What is a Journal Abstract?

What is a Journal Abstarct? This short video by John Bond of Riverwinds Consulting discusses journal abstracts.

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TRANSCRIPT

Hi there. I am John Bond from Riverwinds Consulting and this is Publishing Defined.

Today I am going to talk about journal abstracts: what they are, how to write one, and how are they connected to research and writing.

To start, an abstract as it relates to scholarly communications ,is a brief summary of a journal article or paper. It allows the reader to quickly determine the article's purpose, key findings, and if it is right for them. Abstracts appear at the beginning of the paper and usually have a maximum word limit such as 200 words. The style and format of an abstract may be dictated by the journal under consideration or style manual preference.

As for writing an abstract, there are a few schools of thought. Many people feel (and I am one of them), that writing the abstract for any research article should come last after the work is done and the article or manuscript is completely written. Other possibilities are that the writing the abstract comes first, in rough form, almost as a thesis statement for the work to be done. This may be appropriate for those articles that are theory or model focus versus the ones that are recitation of the results of some research. Either way, writing the abstract becomes the most important part of a paper or article as many people will only read it and many will judge your work by that.

An abstract might contain four parts: the problem being addressed; the research methods being used; the findings of the research; and the conclusions.

Some tips for writing an abstract: brief is always better than wordy. The abstract is not the introduction to the paper. Include the appropriate keywords for maximum effect with reader searches and search engines. Don’t hold back on the findings to tease the reader. Put them out there for the world to see.

Abstracts may stand alone in some databases, so write with this in mind.

Finally, however obvious it is, an abstract is not your paper or your research. It is a summary of your work including the findings. Someone must read your entire paper to fully understand your work and findings. They become the period (or perhaps exclamation point) at the end of your writing and work. Share your abstract with others to ensure clarity. Oh, and in case I didn;t say this, reading an abstract is not a substitute for reading the whole paper.

Well that’s it. I am a publishing consultant and work with associations, publishers, and individuals on a host of content related challenges. Reach out to me at RiverwindsConsulting.com with your questions.

Hit the Like button below if you enjoyed this video. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel or click on the link to see my video on how to write an abstract.

And make comments below or email me with any questions. Thank so much and take care.