214 / Academic Writing for Graduate Students Constructing a Research Paper II / 215
Conference Abstracts
This second type of abstract is somewhat diflFerent from the RP
abstract. It is usually much longer; most of a page rather than a
single paragraph (and can be even longer, especially in engineering).
It is independent; in other words, whether you are accepted for the
conference program depends entirely on how your conference abstract
is perceived by the review panel. Your primary audience is,
therefore, the conference reviewing committee. Appealing to the
conference participants is a secondary consideration. At the beginning
of this section, we mentioned another difference: it is very
possible that you do not yet have a text to construct your abstract
out of. Finally, it is also possible that you have not yet completed all
the work for your RP. For example, you might have three experiments
planned, but as the deadline descends on you, you have results
from only two of them. In effect, your abstract may not be
entirely informative.
In consequence of these and other factors, conference abstracts
are much more of "a selling job" than RP abstracts. As a result, most
conference abstracts have an opening section that attempts to
• create a research space,
• impress the review committee, and
• appeal (if accepted) to as large an audience as possible.
Task Twenty-four
Here are two successful conference abstracts written by two of our
students. The versions presented are at least third drafts. The first
is from music theory and the second from business management.
Read them and carry out the tasks that follow.
Rhythm, Meter, and the Notated Meter in Webern's
Variations for Piano, Op. 27
*One of the problematic issues in post-tonal music is the notion of
rhythm and meter. 2
In the numerous analyses of Webern's Variations
for Piano, Op. 27, analysts have failed to agree about the
role of the notated meter in the rhythmic and metrical structure
of the piece. 3
Some claim the notated meter to be purely conventional
and not to be observed in performance, while others give an
alternative changing meter to the one notated. 4
This paper seeks
to illustrate that the notion of rhythm and meter in Webern's Op.
27 is a delicate and, more significantly, an intentional interplay
between the notated meter, and the rhythm and meter arising
from the phrase structure of the piece. 5
In order to demonstrate
this, the paper presents an analysis examining the phrase structure
ofthe piece, seeing it as an interaction between the pitch and
the rhythmic domain. 6
The analysis employs the concept of Generalized
Musical Intervals (GIS) developed by Lewin, as well as
applications of the traditional notion of phrase rhythm. 7
These
features are then presented in interaction with the row structure
of the piece. 8
The paper closes by suggesting that an essential
feature in understanding rhythm and meter in Webern's Op. 27 is
the interaction between the various layers of the music: that is,
the underlying row structure, the surface interpretation of the
row structure, the phrase rhythm, the meter, and the notated
meter.
(Tiina Koivisto, very minor editing)
Speed and Innovation in Cross-functional Teams
x
The competitive and uncertain business environment of the
1990s requires an accelerated product development process with
greatly improved coordination and integration among crossfunctional
teams (Denison, Kahn and Hart 1991). 2
Their successful
product development effort suggests that speed and variety in
perspective and expertise are compatible. ^Although product development
using cross-functional teams has been drawing much
attention from academics as well as the corporate world, research
into its organization and processes is still underdeveloped. 4
This
deficiency is significant because the traditional literature on
decision making has assumed that speed and variety are, in reality,
incompatible. 5
This paper elaborates the process of crossfunctional
team efforts, based on interviews and observations
°ver a two-year period. 6
A model is developed and operationalized
with 22 survey measures and tested with data from 183 individuals
on 29 teams. 7
Results show that product development using
216 / Academic Writing for Graduate Students
cross-functional teams is highly correlated with time compression,
creativity, capability improvement, and overall effective-
ness.
(Kaz Ichijo, very minor editing)
1. Underline all instances in the two texts where the authors use
evaluative language to strengthen their case for the acceptability
of their research.
2. Circle all instances of metadiscourse (i.e., when the authors
talk about their own texts). What difference do you see between
the two authors?
3. Where are the divisions between the "scene setting" and the
actual studies in these two texts? Do the proportions of each
surprise you?
4. Why do you think the two abstracts were accepted? Were the
reasons similar in each case?
5. Where do you suppose the students were in their studies when
they wrote their conference abstracts? Circle your guess.
In Tiina's case:
a. All the work had been completed.
b. All but part of the analysis of the row structure had been
done.
c. She had studied GIS, but had only tried it out on small
samples.
In Kaz's case:
a. Almost everything had been done.
b. All the data had been collected and analyzed, but the model
was not yet developed.
c. The data had been collected, but only analyzed in a preliminary
way in order to get a sense of where it was going.
Constructing a Research Paper II / 217
Citations in Conference Abstracts
In many cases, a conference abstract is read and assessed fairly
quickly—maybe in only a few minutes. Under these conditions it
does no harm to try to indicate at the beginning that you understand
what is going on in your own specialized area. For that reason, many
conference abstracts contain one or two carefully selected references
to recent literature. In this way, authors can communicate that they
are in touch with the latest developments. However, as Tiina's abstract
shows, it is not always necessary or even desirable to give the
citations in full.
Task Twenty-five
Your advisor contacts you about an upcoming small regional conference
and suggests that you submit a conference abstract based on
your current work. The deadline is ten days away. The abstracts
should be anonymous and between 150 and 200 words. Make sure
you have a draft ready for your next writing class.