Scientific Abstract

An abstract is a summary of a professional scientific paper. It appears at the beginning of the paper and includes the following information: a) the problem studied, b) the key findings, and c) their significance. Below are helpful questions to consider when writing an abstract.

Statement of the Problem:

Do the first two sentences set the context and engage the reader’s interest?
What problem does the summarized paper address?

Summary of Key Findings:

Does the abstract include the article’s essential findings? Is there anything extraneous that should be left out? Does the summary lack any key information?
Are the results presented in a logical order?
Is the abstract unified by clear connections between the results?

Significance and Application:

Does the abstract correctly identify and clearly express applications that are appropriate to the paper’s content? What are they?
Are these statements clear, precise, and specific?

General Format and Style:

Is the abstract a single paragraph?
Are most of the sentences simple, declarative statements?
Avoid the use of adjectives and adverbs, unless they are quantitative.
Avoid vague and general statements that do not convey specific information.
Use standard conventions of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Reference: Koopman, Philip. "How to Write an Abstract."