ABSTRACT WRITING i would have written a shorter letter but i did not have the time -Blaise Pascal, French philosopher, 1657(from Swales Feak 2009: xii) PART 1: The Purpose, Content, and form What is the purpose of an abstract? Bordage& McGaghie 2001; Huckin 2001) a screening device a preview of the entire article ng help an immediate oversight for a reviewer What should an abstract contain? Depending on the nature of your field (empirical or theoretical), list the most important parts from your research paper. Work in group Each abstract should contain all of the following attributes SAMPLES OF ABSTRACTS 1. TRADITIONAL ABSTRACTS Political Science(91 words)(Swales& Feak 2009: 29) Many scholars claim that democracy improves the welfare of the poor. This article uses data infant and child mortality to challenge this claim. Cross-national studies tend to exclude from their samples non-democratic states that have performed well; this leads to the mistaken inference that non-democracies have worse records than democracies. Once these and other flaws are corrected, democracy has little or no effect on infant and child mortality rates. Democracies spend more money on education and health than non-democracies, but these benefits seem to accrue to middle- and upper-income groups. 2. STRUCTURED ABSTRACTS Accounting(232 words Purpose Beyond the public world of work, the home provides an arena for examining accounting and gender in everyday life. This study aims to examine household accounting in Australia from the early nineteenth to around the mid twentieth century Design/methodology/approach- The study comprises two parts. The first part, as reported in lis paper, presents evidence on household accounting as prescribed in the didactic literature in Australia, and evidence of actual accounting practices based on the examination of 76 sets of surviving Australian household records available in public repositories The second part adopts a microhistorical approach involving the detailed scrutiny of 18 sets of accounting records and relevant biographical and family data on the household accountants
1 ABSTRACT WRITING “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” -Blaise Pascal, French philosopher, 1657 (from Swales & Feak 2009: xiii) PART 1: The Purpose, Content, and Form What is the purpose of an abstract? (Bordage & McGaghie 2001; Huckin 2001) · an independent mini-text · a screening device · a preview of the entire article · indexing help · an immediate oversight for a reviewer What should an abstract contain? Depending on the nature of your field (empirical or theoretical), list the most important parts from your research paper. Work in group. _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Each abstract should contain all of the following attributes: · clarity · efficiency · economy SAMPLES OF ABSTRACTS 1. TRADITIONAL ABSTRACTS Political Science (91 words) (Swales & Feak 2009: 29) Many scholars claim that democracy improves the welfare of the poor. This article uses data on infant and child mortality to challenge this claim. Cross-national studies tend to exclude from their samples non-democratic states that have performed well; this leads to the mistaken inference that non-democracies have worse records than democracies. Once these and other flaws are corrected, democracy has little or no effect on infant and child mortality rates. Democracies spend more money on education and health than non-democracies, but these benefits seem to accrue to middle- and upper-income groups. 2. STRUCTURED ABSTRACTS Accounting (232 words) Purpose – Beyond the public world of work, the home provides an arena for examining accounting and gender in everyday life. This study aims to examine household accounting in Australia from the early nineteenth to around the mid twentieth century. Design/methodology/approach – The study comprises two parts. The first part, as reported in this paper, presents evidence on household accounting as prescribed in the didactic literature in Australia, and evidence of actual accounting practices based on the examination of 76 sets of surviving Australian household records available in public repositories. The second part adopts a microhistorical approach involving the detailed scrutiny of 18 sets of accounting records and relevant biographical and family data on the household accountants involved
