1、Abstract Writing,Definition and components of an abstract Samples of abstract writing Difference between summary and abstract,Abstract,An abstract is actually the first section of a report, coming after the title and before the introduction. It provides the reader with a brief preview of your study
2、based on information from the other sections of the report. It is a highly condensed and factual summary of the full paper. Many readers depend on the abstract to give them enough information about the study to decide if they will read the entire report or not.,The abstract is directed to two groups
3、 of readers: Potential readers of the main article or thesis who use the abstract to decide whether or not to read the main article. Such readers are likely to be in the same field as the writer. Readers working in fields such as classification, editing, or library work, who use the abstract to deci
4、de how to catalogue or publish the main work. Such readers are not likely to be in the same field as the writer. The abstract should meet the needs of both groups of readers.,Abstracts may be published in lists of abstracts, either in paper format or on-line. Accordingly, the abstract should be writ
5、ten to facilitate easy searching manually or electronically.,Abstract,An abstract is a short summary of your completed research. If done well, it makes the reader want to learn more about your research. It is a condensed version of a longer piece of writing that highlights the major points covered，
6、concisely describes the content and scope of the writing， and reviews the writings content in abbreviated form(正文的浓缩,突出要点,简单描述,回顾),An abstract should be:,clear, grammatically accurate, exact, and stylistically uniform(文体统一) impersonal and noncritical (客观公正) for a general academic paper，it is usu. ab
7、out100 to 250 words in length present or past tense third person should be used,General functions of abstract,1. It frames the writers ideas for readers 2. Identifies the writers contribution for readers,The significance of an abstract,Abstract（摘要）使读者对于本研究工作有一简短的大致了解（Preview） 虽然置于文章开头（正文之前），但写作时通常是最
8、后写。因为只有在全文完成后，才能进行总结提炼其主要内容。,“A well-prepared abstract enables readers to identify the basic content of a document quickly and accurately, to determine its relevance to their interests, and thus to decide whether they need to read the document in its entirety“ (American National Standards Institute,
9、 1979b).,The Abstract should not exceed 250 words and should be designed to define clearly what is dealt with in the paper. The Abstract should be typed as a single paragraph.,The Abstract should (1) state the principal objectives/purpose and scope of the investigation；(2) describe the methods emplo
10、yed；(3) summarize the results；(4) state the principal conclusions.,When writing the Abstract, examine every word carefully. If you can tell your story in 100 words, do not use 200. Most of the Abstract should be written in the past tense, because it refers to work done. The Abstract should never giv
11、e any information or conclusion that is not stated in the paper. References to the literature must not be cited in the Abstract (except in rare instances, such as modification of a previously published method). Likewise, the Abstract should not include or refer to tables and figures.,Q: What isnt an
12、 abstract?,extracts from your paper it must stand alone.,It is NOT:,an introduction its purpose is to summarize not introduce,a plan to which your paper is written it is written last to summarize what your paper contains.,Types of Abstracts:,Descriptive abstracts Informative abstracts,1). Descriptiv
13、e Abstracts:,Merely describes what the report is about No specific information about the problem, method, results，or conclusions (thus not very useful to many readers).,2). Informative Abstracts,It gives some specific information about the problem，method，results，or conclusions It also gives readers
14、specific information which would tell them：(i) what they need to know about the article and its results or(ii) if they really need to get the article to inspect its contents more closely,一般性摘要包括部分及其排列次序 B = Some background information 一些基本背 景知识 P = Principal activity/ purpose of the study and its sc
15、ope 本研究主要内容/目的及其范围 M = Some information about the methodology used in the study 关于本研究所采用的一些（试验）方法 R = The most important results of the study 最重要的研究结果 C = A statement of conclusion or recommendation 结论/意义,Suggestions on Writing Informative Abstracts,the following parts： purpose and objectives method
16、s ( materials, procedures), results (data, observations, discussion) conclusion and recommendation,Background /problem statement/objectives: Why do we care about the problem? What practical, scientific, theoretical or artistic gap is your research filling?,Parts of an Abstract,Background:If the prob
17、lem isnt obviously “interesting“ it might be better to put motivation first; but if your work is incremental progress on a problem that is widely recognized as important, then it is probably better to put the problem statement first to indicate which piece of the larger problem you are breaking off
