Writing an abstract for the manuscript
An abstract is summary of the manuscript. It is not an introduction to the research, but a complete and concise description of key methodological features of the study and significant findings
An abstract for the manuscript:
The abstract is placed at the beginning of the manuscript, right after the title, which typically includes background purpose, methods, result and key findings of the research. It should consist of authors keywords at the end of the abstract and begins with the body of the manuscript.
An abstract represents a summary of the critical elements of the manuscript. Such a seemingly straightforward definition of abstract could be deceiving and could mislead readers by neglecting the value of their manuscript abstracts.
- This function of writing an abstract is to attract as many possible readers to the manuscript. When published in the journal, an abstract usually is the fourth element that the reader look.
- The first is the title section, which serves the unique function, but is much shorter, between 6 to 10 words. A significant title entices potential readers to continue exploring the document published.
- The second important element is the keywords, which identify the central question and the context of the manuscript.
- The third element is the author’s information, which typically does not have any impact on the reader’s decision to continue with the document.
- The fourth element is the abstract, which usually includes between 100 and 250 words.
Types
Abstracts can be Structured and Non-structured. The author does not have any option which type to write; it based on a journal’s decision. Many publishers have the same instructions for manuscript preparation, which include their requirements to the abstract, for all journals that they publish.
Non‐Structured Abstracts:
Non‐structured, abstracts are written in the form of a paragraph, usually of about 150‐250 words. Authors primarily determine the contents of these abstracts because the journals provide very little guidance on what should be included in non‐structured abstracts.
Structured Abstracts:
Structured abstracts have a structure needed by the journal. Every element of the abstract has a heading and requires the writer to provide information relevant to the heading.
Title:
The title should directly refelect the content stated in the manuscript and should convey the readers the scope, design, and goal of the research carried out throughout the document. Many journals have guidelines like how many characters, words are allowed, which make this task challenging.
Background:
The background section should provide an introduction to the research problem identified in the study. It determines the key focus considered in the research and answers the purpose of the study. It is written in a few sentences saying briefly what the manuscript. The purpose of the study typically follows the background section and, in many abstracts, it is optional or eliminated from the abstract altogether.
Purpose:
The purpose section in the abstract focuses ultimately on the research questions, hypotheses, aim and objective of the research. The purpose should be in the form of a statement that reflects the research question or hypothesis by merely stating specific aims and objectives of the study.
Methods:
The abstract section should include the methods used to solve the central issue that found using the literature review.This part will help you to make-believe the readers you have a practical workflow to attain the process.
Results:
The results section should state What the findings of the research were. The results are the endpoints of the research questions or hypotheses and should be stated in a logical sequence. If statistical test used to analyze the data report the results of these tests and the level of significance, even if non-significant.
Different types of Abstract Published within the same discipline
Figure 1. Important components of the Introduction section
Source: Jirge, P. R. (2017). Preparing and publishing a scientific manuscript. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 10(1), 3.
Figure 2. An important component of materials and methods
Source: Jirge, P. R. (2017). Preparing and publishing a scientific manuscript. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 10(1), 3.
Figure 3. Important components of the Results section
Source: Jirge, P. R. (2017). Preparing and publishing a scientific manuscript. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 10(1), 3.