ABSTRACTS STRUCTURE – SPECIFIC SECTIONS 1. Background/introduction/situation 2. Present research/purpose 3. Methods/materials/subjects/procedures 4. Results/findings 5. Discussion/conclusion/implications Ex. 1: Each section answers some implied questions. Match the following questions with the sections above. a. What was discovered? Section ___ b. How was the research done? Section ___ c. What do we know about the topic and why is it important? Section ___ d. What do the findings mean? Section ___ e. What is this study about? Section ___ Ex. 2: Here is an abstract from a published paper. It is 178 words long. Read it through looking for the main function of each sentence (background, purpose, methods, findings, and discussion). Warmer Climates Boost Cyanobacterial Dominance in Shallow Lakes (1) Dominance by cyanobacteria hampers human use of lakes and reservoirs worldwide. (2) Previous studies indicate that excessive nutrient loading and warmer conditions promote dominance by cyanobacteria, but evidence from global scale field data has so far been scarce. (3) In this paper we show that although warmer climates do not result in higher overall phytoplankton biomass, the percentage of the total phytoplankton biovolume attributable to cyanobacteria increases steeply with temperature. (4) Our analysis is based on a study of 143 lakes along a latitudinal transect ranging from subarctic Europe to southern South America. (5) Our results reveal that the percent cyanobacteria is greater in lakes with high rates of light absorption. (6) This points to a positive feedback because restriction of light availability is often a consequence of high phytoplankton biovolume, which in turn may be driven by nutrient loading. (7) Our results indicate a synergistic effect of nutrients and climate. (8) The implications are that in a future warmer climate, nutrient concentrations may have to be reduced substantially from present values in many lakes if cyanobacterial dominance is to be controlled. (Kosten, S. et al. (2012), Warmer climates boost cyanobacterial dominance in shallow lakes. Global Change Biology, 18: 118-126.) Ex. 3: Answer the following questions. a. Are introductory statements general or specific? b. Are they in first person or third person style? c. What tense is used? Language for presenting the research/purpose § Third person style: The / This paper analyzes, investigates, explores, article examines, re-examines, outlines, study describes, shows, introduces, analysis evaluates, considers … § First person style: In this paper analyze, investigate, explore, article examine, re-examine, outline, study I / we* describe, show, introduce, analysis evaluate, consider… Ex. 4: Read the sentences below and fill in the gaps with one of the following verbs: develops - calls - argues - provides - looks - consider a. This paper _______________ an axiomatic basis for a representation of personal preferences in which ... b. The authors _______________ a broad class of situations where a society must choose from a finite set of alternatives. c. This paper ______________ that the analysis of these games involves a key technical issue. d. This paper ____________ at the effectiveness of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in reducing the time that manufacturing plants spend in a state of non-compliance. e. This study ___________ into question the established view that lack of information on clean-up cost functions represents a serious problem ... f. This paper _____________ a model of corporate hierarchy in which workers accumulate heterogeneous human capital suitable for different positions within the hierarchy. Ex. 5: Sometimes, the Methods section sentences are expressed in the passive form. Rewrite the following sentences using the passive voice. a. We then monitored the physicochemical parameters of the lake water for 1 year. __________________________________________________________________________ b. We collected samples for particulate toxin analysis from more than 140 lakes... __________________________________________________________________________ c. We detected microcystins in nearly 50% of the samples. __________________________________________________________________________ Language for presenting the findings The results show, state, suggest, uncover, findings indicate, imply, provide… Ex. 6: Read the following sentences from different abstracts. Each sentence contains a problem in usage (grammar or vocabulary). Identify and fix the problems. a. In this contribution are described several problems with toxic cyanobacterial blooms in Brno Reservoir. b. We are also focused on the implementation of new technologies for the management of harmful algal blooms. c. The aim of the paper is to deal with the problematic of cyanobacterial influence on tourism. d. It was tested by the study whether specific cyanobacteria would react to the applied strategies... e. The paper is devoted to the analysis of problems with cyanobacteria. f. Laboratory animals are not susceptible to these diseases, so research on them is hampered. g. Our results are similar to previous studies. FINAL SUGGESTIONS Here are some other points to keep in mind when writing abstracts. Read and discuss them. · If an abstract is read along with the title, do not repeat or rephrase the title. It will likely be read without the rest of the document, however, so make it complete enough to stand on its own. · Do not refer in the abstract to information that will not be included in the presentation/article. · Choose whether to write in first person style (“I” or “We”) or third person style (“This dissertation shows…”). If you prefer first person style, however, avoid using “we” unless your work has more than one author. Likewise, avoid beginning each sentence with “I”. In other words, third person style is always preferable. · Do not overuse passives. “The study tested” is better than “It was tested by the study”. · If possible avoid trade names, acronyms, abbreviations, or symbols. You would need to explain them, and that takes too much room. · Abstracts must contain key words about what is essential in the presentation/article. Key words are used to classify abstracts in databases. Effective key words allow researchers to search for your publication easily. For published work, this may result in someone citing your article. · Be coherent (logical) and cohesive (connect your ideas). FURTHER PRACTICE Read the following conference abstract on conference abstracts J Complete it with the following phrases: has not yet become a subject of research As a result, this study raises a broader question This paper attempts to describe to provide some tentative explanations plays a significant role It will also be shown This issue will be discussed can be regarded as has been investigated Cultural Variation in the Genre of the Conference Abstract: Rhetorical and Linguistic Dimensions ^ The conference abstract is a common and important genre that A. ___________________ in disseminating new knowledge within scientific communities, both national and international. As a genre with the specific features of "interestingness" created to attract the attention of reviewing committees, the conference abstract B. ___________________ by Berkenkotter & Huckin (1995) and Swales (1996). However, the issue of cultural variation in the genre C. ___________________, although the conference abstract, like other genres of academic discourse, can be presumed to reflect national proclivities in writing. D. ___________________ the cultural-specific differences of English versus Ukrainian and Russian conference abstracts on the level of their cognitive structure and language, and E. ___________________ of the cultural and ideological backgrounds underlying these rhetorical and textlinguistic preferences. F. ___________________ how the inherited cognitive patterns of Slavic writers interplay with the acquired stereotypes of English scientific discourse in the abstracts they construct in English. These texts, hybrid from the viewpoint of their cultural shaping, G. ___________________ evidence of the transition period typical of both sociopolitical and intellectual life of Ukraine and other states of the former Soviet Union. H. ___________________: To what extent is it necessary to adopt the En glish conventions of this genre in order to be accepted and recognized by international fora? I. ___________________ in connection with the pedagogical implications arising from the findings and observations of this study. Interesting phrases: tentative explanations, national proclivities ________________________________ * Only in case there are more authors than one.