How to write an abstract

Here are some guidelines about writing a research abstract, from UCDavis' Advising Services, http://urc.ucdavis.edu/howtowriteanabstract.html. Reading this is a good place to start:

What is an abstract?
An abstract is a very concise statement of the major elements of your research project. It states the purpose, methods, and findings of your research project.

Why write an abstract?
The abstract allows readers to make decisions about your project. Your sponsoring professor can use the abstract to decide if your research is proceeding smoothly. The conference organizer uses it to decide if your project fits the conference criteria. The conference audience (faculty, administrators, peers, and presenters' families) uses your abstract to decide whether or not to attend your presentation. Your abstract needs to take all these readers into consideration.

How does an abstract appeal to such a broad audience?
The audience for this abstract covers the broadest possible scope--from expert to lay person. You need to find a comfortable balance between writing an abstract that both shows your knowledge and yet is still comprehensible--with some effort--by lay members of the audience. Limit the amount of technical language you use and explain it where possible. Always use the full term before you refer to it by acronym [for example, portal venous transfusions (PVT)]. Remember that you are yourself an expert in the field that you are writing about--don't take for granted that the reader will share your insider knowledge.

What should the abstract include?
Think of your abstract as a condensed version of your whole essay. By reading it, the reader should understand the nature of your research question.

Abstracts for experimental research projects should include:

* A specific and detailed title.
* A brief introduction to the topic-providing context or background.
* A statement of the study's objectives--what is the research question?
* A summary of results.
* A statement of conclusions (or hypothesized conclusions).
* Possibly some discussion of the relevance of the conclusions.
* Possibly some call for future research.

Abstracts for research projects that are primarily text-based should include:

* A specific and detailed title.
* A brief introduction to the topic-providing context or background.
* A statement of the study's objectives--what is the research question?
* A summary of the key subtopics explored—what argument are you proposing about the topic?
* A brief reference to the nature of the source material and methodology (if relevant)—library research? analysis of fictional texts? interviews or observations?
* A statement of conclusions (or hypothesized conclusions).
* Possibly some discussion of the implications of the conclusions.

Whatever kind of research you are doing, your abstract should provide the reader with the answers to the following questions: What are you asking? Why is it important? How will you study it? What will you use to demonstrate your conclusions? What are those conclusions? What do they mean?

Stylistic Considerations:
The abstract should be one paragraph and should not exceed the word limit. Edit it closely to be sure it meets the Four C's of abstract writing:

* Complete — it covers the major parts of the project.
* Concise — it contains no excess wordiness or unnecessary information.
* Clear — it is readable, well organized, and not too jargon-laden.
* Cohesive — it flows smoothly between the parts.

How do I go about writing the abstract?

1. Assess your writing task. Figure out the basics--Deadline, Length (250 words, maximum), Purpose (to communicate clearly to your various audiences what you have researched), and Audience (faculty, students, etc).
2. Write a draft and get feedback from your sponsoring professor, from peers, from TA's, etc.
3. Revise the abstract based on feedback you receive. Plan on several revisions with time away from the draft.
4. Be sure your abstract is grammatically sound. See a writing specialist at the Learning Skills Center for final revisions.

Examples:
Here are three successful sample abstracts—for an experimental research project, for a cultural studies project that combines field research with library research, and for a literary research project:

Estimating Gas Transfer Rates in Bag Cultivation of Shiitake Mushrooms

Previous studies have shown that growth rate and fruiting quality of Letinula edodes may be affected by levels of O2, CO2, and H2O. By knowing the gas exchanges rates within the growth substrate and across the filter patch on cultivation bags, growth and quality of shiitake mushrooms may be maximized. This study was performed in an effort to develop a simple, non-invasive method for measuring the rate of gas exchange within the substrate and across the filter patch. The mushroom growth substrate consisted of sawdust supplemented with rice bran and millet at an initial moisture content of 65%. Air was supplied to cultivation bags continuously at various constant airflow rates. Patch permeability was also tested using Trichoderma harzianum. Both experiments showed that for identical aeration rates, patch permeability varied considerably. Patch permeability did not seem to be affected by autoclaving time. Another set of experiments was conducted to measure the rate of water exchange across the patches. Patch permeability to water vapor was approximately the same, regardless of aeration rate or autoclaving time.
(172 words--Biological & Agricultural Engineering)

