To write an effective report abstract, follow these four steps.
1. Reread your report with the purpose of abstracting in mind. Look specifically for these main parts: purpose, methods, scope, results, conclusions, and recommendations.
2. After you have finished rereading your report, write a rough draft without looking back at your report. Consider the main parts of the abstract listed in step No. 1. Do not merely copy key sentences from your report. You will put in too much or too little information. Do not summarize information in a new way.
3. Revise your rough draft to
· Correct weaknesses in organization and coherence,
· Drop superfluous information,
· Add important information originally left out,
· Eliminate wordiness, and
· Correct errors in grammar and mechanics.
4. Carefully proofread your final copy.
Aim for about 1/2 a page in length and avoid detail or discussion; just outline the main points. Remember that the summary is the first thing that is read. It should provide the reader with a clear, helpful overview of the content of the report.
Following are three examples of report abstracts representing different areas of research. Notice also that both across and within disciplines, abstracts differ in the amount of emphasis they give to objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. Depending on your particular project and your discipline, you will need to decide which of these aspects you will emphasize the most. For more examples, go to https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/presentations_abstracts_examples.htm l.
Example 1 (Humanities)
"The Commemoration and Memorialization of the American Revolution”
By Benjamin Herman and Jean Lee, History
This project involves discovering how the American Revolution was remembered during the nineteenth century. The goal is to show that the American Revolution was memorialized by the actions of the United States government during the 1800s. This has been done by examining events such as the Supreme Court cases of John Marshall and the Nullification Crisis. Upon examination of these events, it becomes clear that John Marshall and John Calhoun (creator of the Doctrine of Nullification) attempted to use the American Revolution to bolster their claims by citing speeches from Founding Fathers. Through showing that the American Revolution lives on in memory, this research highlights the importance of the revolution in shaping the actions of the United States government.
Example 2 (Social Science)
“Subtype of Autism: Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia”
By Amanda Babin and Morton Gernbascher, Psychology
The purpose of this research is to identify a subtype of autism called Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia (DVD). DVD is a motor-speech problem, disabling oral-motor movements needed for speaking. The first phase of the project involves a screening interview where we identify DVD and Non-DVD kids. We also use home videos to validate answers on the screening interview. The final phase involves home visits where we use several assessments to confirm the child’s diagnosis and examine the connection between manual and oral motor challenges. By identifying DVD as a subtype of Autism, we will eliminate the assumption that all Autistics have the same characteristics. This will allow for more individual consideration of Autistic people and may direct future research on the genetic factors in autism.
Example 3 (Hard Science)
“The Genetics of Bone Strength in Mice”
By Jonathan Vu and Robert Blank, Endocrinology
The purpose of this study is to identify relationships between the physical and genetic characteristics of bones in mice. The physical characteristics include size, density, and the force required to break the bone, while the genetic ones are the genes of the marker loci associated with the genes that affect these qualities. This study uses strains of mice with reduced genetic variation. The two strains of mice that are the most phenotypically extreme, meaning those with the strongest and weakest bones, are crossed. The F2 generation from that cross is then analyzed. The results of this analysis can be used to find which genotypes correlate with specific bone properties like size, density, and failure load. The anticipated outcome of this lab is the identification of the genotypes that affect bone strength in mice. The findings may be useful in treating medical conditions that are related to bone strength.
Exercise 1 (B2/C1)
Study the abstracts above and highlight any vocabulary you might find useful for your research paper. Then write an abstract of an article you have recently published.