Black Graduate Student Association's Research Symposium
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The purpose of this guide is to provide information on the different types of abstracts and to provide guidelines for submitting an abstract to the Black Graduate Student Association's Research Symposium.
Information on this guide is based on The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Writing Center's page on Abstract Writing.
What is an Abstract?
An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a larger work. Components vary according to discipline. An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work. An abstract of a humanities work may contain the thesis, background, and conclusion of the larger work. An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted. While it contains key words found in the larger work, the abstract is an original document rather than an excerpted passage.
You may write an abstract for various reasons. The two most important are selection and indexing. Abstracts allow readers who may be interested in a longer work to quickly decide whether it is worth their time to read it. Also, many online databases use abstracts to index larger works. Therefore, abstracts should contain keywords and phrases that allow for easy searching.
Presenting Your Research by ISBN: 1446275884Publication date: 2014-04-09For many researchers, the need to present relevant and engaging material in the most effective way in an unfamiliar setting presents a potential barrier to their success as professionals. This handy guide tackles the obstacles to effective and successful presentations, considering the range of material which might be presented, the occasions which suit different types of material and the skills needed to present research in a way that is engaging and persuasive. This book addresses questions such as: Why should I give a paper and where might I give a paper? How does the conference system works? How do I prepare an abstract/outline/synopsis? How do I chose my material and prepare it for a conference presentation? How can I prepare effective conference aids? How can I overcome my nerves? How can I prepare and present effective posters for poster presentations? As with the other titles in the Success in Research series, this guide takes a hands-on approach and includes checklists, top tips, exercises and examples to help you remember what you have read and put it immediately to work! The Success in Research series, from Cindy Becker and Pam Denicolo, provides short, authoritative and accessible guides on key areas of professional and research development.Avoiding jargon and cutting to the chase of what you really need to know, these practical and supportive books cover a range of areas from presenting research to achieving impact, and from publishing journal articles to developing proposals. They are essential reading for any student or researcher interested in developing their skills and broadening their professional and methodological knowledge in an academic context.
- Getting to the Heart of the Matter: How to Write an AbstractThe article discusses how to effectively write an abstract of a research manuscript to convince a reader to read the entire document. Also cited are the three types of abstract, namely, descriptive, informative, and critical, the abstract components including purpose, methods, results, and discussion, as well as the importance of including key words in the abstract for researchability.
- How to Write an Abstract: A Concise ApproachThis source details all the important parts of an abstract and tips on how to make it concise.
Types of Abstracts
A descriptive abstract indicates the type of information found in the work. It makes no judgments about the work, nor does it provide results or conclusions of the research. It does incorporate key words found in the text and may include the purpose, methods, and scope of the research. Essentially, the descriptive abstract describes the work being abstracted. Some people consider it an outline of the work, rather than a summary. Descriptive abstracts are usually very short—100 words or less.
The majority of abstracts are informative. While they still do not critique or evaluate a work, they do more than describe it. A good informative abstract acts as a surrogate for the work itself. That is, the writer presents and explains all the main arguments and the important results and evidence in the complete article/paper/book. An informative abstract includes the information that can be found in a descriptive abstract (purpose, methods, scope) but also includes the results and conclusions of the research and the recommendations of the author. The length varies according to discipline, but an informative abstract is rarely more than 10% of the length of the entire work. In the case of a longer work, it may be much less.
The ASU Library acknowledges the twenty-three Native Nations that have inhabited this land for centuries. Arizona State University's four campuses are located in the Salt River Valley on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. ASU Library acknowledges the sovereignty of these nations and seeks to foster an environment of success and possibility for Native American students and patrons. We are advocates for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and research methodologies within contemporary library practice. ASU Library welcomes members of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh, and all Native nations to the Library.
