5 Tips to Writing Better Abstracts

chillibreeze writer — Navaz Bhot

Introduction

While doing some random reading on how to write an article, I came across the information that the number of people reading an abstract are more than 10 to 20 times the number of people actually reading the original article. This got me thinking. Most of the times, writers pay very little attention to the composition and content of an abstract. We should learn from our friends in marketing and advertising and ensure that our abstracts are powerful magnets which will convince readers that they will benefit by reading the whole article. To know more about writing abstracts, I decided to take a journey down the information highway.

What is an Abstract? For a layman just as a summary is written at the end of a chapter or article, an abstract is written at the beginning of an article giving a brief preview to the readers. An abstract is very commonly used in academic writing. The Oxford dictionary defines abstract as: not concrete, ideal, theoretical, essence or summary. The Wikipedia defines abstract as 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.

An abstract should create an interest and curiosity in the mind of the reader so as to convince him to “buy” the article. The language used should be simple but no relevant point regarding the article should be left out.
The salient points one must keep in mind when writing an abstract are as follows:

Type of Abstract
Use relevant keywords
Subdivisions of abstract
Should be concise yet comprehensive
Keep the soul of the article intact

1. Type of Abstract:
The nature and content of the abstract will depend on the type of abstract to be written. Abstracts can be descriptive, informative and the type rarely used - critical. Each type has a different purpose and is structured differently. Descriptive abstracts are short - usually 100 words and as the name suggests, describes the content of the article without being judgmental. One view is that a descriptive abstract is an outline and not a synopsis.

On the other hand, an informative abstract does not restrict itself to merely describing the work but also elaborates on the salient features and important results found in the article. Both types of abstracts include mention about the objectives, scope and methods of the article. Both descriptive and informative abstracts do not criticize or appraise the work. An informative abstract should be not more than 10% of the original article. It should roughly contain 250 to 300 words.

2. Use Relevant Keywords:
In today’s competitive and fast-paced world where almost hundred percent of the searches are done on the Internet, it is imperative that one uses relevant key words while writing an abstract. People who want information regarding the subject of their interest just feed in the key words. That will enable easy searching. Relevant words of the important topics are highlighted which will give a better view of the subject. Keywords also help in indexing: a reference tool. They should be merely words and not sentences.

3. Subdivisions of Abstract:
Both descriptive and informative abstracts should be written in exactly the same order of the manuscript: intention, scope and approach. However, an informative abstract will also have the results, conclusion and recommendations if any. Whatever subject matter you put into your abstract will need to be structured by facts in your article. Each fact should be used in a proper sequence. Avoid using unusual terms. There should be a link between the terminology used in the abstract and the main article.

4. Should Be Concise Yet Comprehensive:
An abstract should be as brief as possible: readers want a quick and short take. It should describe briefly the full matter written in the numerous pages of the article and not a summary. It should explain the article in a nutshell without using any abbreviations. You should be able to express the logical connections between the sentences used.

No extra or irrelevant words or sentences should be included in the abstract. Just use effective and simple language giving enough information inviting the reader to read more. Maintaining the essence, theme and flow of the original work should be the thumb rule.

5. Keep The Soul Of The Article Intact:
An abstract should never be written hastily. It should be well thought-out and prepared so as to give a quick view of the scope of the work. You should make a rough draft, reading it over and over again and then rewriting it. It is essential to give precedence to important information. It should appear like an extract which replicates the whole. It should not emerge like the back cover of a book, but should materialize like a proper abstract. While writing an abstract one must follow certain guidelines without compromising on the real meaning of the article. Make sure that all the important data is revealed in the abstract. The reader should be able to gauge the authenticity of the worker.

Conclusion

The all important question is – when should an abstract be written? Before the article is written, or subsequently after one has finalized the complete write-up. Most people feel that it is appropriate and convenient to pen the abstract as the last activity before dispatching the work for publication. An abstract should be crystal clear and lucid. The style used should be natural and appealing; flow should be smooth so as to enable the reader to be able to understand the article with ease without using a dictionary. One must try and make a positive impression on the person reading the abstract.

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Navaz writes for chillibreeze.

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