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How to... write an abstract

What is an abstract?

A definition

An abstract is a succinct summary of a longer piece of work, usually academic in nature, which is published in isolation from the main text and should therefore stand on its own and be understandable without reference to the longer piece. It should report the latter's essential facts, and should not exaggerate or contain material that is not there.

Its purpose is to act as a reference tool (for example in a library abstracting service), enabling the reader to decide whether or not to read the full text.

Two common reasons for writing an abstract are

1. to summarize a longer piece of work published as a journal article, thesis, book or web page, an existing article for the purposes of a journal,
2. or to submit an application to write a paper for a conference.

In both cases, you will be given specific guidelines as to how to write the abstract including a maximum word count from either the relevant publisher or the organizer of the conference; those for Emerald are set out below. Conference papers are usually selected on the basis of abstracts: see tips below.

How to go about the writing process

1. Start by writing a statement of the paper's purpose, which should be as succinct as possible. If you include background keep this to a minimum and only include such information as to provide a context.
   
   
2. Summarize the paper, reporting its main facts. Remember the following points:
   
   
   • Follow the chronology of the paper and use its headings as guidelines.
   • Do not include unnecessary detail, as in the first example in "How not to write an abstract".
   • You are writing for an audience "in the know" – you can use the technical language of your discipline or profession, providing you communicate your meaning clearly, and bear in mind that you are writing to an international audience.
   • Make sure that what you write "flows" properly, that there are "connecting words" (e.g. consequently, moreover, for example, the benefits of this study, as a result, etc.) and/or the points you make are not disjointed but follow on from one another.
   • Use the active rather than the passive voice, e.g. "The study tested" rather than "It was tested in this study".
   • The style of writing should be dense, and sentences will probably be longer than usual.
   
   
3. You should by now have a draft, which will probably be too long. Here are some points to remember in cutting:
   
   
   • cut out any unnecessary words that do not add to the meaning, but
   • make sure that the abstract is not so "cut" as to be unreadable; use full sentences, direct and indirect articles, connecting works, etc. An abstract should use continuous prose, not notes.
   
   
4. Read through your draft, making sure that it covers the main points listed above, and that there are no grammatical, spelling or typographical errors, also that it "flows" properly.
   
   
5. If possible, get a colleague to read through your abstract as a form of "peer review".
   
   
6. Submit!

If you have difficulty with the general purpose statement or with summarizsing your article, it may be because the article's general concept is not that clear, or perhaps your research design or approach needs revisiting.

Instructions for writing a structured abstract for Emerald

Emerald has introduced a new format for article abstracts intended to help researchers by consistently providing the most useful information. Each abstract is made up of a number of set elements. An example is provided at the foot of this page.

1. Write the abstract

To produce a structured abstract for the journal and Emerald database, please complete the following fields about your paper. There are four fields which are obligatory (Purpose, Design/methodology/approach, Findings and Originality/value); the other three (Research limitations/implications, Practical implications, and Social implications) may be omitted if they are not applicable to your paper.

Abstracts should contain no more than 250 words. Write concisely and clearly. The abstract should reflect only what appears in the original paper.

2. Using keywords

Using keywords is a vital part of abstract writing, because of the practice of retrieving information electronically: keywords act as the search term. Use keywords that are specific, and that reflect what is essential about the paper. Put yourself in the position of someone researching in your field: what would you look for? Consider also whether you can use any of the current "buzz words".

3. Choose a category for the paper

Pick the category which most closely describes your paper. We understand that some papers can fit into more than one category but it is necessary to assign your paper to one of the categories – these are listed and will be searchable within the database:

• Research paper. This category covers papers which report on any type of research undertaken by the author(s). The research may involve the construction or testing of a model or framework, action research, testing of data, market research or surveys, empirical, scientific or clinical research.
• Viewpoint. Any paper, where content is dependent on the author's opinion and interpretation, should be included in this category; this also includes journalistic pieces.
• Technical paper. Describes and evaluates technical products, processes or services.
• Conceptual paper. These papers will not be based on research but will develop hypotheses. The papers are likely to be discursive and will cover philosophical discussions and comparative studies of others' work and thinking.
• Case study. Case studies describe actual interventions or experiences within organizations. They may well be subjective and will not generally report on research. A description of a legal case or a hypothetical case study used as a teaching exercise would also fit into this category.
• Literature review. It is expected that all types of paper cite any relevant literature so this category should only be used if the main purpose of the paper is to annotate and/or critique the literature in a particular subject area. It may be a selective bibliography providing advice on information sources or it may be comprehensive in that the paper's aim is to cover the main contributors to the development of a topic and explore their different views.
• General review. This category covers those papers which provide an overview or historical examination of some concept, technique or phenomenon. The papers are likely to be more descriptive or instructional ("how to" papers) than discursive.

