 were later collated and published in the society's journal Philosophical Transactions , with the first group appearing in 1832. [13] These abstracts were generally one or more pages long. Other learned societies adopted similar practices. The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) may have been the first to publish its abstracts: the Monthly Notices of the RAS launched in 1827, containing (among other things) abstracts of talks given at their monthly meetings; [14] the full papers were published months or years later in the Memoirs of the RAS . [15] The RAS abstracts were between one and three paragraphs long. In both cases, these early abstracts were written by the learned society, not the author of the paper. Perhaps the earliest example of an abstract published alongside the paper it summarises was the 1919 paper On the Irregularities of Motion of the Foucault Pendulum published in the Physical Review of the American Physical Society , [16] [12] which often published abstracts thereafter. [17]

Abstracts are protected under copyright law just as any other form of written speech is protected. [18]

Abstract is often expected to tell a complete story of the paper, as for most readers, abstract is the only part of the paper that will be read. It should allow the reader to give an elevator pitch of the full paper. [19]

An academic abstract typically outlines four elements relevant to the completed work:

• The research focus (statement of the problem(s)/specific gap in existing research/research issue(s) addressed);
• The research methods (experimental research, case studies, questionnaires , etc) used to solve the problem;
• The major results/findings of the research; and
• The main conclusions and recommendations (i.e., how the work answers the proposed research problem).

It may also contain brief references, [20] although some publications' standard style omits references from the abstract, reserving them for the article body (which, by definition, treats the same topics but in more depth).

Abstract length varies by discipline and publisher requirements. Typical length ranges from 100 to 500 words, but very rarely more than a page and occasionally just a few words. [21] An abstract may or may not have the section title of "abstract" explicitly listed as an antecedent to content.

Sometimes, abstracts are sectioned logically as an overview of what appears in the paper, with any of the following subheadings: Background, Introduction , Objectives , Methods , Results, Discussion, Conclusions. Abstracts in which these subheadings are explicitly given are often called structured abstracts . [22] Abstracts that comprise one paragraph (no explicit subheadings) are often called unstructured abstracts . Abstracts are important enough that IMRAD is even sometimes recast as AIMRAD .

Example taken from the Journal of Biology , Volume 3, Issue 2 .: [23]

The hydrodynamics of dolphin drafting

by Daniel Weihs , Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel. Abstract: Background Drafting in cetaceans is defined as the transfer of forces between individuals without actual physical contact between them. This behavior has long been surmised to explain how young dolphin calves keep up with their rapidly moving mothers. It has recently been observed that a significant number of calves become permanently separated from their mothers during chases by tuna vessels. A study of the hydrodynamics of drafting, initiated inmechanisms causing the separation of mothers and calves during fishing-related activities, is reported here. Results Quantitative results are shown for the forces and moments around a pair of unequally sized dolphin-like slender bodies. These include two major effects. First, the so-called Bernoulli suction, which stems from the fact that the local pressure drops in areas of high speed, results in an attractive force between mother and calf. Second is the displacement effect, in which the motion of the mother causes the water in front to move forwards and radially outwards, and water behind the body to move forwards to replace the animal's mass. Thus, the calf can gain a 'free ride' in the forward-moving areas. Utilizing these effects, the neonate can gain up to 90% of the thrust needed to move alongside the mother at speeds of up to 2.4 m/s. A comparison with observations of eastern spinner dolphins ( Stenella longirostris ) is presented, showing savings of up to 60% in the thrust that calves require if they are to keep up with their mothers. Conclusions A theoretical analysis, backed by observations of free-swimming dolphin schools, indicates that hydrodynamic interactions with mothers play an important role in enabling dolphin calves to keep up with rapidly moving adult school members. © 2004 Weihs; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL

The informative abstract , also known as the complete abstract , is a compendious summary of a paper's substance and its background, purpose, methodology, results, and conclusion. [24] [25] Usually between 100 and 200 words, the informative abstract summarizes the paper's structure, its major topics and key points. [24] A format for scientific short reports that is similar to an informative abstract has been proposed in recent years. [26] Informative abstracts may be viewed as standalone documents. [24]

