Figures
- Figure 1
Using a mind map to plan this article.
Tables
- Table 1 The parts of an abstract
Title Short, descriptive and interesting Background (optional) -
What is already known about the subject of your work?
-
What is not known about the subject?
In most cases, the background can be framed in just a few sentences, with each sentence describing a different aspect of information Objective/Question/Hypothesis State either a question or a hypothesis, or describe your specific research objective to clearly state the purpose of your work. Methods -
Describe the subject(s) you studied (molecules, cell lines, tissues, organs, animal or human population).
-
State the experimental approach or the study design, including your variables.
The methods section should contain enough information to enable the reader to understand what was done, and how. But, take care to mention only important details of materials and methods. Results Include only results that answer your question, and only the most important data, in a logical order! Data in an abstract can be presented as a table or graph. The only difference from a graphical presentation in a paper is that in abstracts no title is given for tables (usually) and no legends are included for graphs. Place the table or graph after the sentence that states the results, not instead of the results sentence. Conclusions -
What is the primary take home message/answer to your question?
-
Additional findings of importance (other than the primary outcome) are optional.
It is customary, but not essential, to express an opinion about the implications of your findings. Try to place your findings in perspective. -
- Table 2 Sample sentences for writing a typical abstract, based on a real research paper [8]
1. “Passive smoking increases the risk of COPD in never-smoking subjects.” 2. “In the Western world, smoking is the leading cause of COPD.” 3. “Whether passive smoking causes COPD is yet unknown.” 4. “Previous studies have included both smoking and never-smoking subjects, and have not measured post-bronchodilator spirometry.” 5. “A random sample of 2118 lifelong never-smokers completed spirometry with reversibility testing and questionnaires.” 6.“We found that exposure to passive smoking in multiple settings was an independent predictor of COPD in never-smoking subjects. 7. “Our findings strongly advocate measures against smoking in public places.” - Table 3 Quick reference for conference abstracts
•Be concise: abstracts usually have no more than 250 words •Plan the abstract as a single paragraph that is unified (one topic) and coherent (i.e. ideas flow continuously) •Edit it carefully for grammar, punctuation, typos, etc. •Ensure your abstract conforms to the conference “house style” Adapted from [10], with permission from Prof. Barbara Milech (Curtin University, Perth, Australia).
Vol 10 Issue 3
Table of Contents
Doing Science: Writing conference abstracts
