Advice for writing awesome abstracts

the bumbling biochemist (Bri Bibel)

10/21/22

accompanying blog post: https://bit.ly/abstract_advice

accompanying video: https://youtu.be/JiKRQ9cunfw

they are typically ~150-250 words (~6-7 sentences) and include (briefly, 1-2 sentences of each):

• introduction
• context/background
• question/problem
• what’s already known
• reason/rationale/goals
• methods
• results
• conclusion & significance

What’s in an abstract

where applicable, such as for conference abstracts

some journals, etc. require “structured abstracts,” where the individual parts are explicitly laid out in separate sections, often:

OBJECTIVE

METHODS

RESULTS

CONCLUSIONS

​

you see that a lot with medical journals and stuff

Follow any specific guidelines

• do not include a ton of details - the abstract is not the place for this! instead, the detail should be in the thing the abstract is for!
• typically, if you find yourself putting in raw data and stuff, step back…

Avoid common problems

• do not use field-specific jargon - the audience for the abstract will be broader than the audience that ultimately views the whole thing, and you want them to be able to get the gist
• also, in the real thing there will be more background and citations people can go to to get caught up on the lingo if they’re unfamiliar

Avoid common problems

• do not use abbreviations, especially in the title - except for things like DNA, RNA, etc. that are “common knowledge”

Avoid common problems

• do not include citations (typically)

Avoid common problems

• do not use unnecessary words - you have limited space, so make each word matter
• use formal language but don’t include words to “sound smart”

Avoid common problems

• do not over-interpret your results - most people probably will only read the abstract, so you don’t want to give them a false impression that your theories based on your results are “the truth”

Avoid common problems

• do not include a ton of details
• do not use field-specific jargon
• do not use abbreviations, especially in the title
• do not include citations (typically)
• do not use unnecessary words
• do not over-interpret your results

Avoid common problems

• do read the instructions and follow any specific guidelines - on word count, structure, etc.

Achieve awesome abstracts…

• do read examples - (past abstracts from that journal, conference, etc.) to get a sense of what’s expected & make sure yours “fits in”
• this also helps you get ideas about what does and doesn’t work well

Achieve awesome abstracts…

• do use transition words - help the readers follow your thinking and go with the flow

Achieve awesome abstracts…

• do proofread! And ask colleagues for feedback
• and don’t take their constructive criticism personally - instead, it’s a learning opportunity; writing abstracts well takes practice!

Achieve awesome abstracts…

• do use keywords* in the title and throughout the abstract - basically things that people looking for an abstract like yours might Google to find it
• this will help search engines classify it and help people find it

Achieve awesome abstracts…

• do read the instructions and follow any specific guidelines
• do read examples
• do use transition words
• do use keywords* in the title and throughout the abstract
• do proofread! And ask colleagues for feedback

Achieve awesome abstracts…