Findings The study indicates that household accounting was an instrument for restraining female consumption, particularly during times of crises, and that accounting in australian homes focused on maintaining records of routine transactions as opposed to the preparation of budgets The surviving records examined suggest that while areas of financial responsibility were defined by gender there was little evidence of formalized hierarchical accountability between spouses as has been found to be the case in britain Originality/value- The study extends knowledge of household accounting and gender. Most historical investigations on this subject draw on instructional literature. The current investigation also examines accounting practice in the home. ( Swales Feak 2009: 29) PaRT 2: Abstracts -General issues Read the following two abstracts and describe what you believe the writer does in each sentence Sentence numbers have been added for your convenience Abstract 1-Engineering/ Science(Glasman-Deal 2010: 206) Physical properties of crude oil from acoustic measurements In this sentence Abstract the writer I The speed of sound in a fluid is determined by and therefore an indicator of the thermodynamic properties of that fluid. 2 The aim of this study was to investigate the use of an ultrasonic cell to determine crude oil properties, in particular oil density 3 An ultrasonic cell was constructed to3 measure the speed of sound and tested in a crude oil sample. 4 The speed of sound was measured at temperatures between 260 and 411 K at pressures up to 75 MPs 5 The measurements were shown to leads to an accurate determination of the bubble point of the oil. 6 This indicates that there is a possibility of obtaining fluid densit from sound speed measurements and suggests that it is possible to measure sound absorption with an ultrasonic cell to determine oil viscosity
2 Findings – The study indicates that household accounting was an instrument for restraining female consumption, particularly during times of crises, and that accounting in Australian homes focused on maintaining records of routine transactions as opposed to the preparation of budgets and financial statements. Household accounting in Australia was performed by women and men. The surviving records examined suggest that while areas of financial responsibility were defined by gender there was little evidence of formalized hierarchical accountability between spouses as has been found to be the case in Britain. Originality/value – The study extends knowledge of household accounting and gender. Most historical investigations on this subject draw on instructional literature. The current investigation also examines accounting practice in the home. (Swales & Feak 2009: 29) PART 2: Abstracts – General Issues Read the following two abstracts and describe what you believe the writer does in each sentence. Sentence numbers have been added for your convenience. Abstract 1 – Engineering/Science (Glasman-Deal 2010: 206)
Abstract 2-Humanities/Social Sciences Swales Feak 2009: 7) (1) Prekindergarten programs are expanding rapidly but evidence on their effects is limited. ( 2) Using rich data from Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, we estimate the effects of prekindergarten on children's school readiness. (3)We find that prekindergarten is associated with higher reading and mathematics skills at school entry, but also higher levels of behavior problems. (4) By the spring of first grade, estimated effects on academic skills have largely dissipated, but the behavioral effects persist. (5) Larger and longer lasting associations with academic gains are found for disadvantaged children. (6) Finally, we find some evidence that prekindergarten located in public schools do not have adverse effects on behavior problems In the above sentences the writer: (1) (6 PART 3: Abstracts- Step by Step Researchers have identified five rhetorical moves (or communicative stages) in abstracts Swales &Feak(2009:5) Move Typical labels Implied Questions Move 1 Background /introduction/situation What do we know about the ? Why is the topic important? Move 2 Present research/ purpo i What is this study about? Move 3 Methods/materials/subjects/procedures Ho low was it done? Move 4 i What was discovered? Move 5 Discusson/conclusion/implications/recommendations What do the findings mean MOVE 1AND 2 There are four basic types of opening sentences(Swales Feak 2009: 10) Type A: Starting with a Real-World Phenomenon or with Standard Practice Examples: Corporate taxation rates vary around the world Economists have long been interested in the relationship between corporate taxation and corporate strategy Type B: Starting with Purpose or Objecti The aim of this study is to examine the effects of the recent change in corporate taxation Type C: Starting with Present Researcher Action We analyze corporate taxation returns before and after the introduction of the new tax rules The relationship between corporate taxation and corporate strategy remain unclear. Activity: Make an opening statement for your own abstract (choose one of the above four statement types). Then get some peer-review from your group
