Writing an Abstract

Introduction:

When writing a scientific paper, one of the hardest parts to write is the Abstract. Usually, it is the last thing written even though it is placed first in the finished document. In Biology 112 and 113 Lab, students will be asked to design, conduct, and write a formal report on their own independent research projects. Invariably the one portion of the write-up that gives students the most difficulty is the Abstract. Thus, over the course of Biology 111, you may be asked to write abstracts for selected experiments to aid you in learning how to do so effectively. Following completion of the experiment and distribution and discussion of class data you may be asked to turn in a typed (using a word processor) Abstract for some of the following (due dates will be set for each):

• Accuracy and Precision
• Sugar in Soft Drinks
• Beer’s Law
• Yeast Plate Count
• Osmosis

An Abstract is a brief, concise summary of an experiment in one SHORT (aim for 100 words or less) paragraph. It should include a statement of the overall experimental procedure which was followed; this should be in enough depth so a reader can understand what was done, but without details. There should also be a summary statement of the results obtained, pointing out any noteworthy data gathered, and a summary statement of what those results prove.

Citation Line:

The Abstract should be written in accepted scientific format. When writing an abstract, the first line or two (single-spaced rather than double-) should include the proper citation of the paper: Author (you), last name first. Date. Title of paper (which, if this was a whole paper, should exactly match the title on the title page). If this was a published paper, the journal name, etc. would follow.

Summary of What Was Done:

Then, starting on the next line and double-spaced, the abstract should follow. This is a short, concise summary in one paragraph (many journals limit the number of words - aim for 100 words or less) of the experiment. Why was it important that this work be done – what was being tested (for example, “Because of interest among students and law enforcement officers, the alcohol content of lab brew was determined from the specific gravity of a same-strength distillate.”)? Briefly, yet concisely, what was done, what overall experimental procedure was followed (for example, “All volunteers were asked to take two grams of vitamin C and collect hourly urine samples. These samples were analyzed for vitamin C content.”)?

Summary of Data/Results:

A brief summary of the findings, the results obtained, pointing out any noteworthy data gathered should be included. This should be a concise summary of the data, not a detailed presentation thereof (for example, “XYZ Pop was found to contain 12 tsp. of sugar per can, the highest of any of the brands tested.”).

Summary of Conclusions:

Also, a summary statement commenting on the significance of those results – what conclusions can be made – should be included (for example, “Because XYZ Pop was found to contain the most sugar per can of all the brands tested, it is the worst choice for diabetics who must restrict their sugar intake.”).

Grammar and Composition Guidelines:

Many of the examples given below are based on text included by past students in their abstracts for the first experiment. These items are typically “problem areas” for students.

• For this purpose and unlike in a “real” scientific paper, so that your graded Abstract may be placed into your lab notebook, margins should be set such that the actual text area is no larger than 5½ inches wide (for example, 1" left and 2" right margins on 8½"-wide paper). Thus, when your work is returned, you can place it and the accompanying gradesheet in your lab notebook.
• Generally, writing should be done in the past tense (“It was done. . .”). A scientific paper should be written in the passive voice. Avoid use of “I,” “me,” “my,” “we,” and “you” (even the implied “you” format). Sentences like, “It was done,” should be used rather than “I did it.” Note that, in the abstract (and in the rest of a scientific paper), the point is not to give orders for someone else to follow (as is the case in this document, in which I am telling you how to do it), but rather, to relate to your reader what was done in the experiment which was conducted. Thus, do not use implied you (“Do this.”). For example:

  BAD:

  “I experimented on rats, and I found. . .”

  BETTER:

  “Experiments on rats showed that. . .”

  EVEN BETTER:

  “Rats were found to. . .”

• Check spelling (one of the advantages of a word processor) and grammar. Check for subject-verb agreement and also verb tense agreement among the sentences (“I am going to the store, and I bought groceries,” is not correct.). Grammar and English usage should be carefully checked. Common mistakes among students include forgetting to italicize scientific names and problems dealing with unusual plural words (“spectra” is the plural of “spectrum” and “data” is the plural of “datum”). Also, watch out for run-on sentences.
• Many of the following abbreviations and scientific notations are problems for students:

  20° C

  In WordPerfect, do [ctrl]-w to get special characters, then choose the degree sign which is 6,36 or 1,14. Do not handwrite these, but learn how to do them on the computer (that’s part of the point here). In many word processing programs, holding down the [alt] key while typing 0176 on the numeric keypad (you may need to turn [num lock] on) will also give you the degree symbol. You can also copy the symbol from Windows charmap (Select “Start” then “Run,” then type in “charmap”) into your word processing program. Note the space between that and the “C.” Do not write out “degrees” nor “Celsius” in this context. Note, however, that it is correct to say something like, “Temperature was measured in degrees Celsius.” You must distinguish between whether something is being used as a unit label or an actual part of the sentence structure, and abbreviate or not, accordingly.

  250 mL

  Note the space between the number and the label. Note the capitalization of the label. Do not write out “milliliters” in this context. The abbreviation “mL” is both singular and plural. Also, 250 of them would be plural, not singular (“250 mL were. . .”). Watch out for automatic spell checkers that don’t like “mL.” You may need to add this to your personal dictionary or find some other way to override the spell checker.

  H₂O

  The “2” must be done as a subscript, which is not merely a smaller font size. Yes, it should hang down below the line of type. Do not handwrite the “2,” but figure out how to do this in your word processing program. Using “H2O” is totally unacceptable in formal writing. Do not use “dH₂O” in formal writing. Write out “distilled water.” Some word processing programs allow you to create macros, which could allow you to insert “H₂O” with one or two keystrokes.

