INTRODUCTION

An ABSTRACT is seen as a compression, map of multiple different pieces

of constituent data, instant, and simplified of information.

ORIGIN

Abstract is derived from the Latin word, “abstrere”. It means “to draw away

from”.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Thinking in abstractions is considered by anthropologists, archaeologists,

and sociologists to be one of the key traits in modern human behavior, which is

believed to have developed between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago. Its

development is likely to have been closely connected with the development of

human language, which (whether spoken or written) appears to both involve and

facilitate abstract thinking.

Abstraction involves induction of ideas or the synthesis of particular facts

into one general theory about something. It is the opposite of specification, which

is the analysis or breaking-down of a general idea or abstraction into concrete

facts. Abstraction can be illustrated with Francis Bacon's   Novum

Organum (1620), a book of modern scientific philosophy written in the late

Elizabethan era of England to encourage modern thinkers to collect specific facts

before making any generalizations. Bacon used and promoted induction as an

abstraction tool, and it countered the ancient deductive-thinking approach that

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had dominated the intellectual world since the times of Greek philosophers like

Thales, Anaximander, and Aristotle. Thales (c. 624 BC – c. 546 BCE) believed

that everything in the universe comes from one main substance, water. He

deduced or specified from a general idea, "everything is water", to the specific

forms of water such as ice, snow, fog, and rivers. Modern scientists can also use

the opposite approach of abstraction, or going from particular facts collected into

one general idea, such as the motion of the planets (Newton (1642-1727)). When

determining that the sun is the center of our solar system (Copernicus (1473-

1543)), scientists had to utilize thousands of measurements to finally conclude

that Mars moves in an elliptical orbit about the sun (Kepler (1571-1630)), or to

assemble multiple specific facts into the law of falling bodies (Galileo (1564-

1642)).

DEFINITION

Pronunciation (US):

An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes

a larger work. While it contains key words found in the larger work, the

abstract is an original document rather than an excerpted passage.

(University of North Carolina, 2004)

It is a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory.

IMPORTANCE AND ITS PURPOSE

There are two most important reasons for abstracts are selection and

indexing. It is needed in journals, research, book proposals, theses,

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dissertations. Abstracts allow readers who may be interested in a longer work to

quickly decide whether it is worth their time to read it. Also, many online

databases use abstracts to index larger works. Therefore, abstracts should

contain keywords and phrases that allow for easy searching.

TYPES

There are two types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. They have

different aims, so as a consequence they have different components and styles.

There is also a third type called critical, but it is rarely used.

1. Descriptive abstracts

A descriptive abstract indicates the type of information found in the work. It

makes no judgments about the work, nor does it provide results or conclusions of

the research. It does incorporate key words found in the text and may include the

purpose, methods, and scope of the research. Essentially, the descriptive

abstract describes the work being abstracted. Some people consider it an outline

of the work, rather than a summary. Descriptive abstracts are usually very short

—100 words or less.

2. Informative abstracts

The majority of abstracts are informative. While they still do not critique or

evaluate a work, they do more than describe it. A good informative abstract acts

as a surrogate for the work itself. That is, the writer presents and explains all the

main arguments and the important results and evidence in the complete

article/paper/book. An informative abstract includes the information that can be

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found in a descriptive abstract (purpose, methods, scope) but also includes the

results and conclusions of the research and the recommendations of the author.

The length varies according to discipline, but an informative abstract is rarely

more than 10% of the length of the entire work. In the case of a longer work, it

may be much less.

Graphical abstracts

During the late 2000s, due to the influence of computer storage and retrieval

systems such as the Internet, some scientific publications, such as Journal of

Colloid and Interface Science, started including graphical abstracts alongside the

text abstracts. 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.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

Quality – the source, structure, and content

Readability – measuring such as Flesch–Kincaid readability tests—are

readability tests designed to indicate comprehension difficulty when

reading a passage of contemporary academic English.

Clear, concise, and powerful language.

SAMPLES

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Library and Information Science (LIS) and Information Technology

(IT)

LISA: Library and Information Science Abstracts

Sources Covered: Over 324,750 records

Intended For: Academic, Community College, Government, Public

LISA: Library and Information Science Abstracts is an international

abstracting and indexing tool designed for library professionals and other

information specialists.

LISA currently abstracts over 440 periodicals from more than 68 countries and in

more than 20 different languages.

Subject Coverage

Major Areas of coverage include:

Artificial intelligence

Book reviews

CD-ROMs

Computer science

applications

Information centers

Information management

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Information science

Information storage

Information technology

Internet technology

Knowledge management

Librarianship

Libraries and archives

Library management

Library technology

Library use and users

Medical information

Online information retrieval

Publishing and bookselling

Records management

Telecommunications

Technical services

World Wide Web

Abstract Data Types in Java 

Paperback – September 30, 1997

By Michael S. Jenkins 

History and Social Science

An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope,

purpose, results, and contents of the work.

Read On...History: Reading Lists for Every Taste

(Read On Series)

Paperback– October 21, 2013

by Tina Frolund  

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Mathematics and Sciences (Biology, Chemisty, Physics)

Abstracts of the First Sourcebook on Asian Research in Mathematics

Education: China, Korea, Singapore, Japan,

Malaysia, and India (Special Supplement to the

International Sourcebooks in Mathematics) 

Paperback – November 26, 2012

by Bharath Sriraman, Jinfa Cai, Kyeong-Hwa Lee

Creating Effective

Conference Abstracts and

Posters in Biomedicine:

500 Tips for Success 

Paperback – March 1, 2009

by Jane Fraser, Louise Fuller, Ph.D. Hutber

Georgina, Catherine Dunbar

English and Literature

Abstracts and the Writing of Abstracts (Michigan Series in English

for Academic & Professional Purposes)

 Paperback – March 9, 2009

by John M. Swales  , Christine Feak 

Abstract Essays [Kindle Edition]

Malay Chakrabarti (Author)

Publication Date: December 9, 2013

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Psychology

Dyslexia: Overview, Abstracts and Guide to Books

Paperback – September 1, 2002

by Oliver P. Moynihan

Physical Education

Research Abstracts in Physical

Education and Sports Sciences

Hardcover – August 8, 2008

by C. Ashok (Author)

GENERAL EDUCATION

99 Jumpstarts to Research: Topic Guides for

Finding Information on Current Issues

Paperback – October 15, 2001

by Peggy Whitley ,Catherine C. Olson, Susan Williams

Goodwin 

Education Abstracts Volume

XV, No.3 - 1963 - History Teaching

Paperback – January 1, 1963

by Unesco 

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Building Bridges--Selected Abstracts of the HTCC Undergraduate

Student Research Conference: The best work from the 2010 Honors

Transfer Council of ... research conference at UC

Irvine

Paperback – February 14, 2011

by Tim Adell  , Susan Reese 

Building Bridges: Selected

Abstracts of the Honors Research Conference of the

Honors Transfer Council of California 

Paperback – January 23, 2012

by Tim Adell  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.audioenglish.org/search/abstract.htm

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/abstracts/

http://www.proquest.com/products-services/lisa-set-c.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_(summary)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstraction

http://www.amazon.com/

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