The descriptive abstract , also known as the limited abstract or the indicative abstract , provides a description of what the paper covers without delving into its substance. [27] A descriptive abstract is akin to a table of contents in paragraph form. [27]

During the late 2000s, due to the influence of computer storage and retrieval systems such as the Internet , some scientific publications, primarily those published by Elsevier , started including graphical abstracts alongside the text abstracts. [28] The graphic is intended to summarize or be an exemplar for the main thrust of the article. It is not intended to be as exhaustive a summary as the text abstract, rather it is supposed to indicate the type, scope, and technical coverage of the article at a glance. The use of graphical abstracts has been generally well received by the scientific community . [29] [30] Moreover, some journals also include video abstracts and animated abstracts made by the authors to easily explain their papers. [31] Many scientific publishers currently encourage authors to supplement their articles with graphical abstracts, in the hope that such a convenient visual summary will facilitate readers with a clearer outline of papers that are of interest and will result in improved overall visibility of the respective publication. However, the validity of this assumption has not been thoroughly studied, and a recent study statistically comparing publications with or without graphical abstracts with regard to several output parameters reflecting visibility failed to demonstrate an effectiveness of graphical abstracts for attracting attention to scientific publications. [32]

Various methods can be used to evaluate abstract quality, e.g. rating by readers, checklists), and readability measures (such as Flesch Reading Ease ). [29] [33]

• Abstract (law)
• Abstract management
• Academic conference
• Executive summary
• Fast abstract
• IMRAD – commonly used structure for academic journal articles and their abstracts
• List of academic databases and search engines

Related Research Articles

In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication designed to further the progress of science by disseminating new research findings to the scientific community. These journals serve as a platform for researchers, scholars, and scientists to share their latest discoveries, insights, and methodologies across a multitude of scientific disciplines. Unlike professional or trade magazines, scientific journals are characterized by their rigorous peer review process, which aims to ensure the validity, reliability, and quality of the published content. With origins dating back to the 17th century, the publication of scientific journals has evolved significantly, playing a pivotal role in the advancement of scientific knowledge, fostering academic discourse, and facilitating collaboration within the scientific community.

Nature is a British weekly scientific journal founded and based in London, England. As a multidisciplinary publication, Nature features peer-reviewed research from a variety of academic disciplines, mainly in science and technology. It has core editorial offices across the United States, continental Europe, and Asia under the international scientific publishing company Springer Nature. Nature was one of the world's most cited scientific journals by the Science Edition of the 2022 Journal Citation Reports , making it one of the world's most-read and most prestigious academic journals. As of 2012, it claimed an online readership of about three million unique readers per month.

A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of acknowledging the relevance of the works of others to the topic of discussion at the spot where the citation appears.

Academic publishing is the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in academic journal articles, books or theses. The part of academic written output that is not formally published but merely printed up or posted on the Internet is often called "grey literature". Most scientific and scholarly journals, and many academic and scholarly books, though not all, are based on some form of peer review or editorial refereeing to qualify texts for publication. Peer review quality and selectivity standards vary greatly from journal to journal, publisher to publisher, and field to field.

Scientific literature encompasses a vast body of academic papers that spans various disciplines within the natural and social sciences. It primarily consists of academic papers that present original empirical research and theoretical contributions. These papers serve as essential sources of knowledge and are commonly referred to simply as “ the literature ” within specific research fields.

PubMed is a free database including primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health maintains the database as part of the Entrez system of information retrieval.

In scientific writing, IMRAD or IMRaD is a common organizational structure. IMRaD is the most prominent norm for the structure of a scientific journal article of the original research type.

In academic publishing, a retraction is a mechanism by which a published paper in an academic journal is flagged for being seriously flawed to the extent that their results and conclusions can no longer be relied upon. Retracted articles are not removed from the published literature but marked as retracted. In some cases it may be necessary to remove an article from publication, such as when the article is clearly defamatory, violates personal privacy, is the subject of a court order, or might pose a serious health risk to the general public.

