Research Block: PGY-2: Week 2

1. If you have questions please reach out to us. lrc.ask@acom.edu
2. Read "The Scientific Abstract" below and begin writing a rough draft of an abstract for your research project from last year.
3. Create an oral presentation based on your research project from last year.
4. Submit your final abstract and oral presentation to the ACOM Librarians at lrc.ask@acom.edu.

An abstract is a condensed or summary version of an original work.  An abstract gives enough information about the original work so the reader can make an informed decision about whether to read the full work to obtain more detail.  Sometimes you will need to submit an abstract before a presentation is accepted or before a paper is accepted for publication.

Parts of an abstract:

• Title
• Body
  • Background/Introduction
  • Objectives, Purposes, or Aims
  • Methods
  • Results
• Conclusion

The Methods sections needs to succinctly provide the study's:

• Design
• Procedure(s)
• Sample
• Setting
• Measures
• Statistical analysis

Good abstracts:

• Use a developed paragraph
• Are unified, coherent, concise, and can stand alone
• Use an introduction, body, and conclusion format
  • Makes the abstract easier to read
  • Clearly identifies parts of the study
• Provides logical connections

Tips for Writing Each Part of an Abstract:

Title:

• Make it descriptive
• Make it important
• Capture the reader's interest

Body:

• Tell the reader:
  • What you did
  • Why you did it
  • How you did it
  • What you found
  • What it means
• Make sure you include:
  • Introduction/Background
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
• Say only what is necessary to convey the meaning

Methods:

• State the study's results
• Use statistics wisely

Conclusion:

• Keep these questions in mind:
  • Are the results consistent with your hypothesis?
    • Why or why not?
  • What is your interpretation of what these results mean?
    • Should anyone be excited about these results?

Generally, oral presentations are accompanied by slides.  When you begin preparing your oral presentation, focus on your message so that you don't get caught up making your slides and forget to concentrate on the content.  You may want to outline your presentation on paper first and then make your slides.  Use your abstract to help you with the flow of the presentation -- the presentation should follow the same general order as the abstract.

Content of an Oral Presentation:

• Title
  • Information about topic in a nutshell
• Context
  • Put information in context
• Tell your story
  • Organize
  • Use figures and graphs to illustrate your results
  • Select which results you want to emphasize most
• Conclusion
  • Be brief and to the point
  • Have a major statement with 2 or 3 implications

When preparing your oral presentation, keep the following in mind:

• Start well in advance
• Arrange content in a logical sequence
• Think about transition statements
• Think about questions the audience may have
• Proofread your slides
• Rehearse in front of your colleagues
• Practice, practice, practice!

The Elements of Style by Strunk & White

Be a Better Author

Checklist and Sample Abstract