18、to work on. This section should include the importance of your work, the difficulty of the area, and the impact it might have if successful.,Checklist: Parts of an Abstract,Problem statement: What problem are you trying to solve? What is the scope of your work ? In some cases it is appropriate to pu
19、t the problem statement before the motivation, but usually this only works if most readers already understand why the problem is important.,By answering the question of “what”, the first part always goes straightforwardly to the subject or the problem and indicate the primary objectives of the paper
20、.,1. 摘要的起首句：直接式起首句，开门见山说明论文主题常用五种句型：,摘要写作：,（1）主语（说明文章性质的名词）谓语（主动谓语） 宾语或其它成份,This,Article Paper thesis study work,deals with Discusses Introduces Investigates Summarizes describes,+,特点：由宾语引出主要内容e.g. This paper describes the synthesis of high molecular weight polyether by using system.,(2)主语（论文主体的有关内容
21、）被动态谓语其它成分*,e.g. Long-chain aliphatic ,-diolscontaining up to 32 consecutive methylene groups were synthesized by several methods and characterized.,e.g. A laboratory model study was carried out.,（3）The purpose (objective/aim) of+ 主语（文章性质）be + to 主要介绍研究项目的目的及研究工作的性质,e.g. The objective of this study
22、is to investigate the effect of ligand on catalytic activity of transition metal acetylide catalysts.,（4）使用第一人称时，用凡指的we, the author, the authors , 用于说明所从事的研究工作（常用现在完成时或过去时），或说明在论文中要论述什么（用现在时） 。 如：In this paper we conclude We discuss (report/ have studied) the results of a study of We are to discuss/
23、 investigate/ study. 切记：不用I,Objective 5）以动词不定式开头 To investigate To study To explore To examine To determine To report To review ,Useful Expressions,The following expressions are often used in the first part of an abstract: (1) The author tell about The writer + describes + N-phrase The paper explore
24、s looks at deals with refers to (2) The purpose of this paper is to -An investigation was designed to -A brief presentation of - is given -The concept of - is used to determine -,Examples (1),The purpose of this paper is The primary goal of this research is The intention of this paper is to survey T
25、he overall objective of this study is In this paper, we aim at Our goal has been to provide The chief aim of the present work is to investigate the features of,Examples (2),The authors are now initiating some experimental investigation to establish The work presented in this paper focuses on several
26、 aspects of the following The problem we have outlined deals largely with the study of With his many years research, the authors endeavor is to explain why,Examples (3),The primary object of this fundamental research will be to reveal the cause of The main objective of our investigation has been to
27、obtain some knowledge of With recent research, the author intends to outline the framework of The author attempted the set of experiments with a view to(以.为目的) demonstrating certain phenomena,Examples (4),The experiment being made by our research group is aimed at obtaining the result of The main ob
28、jective of our investigation has been to obtain some knowledge of Experiments on were made in order to measure the amount of The emphasis of this study lies in,Methods/procedure/approach: What did you actually do to get your results? How did you go about solving or making progress on the problem? Di
29、d you use simulation, analytic models, prototype construction, or analysis of field data for an actual product? What was the extent of your work ? What important variables did you control, ignore, or measure? (e.g. analyzed 3 samples, completed a series of 5 oil paintings, interviewed 17 students),E
30、xamples (1),The method used in our study is known as The technique we applied is referred to The procedure we followed can be briefly described as The approach adopted extensively(广泛地) is called Detailed information has been acquired by the authors using,Examples (2),The research has recorded/collec
31、ted valuable data using the newly-developed method This is a working(可行的,有效的) theory which is based on the idea that The fundamental feature of this theory is as follows The theory is characterized by The experiment consisted of three steps, which are described in,3. Results/findings/product: As a r
32、esult of completing the above procedure, what did you learn/invent/create? Whats the answer? Put the result there, in numbers. Avoid vague, hand-waving results such as “very“, “small“, or “significant.“ If you must be vague, you are only given license to do so when you can talk about orders-of-magni
33、tude improvement.,The following expressions are often used in result part of an abstract. (1) It is found that -The author concludes that -The paper concludes -(2) We have reached the following results:(3) Our findings are as follows.,4. Conclusion/implications: What are the larger implications of y