The impact factor ( IF ) or journal impact factor ( JIF ) of an academic journal is a scientometric index calculated by Clarivate that reflects the yearly mean number of citations of articles published in the last two years in a given journal, as indexed by Clarivate's Web of Science.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ( MNRAS ) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in astronomy and astrophysics. It has been in continuous existence since 1827 and publishes letters and papers reporting original research in relevant fields. Despite the name, the journal is no longer monthly, nor does it carry the notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. MNRAS publishes more articles per year than any other astronomy journal.

Scientific writing is writing about science, with an implication that the writing is by scientists and for an audience that primarily includes peers —those with sufficient expertise to follow in detail. Scientific writing is a specialized form of technical writing, and a prominent genre of it involves reporting about scientific studies such as in articles for a scientific journal. Other scientific writing genres include writing literature-review articles, which summarize the existing state of a given aspect of a scientific field, and writing grant proposals, which are a common means of obtaining funding to support scientific research. Scientific writing is more likely to focus on the pure sciences compared to other aspects of technical communication that are more applied, although there is overlap. There is not one specific style for citations and references in scientific writing. Whether you are submitting a grant proposal, literature review articles, or submitting an article into a paper, the citation system that must be used will depend on the publication you plan to submit to.

PLOS One is a peer-reviewed open access mega journal published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS) since 2006. The journal covers primary research from any discipline within science and medicine. The Public Library of Science began in 2000 with an online petition initiative by Nobel Prize winner Harold Varmus, formerly director of the National Institutes of Health and at that time director of Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center; Patrick O. Brown, a biochemist at Stanford University; and Michael Eisen, a computational biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Academic authorship of journal articles, books, and other original works is a means by which academics communicate the results of their scholarly work, establish priority for their discoveries, and build their reputation among their peers.

A review article is an article that summarizes the current state of understanding on a topic within a certain discipline. A review article is generally considered a secondary source since it may analyze and discuss the method and conclusions in previously published studies. It resembles a survey article or, in news publishing, overview article , which also surveys and summarizes previously published primary and secondary sources, instead of reporting new facts and results. Survey articles are however considered tertiary sources, since they do not provide additional analysis and synthesis of new conclusions. A review of such sources is often referred to as a tertiary review.

Astronomy & Geophysics ( A&G ) is a scientific journal and trade magazine published on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) by Oxford University Press. It is distributed bimonthly to members of the RAS.

Scholarly peer review or academic peer review is the process of having a draft version of a researcher's methods and findings reviewed by experts in the same field. Peer review is widely used for helping the academic publisher decide whether the work should be accepted, considered acceptable with revisions, or rejected for official publication in an academic journal, a monograph or in the proceedings of an academic conference. If the identities of authors are not revealed to each other, the procedure is called dual-anonymous peer review.

Metascience is the use of scientific methodology to study science itself. Metascience seeks to increase the quality of scientific research while reducing inefficiency. It is also known as "research on research" and "the science of science", as it uses research methods to study how research is done and find where improvements can be made. Metascience concerns itself with all fields of research and has been described as "a bird's eye view of science". In the words of John Ioannidis, "Science is the best thing that has happened to human beings   ... but we can do it better."

Conflicts of interest (COIs) often arise in academic publishing. Such conflicts may cause wrongdoing and make it more likely. Ethical standards in academic publishing exist to avoid and deal with conflicts of interest, and the field continues to develop new standards. Standards vary between journals and are unevenly applied. According to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, "[a]uthors have a responsibility to evaluate the integrity, history, practices and reputation of the journals to which they submit manuscripts".

