NTUT Writing Week 16NTUT Writing Week 16

““Abstract”Abstract”

Order of Typical Elements Included in an AbstractOrder of Typical Elements Included in an Abstract

• 1. B: background information;

• 2. P: the principle activity (or purpose) of the study and its scope;

• 3. M: some information about the methodology used in the study;

• 4. R: the most important results of the study;

• 5. C: a statement of conclusion or recommendation.

Before Reading the Sample Article:Before Reading the Sample Article:

• Q.1: What was the principle activity of this research project?

• Q.2: Which sentences could be eliminated from this abstract without losing critical information about the study?

Find the Elements in the Following AbstractFind the Elements in the Following Abstract

Reducing the AbstractReducing the Abstract

• The reduced abstract typically focuses on only two or three elements, with the emphasis placed on the results of the study. Information concerning purpose and method is presented first (background information is not included). Then the most important results are summarized. Finally, conclusions and recommendations may be included in one or two sentences.

• **Order of Information Elements in Reduced Abstracts**

• P+M= purpose and method of the study;

R= results;

C= Conclusions and recommendations (optional).

Identify the Kinds of Information Identify the Kinds of Information

• Before reading an abstract:

• 1. Which elements are included in sentence 1?

• 2. Which element is represented by the most number of sentences?

• 3. Which element is represented by the final sentence?

• 4. Which element has been eliminated?

Rearrange the following sentences from an abstractRearrange the following sentences from an abstract

Verb tenses in the abstractVerb tenses in the abstract• The language features of the abstract correspond to those we have already seen in

the major portions of the experimental research report.

Test Yourselves (I): fill in each blank with any appropriate wordTest Yourselves (I): fill in each blank with any appropriate word

Test Yourselves (II): fill in each blank with an appropriate verb or auxiliaryTest Yourselves (II): fill in each blank with an appropriate verb or auxiliary