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| Honors Program |
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Help for Honors Students Thinking About Conferences:
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Abstract - Here are some bits of
advice found on the Web on how to write an abstract
for |
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your paper or presentation. An abstract is like a
summary, but not exactly; the abstract |
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should concentrate on informing readers more than on
interesting them in the topic. Omit |
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most general, stage-setting that you would include
in the paper itself (instead of "Virginia
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Woolf was an early twentieth-century English writer
perhaps best known..." start with "A |
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controversial theme in Virginia Woolf's A Room
of...). Describe your methodology in a
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science abstract. In a literature paper, mention the
works on which you rely most heavily, |
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the names of any theorists whose approach you use,
and those critics whom you |
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discuss most extensively. Also, look at actual
abstracts – from previous conferences, in
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journals in your field, etc. |
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Dr. Robert Strikwerda, Honors and Gender Studies
March 6, 2006 |
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| 1.
From Rudner,
Lawrence M. & William D. Schafer (1999). How to write a
scholarly research report. Practical Assessment, Research &
Evaluation, 6(13): |
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Abstract
- The abstract serves two major purposes: it helps a person
decide whether to read the paper, and it provides the reader
with a framework for understanding the paper if they decide to
read it. Thus, your abstract should describe the most important
aspects of the study within the word-limit provided by the
journal. As appropriate for your research, try to include a
statement of the problem, the people you studied, the dependent
and independent variables, the instruments, the design, major
findings, and conclusions. If pressed for space, concentrate on
the problem and, especially, your findings. |
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2. From Michael Harvey
http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu/apa.html#abstract |
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Abstract (in APA style) -
The abstract is placed
on a separate page (page 2). The word Abstract appears
centered on the first line (not italics or quotation marks).
Double-space the abstract but don't indent it. The abstract is a
short, professional-sounding summary of the paper, not more than
960 characters long including spaces and punctuation. Abstracts
often follow a set format: topic in the first sentence; then
purpose, thesis, and scope; then kinds of sources used or data
collected; and finally conclusions. |
| 3. From
Boston College
http://www.bc.edu/libraries/research/howdoi/s-edupaper/#abstract |
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Abstract
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... for longer, more complex and
technical papers abstracts are particularly useful. The
abstract, often only 100 to 300 words, generally provides a
broad overview and is never more than a page. It contains the
essence, the main theme of the paper. It includes the research
question posed, its significance, the methodology, and the main
results or findings. Major arguments and their relationship to
each other are mentioned. Footnotes or cited works are never
listed in an abstract. Remember to take great care in composing
the abstract. It's the first part of the paper the instructor
reads. It must impress with a strong content, good style, and
general aesthetic appeal. Never write it hastily or carelessly.
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Printable version
(.pdf format) |
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