Tips for writing abstracts for conference papers

The difficulty here is that you will probably be writing the abstract as a preamble to the actual paper, rather than subsequent to it. Here are some points to remember:

1. Clarify in your own mind what is the purpose of the paper: what it is that you are going to do.
   
   
2. Look carefully at the themes of the conference: note those that apply and frame your paper accordingly.
   
   
3. Very often, the submission procedure will dictate the format and the number of words of the abstract. For example:
   
   
   • Title
   • Name of presenter, contact details
   • Category of presentation (e.g. workshop, research paper, short paper, poster etc.)
   • Conference themes addressed.
   • Key words that will help people deciding whether or not to participate to understand its focus.
   • Objectives/intended outcomes and activities for participants
   • The abstract.
   
   
4. Stick closely to the length given. You will often have no choice in this matter, because if you submit electronically you will find yourself cut off in mid sentence as you reach the required limit.
   
   
5. When writing the abstract, ask yourself the following questions:
   
   
   • What is the purpose of my paper? This should, as with any abstract, be a general definition statement about the objectives of your paper.
   • What approach am I using? I.e. am I reviewing the literature, describing a case study, supporting a research hypothesis, and if the latter, what is my research design and research methodology?
   • What are my findings?
   • What is the import of my findings?
   
   
6. Choose your keywords carefully, making sure that they match the themes of the conference.

Some examples of abstracts

Below find some examples of structured abstracts for the various categories of Emerald articles. The keywords are also listed. Note that we have deliberataley chosen older articles so that you can compare the structured abstracts supplied below with the unstructured abstracts required at the time of publication (just click on the article link).

Example of a structured abstract for a literature review

Surviving and thriving in academia:
a selective bibliography for new faculty members
Deborah Lee
Reference Services Review
Vol. 31 No. 1

Literature review

Purpose
To provide a selective bibliography for graduate students and new faculty members with sources which can help them develop their academic career.

Design/methodology/approach
A range of recently published (1993-2002) works, which aim to provide practical advice rather than theoretical books on pedagogy or educational administration, are critiqued to aid the individual make the transition into academia. The sources are sorted into sections: finding an academic job, general advice, teaching, research and publishing, tenure and organizations.

Findings
Provides information about each source, indicating what can be found there and how the information can help. Recognises the lack of real training of many academics before they are expected to take on teaching/researching duties and finds some texts which help.

Research limitations/implications
It's not an exhaustive list and apart from one UK book all the rest are US publications which perhaps limits its usefulness elsewhere.

Practical implications
A very useful source of information and impartial advice for graduate students planning to continue in academia or for those who have recently obtained a position in academia.

Originality/value
This paper fulfils an identified information/resources need and offers practical help to an individual starting out on an academic career.

Keywords: Bibliography, Higher education, Teachers, Academic staff, Research, Publishing

Examples of structured abstracts for case studies 

Cash to accrual and cash to accrual:
a case study of financial reporting in two NSW hospitals 1857 to post-1975
Julie E.M. Scott, Jill L. McKinnon and Graeme L. Harrison
Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal
Vol. 16 No. 1

Case study

Purpose
This study traces the development of financial reporting in two publicly funded hospitals in New South Wales over the period 1857 to post-1975, with particular focus on the use of cash and accrual accounting.

Design/methodology/approach
The historical analysis draws on process and conceptual change and stakeholder theory, and uses both primary and secondary data,

Findings
to describe patterns of change (and non-change) in the hospital's financial reporting and to identify the social and political influences associated with such reporting.

Originality/value
This study provides historical context for recent developments in public sector reporting and accountability in Australia, particularly the (re)introduction of accrual accounting, and provides insights into the nature of accounting change both in public sector organisations and generally.

Keywords: Public sector accounting, Financial reporting, Hospitals, Accounting history, Analysis, Stakeholders, Australia

---

A comparative analysis of vertical integration in the UK brewing and petrol industries
Gary Cook
Journal of Economic Studies
Vol. 24 No. 3

Case study

Purpose
Looks fundamentally at the reasons for vertical integration. Specifically addresses the question of why vertical integration and close contractual equivalents have arisen in the petrol and brewing sectors of the UK.

Design/methodology/approach
Reports the results of a comparative case study. Considers the ability of power and efficiency explanations to account for both the current pattern of vertical integration and its changes over time.

Findings
Principally concludes the following: the recent history of vertical integration is better accounted for by efficiency rationales in the case of petrol and by market power in the case of brewing. Nevertheless, elements of both are present in each industry.

Practical implications
particularly the (re)introduction of accrual accounting, and provides insights into the nature of accounting change both in public sector organisations and generally.

Originality/value
Given the strong similarity in vertical and horizontal industry structure between these sectors, this implies that a case by case approach is preferable to a form-based approach.

Keywords: Brewing industry, Petrol, Transaction costs, Vertical integration

Example of a structured abstract for a conceptual paper  

The changing internal market for ethical discourses in the Canadian CA profession
Dean Neu, Constance Friesen and Jeffery Everett
Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal
Vol. 16 No. 1

Conceptual paper

Purpose
Starting from the premise that formal ethical codes and other ethical discourses differ in their audiences, effects and characteristics, analyses how practitioner-directed ethical discourses have spoken and continued to speak about character-based ethics.