A graphical abstract is a graphical or visual equivalent of a written abstract. Graphical abstracts are a single image and are designed to help the reader to quickly gain an overview on a scholarly paper, research article, thesis or review: and to quickly ascertain the purpose and results of a given research, as well as the salient details of authors and journal. Graphical abstracts are intended to help facilitate online browsing, as well as help readers quickly identify which papers are relevant to their research interests. Like a video abstract, they are not intended to replace the original research paper, rather to help draw attention to it, increasing its readership. Instructions for designing a graphical abstract are available, e.g., "10 simple rules for designing graphical abstracts".

Elisabeth Margaretha Harbers-Bik is a Dutch microbiologist and scientific integrity consultant. Bik is known for her work detecting photo manipulation in scientific publications, and identifying over 4,000 potential cases of improper research conduct, including 400 research papers published by authors in China from a research paper mill company. Bik is the founder of Microbiome Digest, a blog with daily updates on microbiome research, and the Science Integrity Digest blog.

• ↑ Gliner, Jeffrey A.; Morgan, George A. (2000). Research Methods in Applied Settings: An Integrated Approach to Design and Analysis . Mahwah, NJ: Psychology Press. ISBN   978-0-8058-2992-1 . [ page   needed ]
• 1 2 3 4 Kamel, SA; El-Sobky, TA (23 August 2023). "Reporting quality of abstracts and inconsistencies with full text articles in pediatric orthopedic publications" . Research Integrity and Peer Review . 8 (1): 11. doi : 10.1186/s41073-023-00135-3 . PMC   10463470 . PMID   37608346 .
• ↑ Li, G; Abbade, LPF; Nwosu, I; Jin, Y; Leenus, A; Maaz, M; Wang, M; Bhatt, M; Zielinski, L; Sanger, N; Bantoto, B; Luo, C; Shams, I; Shahid, H; Chang, Y; Sun, G; Mbuagbaw, L; Samaan, Z; Levine, MAH; Adachi, JD; Thabane, L (29 December 2017). "A scoping review of comparisons between abstracts and full reports in primary biomedical research" . BMC Medical Research Methodology . 17 (1): 181. doi : 10.1186/s12874-017-0459-5 . PMC   5747940 . PMID   29287585 .
• 1 2 Pavlovic, Vedrana; Weissgerber, Tracey; Stanisavljevic, Dejana; Pekmezovic, Tatjana; Milicevic, Ognjen; Lazovic, Jelena Milin; Cirkovic, Andja; Savic, Marko; Rajovic, Nina; Piperac, Pavle; Djuric, Nemanja; Madzarevic, Petar; Dimitrijevic, Ana; Randjelovic, Simona; Nestorovic, Emilija; Akinyombo, Remi; Pavlovic, Andrija; Ghamrawi, Ranine; Garovic, Vesna; Milic, Natasa (12 March 2021). "How accurate are citations of frequently cited papers in biomedical literature?" . Clinical Science . 135 (5): 671–681. doi : 10.1042/CS20201573 . PMC   8048031 . PMID   33599711 .
• ↑ Yavchitz, Amélie; Boutron, Isabelle; Bafeta, Aida; Marroun, Ibrahim; Charles, Pierre; Mantz, Jean; Ravaud, Philippe; Bero, Lisa A. (11 September 2012). "Misrepresentation of randomized controlled trials in press releases and news coverage: a cohort study" . PLOS Medicine . 9 (9): e1001308. doi : 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001308 . PMC   3439420 . PMID   22984354 .
• ↑ O'Donohoe, TJ; Dhillon, R; Bridson, TL; Tee, J (1 July 2019). "Reporting Quality of Systematic Review Abstracts Published in Leading Neurosurgical Journals: A Research on Research Study" . Neurosurgery . 85 (1): 1–10. doi : 10.1093/neuros/nyy615 . PMID   30649511 .
• ↑ How do I cite an abstract?
• ↑ Witty, Francis J. (October 1973). "The Beginnings of Indexing and Abstracting: Some Notes towards a History of Indexing and Abstracting in Antiquity and the Middle Ages" (PDF) . The Indexer . 8 (4): 193–198. doi : 10.3828/indexer.1973.8.4.1 . S2CID   239271784 . Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2021 . Retrieved 21 April 2021 .
