Powerful Titles and Compelling Abstracts

Overview

• Key elements

• What makes a good title/abstract

• Things to avoid

• Tips for writing

Where to Begin

• Know your audience

• No “one way” to write

When to Begin

• Title and Abstract summarize your work

• Should be last thing you write

• Timing issues

Title and Abstract• Be specific

• Key elements should be included in both (Indexing)

• Part of paper most people will see

• Best way to get people interested

• Self-contained summary of work and significance

Title• Key element describing content of study

• First (and often only) portion of paper that can be seen by everyone

• People judge by the title whether to read the abstract

Writing a Title• Tells the complete story

• Specifically describes study

• Use as few words as possible

• Is unambiguous

• Includes model system

• Begins with an important word

• Concise label; not a descriptive sentence

Title Tips• Avoid unnecessary words

• Avoid jargon

• Be specific with results

• “catchy” or “cute” titles?• Fat Rats: A Case of too Many Hormones?

Be Specific

Unspecific • “Pneumococcal responses”

Specific• “Stress response of Streptococcus pneumoniae to lactoferrin”

Syntax Errors

Poor syntax“Clinical Acinetobacter baumannii Isolates form Biofilm”

Better syntax“Biofilm Formation by Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii”

Brainstorming a Title

• Write down as many titles that come to mind in 3-5 minutes

• Put them aside

• Compose and revise

Abstract• Self-contained summary of your work

• Statement of significance

• Succinct and clear

• Don’t exceed word limit

Abstract

• First part of paper usually written last

• Use past tense

• Approach: can take sentences and phrases from each section of paper

• Put them in sequence to summarize paper

• Then revise

Abstract Tips

• Be succinct

• Be logical in presentation

• Extract key points from study• Condense in successive revisions

Abstract Styles• One paragraph

• Multiple sections

• Graphic data

• References

Parts of an Abstract• Background

• Hypothesis

• Model system

• General methodology

• Results

• Conclusions

Background

• 1-3 sentences

• Describe general topic

• Discuss why topic is important

Hypothesis

• 1-2 sentences

• Specific question being investigated or

purpose of study

• State as a hypothesis

Model System

• Describe model system used (rat, human, DNA, in vitro, in vivo)

• List specifics as needed• E. coli BL21• CBA/N mice• THP1 cell line

General Methodology

• 1-2 sentences

• Keep general unless new and innovative

• No specifics needed

Results

• 1-2 sentences

• Complete summary that is specific to study

• Include main point(s)

Significance

• 1-2 sentences

• Summarize significance of findings

• Place in broader context

• Keep specific to study

Avoid Wordiness

• Focus on writing short sentences when possible

• Example of wordiness• “It is, therefore, apparent from the data that we have

shown in this study that there is a considerable change in the response we see in the animals that were treated with the much higher dose.”

Be Precise in Wording• Use terms that have meaning in the scientific world• “Went up a little” vs. “Increased by 5%”

• Don’t use scientific terms in a non-scientific context• If you say there was a significant change, make sure it was significant, statistically speaking

Active vs. Passive Verbs

• An active verb allows for more clarity and shorter sentences• Passive Verb

• Growth inhibition and increased ion concentration were elicited by KCl in both groups.

• Active Verb• KCl elicited growth inhibition and increased ion concentration in

both groups.

Abbreviations

• Don’t forget to define abbreviations the first time they are mentioned

• Common terms may be okay such as:• DNA, ATP, RNA

Scientific Writing Should Be…

• Reader-Based• Purposeful• Accurate• Clear

• Concise• Precise• Simple

Benefits of Writing• Writing is as important as doing the research

• Opportunity to think more clearly about the research

• Final product of the research project

• Share your results with the greater scientific community

• The more you write, the better you will be

Title Exercise

Pneumococcal Surface Protein K (PspK) of Streptococcus pneumoniae Increases Adherence to Epithelial Cells and Enhances Nasopharyngeal Colonization