Research papers contain different parts, such as introduction, methods, etc. One of the most important and difficult to write is the abstract. The abstract and the title are the first instances of contact a reader will have with a research paper. Due to their difficulty, abstracts and titles are often written at the end of the research process (Hartley, 2008). Writing an abstract implies its author’s ability to summarise the whole paper in 150 or 200 words. The American Psychological Association (APA)(2008) defines abstracts as “a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the article” (p. 12). Additionally, Swales and Feak (1994) define abstracts in terms of indicative or informative. The former includes indicating ‘what kind of research has been done’, whereas the latter implies not only the kind of research but also the information about the main results (Ibid, p.81). Bearing these characteristics in mind, the present paper tries to analyse the main features of two abstracts from different areas of study.
Depending on the field and the requirements of publications, abstracts may differ in their formats. For instance, structured abstracts are commonly found in medical research papers. The main characteristic is that information is divided into sub-headings, such as ‘background, aim, method, result and conclusions’ (Hartley, 2008, p.31). This division allows the readers to scan the abstracts easily and to find the information in the same place in the body of the research article.
In the educational field, unstructured abstracts are commonly found. In general terms, they possess the same information as structured abstracts but without sub headings. Namely, in King’s (2002) abstract on his research paper about using DVD in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom, background information is provided at the beginning. He includes special features of DVD and the possible pedagogical advantages of its use in the classroom. In addition, some linguistic features allow the reader to understand the research questions. In this article, information is provided about the purpose of the paper in terms of approaches and assessment system to be used with DVDs in the classroom. Furthermore, by the use of the word ‘finally’ the author provides the reader with information about possible criteria to select appropriate DVD films. All in all, this abstract is written in clear and concise language allowing the community of teachers to understand the purpose and intention of the paper.
Regarding the use of tenses, background information is presented through the use of present perfect, while the purpose and the writer’s advice are written in present simple. Swales and Feak (2001) explain that summary abstracts use the present simple to introduce the conclusions and present or present perfect for opening sentences. King’s (2002) abstract is an instance of these characteristics. The use of present simple produces an effect of ‘liveliness and contemporary relevance’ (Swales, et al, 2001, p. 213).
In the case of Rammal’s (2006) paper on the use of video in EFL classrooms, the abstract is a brief summary. It is formed by two full sentences in which the writer clearly states the target reader as well as the purpose. The approach chosen for the research can also be inferred. However, the author does not provide clear information about the results arrived. It can be said that Rammal (2006) left some important issues uncovered. In general terms, the abstract only provides a very general view of the purpose and the topic under investigation. No expression of general overview of thought is provided. In other words, the reader is only provided with a general background of the research territory and aim. The contribution of the paper to the education field is also expressed in broad terms.
In the medical field, structured abstracts tend to be much more used. And in most of the cases, authors follow specific guidelines required by the journal in which it will be published afterwards. The research article by Wijeysundera and et al. (2010) followed the IMRAD formula by including the subtitles background, methods, results and conclusions. The first term is coined as introduction and the last one would be the equivalent for discussion. Considering its length, the authors developed their ideas in more than 300 words which might be more than the average expected by APA. As regards its linguistic characteristics, the present abstract includes full sentences in the past, the use of impersonal passives and the absence of negatives (Swales & Feak, 2001). However, two aspects are worth considering: the methods section begins with the first person plural and the conclusions are stated in the present tense.
The International Committee of Medical Journals Editors (2010) explains that because abstracts are the only substantive portion of the article indexed in many electronic databases, and the only portion many readers read, authors need to be careful that they accurately reflect the content of the article. Accordingly, the abstract by Wijeysundera and et al. (2010) is organised in smaller pieces of information under several subheadings: objective, design setting, participants, interventions, main outcome measure, results and conclusions so that readers can easily comprehend the purpose of the research paper. In both medical papers, there are several instances of abbreviations, jargons and symbolisms which in fact should be avoided since they might lead to confusion (Swales & Feak, 2001).
All in all, the process of writing an abstract requires the use of summarising in a certain amount of words the main aspects of a research paper. Depending on the field and requirements of publications, the abstract may vary in terms of format. However, the outmost characteristic of abstracts should be the capacity of the writer to express that his/her findings are worth reading. That is to say, abstracts are more important for readers than for writers (Swales & Feak, 2001) since if the reader likes and finds the abstract interesting, he/she would probably continue reading the paper. And this will ensure the writer’s purpose: the purpose to be read.
References
American Psychological Association. (2008). Publication Manual (5th ed.). Washington, DC.
Becket, N. S., Peters, R., Fletcher, A. E., Staessen, J. A., Liu, L., Dumitrascu, D., et al. (2008). Treatment of hypertension in patients 80 years of age or older. The New England Journal of Medicine. [Abstract]. Retrieved June 2011, from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0801369
Hartley, J. (2008). Academic writing and Publishing. A Practical Handbook. Routledge, New York.
International Committee of Medical Journals Editors (2010) Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. Retrieved June 2011, from http://www.icmje.org/urm_main.html
King, J. (2002). Using DVD feature films in the EFL classroom. The weekly column. [Abstract]. Retrieved June 2011, from http://www.eltnewsletter.com/back/February2002/art882002.htm
Ramal, S. (2006). Video in the EFL classroom. Retrieved June 2011, from http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/video-in-efl-classrooms.html
Swales, J. M & Feak, C. B. (2001). Academic writing for graduate students. Essential tasks and skills. A course for nonnative speakers of English. The University of Michigan Press: USA
Swales, J. M. & Feak, C.B. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. Ann Harbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press
Wijeysundera, D. N., Beattie, W. S., Elliot, R. F., Austin, P. C., Hux, J. E., & Laupacis, A. (2010). Non-invasive cardiac stress testing before elective major non-cardiac surgery: Population based cohort study. British Medical Journal, 340, b5526. [Abstract]. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b5526
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