Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Scribd
Upload
14 views

Lecture

Lecture

Uploaded by

braith7811
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
14 views

Lecture

Lecture

Uploaded by

braith7811
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

Literature Reviews & Abstracts

>
Abstracts
Abstracts, like all summaries, cover the main points of a piece of writing.
Abstracts use the same level of technical language and expertise found in the
article itself.
Abstracts are typically 150-250 words and follow set patterns.
Types of Abstracts
There are different types of abstracts:
1. Informative
 lays out contents of article or paper
 used in most experimental research
 can also be used in non-experimental research
 Descriptive
 like a table of contents of article
 does not summarize as well as informative
 does not capture the content of the article
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=59
Abstracts: Purpose
The purpose of the abstract include:
 readers should decide if they should read the entire article
 it helps to remember key findings
 it helps in understanding the text
 indexing articles
 reviewing employee's technical work
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=59

Abstracts
Read whole article: Readers use abstracts to see if a piece of writing interests them
or relates to a topic they're working on. Rather than tracking down hundreds of
articles, readers rely on abstracts to decide quickly if an article is pertinent. Equally
important, readers use abstracts to help them gauge the sophistication or
complexity of a piece of writing. If the abstract is too technical or too simplistic,
readers know that the article will also be too technical or too simplistic.
Key findings: Even after reading an article, readers often keep abstracts to remind
them of which sources support conclusions. Because abstracts include complete
bibliographic citations, they are helpful when readers begin writing up their research
and citing sources.

Abstracts
Understanding text: Like other pre-reading strategies, reading an abstract before
reading an article helps readers anticipate what's coming in the text itself. Using an
abstract to get an overview of the text makes reading the text easier and more
efficient.
Indexing articles: Even before computers made indexing easier, abstracts helped
librarians and researchers find information more easily. With so many indexes now
available electronically, abstracts with their keywords are even more important
because readers can review hundreds of abstracts quickly to find the ones most
useful for their research. Moreover, cross-referencing through abstracts opens up
new areas of research that readers might not have known about when they started
researching a topic.
Reviewing technical work: Although many managers and supervisors will prefer the
less technical executive summary, some managers need to keep abreast of
technical work. Research shows that only 15% of managers read the complete text
of reports or articles. Most managers, then, rely on the executive summary or
abstract as the clearest overview of employees' work.

Abstract of Proposal and Abstract of Report


Abstracts can be used in 2 different capacities, an abstract of proposal or an
abstract of report. An abstract of/for proposal is used to describe elements of a
research proposal whereas an abstract of report is used to summarize or highlight
the major points in each subsequent section of the report.

Abstract for Proposal


 Briefly describe each element of your proposal
 Summary of the study that you would like to perform
Components:
 State Purpose of the Study
 Research Design
 Key Actions
Abstract for Proposal: State the Purpose of your Study
State the purpose of the study
 Context: 1 - 2 sentences describing the clinical importance of the study
question
 Objective: state the research question or hypothesis
Abstract for Proposal: Research Design
 Setting
o the design of the study

o the years of the study - follow years as well

o possibly the name of the study

 Participants
o state their problems, disorders, disease

o the number of participants, how they were selected

 Interventions
 Main outcome measures
o state what was planned for data collection

 Selected = sample
 Measures: also will state the reasons why the planned outcomes of a study
were used if the main ones were not used
 Also state when the hypothesis was formulated
Abstract for Proposal: Key Actions
 Results
o Provide and quantify main outcomes of study (using confidence
intervals - p values
o state key findings and significance

o compare with past research

 Conclusions
o provide conclusion of study

o support with any limitations encountered


o implications for clinical practice

o recommend additional study

Abstract of Report
The abstract is a short description of the entire report. The purpose of this section is
to provide the reader with a general overview of the communication. It should
provide enough details to enable the reader to decide whether the article is of
interest. This section can be difficult to write because of its precise nature. When
writing an abstract you should include:
1. A brief statement about previous findings which led you to conduct your own
research
2. The hypothesis and/or aim of your research
3. Methods including subjects, apparatus and procedure
4. A short description of what you found and how you interpreted your results
5. What you concluded
**The title and abstract together are important and should contain key words that
enable the efficient retrieval of the information.
Here are some other details about abstracts:
 Contains 250 words or less.
 Do not cite references
 Include stated hypothesis
 Spell out abbreviations at first mention

A few tips...
 Follow the chronology of the article
 Provide logical connections between the information included
 Add no new information, summarize the paper or article
 Is understandable to a wide audience
 Does not contain citations
Practice: The best way to learn how to write an abstract is to read abstracts

Abstracts according to Template


Research Template:
 There are no subheadings with this template.
 Summarize key points of your study
 List your hypotheses statements.
Case Study:
 Follow a subheading template of introduction, case description and
conclusion. See the sample template
 List your hypotheses statements

Keywords
Short list of 4-6 words, represent key topics presented in the article
If a researcher was looking for an article on your topic, what words would they use
in the search engine to find your paper?
Example:

You might also like