3 Abstract 2 – Humanities/Social Sciences (Swales & Feak 2009: 7) (1) Prekindergarten programs are expanding rapidly but evidence on their effects is limited. (2) Using rich data from Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, we estimate the effects of prekindergarten on children’s school readiness. (3) We find that prekindergarten is associated with higher reading and mathematics skills at school entry, but also higher levels of behavior problems. (4) By the spring of first grade, estimated effects on academic skills have largely dissipated, but the behavioral effects persist. (5) Larger and longer lasting associations with academic gains are found for disadvantaged children. (6) Finally, we find some evidence that prekindergartens located in public schools do not have adverse effects on behavior problems. In the above sentences, the writer: (1) ___________________________________________________________________________ (2) ___________________________________________________________________________ (3) ___________________________________________________________________________ (4) ___________________________________________________________________________ (5) ___________________________________________________________________________ (6) ___________________________________________________________________________ PART 3: Abstracts – Step by Step Researchers have identified five rhetorical moves (or communicative stages) in abstracts Swales & Feak (2009: 5) MOVE 1 AND 2 There are four basic types of opening sentences (Swales & Feak 2009: 10) Type A: Starting with a Real-World Phenomenon or with Standard Practice Examples: Corporate taxation rates vary around the world. Economists have long been interested in the relationship between corporate taxation and corporate strategy. Type B: Starting with Purpose or Objective The aim of this study is to examine the effects of the recent change in corporate taxation. Type C: Starting with Present Researcher Action We analyze corporate taxation returns before and after the introduction of the new tax rules. Type D: Starting with a Problem or Uncertainty The relationship between corporate taxation and corporate strategy remain unclear. Activity: Make an opening statement for your own abstract (choose one of the above four statement types). Then get some peer-review from your group. _______________________________________________________________________________
MOVE 3- Methods Move 3 includes information about data, participants, length of study and etc. move 3 should occupy minimal space in the abstract ( unless the contribution lies in the methodology) past tense and passive are typically used Business communication(Swales Feak 2009: 14-15) love 1: Increasing globalization is thought to be impacting business communication around the orld (e.g. Connor 2004). Move 2: To assess possible impacts in one developing country, we examine contemporary written business communication in Turkey. Move 3: Internal memoranda and external faxes were collected from four Turkish companies of varying sizes. This primary data ported Activity: Create Move 3 for your own abstract MOVE 4- Results How do your organize your results/findings? Do you first talk about results in general? do you provide specific information about your findings? General results come first, followed by some specifics: ( Swales Feak 2009: 16-17) Microbiolog The data confirmed the results of sensory evaluations and showed the ability of wild lactobacilli to generate key volatile compounds. Particularly, three wild lactobacili strains There are three major findings. First,. Second,Third,. In sum, high quality teacher-child relationships fostered children s achievement. Firstly, the EPl of Korea is more effected by other countries than those of the usa and Japan Specifically, Korean economic growth and the balance of payments are largely affected by japan Particularly and'specifically'-indicate the transition from general to specific In sum, in general, 'overall, 'more generally'-indicate generality Hyland Tse(2005)found that in most fields the abstract writers use that clauses to give the major details of their own results while prefacing them with an evaluative main clause. In addition, there is a strong tendency to use an inanimate subject (The results. The findings of this study. rather than a human subject (We... l) This research shows that junior scholars often need help with their abstracts
4 _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ MOVE 3 - Methods Move 3 includes information about data, participants, length of study and etc. Move 3 should occupy minimal space in the abstract. (unless the contribution lies in the methodology) Past tense and passive are typically used. Example: Business communication (Swales & Feak 2009: 14-15) Move 1: Increasing globalization is thought to be impacting business communication around the world (e.g., Connor 2004). Move 2: To assess possible impacts in one developing country, we examine contemporary written business communication in Turkey. Move 3: Internal memoranda and external faxes were collected from four Turkish companies of varying sizes. This primary data was supported by secondary interviews. Activity: Create Move 3 for your own abstract: _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ MOVE 4 - Results How do your organize your results/findings? Do you first talk about results in general? Do you then provide specific information about your findings? _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ _ General results come first, followed by some specifics: (Swales & Feak 2009: 16-17) Microbiology The data confirmed the results of sensory evaluations and showed the ability of wild lactobacilli to generate