Design/methodology/approach
Borrowing from the literature on professions and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice, starts from the assumption that editorials in practitioner-orientated publications are a form of cultural good traded on an internal symbolic market. By providing access to symbolic capital, trade in this good acts to bind together members of the accounting profession, yet trade in this good also has the potential to obscure a number of important, underlying social issues. The study is based on a close (textual) reading of editorials in the Canadian Chartered Accountant (subsequently renamed CA Magazine) from 1911 to 1999, and this reading is framed in the light of a number of macro-level and meso-level (contextual) changes.

Findings
It is found that character-based ethical discourses continue to pervade this professional field.

Originality/value
These discourses, however, do not continue without important changes that themselves need to be explained in light of the more widespread, non-professional field.

Keywords: Accountants, Ethics, Professionalism, Canada

Example of a structured abstract for a research paper 

Structuring international service operations: a theoretical framework and a case study in the IT-sector
Bert Meijboom and Migon Houtepen
International Journal of Operations & Production Management
Vol. 22 No. 8

Research paper

Purpose
The specific challenges with which companies pursuing international manufacturing strategies are faced, if their output also contains a service dimension, are addressed.

Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical framework is proposed based on three virtually complementary perspectives by integrating international production, demand, and contemporary ICT-based theory. Subsequently, an exploratory case study in a pure service environment is described that illustrates the value of the framework.

Findings
It is possible, for example, to apply the theoretical framework to case studies in internationally-operating companies delivering a mix of goods and services.

Research limitations/implications
The present study provides a starting-point for further research in the international manufacturing sector.

Originality/value
Moreover, the framework has proven to be useful in improving the European structure of the case company. This is a notable and promising side-effect of the exploratory study, at least from a managerial point of view.

Keywords: Multinationals, Service operations, Location, Decision making, Case studies

Example of a structured abstract for a general review 

Prioritising for healthy schools activities:
an initial review exercise
Fenella Starkey and Judy Orme
Health Education
Vol. 100 No. 4

General review

Purpose
This paper focuses on one aspect of Health Promotion Service Avon's Schools for Health Project 1997/98, which is the development, implementation, analysis and evaluation of an initial review questionnaire completed by teachers, non-teaching staff, parents and pupils. This provided a baseline audit tool in 13 schools.

Design/methodology/approach
The initial review questionnaire covered topics within the areas of environment, school ethos, staff and pupil wellbeing, curriculum and community.

Findings
Benefits arising from the initial review exercise identified by schools included: giving all school members the chance to put their views across; engaging people in the project and raising awareness of the school's involvement in the project; and giving legitimacy to concerns raised informally by staff.

Practical implications
The importance of ensuring that any questionnaire given to non-teaching staff and pupils is "jargon-free" and "user-friendly" was highlighted by some of the teachers involved.

Originality/value
Helped schools to identify areas for development via the project.

Keywords: Schools, Evaluation, Health, Education, Assessment

How not to write an abstract: examples of poor abstracts

What is an abstract? One of the best ways of learning to write good abstracts is to look at other people's mistakes. Review the three abstracts below, and compare your reactions to our own comments.

Comments on Abstract 1

Half the abstract is taken up with unnecessary background information about the funding. The full title of the department is unnecessary detail. All this is very wordy, and doesn't relate to what the paper is about. The "purpose" statement could be rephrased: "This paper describes the evaluation of a piece of software designed to assist the acquisition of French vocabulary with a group of level 2 students". There needs to be more description of the methodology – how many students? How was the testing done? What, precisely, was evaluated? What were the findings, and what are the implications of the findings? The language used is vague – what is meant by "other, necessary resources such as human resources, consumables, etc.", what was "demonstrably efficient" about the style of learning? What was the nature of the consultation with staff and students? There are also a number of grammatical errors, e.g. commas in the wrong places (substantiate, software development). "Mock posh" language is used, i.e. the reference to academics (don't need to use this word unless differentiating from administrators). In short, the abstract contains much information which is of only marginal importance, and merely repeats, almost word for word, what is in the body text; the syntax and punctuation is often defective, verbose and trying too hard to write in an "academic" manner. True of much of the paper.

Comments on Abstract 2

This abstract is far too short and does not provide enough information about the paper. It describes the purpose of the paper and its main subject but gives us nothing on what was done (method) or on results. Specifically, it could have listed the "techniques" mentioned, provided some of the key criticisms and then gone on to implications for practice, i.e. recommendations.

Comments on Abstract 3

We are given the paper's purpose but nothing about the methodology and it doesn't explain the scope of the study. It's too short and last but not least, it leaves us with a question!! No summary or results or conclusions are given. An abstract shouldn't be like an advertisement or cliff hanger in a TV serial. The language is abstruse, it's not long enough, and out of context it's fairly meaningless.

Printed from: http://info.emeraldinsight.com/authors/guides/abstracts.htm
on Monday November 23rd, 2009