34、our findings/ your answers, especially for the problem/gap identified in step 1? Is it going to change the world ,be a significant “win“, be a nice hack, or simply serve as a road sign indicating that this path is a waste of time (all of the previous results are useful). Are your results general, po
35、tentially generalizable, or specific to a particular case?,As the ending part of an abstract, concluding sentences usually analyze the results, explain the application, and point out the significance of the research.,The following expressions are often used in the concluding part of an abstract. (1)
36、 It is suggested -It is recommended + that -The paper suggests -(2) The results suggest/show that -It can be recommended that -,Examples (1),In conclusion, we state that To sum up it may be stated that It is concluded that The results of the experiment indicate that The studies we have performed sho
37、wed that The pioneer studies that the authors attempted have indicated in We carried out several studies which have demonstrated that.,Examples (2),The research we have done suggests that The investigation carried out by has revealed that Laboratory studies of did not furnish any information about A
38、ll our preliminary results throw light on the nature of,Expressions for Abstract Writing,report, show, demonstrate, model, indicate, suggest, propose, imply, reveal, present, discuss, describe, examine, measure, identify, infer, deal with, cope with, be concerned with, represent, estimate,analyze/ m
39、ake an analysis, distinguish, observe, obtain agreement, combine, compare, differ, differ from/with in, make a difference, conclude, draw/make a conclusion, sum up,conduct research on, investigate, make an investigation, survey, apply, employ, use, constitute, fulfill the gap, fulfill the role,perfo
40、rm a crucial function/role, construct,make/carry out/perform an experiment in, experiment on/with, experimentally, fabricate, test this hypothesis by, performed normally, require, determine,quantify, measure, replicate discover, identify, find, findings, results,英文摘要英文摘要的时态。英文摘要时态的运用也以简练为佳，常用一般现在时、一
41、般过去时，少用现在完成时、过去完成时，进行时态和其他复合时态基本不用。 一般现在时。用于说明研究目的、叙述研究内容、描述结果、得出结论、提出建议或讨论等。分别举例如下： This study (investigation) is (conducted, undertaken) to The anatomy of secondary xylem(次生木质部) in stem of Davidia involucrata (珙桐) and Camptotheca acuminata (喜树) is compared.The result shows (reveals)，It is found th
42、atThe conclusions areThe author suggests涉及到公认事实、自然规律、永恒真理等，当然也要用一般现在时 .,一般过去时。用于叙述过去某一时刻(时段)的发现、某一研究过程(实验、观察、调查、医疗等过程)。例如：The heat pulse technique was applied to study the stemstaflow (树干液流) of two main deciduous broadleaved tree species in July and August,1996. 需要指出的是，用一般过去时描述的发现、现象，往往是尚不能确认为自然规律、永
43、恒真理的，而只是当时如何如何；所描述的研究过程也明显带有过去时间的痕迹。 现在完成时和过去完成时。完成时少用，但不是不用。现在完成时把过去发生的或过去已完成的事情与现在联系起来，而过去完成时可用来表示过去某一时间以前已经完成的事情，或在一个过去事情完成之前就已完成的另一过去行为。例如：Concrete has been studied for many years. Man has not yet learned to store the solar energy,英文摘要的语态。采用何种语态，既要考虑摘要的特点，又要满足表达的需要。一篇摘要很短，尽量不要随便混用，更不要在一个句子里混用。 主
44、动语态。现在主张摘要中谓语动词尽量采用主动语态的越来越多，因其有助于文字清晰、简洁及表达有力。The author systematically introduces the history and development of the tissue culture of poplar 比 The history and development of the tissue culture of poplar are introduced systematically语感要强。必要时，The author systematically都可以去掉，而直接以Introduces开头。,被动语态。以前
45、强调多用被动语态，理由是科技论文主要是说明事实经过，至于那件事是谁做的，无须一一证明。事实上，在指示性摘要中，为强调动作承受者，还是采用被动语态为好。即使在报道性摘要中，有些情况下被动者无关紧要，也必须用强调的事物做主语。例如：In this case, a greater accuracy in measuring distance might be obtained.英文摘要的人称。原来摘要的首句多用第三人称This paper等开头，现在倾向于采用更简洁的被动语态或原形动词开头。例如：To describe， To study， To investigate， To assess，To
46、determine，The torrent classification model and the hazard zone mapping model are developed based on the geography information system.行文时最好不用第一人称，以方便文摘刊物的编辑刊用。,主动语态 举例 We report rheological data on anionic polyelectrolyte solutions of variable chain length and concentration, We have studied the dehyd
47、ration under atmospheric pressure for , NiNa4(PO3)6H2O ,between 25 and 700 by thermal analyses (TG, DTA), infrared spectrometry and X-ray diffraction.,We find that one component (polyimide) controls the permeability values and activation energies for helium permeation in the blends.To examine the ef
48、fect of electric field on the aggregation structure of the particles, we observed light scattering of the suspension under an electric field, and found that the scattering pattern became anisotropic.,We demonstrate the thermally activated nature of the-PMMA and -P(VDF-TrFE) relaxation, with activati
49、on energies of 29.3 and 13.5 kcal/mol, respectively. We refer to the lamellar thickening process as a type of secondary crystallization.,概括起来：作者告诉读者论述怎样的主题，可用现在时,用过去时及其被动语态叙述实验方法与过程；表示实验前业已完成的动作（过去的过去），用过去完成时。例如： The crystallized samples had been polished before they were etched in a 0.5 HF solution at a temperature of 25 for 2 s .对实验结果可用现在时（表示客观真理）或现在完成时（已取得的阶段性成果）。,Objective项，往往用一般现在时的主动语态，如The objective of the paper is to; We aim toMethods项，以被动句和过去时态为主 Results项，用一般过去时陈述实验结果,表示阶段性的结果，可用现在完成时 Conclusions 则用一般现在时，集中表达作者的学术观点。,
