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Graduate Writing and Posters

Purpose and Location of an Abstract

What is an Abstract:

  • A short summary of the article / paper.
  • Abstracts typically are around 150 - 300 words (depending on the journal criteria)
  • Allows readers to decide if they want to read the whole article.

Where Does it Go?

Abstracts are placed towards the top of the paper, after the title and authors, but before the introduction and background.

image of abstract placement

Abstract Characteristics

4 C's of an Abstract:

Complete: include the major sections of the article or paper (see the Contents section below)

Concise: the abstract should be "to the point"; include only the important information and avoid unnecessary words

Clear: well-organized and easily readable

Cohesive: the sections should flow

Format

Structured abstract vs Unstructured abstract

  • Structured abstract provides the subheadings in the text.
  • Unstructured abstract does not include the subheadings.

Journals will provide instructions for abstracts. See the box below for examples of both structured and unstructured.

Parts of an Abstract

Contents

  • Abstracts are usually written last so authors can highlight the most important parts of the paper.
  • Omit secondary information or findings.
  • Do not repeat any information in another section.
  • Information should be arranged chronologically
  • Use the past tense in the abstract since the research has already been conducted. Statements of general fact can be written in the present tense.
  • Place the study recommendations in the last line.
  • Abstracts should not contain any "new" information. All of the information in the abstract should be mentioned in the paper.

Sections

Introduction
  • includes the background for the topic
    • why is the topic important?
    • what makes this article or research project different from all the others on the same topic?
  • goal or purpose of the study should be clearly identified (e.g., "The purpose of this study is ..."). Sometimes the purpose is given its own subheading.
    • Purpose:
      • What was the research question? What was the aim of the study?
Methods
  • include the basic study design (e.g., randomized controlled trial, retrospective cohort study, quality improvement study, etc.)
  • where was the study conducted (i.e., setting?)
  • information about the number of study participants
  • how was the data collected?
  • how was the data analyzed
Results
  • brief summary of the major findings (the full results will be provided in the body of the paper)
  • include the statistical information (p values, confidence intervals, standard/mean deviation)
Discussion or Conclusion
  • include an interpretation of the major results - what are the conclusions?
  • what do the results mean?
  • why are they useful?
Keywords
  • use 3-5 individual words or short phrases that indicate the important concepts in the article

Things to Avoid in an Abstract

Dos and Don'ts of Writing an Abstract:

  • Don't copy and paste from the main paper - Do reword or paraphrase all of the content for the abstract.
  • Don't use abbreviations - Do spell out acronyms and full words.
  • Don't hold back the important information -  Do include the major findings in the abstract
  • Don't include tables or figures - Do save the figures and tables for the body of the paper
  • Don't include quotes
  • Don't use references - Do save cited information for the body of the paper

Abstract Examples

Example 1: Structured

Thiel, L. M., Ko, A., & Turner, J. A. (2022). Evidence-based practice: Comparison and continuing education needs of internationally educated hospital-based nurses (IENs) and home healthcare nurses (HHNs) in the United States. Journal of Nursing Practice Applications & Reviews of Research, 12(2), 23-31.
 
Abstract
Background: Understanding nurses’ attitudes and engagement in evidence-based practice (EBP) is a crucial step in identifying the type of training and support needed by frontline nurses when planning and implementing EBP education in actual practice settings.
 
Objectives: This study explored the similarities and differences between the home healthcare nurses (HHNs) and internationally educated hospital-based nurses (IENs) that participated in two previous studies.
 
Methods: In this comparative analysis, there were 173 nurses (HHNs, n = 78; IENs, n =95) included. The two previously reported studies had similar research designs, sampling plans, and metrics to assess EBP attitudes of nurses. One study focused on hospital-based IENs; the other study focused on HHNs. Both studies used the Nurses Attitudes Toward EBP Scale (NATES).

Results: IENs and HHNs have a positive attitude towards EBP. Both groups report low EBP engagement; however, HHNs reported lower level of engagement than IENs.
 
