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Abstract

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ActivityQuestion: What is an

abstract also known as?

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Answer: Synopsis

or précis

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Question: Where is it usually located in

a report?

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Answer: In the beginning of the report

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Question:

What is

the

purpose of

writing an

abstract?

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ACTIVITY:PURPOSE OF WRITING AN ABSTRACT – what it does for you and academically

PERSONAL ACADEMIC

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PURPOSE OF WRITING AN ABSTRACT

PERSONAL

• You have a chance to gather your thoughts

• Decontextualize your methods, data, and assertions

• Reinforce your knowledge on the subject

• Maintain your ability to be clear and concise

ACADEMIC

• Useful summary of large amounts of work

• Efficient way to share new ideas

• Tool to easily decide whether further reading is needed

• Archive document

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Types of abstract

There are fundamentally 2 types of abstract.

Descriptive abstract and Informative abstract

Another type of abstract which is common with science and engineering disciplines is the

graphic abstract

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Graphic AbstractComputer storage and retrieval systems such as the Internet influenced some scientific publications to start including graphical abstracts alongside text abstracts.

The graphic abstract is intended to visually summarize the main thrust of the article.

It is not intended to be as comprehensive as the text abstract; it is supposed to indicate the type, scope, and technical coverage of the article at a glance.

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Informative vs Descriptive AbstractsWhat goes into the content of each abstract?

INFORMATIVE ABSTRACT

DESCRIPTIVE ABSTRACT

1. A summary of the report2. An overview description of what the paper covers without delving into its

details or substance3. It includes : background, purpose, methodology, results, and conclusion of the project 4. It is like listing the table of contents in paragraph form5. Also known as limited or indicative abstract.6. May be viewed as a standalone document.7. It is usually between 150 and 200 words.8. Also known as the complete abstract

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Answer to activity:

Informative AbstractThe informative abstract, also known as the complete abstract, is a summary of a paper's substance.It includes its background, purpose, methodology, results, and conclusion.An informative abstract may be viewed as a standalone document.It is usually between 150 and 200 words.

Descriptive AbstractThe descriptive abstract is a description of what the paper covers without delving into its details or substance.It is like listing the table of contents in paragraph form.For these reasons, the descriptive abstract is also known as the limited or indicative abstract.

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CONTENTIDEAS1. What was the purpose of

the research? Importance?2. What does the current

research say? What problem did you address?

3. How did you attempt to solve this problem?

4. What method (s) were used? What was done?

5. What significant data was collected?

6. What new ideas, problems emerged?

7. What can be concluded?

LANGUAGE

1. Formal diction: no casual or colloquial language

2. Avoid jargon whenever possible*

3. Do not use contractions (couldn’t, didn’t)4. Use abbreviations to avoid repetition, BUT ONLY AFTER you have defined them5. Do not include personal narrative, opinion or commentary

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Activity: Look at the sample abstract below and try to identify the sections of the abstract which describe the purpose and topic, the main sections, and the conclusions.

This report investigates the current state of scanner technology and examines the predicted future advancements of scanners. A brief history of the scanner and its operation is initially outlined. The discussion then focuses on the advantages and limitations of the five main types of scanners in common use today: drum scanners, flatbed scanners, sheet-fed scanners, slide scanners, and hand held scanners. The performance of these scanners is examined in relation to four main criteria: resolution, bit-depth, dynamic range and software. It is concluded that further technological advances in these four areas as well as the deployment of new sensor technology will continue to improve the quality of scanned images. It is also suggested that specialised scanners will increasingly be incorporated into other types of technology such as digital cameras

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Answer to activity:AbstractBlue = purpose + topic Black = main sections Green Italics = conclusion

This report investigates the current state of scanner technology and examines the predicted future advancements of scanners. A brief history of the scanner and its operation is initially outlined. The discussion then focuses on the advantages and limitations of the five main types of scanners in common use today: drum scanners, flatbed scanners, sheet-fed scanners, slide scanners, and hand held scanners. The performance of these scanners is examined in relation to four main criteria: resolution, bit-depth, dynamic range and software. It is concluded that further technological advances in these four areas as well as the deployment of new sensor technology will continue to improve the quality of scanned images. It is also suggested that specialised scanners will increasingly be incorporated into other types of technology such as digital cameras

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ACTIVITY: Read the 3 abstracts provided in the following slides. Compare the 3 abstracts and comment on them.

