This presentation provides an overview of how to write a scientific abstract for a manuscript or presentation

Ssekitoleko, Richard

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University of Massachusetts Medical School eScholarship@UMMS PEER Liberia Project UMass Medical School Collaborations in Liberia 2019-12-02 Writing an abstract Richard Ssekitoleko Yale University Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Follow this and additional works at: https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/liberia_peer  Part of the Family Medicine Commons, Medical Education Commons, Scholarly Communication Commons, and the Scholarly Publishing Commons Repository Citation Ssekitoleko R. (2019). Writing an abstract. PEER Liberia Project. https://doi.org/10.13028/edax-w765. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/liberia_peer/51 This material is brought to you by eScholarship@UMMS. It has been accepted for inclusion in PEER Liberia Project by an authorized administrator of eScholarship@UMMS. For more information, please contact Lisa.Palmer@umassmed.edu. Writing an abstractRichard SsekitolekoUSAID PEER/Liberia WorkshopObjectivesBy the end of this talk, the participant should be in position to:• Define an abstract• Know the components of an abstract• Understand the steps for writing an abstract• Know the different formats of an abstract• Know the different sections of an abstract and what they containAbstract• Brief summary or synopsis of the full manuscript• Found at the beginning of the manuscript right after the title• Usually followed by a list of author selected key words• Stand alone• Unbiased and honest• Should not be misleading• Original and not plagiarized• No abbreviationsWhy a good abstract?• With the title help form the initial impression of the article• For editors to decide whether to process the paper further• For reviewers to get initial impression to help decide if they will review article• Readers initially see the title and abstract  and these help them decide if to read the whole article• Key component of applying for funding• Helps one land an oral or poster presentation at a conference.• May be the basis for winning awards to conferencesComponents of an abstract• Includes different sections• Background• Purpose• Methods• Results• Conclusion• List of selected key words at the end• Another approach is to answer questions;• Why was the study done?• How was the study conducted?• What were the findings?• What do the findings mean?Steps for writing an abstract• Usually written after completion of the manuscript• Decide on the journal of choice and then consult for abstract guidelines.• Suggested format• Word count or length• Writing font• Review examples of a journal’s published abstracts before writing your abstractExample: Abstract guidelineExample: Abstract to the future virology journalFormats of an abstract• May be;• Structured• Information organized into sections• Sections identified by bolded headings• Unstructured• Headings stated as part of sentences• No bold headings• Typical length of abstracts• Journals give limit to length usually 250 words• Some electronic data bases may truncate abstracts beyond certain lengthExample: Structured abstract Example: Unstructured abstractTitle • Reflects contents of the manuscript• Choose right name for your story• Conveys to readers the scope, design and goal of research• Should be free of jargon or unfamiliar acronymsBackground• Introduces research problem• Problem: Monitoring critically ill patients in sub-Saharan Africa• Identifies key focus of the study• Focus: Use of vital signs to predict in-hospital mortality in sepsis patients• Answers the question; Why was this study done?• Tells you what is known• What gap does your study intend to address?Purpose• Focuses specifically on research questions• Do admission vital signs predict mortality in sepsis?• Hypothesis• Null hypothesis: No association• Alternative: Association• Aims/Objectives of the studyMethods• Identifies the nature of data analyzed• How study was conducted• Quantitative study• Research design• Sample size• Setting• Variables• Approach to data analysis• Quantitative study• Philosophical approach• Participants• Context• Data collection methods• Approach to analysisMethodsResults• Answers the question: What were the results?• For quantitative studies• If statistical tests were used then report results and level of significance• Report results even if they were non-significant• For qualitative studies• Report themes/Categories or resultant theory• Sets the stage for the conclusion of the studyConclusion• What do the findings mean?• Emphasize new and important aspects of the study• All the emphasis should be supported by the results or findingsKey words• Choose words or phrases that communicate the central concept of the study or research• Careful selection facilitates retrieval of relevant studies• Key words are used for indexing• Key words are used for searching studies in data bases References• SOUSA, Valmi D. How to write an abstract for a manuscript publication. Acta paul. enferm. [online]. 2006, vol.19, n.3 [cited 2019-11-12], pp.5-8.• Sturgeon CM, Ditadi A. Let Me Speak! A Reviewers' Guide to Writing a Successful Meeting Abstract. Stem Cell Reports. 2018;11(6):1324–1326. doi:10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.11.016• Bavdekar SB, Gogtay NJ. Writing an Abstract for a Research Manuscript: Providing an Honest, Succinct and Complete Summary. J Assoc Physicians India. 2015 Dec;63(12):64-67.• Journal of Clinical Virology; Author information pack• Asiimwe SB, Abdallah A, Ssekitoleko R. A simple prognostic index based on admission vital signs data among patients with sepsis in a resource-limited setting. Crit Care. 2015 Mar 16;19:86. doi: 10.1186/s13054-015-0826-8.• Ssekitoleko R, Kamya MR, Reingold AL. Primary prophylaxis for cryptococcal meningitis and impact on mortality in HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Future Virol. 2013;8(9):10.2217/fvl.13.71. doi:10.2217/fvl.13.71• Ssekitoleko R, Pinkerton R, Muhindo R, Bhagani S, Moore CC. Aggregate evaluable organ dysfunction predicts in-hospital mortality from sepsis in Uganda. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2011;85(4):697–702. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2011.10-0692

Writing an abstract

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