The majority of us are working remotely now and we could use a productive and rewarding distraction. It’s a good time to work on that abstract for that conference that hopefully will happen or maybe shake the dust off a manuscript that you have successfully procrastinated drafting. Several years ago, I attended a writing class for scientists. The instructor was so very good that to this day I still remember her remarks and tricks to writing an abstract. Since some researchers struggle with this process, even dread it, here are some tips to take the angst out of drafting that abstract. These tips may seem obvious and may not work for everyone, but I assure you won’t hesitate to draft an abstract again.
An abstract is a succinct summary of a longer piece of work. It is a standalone summary. It is published in isolation from any other main text. A reader should read your abstract and know the question or problem you are trying to solve, how you did it, the results and the takeaway message, all in under 300 words or less. A reader should understand your abstract in its entirely without a single look at main text or poster.
A conference abstract is a short piece of written work, often not more than 200 or 300 words, which serves at least three separate functions. which serves at least three separate functions.
Since some researchers struggle with this process we have put together some advice on issues some scientists like to jot down in bullet points the important facts and then build from there. After all, we are scientists -that’s how we think sometimes. Try these simple tips first and see. Be factual and be concise. Say what you want to say. Don’t dilly dally around the obvious. This exercise should take no more than 25 minutes, save it, then walk away. Come back, revise and save.
Background/Intro statement
This is typically one sentence that catches the attention of the reader. It may include a startling statistic or a factual statement to support clearly why you are doing the research in the first place. It should also transition nicely into the aim of your experiment.
The continued emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cases with a high case fatality rate stresses the need for the availability of effective antiviral treatments. Remdesivir (GS-5734) effectively inhibited MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) replication in vitro, and showed efficacy against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoV in a mouse model. Two sentences, 49 words.
Methods
As published writers, we all like to draft the Materials and Methods section first. Let’s face it, it the easy part. We know the contents and it boosts our confidence when we see so much written prose on the pages as they accumulate. We feel accomplished. When drafting an abstract, the question you are trying to answer can be included with the methods or the model, platform, cell line, you are utilizing to test your hypothesis. Authors tend to use “Here, we showed….”
Here, we tested the efficacy of prophylactic and therapeutic remdesivir treatment in a nonhuman primate model of MERS-CoV infection, the rhesus macaque. One sentence, 22 words.
Results
At the very heart of our research, we have results and we want to share them. Include here your statistical findings and your observations that support your conclusion. If there are multiple findings, try to capture it sequentially in one or two sentences rather than a separate sentence for each result.
Prophylactic remdesivir treatment initiated 24 h prior to inoculation completely prevented MERS-CoV−induced clinical disease, strongly inhibited MERS-CoV replication in respiratory tissues, and prevented the formation of lung lesions. Therapeutic remdesivir treatment initiated 12 h postinoculation also provided a clear clinical benefit, with a reduction in clinical signs, reduced virus replication in the lungs, and decreased presence and severity of lung lesions. Two sentences, 61 words.
Conclusion
One or two sentences to summarize your findings and its impact. Some readers may read your intro and skip right to the summary to see if its worth reading in between, moreover is it worth their time to view poster or manuscript.
The data presented here support testing of the efficacy of remdesivir treatment in the context of a MERS clinical trial. It may also be considered for a wider range of coronaviruses, including the currently emerging novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV.
Remember that this is only an abstract; use a clear, direct writng style. Your abstract should be accessible to both specialists and non-specialists, so make sure that it is jargon free.
Prophylactic and therapeutic remdesivir (GS-5734) treatment in the rhesus macaque model of MERS-CoV infection
The continued emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cases with a high case fatality rate stresses the need for the availability of effective antiviral treatments. Remdesivir (GS-5734) effectively inhibited MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) replication in vitro, and showed efficacy against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoV in a mouse model. Here, we tested the efficacy of prophylactic and therapeutic remdesivir treatment in a nonhuman primate model of MERS-CoV infection, the rhesus macaque. Prophylactic remdesivir treatment initiated 24 h prior to inoculation completely prevented MERS-CoV−induced clinical disease, strongly inhibited MERS-CoV replication in respiratory tissues, and prevented the formation of lung lesions. Therapeutic remdesivir treatment initiated 12 h postinoculation also provided a clear clinical benefit, with a reduction in clinical signs, reduced virus replication in the lungs, and decreased presence and severity of lung lesions. The data presented here support testing of the efficacy of remdesivir treatment in the context of a MERS clinical trial. It may also be considered for a wider range of coronaviruses, including the currently emerging novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV.
Article Information
National Academy of Sciences
- vol. 117 no. 12 6771-6776
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1922083117
- PubMed: 32054787
In six sentences, the authors were able to summarize their intent, their results and their conclusion. Your first draft may not be so clean at first and you will be over 200 words. Be precise. Go back and look at sentences where you may have rambled. You will be surprised how many words you can remove to make your result and conclusion concise.
When you are considering a title, be descriptive and straightforward. Use keywords and don’t be afraid to tell the punchline. You want to engage the reader to read more. More often, readers want to understand how you came about that conclusion in your title rather than reading to guess the outcome.
These suggestions are simple tips to drafting an abstract. If you are looking to submit an abstract for a symposium or including it in a manuscript submission pay close attention to the guidelines posted by the governing committee. Understand your audience and the level of scientific detail needed or not needed to tell your story. Remember this is an advertisement for your talk, poster or manuscript. Good luck!