• 1 2 "What's So Abstract About Scientific Abstracts? | Inside Science" . Archived from the original on 2020-09-21 . Retrieved 2020-09-24 .
• ↑ "Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London" .
• ↑ Goldingham, John (April 1827). "On the longitude of Madras". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . 1 : 13. Bibcode : 1827MNRAS...1...13G . the end of this abstract
• ↑ Goldingham, John (1827). "Observations of the Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites, taken at the Madras Observatory, in the Years 1817—1825". Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society . 3 : 106–108. Bibcode : 1827MmRAS...3..106G .
• ↑ Longden, A. C. (1 April 1919). "On the Irregularities of Motion of the Foucault Pendulum" . Physical Review . 13 (4): 241–258. Bibcode : 1919PhRv...13..241L . doi : 10.1103/PhysRev.13.241 .
• ↑ Bazerman, Charles (1988). Shaping written knowledge   : the genre and activity of the experimental article in science . Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN   978-0299116903 .
• ↑ Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office practices . Library of Congress. 2014. p.   387.
• ↑ Mensh, Brett; Kording, Konrad (2016-11-28). "Ten simple rules for structuring papers" . bioRxiv . doi : 10.1101/088278 . S2CID   195953236 .
• ↑ mmm3 (2008-11-15). "Journal Paper Submission Guidelines" . Docstoc. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009 . Retrieved 2009-04-22 .
• ↑ Berry; Brunner, N; Popescu, S; Shukla, P (2011). "Can apparent superluminal neutrino speeds be explained as a quantum weak measurement?". J. Phys. A: Math. Theor . 44 (49): 2001. arXiv : 1110.2832 . Bibcode : 2011JPhA...44W2001B . doi : 10.1088/1751-8113/44/49/492001 . S2CID   3468441 .
• ↑ "Structured Abstracts – What are structured abstracts?" . Retrieved 12 September 2023 .
• ↑ Mann, J; Smuts, B (2004). "The hydrodynamics of dolphin drafting" . Journal of Biology . 3 (2): 8. doi : 10.1186/jbiol2 . PMC   416558 . PMID   15132740 .
• 1 2 3 Finkelstein 2004 , pp.   212–214.
• ↑ "Types of Abstracts" . Colorado State University . Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
• ↑ Hortolà, Policarp (2008). "An ergonomic format for short reporting in scientific journals using nested tables and the Deming's cycle". Journal of Information Science . 34 (2): 207–212. doi : 10.1177/0165551507082590 . S2CID   39334416 .
• 1 2 Finkelstein 2004 , pp.   211–212.
• ↑ "Graphical Abstracts" . Elsevier . Retrieved January 24, 2016 .
• 1 2 Bui, Lily (March 3, 2015). "A Glance at Graphical Abstracts" . Comparative Media Studies: Writing . MIT . Retrieved January 24, 2016 .
• ↑ Romans, Brian (February 16, 2011). "Are graphical abstracts a good idea?" . Wired . Retrieved January 24, 2016 .
• ↑ "Video Abstracts" . Journal of the American Chemical Society . Retrieved January 24, 2016 .
• ↑ Pferschy-Wenzig, EM; Pferschy, U; Wang, D; Mocan, A; Atanasov, AG (Sep 2016). "Does a Graphical Abstract Bring More Visibility to Your Paper?" . Molecules . 21 (9): 1247. doi : 10.3390/molecules21091247 . PMC   5283664 . PMID   27649137 .
• ↑ Ufnalska, Sylwia B.; Hartley, James (August 2009). "How can we evaluate the quality of abstracts?" (PDF) . European Science Editing . 35 (3): 69–71. ISSN   0258-3127 .
• Finkelstein, Leo Jr. (2004). Pocket Book of Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists (2.   ed.). London: McGraw-Hill Education – Europe. ISBN   978-0072468496 .
• ISO 214: Documentation — Abstracts for publications and documentation.

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