Abstract Writing (论文摘要写作精简版)

Writing: AbstractWHAT IS AN ABSTRACT1. The Definition of an Abstract1 ) the objectives and scope of investigation;2) the methods used;3) the most important results;4) conclusion or recommendation.2. Features of AbstractsBrevity Accuracy Specificity Objectivity Informativeness IndependencyCLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACTS1.Indicative Abstractsrmative Abstractsrmative-indicative Abstracts4.Other Types of Abstracts 1) Critical Abstracts 2) Mini-abstractsFUNCTIONS OF ABSTRACTSA Screening Device of Documents: An abstract gives readers the idea of what the article is about.A Self-contained Text: We’ll know the information it contains, without seeing the article .A Helpful Preview: It "frames" the article and prepares the reader for the main points to come.To Facilitate Indexing: It will improve the chances of having it read by the right people.STYLISTIC FEATURES OF ABSTRACTS1. The Length of Abstracts1) In general, there is a 100-300 word limit to the number of words in an abstract.2) Do not confuse an abstract with a review. There should be no comment or evaluation.3) Give information only once.4) Do not repeat the information given in the title.5) Do not include any facts or ideas that are not in the text.6) For informative abstracts, include enough data to support the conclusions.7) If reference to procedure is essential, try to restrict it to identification of method or process.8) State results, conclusions, or findings in clear concise fashion.9) Organize the information in the way that is most useful to the reader. (a thesis-first abstract)2. Verbs and Tenses Used in Abstracts1) Active verbs: use active verbs rather than passive verbs.2) Present tense: background information, existing facts, what is in the paper and conclusion.3) Past tense /present perfect tense: completed research, methodology or major activities results.3. Words Used in Abstracts1) Avoid use of highly specialized words or abbreviations. Define unfamiliar words.2) Synthesize or rephrase the information into clear, concise statements.3) Avoid using jargon.4. Sentence Structures of Abstracts1) Use third person sentences.2) Use short sentences, but vary sentence structure.3) Use complete sentences.4) The first sentence should present the subject and scope of the report. The thesis or the writer's focus should be presented in the second sentence. The balance of the article is a summary of the important points of each section, including methods, procedures, results and conclusions.5) Good abstracts are sure to include a variety of pat phrases:a. Background Information (Research has shown... It has been proposed... Another proposed property... The search is on for... One of the promising new...)b. Statement of the Problem (The objective of the research is to prove / verify... The experiment was designed to determine...)e. Statement of Procedure (To investigate this .... A group of 10 specimens / subjects ... Measurementswere taken after... A second group was...)d. Conclusions (It was found that .... Results imply... This data suggests... In the experimental group... In the control group...)e. Relates the Experiment to the Words (This kind of research encourages the belief that... Similar to ...) HOW TO WRITE AN ABSTRACT (An abstract must be written last as it sums up the results)l) Locate the thesis statement, identify the main divisions of the document, find the main terms (key words) and statements in each section;2) Decide the degree of detail to include;3) Prepare a single paragraph including the crucial information gathered;4) Edit the draft, eliminate unnecessary background information, and reduce wordy phrases;5) Finally, revise the opening statement to emphasize the new information contained in the paper.Start out the abstract by telling exactly what you did and how you did it. Focus on the rationale and ideas of the study and why it is important in the first two sentences. In the next few lines, focus on the materials and methods, and the data generated from the study. Tell the reader how the data were collected, compiled, and state statistical significance(s). Mention any new tools developed.Avoid using bibliographic references in the abstract. However, if your article follows directly from a published work and is a major advance on that specific piece of work, do cite the paper in the abstract.The end of the abstract is just as important as the beginning. The concluding lines of the abstract should lead into the first paragraph of the introduction without repeating what has been said. State the implications of your studies to the field of scholarship in which you are working.1. How to Write Informative Abstracts1) An informative abstract should be orderly, succinct, and concrete, with the length of no mere