  99.72 g

  Note the space between the number and the units. Use a lower case “g” for grams. Do not write out “grams” in this context. However, to say “The balance weighs in grams,” is correct.

  0.36 g

  In formal writing, when a number is less than one, always begin with a “0” before the decimal point.

• It is neither necessary nor acceptable to begin with “We experimented with” or “This experiment was done to” or statements of that nature. Just begin by telling what was done.
• A vague statement like “This indicated the accuracy,” is not enough. Be specific as to what number indicated what for what reason. For example, “Because xxx value was closest to xxx, therefore the xxx piece of glassware was the most xxx.” Make sure that these sorts of conclusions are included and are specifically based on cited data.
• Note that, generally, weight is measured or obtained, while an average is calculated. Averages are not “measured.” For example, while the dry weights of several pieces of glassware and the weights of glassware plus water were measured, it is true that the weights of the water were calculated from those numbers.
• Pay attention to significant figures. Make sure numbers are properly rounded and that you use the same number of significant figures for all. For example, if you are discussing water weights of 99.72 g, 99.83 g, etc., then do not also list a weight as being “99.7 g” or “100 g.” Also, the corresponding standard deviations would be listed as 0.30 g, 0.45 g, etc. It would not be correct to list them as “0.3 g,” “0.452 g,” etc.
• Make sure you mention that the weight of water was obtained three times for each container. Using a phrase like “in triplicate” can help make your abstract more concise.
• You, in the majors’ labs, are asked to calculate standard deviation. The students in the non-majors’ labs are asked to calculate mean deviation (which is a different, less-informative, statistical concept), thus the online class results present both standard and mean deviation. Make sure you distinguish between these two numbers in your writing.
• Especially if your numbers differed from the “expected” outcome, it would be appropriate to comment on both your numbers and the overall class numbers. For example, if your numbers indicate that the graduated cylinder is the most accurate, while the class data indicate that the volumetric flask is the most accurate, it would be appropriate to cite both sets of numbers, and comment on the significance thereof.
• If you use the term “respectively,” (as in, “The standard deviations were 0.14 g, 0.02 g, and 0.00 g, respectively.”) make sure to use it correctly. Notice in the sample abstract, below, the first sentence lists the beaker, cylinder, and flask in that order. Thus, when “respectively” is used later on in that paragraph, that means those numbers refer to those pieces of glassware in exactly that same order. Thus, if the 0.14 g corresponds to the beaker, and you list the numbers in the order 0.00, 0.02, and then 0.14 (after previously listing the glassware in the order beaker, cylinder, then flask), you cannot use the word “respectively.” Rather, in that case, you must specify which number goes with which piece of glassware (“Standard deviations of 0.00 g for the volumetric flask, 0.02 g for the graduated cylinder, and 0.14 g for the beaker were obtained,” or “Standard deviations of 0.00 g, 0.02 g, and 0.14 g were obtained for the volumetric flask, the graduated cylinder, and the beaker, in that order.”). However, for the sake of clarity in your writing, it is far preferable to list all data in the same order (for example, if you choose to list the beaker data first, then always do so), and re-arranging the order in a subsequent sentence should only be done if there is a really good reason to do so.

One really good way to see if what you’ve written makes sense is to read it out loud to someone else, or better yet, have someone else read it out loud to you. If it doesn’t make sense to you and the other person when read aloud, it needs to be re-written. When I was in grad school, my major professor was in the process of having a paper published in a scientific journal, and was at the point where he had received the galley proofs to proofread. While he, personally, read over the proofs, he also asked two people from his lab (who were less familiar with what he had written) to help, with one of them reading the proof out loud to the other, so that he had two, additional sets of ears and eyes helping with the proofreading. Ask for help from friends or family members who are not enrolled in this class.

Not as an official part of the abstract, but it would be most helpful if you would indicate your lab section and seat number in the upper right-hand corner of your paper. For example, if you use “2” to represent the 2:00 lab or “4” to represent the 4:30 lab, then for example, “4-15” could be used to represent seat #15 in the 4:30 lab section.

Sample Abstract

Here is a sample Abstract for an experiment we will be doing. My software tells me this is 100 words long (it counts things like “20° C” as two words). You are NOT to copy this, but do your own work:

Carter, J. L. S. 24 October 1994. Accuracy and precision of various glassware.

A 250-mL beaker, 100-mL graduated cylinder, and 100-mL volumetric flask were filled in triplicate with 100 mL of 20° C distilled water. The average weight of water and standard deviation were calculated for each vessel. The average water weights were 96.75 g for the beaker, 100.85 g for the cylinder, and 99.66 g for the flask (closest to the theoretical value of 99.82 g at 20° C, indicating greatest accuracy). Standard deviations of 0.14 g, 0.02 g, and 0.00 g, respectively, indicate greatest precision was obtained with the volumetric flask. Thus the volumetric flask was both the most accurate and the most precise.

Use of the word “respectively” implies that items are referenced in the same order as previously listed. Thus, the 0.02 g mean deviation was obtained using the graduated cylinder, since both are second in the listings.

Grading

Abstracts will be worth 10 points towards your total for the quarter. They will be graded on the following areas (2 pt. each):

1. Is there a concise summary of the procedure?
2. Is there a concise summary of the data, pointing out important findings?
3. Is there a concise summary of the results/conclusions which highlights the significance/implications of the findings?
4. Is there proper grammar, format, verb tense, use of passive voice, and spelling?
5. Was a word processor used?

Other Things to Include in Your Notebook

Make sure you have all of the following in your lab notebook:

• all handout pages (in notebook or separate protocol book)
• all notes you take on how to do an abstract
• any abstracts that are assigned (after they are graded and returned)