A Bit Bright: The Rise and Fall of Neon Signs in Las Vegas

Paris may be the city of light, but Las Vegas is the city of neon. People associate Las Vegas not only with gambling, but also with the glittering neon signs that cover the city. My area of research is the rise and fall of neon signs as an architectural presence. Using a mixture of field work, interviews, and library research, I have traced neon signs from their earliest days as roadside signs, to their incorporation into buildings, to the Golden Age of the 1970s when signs became separate structures independent of the casinos they were advertising. I would argue that in the past fifteen years, with the rise of the mega-resort in Las Vegas, signs are falling in importance. Now the architecture of the casinos themselves are the primary advertisements for resorts like the Venetian and New York, New York. However, the reality is more complicated than just saying "casino architecture has risen at the expense of neon signs": up and down the Strip, many buildings still have large signs in front to advertise to the drivers and pedestrians who cannot see the buildings. I hypothesize that, now, a casino's position on the Strip and its architectural style influence the type of sign it has in this, the most complex era of signage.
(213 words—American Studies)

There's Something About Harry:
Representation of Females in J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" Series

The "Harry Potter" series—like all children's literature—reflects the ideologies of the society of its time, including attitudes about women's roles. The object of my research is to examine (1) the evolution of the traditional female characters Rowling draws from; (2) the ways in which Rowling's use of female archetypes in her works acts as a retrograding agent; and (3) the reasons why traditional representations of women continue to appeal to the general audience. Even though late 20th – early 21st-century society encourages female empowerment and gender equality (as demonstrated in recent movements in children's literature which have attempted to construct bolder, more contemporary female figures, such as the "Girl Power" and "Feminist Fairy Tale" movements of the late 1990s), Rowling has met critical, popular, and commercial success by reverting to traditional, stereotypical characterizations of women. Thus far, I have traced the origin of many of Rowling's female characters and have done preliminary research into the psychology of children's reading habits. Through a close analysis of popular children's literature, I have discovered ways in which female characters have evolved over time to suit the ideas of society in and for which they were written. Through further research, I hope to discover how authors of children's literature can create modern female characters that appeal to the young reader with equal success as traditional representations.
(223 words—English)

Some things to avoid:

Including too much introductory material:

The Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a species of North American songbird inhabiting the United States and Canada. Unlike many other songbirds whose songs vary geographically, previous studies done on chickadee populations from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Ontario, Missouri, Wisconsin, Alberta, Utah, British Columbia, Washington, and California have shown that males sing a typical two tone song, "fee-bee-ee," with little variation between populations. Researchers have also shown that an isolated population from Martha's Vineyard, an island offshore of Massachusetts, demonstrates singing patterns different from the usual two note songs. I am studying a second isolated population of chickadees in Alaska, which has not been systematically investigated previously. There is one anecdotal report that suggested the males from the Alaskan population have unusual singing patterns. For example, the males sing songs with multiple notes accompanied with frequency shifts. The goal of my research...

Using too much jargon:

Within the historiography of North American studies, my research attempts to combine criticisms of Them vs. Us historical paradigms with recent psychological findings on stereotype formation, self-esteem and implicit self-theories.

Not using complete sentences:

To determine and describe the ancient Mayan calendar system. To ascertain how they tracked time for their civilization. Included is...

Not giving the reader sufficient context and completeness:

We have used infrared reflectance to study the effects of melt recrystallization on the structure of thin polymer films. We hypothesized that slowly melting and then resolidifying the thin polymer films will lead to higher levels of crystallinity and orientational order in very thin polymer films. (46 words for the whole abstract)

---------------------------------------

AND here's one more set of tips, from http://ceca.icom.museum/_dbase_upl/writinganabstract.pdf (from Lynda Kelly, Head, Australian Museum Audience Research Centre):

WRITING AN ABSTRACT
When answering a call for papers a number of factors need to be kept in mind to ensure that
your abstract has a good chance of being accepted.
• Ensure that your ideas are well thought out and follow a logical, coherent flow:
􀂾 state the issue to be discussed
􀂾 give a brief background to the issue
􀂾 brief description of what you are doing about it
􀂾 implications/outcomes: why is what you’ve done important?
• Ensure that the abstract relates to the conference theme:
􀂾 in a ‘real’ and not contrived way: if it doesn’t fit then don’t submit
􀂾 an interesting and catchy title helps:
• but make sure it’s not too ‘clever’ or obscure
Ensure that practical aspects of the abstract comply with requirements:
􀂾 it meets or is under the specified word length
􀂾 is typed in the specified font type, size
􀂾 spacing and setting out are correct
􀂾 if no guidelines are given then a standard format is usually:
• 200-250 words
• Times 12pt font
• 1.5 line spacing and centred on the page
• Limit amount of references cited in abstract:
􀂾 use only if essential to support your argument
􀂾 detailed references can be covered in the resulting presentation/paper
• Look at past abstracts/conference papers to pick up the tone and style of that particular
organisation’s conferences
• Run your abstract past someone familiar with both the topic you wish to present and the
conference style: such as a university lecturer, work colleague, member of professional
society, someone who has presented before at the conference
• Submit on or before the due date and in the required way:
􀂾 electronically, via e-mail, is usually preferred
􀂾 ensure computer compatibility of documents (especially in converting Macintosh
to IBM formats)
􀂾 saving in ‘Rich Text Format’ in Word is better (*.rtf)
􀂾 not all are able to access documents in html formats easily – stick to established
word processing programs such as Word
• Ensure you include your name, title, organisation and contact details, including phone,
fax, street address and e-mail
• Finally, remember that your abstract serves two purposes:
􀂾 to interest and intrigue the committee so they will select it
􀂾 to introduce/outline your topic for the conference handbook – so it needs to stand
alone as a record of your presentation
Websites of recent conferences with examples of well-written abstracts can be found at:
http://comedu.canberra.edu.au/conference/arece/Conference/2002/TopicList.html
The Association for Australian Research in Early Childhood Education, 2002 Conference
http://www.aare.edu.au/index.htm
Australian Association for Research in Education, 2001 Conference
http://www.archimuse.com/conferences/SPEAKERS_LIST.HTML
Museums and the Web International Conference: Abstracts and papers online from
conferences held since 1997
Lynda Kelly, Head, Australian Museum Audience Research Centre, 1 February, 2002

