Writing

Abstracts
Definition
An abstract is a short, objective description of an intellectual resource,
usually a written document. Professors often assign students to write abstracts
to accompany their papers.
Purposes
When writing an abstract, it is important to keep in mind the purposes of an
abstract. One main purpose is to provide readers with useful information
about a document. Another main purpose of an abstract is to help readers to
evaluate and select a document that they would find useful in their own
research. An abstract should allow a reader to get the bare-bones information
about a document without requiring them to read the actual document.
An abstract is NOT, however, a simple summary of a document; neither is it
a critique of a document.
Writing the Abstract
Because an abstract is a description of an entire document, you can
write an abstract only for a document that is complete. If you are writing an
abstract as part of a class paper, you need to finish your paper before you
start working on your abstract.

The ABC of a good abstract

Accuracy – a good abstract includes only information included in the
original document
Brevity – a good abstract gets straight to the point, contains precise
language, and does not include superfluous adjectives
Clarity – a good abstract does not contain jargon or colloquialisms and
always explains any acronyms.
Several writing guidelines can make writing a good abstract easier:

- Do not refer to the author (e.g. “Dr. Seuss argues”)

- Do not refer to what type of document you are abstracting (e.g. “This
book describes”)
- Use complete sentences
- Use active verbs whenever possible
- Use familiar terminology whenever you can (and always explain terms
that may be unfamiliar to the average reader).
The Informative Abstract
One common type of abstract is an informative abstract. If you are
writing an abstract for a strictly-structured document like an experiment,
investigation, or survey, you will write an informative abstract.
An informative abstract is made up of four parts:
- Purpose
- Methodology
- Results
- Conclusions
The purpose section of an informative abstract should state either the
reason for or the primary objectives of the experiment or investigation.
The purpose section of an informative abstract might also contain the
hypothesis of the experiment.
 -The methodology section of an informative abstract should describe
the techniques used in conducting the experiment. This section should
give only as much detail as is necessary to understand the experiment; the
abstract should not focus entirely on research methods unless that is the
primary focus of the original document.
-The results section of an informative abstract should relate the
observations and/or data collected during the experiment. This section
should be concise and informative, and only the most important results
need be included.
-The conclusion section of an informative abstract should state the
evaluation or analysis of the experiment results. It should also briefly state
the implications of these results. This conclusion section might also state
whether the driving hypothesis of the experiment was correct.
A Sample Informative Abstract
Subjects’ car clocks were set ten minutes fast in order to determine if
deliberately setting a clock ahead will reduce lateness. One group of
subjects knew their clocks had been set ahead, while a second group of
subjects was not informed of the change. Over a four-week period, the
subjects who were aware of the clock change regularly arrived on time or
late for their scheduled appointments. Over the same period of time, the
subjects who were unaware of the clock change tended to arrive early or
on time for their appointments. Data suggest that intentionally setting a
clock to run fast does not reduce lateness because one accounts for that
extra time in his or her schedule.
The Indicative Abstract
A second type of abstract is an indicative abstract. If you are writing
an abstract for a less-structured document like an essay, editorial, or
book, you will write an indicative abstract.
An indicative abstract is generally made up of three parts:
- Scope
- Arguments Used
- Conclusions
The scope section of an indicative abstract should state the range of the
material dealt with in the original document as well as the starting premise
of the document. An abstract for an essay on Shakespeare’s comedies, for
example, would state that the Bard’s comedies make up the focus of the
essay.
 The arguments used section of an indicative abstract should state the
main arguments and counterarguments employed in the original
document. These arguments should be stated in the same progression in
which they appear in the document. Not all documents contain a
progression of arguments; in some cases this section may outline analysis
or plot progression instead.
The conclusions section of an indicative abstract should state the
document’s main closing argument and its implications as suggested by
the original author. This conclusion section might also state plot resolution
when the original document is a work of fiction.
A Sample Indicative Abstract
Types of female power in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice are
discussed. Mrs. Bennet and Charlotte Lucas represent the lack of power
possessed by married women of the middle class. Lady Catherine and
Caroline Bingley demonstrate the power of wealthy, single women to
occasionally flaunt rules of etiquette. Lydia Bennet represents the risks of
female power when bestowed upon too immature a woman, but Elizabeth
and Jane Bennet characterize the positive personal and social effects of
women who recognize their own power over self.
A Few More Tips
If you are writing an abstract about a document not written by you,
make sure to include the document’s bibliographic information before
your abstract. Also, because you could write an abstract for documents of
any size, there are general guidelines about how long your abstract should
be:
- For an editorial or letter to the editor, 30 words or less
- For a short note or short communication, 100 words or less
- For a shorter paper or article, 150-200 words or less
- For a longer paper, article, or book chapter, 250 words or less
- For long documents like a thesis or book, 300 words or less While these
length guidelines can help you as you learn how to write abstracts, with
practice you will develop a sense about what length—and how much
description—is sufficient for each individual abstract.
Polishing the Abstract
After you’ve completed your abstract, go back over the ABCs of a good
abstract and ask yourself a few questions:
 - How accurate is my abstract? Is it consistent with the information in the
original document?
- How brief is my abstract? Did I substantially reduce the amount of text
necessary to convey the main ideas?
- How clear is my abstract? Can a non-specialized reader easily understand
all the information?
Also, be sure to proofread your abstract carefully for errors and typos. If
you have a bibliographic heading, double-check it for accuracy and correct
spelling as well.
Indiana University (2011) Retrieved from: [Link]/~wts/