than 10% of the essay.2) Plan to write an abstract that is in the first draft, note key facts, statistics, etc. on the organisms, materials and locations used.3) Do not include a statement of scope or a sentence like "this paper will look at .... ".4) Write selected details of the experimental methods, including the duration of the study, the treatments, methods and equipment used.5) Be sure to omit or condense lengthy examples, tables, and other supporting detail.6) Do not hedge or equivocate.7) Give the key results, with a description of them and some of the main figures and their statistical significance.8) Use active verbs such as "report", "propos ", and "analyze" rather than static verbs such as "is", "are" and "appears to be".9) Revise the draft into smooth, stand-alone prose; the abstract itself should be a mini-essay.10) Edit the revision. Be sure that the abstract is complete and accurate, with a brief note on the significance of the results.11) Double check that the abstract is written in the same voice as is the paper.2. How to Write Indicative Abstracts1) List the title of the research report after "Abstract of..." at the top of your page.2) Summarize the major thesis and supporting main ideas of the report without omitting any important ideas.3) Avoid wordiness and repetition.4) Condense source material in your own words, being careful not to directly borrow text. You should not use direct quotations in abstracts.5) Use good sentence structure, grammar, mechanics, and spelling.6) Adhere to the 100-word limit. (No fewer than 90, nor more than 110)3. How to write Abstracts for Engineering InformationBackground: A simple opening sentence or two ;Aims: One or two sentences giving the purpose, the development, the survey as well as the assignment and the scope of the research;Method(s): One or two sentences explaining what was done and what the principles, the theory, the condition, the objective, the techniques, the framework, the means, the equipment and the procedure, etc. used in the research are;Results: One or two sentences indicating the main findings, the result, the data, the relationship, the effect and the performance of the experiment and research;Conclusions: One sentence giving the most important consequence of the work, the results of the analysis, the research, the evaluation and the application, and the issues that are raised as well.4. How to Write Abstracts for DissertationsThere are two purposes in dissertation abstract writing: to inform your reader, and to market your product. Aside from the guidelines mentioned above, there are some others:1) a dissertation abstract should have three elements, and three elements alone:a. a section on the problem you examined;b. a section showing your method;c. a section showing your findings.2) you need not give the history of the problem, why you chose to study it, your philosophy, or your self-congratulatory but humble remarks about how your dissertation will change the world.3) be sure to use some key words for easy referencing, an accurate and specific summary of your findings, and as active a voice as you can muster.5. How to Write Abstracts for ConferencesIt is a competitive process, but one to be undertaken seriously.1) Look for "Call for Papers" notices.2) Title: The title should be informative and focused, indicating the problem, kind of data and your general approach.3) Make your abstract as brief as possible, within the word limit set by the "Call for Papers".4) Make sure to describe the general topic clearly.5) Try to make your abstract appeal to the concept for the conference as it is defined in the "Call for Papers".6) Describe your treatment of the topic, and how it relates to previous work on the same topic.7) Explain how you will justify your treatment, and quote crucial evidence.8) Consider your audience carefully. You are essentially writing a speech. Your sentence structures, use of specialized language and theories, etc., should take this into account. Also, in oral discourse, you might want to summarize and / or repeat ideas more often.6. How to Write Research Abstracts1)The purpose of a research abstract can be boiled down to providing the answers to the following questions:a. Why did you start?b. What did you do?c. What did you find?d. What does it mean?2) Title: Ideally about 10-12 words long, the title should include the scope of the investigation, the study design, and the goal. In general it is preferable to make the title a description of what was investigated. The title should be easy for the reader to understand and should not include jargon or 3) Introduction or Background: this should provide a brief context or explanation for doing the study, and state the aim of the study, and ideally should include a concise statement of the study' s