POSTED AT:

ansci.osu.edu/undergraduate/ug-research

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Michelle Hendrick • Department of Animal Sciences • November 2014
Merriam-Webster: ABSTRACT
: a brief
written
statement of
the main
points or facts
in a longer
report, speech,
etc.
ABSTRACT
noun : A smallerquantity containing
the virtue or power of a greater.
Samuel Johnson.
A Dictionary of the English Language. 1755.

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“To attract readers and entice them to read an entire paper, authors
need to adopt the art of persuasion—convincing a reader of the
worth of reading the paper and perhaps subsequently of using and
citing it. The first step in this type of persuasion is to select a title
for the paper that is inviting and not off-putting. Next comes the
abstract, in which the author should speak in part to the value of
the study and its importance. In essence, the author tries to
encourage readers not to abandon the paper but to read on. The
first sentence sets the stage and requires good (effective) writing to
draw in the reader (who in some cases will be a peer reviewer). The
abstract highlights the problem and discusses why readers should
care about it. It also reviews the procedures, major findings,
recommendations, and conclusions. The abstract might conclude
with a few sentences about the value of the study. A good abstract
may be the only opportunity to attract readers. For this reason, it is
not an afterthought; time should go into its development and
presentation.” P. Hernon, C. Schwartz. 2010. Editorial. Library
& Information Science Research. 32:3 173.
 Paper • Poster • Presentation
Introduction Discussion
Research
Identify problem
Gather info ABSTRACT
Form hypothesis
Test hypothesis
Analyze data
=
Form conclusions Methods

Results Conclusions

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 CFAES Denman
Introduction or -General background
Background information
-Facts about the topic
-Statement of the problem
-Statement of the purpose
Methods Methods
Results -Results
-Discussion
Conclusions Conclusion/ importance

cfaes.osu.edu/students/academics/undergraduate/research/cfaes-
undergraduate-research-forum
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denman.osu.edu/abstracts.aspx
 • Importance Background*
“Why did
• Future directions you start?”:
“What does
Conclusion *Purpose
it mean?”
ABSTRACT
Virtue ABSTRACT
or power of greater • Where we are at
Main points • What we know
Value of study and do not know
“What did
RESULTS! *Problem
you find?”
• Analysis results
• Findings Methods
• Discussion
• Materials
“What did • Experiments
you do?” • Analyses
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“By the year 2050, the world’s
population is expected to reach 9 billion
people.”

“Livestock production is an important

contributor to sustainable food security
for many nations, particularly in low-
income areas and marginal habitats that
are unsuitable for crop production.”
Olivia F. Godber and Richard Wall. Livestock and food security: vulnerability to
population growth and climate change. 2014. Global Change Biology. 20:10 3092–3102.

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 • OSU Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing – Writing
Help with all sorts of Resources
writing questions
• cstw.osu.edu/writing-center/resources
•Chittaranjan Andrade, “How to write a good abstract for a
How to write an
abstract scientific paper or conference presentation”
•http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136027/
• Dena Bain Taylor, “A Guide To Verb Tense Voice And Mood In Scientific
Help with choosing Writing.” University of Toronto
verbs • hswriting.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/hswriting/article/view/3340
• “30 Problem Words and Phrases”
• www.dailywritingtips.com/30-problem-words-and-phrases/
• “50 Plain-Language Substitutions for Wordy Phrases”
Help to clarify and • www.dailywritingtips.com/50-plain-language-substitutions-for-
shorten your writing wordy-phrases/
• “Nominalizations” – Claremont Graduate University
• www.cgu.edu/PDFFiles/Writing%20Center/Writing%20Center%20Res
ources/Nominalizations.pdf
• “The Science of Scientific Writing,” by George Gopen and Judith
Help to produce Swan
effective writing • www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/the-science-of-
scientific-writing
• Writing in College: A Short Guide to College Writing,” by Joseph
Help with writing in M. Williams and Lawrence McEnerney
general
• writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/collegewriting/
COMMON PITFALLS…reviewer comments

Too much detail, e.g., Too general

methods, background,
etc.
Use of too many
undefined terms, e.g., Typos
huge, dramatic,
significant, etc.

Does not meet Jargon, difficult

requirements, e.g., word terminology, too
count, format, voice, etc. technical 10
 Key Formal
words writing

No No new
citations info
Representative 11