What is an abstract?

An abstract by its very name is a short piece of writing that presents the essential elements of a larger work in a powerful manner. It is usually no more than 250 to 500 words and is written for various reasons, the most common being for:

• information - to assist the reader to decide quickly if they should read the whole paper or attend the conference presentation
• selection - used by journal editors and conference scientific review committee to determine whether the work will be accepted for review or for a conference presentation
• indexing - in on-line databases with search features

An abstract includes purpose, methods and findings

An abstract should include the purpose of your work, the research methods you used and the findings of your research. It should reveal the significance of your work and how this will add to the body of knowledge. In short, it should include what you did, why and how you did it, what you found and what this means.

An abstract attracts attention

An abstract that has a 'wow factor' will stand out because it makes an impact on the reader.

An abstract is read more often than the rest of your work. To attract attention, it should provide quick information to the reader so that if this information suits them, they will continue reading.

An abstract written for submission to a conference should link to the conference theme whenever possible.

For an abstract to be useful in a searchable on-line database, it needs to incorporate the key terms that a potential reader would use in their search so that it will be identified in any search process.

Review, revise, and check the guidelines

Since an abstract is the first piece of writing the reader will read about your project, it is probably the most important piece of writing you will do. If your abstract does not attract the reader's attention, they will not read the rest of your work, will not accept your abstract for presentation at the conference, or will not attend your conference presentation.

Given that an abstract is short, every word should count. Revising and reviewing your abstract helps achieve this. When revising, delete any superfluous words and use strong, meaningful words that give a clear message.

Ask a colleague who is not familiar with your work to review your abstract and provide constructive comments on ways to improve and clarify your abstract.

Check you have followed the guidelines set by the journal or conference call for abstracts regarding the structure and word count of the abstract. Reviewers usually use criteria based on these guidelines to determine what will be accepted so it makes sense to do as you have been instructed.