key volatile compounds. Particularly, three wild lactobacili strains… Education There are three major findings. First, … Second,…Third,… In sum, high quality teacher-child relationships fostered children’s achievement. Economics Firstly, the EPI of Korea is more effected by other countries than those of the USA and Japan. Specifically, Korean economic growth and the balance of payments are largely affected by Japan. ‘Particularly’ and ‘specifically’ – indicate the transition from general to specific. ‘In sum,’ ‘in general,’ ‘overall,’ ‘more generally’ – indicate generality Hyland & Tse (2005) found that in most fields, the abstract writers use that clauses to give the major details of their own results while prefacing them with an evaluative main clause. In addition, there is a strong tendency to use an inanimate subject (The results… The findings of this study…) rather than a human subject (We… I) · This research shows that junior scholars often need help with their abstracts
he results offer clear evidence that global warming is a reality. Activity: Construct Move 4 for your own abstract. Discuss with your own group MOVE5-A Concluding Statement Type A: Ending with a definite conclusion and self-promotion Swales& Feak(2009: 21)studied 25 abstracts from the 2006 issues of Computer Modeling in Engineering and Science Most of these abstracts have a definite conclusion 1. We. conclude that the new methods can be applied to the calculation of large rotations 2. The general characteristics. demonstrate the capability of the proposed procedure for locating sources 3. The algorithm developed by. is found to be a robust, fast and efficient method for detecting Type B: Ending with a descriptive, a non-evaluative statement Overall, selected numerical results are presented to demonstrate the effect of non-homogeneity on dynamic response of the media. Type C: Ending with general implication 1. Overall, these findings suggest that the government needs to reconsider certain aspects of its low income housing policy The research reported in this paper indicates that the survival of this species may be 1. More attention needs to be given to early diagnosis of the disease. 2. Recommendations are made regarding language training for future research, as well as suggestions for future research Activity: Conclude your own abstract: PART 4: Grammar and Vocabulary Ⅴ ERB TENSE 1. What is the main tense used in the above abstracts 2. What is the typical tense used in your field? Glasman-Deal(2010: 201-204)
5 · The results offer clear evidence that global warming is a reality. Activity: Construct Move 4 for your own abstract. Discuss with your own group. _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ MOVE 5 – A Concluding Statement Type A: Ending with a definite conclusion and self-promotion Swales & Feak (2009: 21) studied 25 abstracts from the 2006 issues of Computer Modeling in Engineering and Science. Most of these abstracts have a definite conclusion: 1. We… conclude that the new methods can be applied to the calculation of large rotations. 2. The general characteristics… demonstrate the capability of the proposed procedure for locating sources of… 3. The algorithm developed by … is found to be a robust, fast and efficient method for detecting… Type B: Ending with a descriptive, a non-evaluative statement Overall, selected numerical results are presented to demonstrate the effect of non-homogeneity on dynamic response of the media. Type C: Ending with general implications 1. Overall, these findings suggest that the government needs to reconsider certain aspects of its low income housing policy 2. The research reported in this paper indicates that the survival of this species may be threatened. Type D: Ending with recommendations 1. More attention needs to be given to early diagnosis of the disease. 2. Recommendations are made regarding language training for future research, as well as suggestions for future research. Activity: Conclude your own abstract: _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ PART 4: Grammar and Vocabulary VERB TENSE 1. What is the main tense used in the above abstracts? _______________________________________________________________________________ 2. What is the typical tense used in your field? _______________________________________________________________________________ Glasman-Deal (2010: 201-204)