You may use the following pointers to guide you (good points and areas that need improvement):

Grammar: Appropriate/ Inappropriate use of tenses, Grammar: The lack of objectivity – use of pronouns

Paragraph Structure: Indentation / the length of the abstractSentence structure: Choppy: lack in sentence complexity and rhythm

Language: Unnecessary introductory language/tone evident/wordiness

Content: unnecessary details, subject matter too vague or not covered at all, key information is summarizedContent: the topic is identified/unclear

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Abstract 1:

The following report will be structured into four sections consisting of history, products, company structure and two projects that I have worked on.

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Comments on abstract 1:

1. No specific information. There is only one sentence which is generic; it could apply to any report on any company, and since that is true the sentence really does not apply to anything at all. The abstract should provide information about : the history, products, company structure, and work experience that the report covers. (Needs improvement – NI)

2. Future tense. In an abstract, do not ever write that your paper will say something. Just say it! (NI)

3. This example is about the paper, not the subject. It does not go beyond what the Table of Contents provides. The abstract is not supposed to detail a paper's structure, it is supposed to detail a paper's information. (NI)

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Comments on abstract 1:

4. First person, singular referents. There should not be any use of the word "I.” (NI)

5. Unnecessarily short length. You have a page to work with; use all that you need. As you gain the ability to write good abstracts you will become better able to pare them down. (NI)

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Grade

In total, this example does not qualify as an abstract, and would receive no points.

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Abstract 2 (for a design paper)

In recent years the use of energy efficient truss designs in residential construction has become more mainstream. To gain the full benefit of using this type of truss it is necessary to install a wind wash barrier at the attic edge to prevent air and moisture from passing through the edge of the attic insulation. Currently used wind wash barriers are not totally effective at blocking this air and moisture. Nine design constraints have been established as a basis for determining the effectiveness of a new wind wash barrier compared to two existing designs. Upon completion of an objective evaluation of the three designs versus the design constraints it is obvious that the existing designs are not totally effective and the new design would be very effective and less expensive

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Comments on abstract 2:

1. This is much better than the first abstract. (Good - GD)

2. A greater level of detail provided than the first abstract (GD)

3. The writer is not outlining the structure of the paper and is trying to condense the key information. (GD)

4. The topic is identified. (GD)

5. No need for indentation (NI)

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Comments on abstract 2:

6. Unnecessary overall introductory tone of the first three sentences. (NI)

Nine design constraints have been established as a basis for determining the effectiveness of a new wind wash barrier compared to two existing designs. Upon completion of an objective evaluation of the three designs versus the design constraints it is obvious that the existing designs are not totally effective and the new design would be very effective and less expensive

"Nine design constraints have been established as a basis for determining how well a new wind wash barrier prevents air and moisture from passing through the edge of attic insulation in residential construction, as compared to two existing designs."

Unnecessary lines have now been cut to less than three

How to solve this : They can all be eliminated or absorbed into the fourth sentence.

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Comment on abstract 2:

7. Vague:

Obviously the paper details the design constraints and shows how they apply to the three designs being considered. This is key information.

Another paper could also cover new wind wash designs, but use different design constraints as its points of comparison.

Such a paper would be significantly different from this one, yet this abstract is too vague to show that difference. The design constraints should be stated.

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Grades

This abstract would definitely get some credit.

Some specific information about the topic is provided, but more detail and

less or no introduction would be an improvement.

This example is not far from being a very good effort, and as a draft it could

have been the basis of that better effort.

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Abstract 3 (design paper)

A team was formed with the goal of reducing the rework due to lamination by 90% and reducing machining cycle time by 50%. After careful consideration of possible causes and solutions a five-factor half-factorial design experiment on the die case process was completed. The five factors were fast shot speed, intensifier pressure, dwell time, fast shot trip position and system pressure. Random samples of parts were collected from each test run. The area of the lamination on two areas of the part was measured. (Name of software) was used to evaluate the experiment and calculate the statistical significance of each variable along with any interactions between variables. Results showed that high fast shot speed, linear slow shot speed and low intensification interact with one another to produce a lamination free part. The machine was set to the desired levels and a confirmation lot was run. The results were better than expected, with lamination having been completely eliminated

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Comment on abstract 3:

1. High level of focus. (GD)

2. Whereas the previous example began with introductory language on a tangential matter, this last abstract gets directly to the problem at hand.(GD)

3. The experiment by which the goal will be fulfilled is detailed. (GD)

4. The result of the experiment is given.(GD)

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Grades

This abstract is the best of the

three and would receive full

credit.

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