hypothesis. A scientific study is "to find out whether it is true."4) Methods: In an abstract the description of the methods has to be concise, and much of the details of what was done must be omitted. However, in a few short sentences the reader can be given a good idea of the design of the study, the context in which it was done, and the types of patients or measurements that were included.5) Results: space is limited. Still, it is important to give the main results of the study not just in subjective terms but also in the form of the most important data. Do not include a table or figure unless it is necessary to convey your results.6) Conclusions: Keep your conclusions reasonable and supportable by the findings of your study.7) Follow the instructions7. Some Don'ts in Abstract Writing1) Do not commence with "this paper...", "this report..." or similar. It is better to write about the research. Similarly, do not explain the sections or parts of the paper.2) Avoid sentences that end in "... is described", "... is reported", "... is analyzed" or similar. These are simply too vague to be informative.3) Do not begin sentences with "it is suggested that...", "it is believed that... ", "it is felt that..." or similar, for the words can be omitted without damaging the essential message.4) Do not write in the first person. Not only should you avoid I, but also we , the author , the writer, etc., because the abstract should be about the research, not about the act of writing.5) Do not submit an abstract with the length exceeding the limit offered.6) Do not submit your abstract later than the given date.7) Do not write an imprecise abstract.SAMPLESSample 1:Microscopic characterization of a TiB2-carbon material composite:Raw materials and composite characterizationAbstract: Titanium diboride (TiB2) is a very attractive material for the aluminum industry, because it is readily wetted by molten aluminum and combines good physical properties (electrical conductivity), chemical (fairly resistant to dissolution by molten aluminum), and mechanical (wear resistance) properties.// In this article, both raw materials(anthracite, pitch, and TiB2powder) and TiB2-carbon composites (TCC) were characterized.//Inclusions of aluminosilicate and iron oxide types were found in the anthracity aggregates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis allowed differentiation between two types of aggregates: stratified (L C=44 nm) and nonstratified (L C=15 nm). The principal impurity found in the TiB2 powder was TiCN and surface analysis of the particles revealed the presence of a contaminant layer composed of C, N, O, and Ti; the thickness of this layer varied from 5 to 15 nm.// Characterization of the TiB2particles in the composite showed important surface modifications compared to their initial state. Evidence seen on the particles’ surfaces showed that a TiC-(O traces) formed preferentially on the side of particles rather than on top surface. The thickness of this TiC-(O traces) layer was evaluated to 30 nm.TiB2碳基复合材料的微观特征:原材料和复合物特征硼化钛(TiB2)在制铝业中是一种很受欢迎的材料,由于它易于被熔融的铝润湿,而且具有好的物理性能(导电率),化学性能(很好地抵御被熔融的铝分解)和机械性能(耐磨性).在这篇文章中,讨论了原材料(无烟煤,沥青和TiB2粉末)及TiB2碳基复合材料(TCC)的特征.在无沿煤聚合体中发现了铝矽酸盐和铁的氧化物.由X 射线衍射分析(XRD)可得两种聚合物的区别:层积的(L C=44 nm)和未层积的(L C=15 nm). TiB2粉末中发现的主要杂质是TiCN,另外颗粒表面分析可见由C, N, O, 和Ti组成的污染层;这个污染层从长远来5直15 nm 不等.符合物中TiB2颗粒的特征表明了与初始状态相比而言很重要的表面修正.颗粒表面所见的迹象显示TiC-(O traces)优先在颗粒的边缘而不是顶表面形成.这个TiC-(O traces)层厚度据估计有30 nm.Sample 2:Establishing a knowledge management programme for competitive advantage in an enterprise Abstract: This article is concerned with the establishment of a knowledge management programme that will ensure sustainable competitive advantage within an enterprise//. The main problem under investigation is to assess the importance of knowledge management within an enterprise and to ascertain how it can ensure sustained competitive advantage in an enterprise.// An empirical survey was conducted in the Eskom Transmission Group, Johannesburg, South Africa to investigate understanding of the knowledge management concept amongst business leader, determine enablers and barriers to implement a knowledge management programme and to determine whether knowledge is seen as a source for competitive advantage.// It is suggested that enterprises should adopt a holistic and integrated approach when establishing such a programme. Broad recommendations for establishing a knowledge management programme that will be source of sustainable competitive advantage are proposed. 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.为实现企业的竞争优势建立知识管理的程序这是一篇关于为确保企业持续性竞争优势建立知识管理程序的文章.调查的主要问题是评价企业中知识管理的重要性和确定知识管理怎样保证企业的持续性竞争优势.为了调查知识管理概念在商业领导者中的理解程度,确定实施知识经济管理程序的有利和不利因素以及确定是否知识被看作竞争优势的源泉,南美约翰内斯堡的埃斯克姆传播小组进行了一次实验性研究.文章建议在建立知识管理程序的时候,企业应该采用完整综合的方法.文章在作为持续性竞争优势源泉的知识管理程序的建立方面提出了狠多的建议.。