The gap/ problem is normally in the Present Simple tense The main problem, however, is We examine why these models have difficulty with owever, this assumption is not valid when This is complicated by However, this assessment cannot be based solely on Although it is known theoretically that. When you are referring to what the paper itself does or what is actually in the paper itself, use the Present Simple tense, for example: This paper presents a new methodology for In this paper we apply. This study reports an improved design for. In this paper we extend an existing approach to Ve consider a novel system of. The implications for learning algorithms are discussed New numerical results are presented here for. When you are referring to your methodology, or what you did during the research period, it is common to use the Past Simple tense, for example Two catalysts were examined in order to Samples were prepared for electron microscopy using. A crystalliser was constructed using The effect of ph was investigated by means of The data obtained were evaluated using a permeameter was used to investigate. It is also possible to use the Present Simple tense to talk about your methodology, especially when you are referring to calculations or equations which can be found in the paper itself: Numerical examples are analysed in detail. The calculated wavelengths are compared to Several models are created using. The accuracy is evaluated by a detailed comparison is made between The method is illustrated on blends of homopolymers
6
Results can be expressed in either the Present Simple tense, for example We find that oxygen reduction may occur up to 20 microns from the interface. The model consistently underpredicts The ratio shifts towards We show that this theory also applies to The most accurate readings are obtained from We find that this does not vary These examples illustrate that overpotential is better described in terms of Or, more commonly, in the Past Simple tense, for example The Y-type was found to produce The hydrocarbons showed a marked increase in The Present Simple Tense- generally stronger The experiments demonstrated there are two matrices. It was found that proteins are produced from The results demonstrated that the morphology is different This image suggested that there is a direct relationship between Achievements can be expressed in the Present Perfect tense, as in the Discussion/Conclusion We have obtained accurate quantitative LIF measurements. This investigation has revealed that We have devised a strategy which allows. We have demonstrated the feasibility of this approach by A novel material has been produced which Three-dimensional FE Predictions have confirmed that. Considerable insight has been gained concernin and also in the Present Simple tense his process can successfully be combined with The framework described here is both simple and universal. The value of our approach lies in This provides a powerful tool for. This novel film is mechanically robust and is able to The algorithm presented here ensures that
7 The Present Simple Tense – generally stronger
Applications are normally stated in the Present Simple tense: This process is suitable for the production of. This framework can be used to evaluate. This approach can be applied to This demonstrates potential for general applicability to. These profiles m 1ay serve as a predictor for. This framework can be used to evaluate. Ⅴ OCABULARY Glasman-Deal(2010: 213, 217-221)-Science Research Writing 1 BACKGROUND a number of studies it is known that exist(s) it is widely accepted that eneral often is a common technique popular is/are assumed to produce(s) is/are based on recent research is/are determined b recent studies is/are influenced by recently ∥/ are related to recently-developed it has recently been shown that AIM in order to to examine our approach to investigate the aim of this study to compare with the aim of PROBLEM (an) alternative approach impractical a need for accurate h Inconvenient complicated it should be possible to desirable limited difficulty not able to disadvantage problem drawback require essential risk expensive time-consuming however unsuccessful WHAT THE PAPER DOES
8 VOCABULARY Glasman-Deal (2010: 213, 217-221) – Science Research Writing 1. BACKGROUND AIM PROBLEM WHAT THE PAPER DOES
In this study/paper/investigation This study/paper/investigation address considers analyse describes examines extends consider includes describe presents discuss reports emphasise reviews examine extend introduce present propose review 2. METHODOLOGY/MATERIALS was/were assembled was/were modelled was/were calculated was/were performed was/were constructed was/were recorded was/were evaluated was/were studied was/were formulated was/were treated was/were measured was/were used 3. RESULTS caused was/were achieved decreased was/were found had no effect was/were identical increased was/were observed it was noted/observed that was/were obtained occurred was/were present produced was/were unaffected (by) resulted in yielded was identified ACHIEVEMENTS
9 2. METHODOLOGY/MATERIALS 3. RESULTS ACHIEVEMENTS
accurate achiev better allow consistent demonstrate effective ensure enhanced guarantee exact obtain mproved new nove significant compare well with simple for the first time uitable in good agreement superior IMPLICATIONS The evidence/These results it is thought that we conclude that indicate(s) that we suggest that mean(s) that suggest(s) that may 4. APPLICATIONS applicability make it possible to can be applied potential use can be used relevant for/in 5. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE WORK a preliminary attempt future directions not significant future work lightl
10 IMPLICATIONS 4. APPLICATIONS 5. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE WORK