Most desirable and undesirable songs

Thanks to Eric Jackson for mentioning the This American Life segment on the topics of polling and artistry and music creation. Here is the link: This American Life (it's on episode two)

Eric also found the mp3s of the songs, found here

Comment here about what you think.

- Brett

WSUV Research Showcase

Here are some of the basics on the upcoming WSUV Research Showcase. Our class project for the next few weeks will be created under this model, with extra credit for those who actually end up presenting the work at this event. So please review as soon as you can.

To receive the extra credit (50 points per person), your group will need to submit -- via the electronic form at this link -- your abstract and accompanying material by 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 (let's talk about the abstract in class before you submit), and then carbon copy that information to me at: brett.oppegaard@gmail.com.

One important caveat, if this project does not meet a high standard that represents DTC well (at least a B level, not a B- or lower), I do reserve the right to pull the plug on it in terms of the public presentation and extra credit (not the class grade). So, again, this needs to be a B project or better to make the cut and earn the extra credit.

- Brett

A few more audio theater examples

Here are a few more to sample:

Silent Universe, a futuristic soap opera

The Wireless Theatre Company

Example 1 from WTC (banter, character development and sound effects, including silence): The Importance of Shoes

Example 2 from WTC (language and communication): Laying Ghosts

Example 3 from WTC (framing): The Fun Tom Menace

A list of many, many more Web resources:

Radio Theater on the Web

BBC Radio

The largest broadcasting company in the world, The BBC, still invests heavily in audio theater. Some of the best modern pieces are coming from here. There are three channels producing this kind of work:

BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 generally offer drama and more serious fare.

While BBC Radio 7 offers sci-fi and comedy as well as other miscellaneous programs.

Radio play scripts

Simplyscripts.com offers several examples of radio play scripts.

Mercury Theatre radio plays from the 1930s

The Mercury Theatre, famous for its "War of the Worlds" broadcast and its association with Orson Welles and John Houseman, created some of the finest examples of radio plays in the 1930s. This page offers many examples of some of the best of this genre.

David Sedaris' "6 to 8 Black Men"

This audio piece provokes thoughts about language, small talk, onomatopoeia and traditions, including the stories we pass down from generation to generation. And it is really funny.

Creative Commons

Those looking for public domain media also should consider checking out:

http://search.creativecommons.org/

Just watched "Peter Pan" tonight with my kids, and the original book, by James Barrie, was written in 1904. Thought I might mention that, in case there is anyone out there who might want to look into it. At least one of the stage versions, maybe more, also was pre-1923.

Another extra credit opportunity! KOUG radio

This from Randy: "The first KOUG Staff Orientation will be held this Saturday, February 7, from 1-3pm. At this session, our advisor Brian Blair will be talking about broadcasting in depth, how to produce a radio show, and how to best work the equipment in the studio. We will also cover ways to get involved at KOUG, and FCC compliance. Attending this orientation session will give you a solid foundation so you can create great programs and be a great on-the-air personality.

Working at KOUG will be both fun and challenging. It is a serious commitment of time and effort, so you should only apply if this something you would be willing to devote your passion and your time to. We have big plans and would love to have you involved, but we need you to jump in with both feet and not just put a toe in the water.

KOUG Staff Orientation
On campus, Firstenburg Student Commons conference room 104.
February 7, 1-3pm.

Contact Zane Wagner at kougradio@gmail.com."

Same basic parameters as the VanCoug boot camp (only 15 points instead): Attend, think about it in terms of our class, post a significant response on the Google group, get your points.

- Brett