Conclusions: This analysis contributes to the body of nursing knowledge surrounding evidence-based practice, as it confirms findings from other studies highlighting positive EBP attitudes and limited EBP engagement. All nurses, including IENs and HHNs, need to be provided opportunities to undergo structured EBP training and involvement in EBP committees and activities.

Keywords: Evidence-based practice, internationally educated RNs, home healthcare nurses, comparative analysis
 

Example 2: Structured

Weisfeld, C. C., Turner, J. A., Dunleavy, K., Ko, A., Bowen, J. I., Roelk, B., Eissa, R., Benfield, E., & Robertson, K. (2021). Dealing with anxious patients: A systematic review of the literature on nonpharmaceutical interventions to reduce anxiety in patients undergoing medical or dental procedures. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 27(9), 717–726. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2020.0504
 

Abstract

Objectives: State (situational) anxiety can create suboptimal outcomes for patients across a variety of health care specializations. While anxiolytic medications reduce anxiety, problematic side effects can compromise outcomes. These challenges have spurred searches for nonpharmaceutical approaches to alleviate patient anxiety. This systematic literature review, largely following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, aimed to determine patterns and effectiveness of interventions across medical health care specialty areas, including dentistry. Methods: A systematic review was conducted, using PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases, with search terms related to anxiety, specific interventions, and medical or dental procedures. Hand searching for additional citations was performed on the bibliographies of dissertations, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews that met article inclusion criteria. The search process yielded 48,324 articles and 257 dissertations published in English between 1974 and 2018. Each abstract was evaluated for inclusion by two reviewers, yielding 718 articles that were read and evaluated for outcomes, risk of bias, pretest and post-test, controls and quality, using a Critical Appraisal Skills Programme instrument. Of these, 408 articles, describing 501 experimental trials, were accepted for inclusion in this analysis. Results: A total of 50,343 patients were included in these experiments, with an overall success rate of 71% for reducing patient anxiety. Results are summarized by health care specialty area: surgery, oncology, cardiology, obstetrics/gynecology, dentistry, and pain/trauma, and the following diagnostic testing and intervention areas: imaging, colonoscopy, mechanical ventilation, and other. The largest number of experiments (114) was in the surgery category. The types of interventions included music, education, relaxation, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), massage, distraction, hypnosis, acupuncture/acupressure, social support, aromatherapy, nature sounds, natural visual stimuli, special garment, and other. The largest numbers of experiments were done with music (143) and education (130). Discussion: The following interventions were most successful, reducing anxiety in over 70% of experiments: music, CBT, relaxation, massage, acupuncture/acupressure, hypnosis, and natural sounds. Confidence in results is limited by publication bias, small sample sizes, and the lack of placebo controls. Directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: distraction; hypnosis; massage; music; patient anxiety; patient education.

 

Example 3: Unstructured

Anthony, M., Turner, J.A., Novell, M. (2019). Fiction versus reality: Nursing image as portrayed by nursing career novels. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 24(2), Manuscript 4.

Abstract
Nursing career novels, published in the 1930s and extending through the 1960s provided girls with nurse role models and encouraged young women to choose nursing as a career. In view of their popularity, we wondered how these books depicted nurses and the profession of nursing. We examined 18 nurse career novels by different authors published between 1932 and 1970 to determine how nurses and nursing were portrayed at various times. A literature review suggested a guiding framework, with four themes related to motivation to become a nurse; image of nursing; stereotypes; and nurse/physician relationships. This article discusses our endeavor by reviewing the study purpose and methods, and we discuss the results in the framework of the four themes. Our discussion notes that many of these novels described examples of nurses contributing in times of great social uncertainty, such as during wars. They contained characters who were independent thinkers and successful nurses, caring for patients and saving lives. We conclude that the novels could have easily inspired young women of the time to choose nursing as a profession, and discuss the challenge to motivate men and women of today who seek purposeful, intellectually fulfilling work in a changing, uncertain world.

Keywords: nurse image; nursing career novels; nurse-physician relationship; nurse stereotypes