Workshop Writing Scientific Papers: Abstract

WorkshopWorkshopWriting Scientific Papers:Writing Scientific Papers:

AbstractAbstract

Clovis Torres Fernandes

Learning and Interaction Laboratory – LAIComputer Science Department – IECInstituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica – ITA

Workshop GoalsWorkshop Goals

To present some tips for writing good abstracts for scientific papers

To gain hands-on experience applying some of the tips to real examples

Keywords

Keywords

Abstract

Abstract

Paper Paper StructureStructure

9. Writing the abstract

Tip 11: Tip 11: Writing ProcessWriting Process

AbstractAbstract

The abstract is a summary of the paper

Namely, a brief statement of the main points of the paper

AbstractAbstractHighlight the main questions the

authors investigated

Provide the key results of the authors' experiments

Give an overview of the authors' conclusions

Usually accessible for free:

Online at journals' websites:

AbstractAbstract

AbstractAbstractUsually accessible for free:

In scientific literature databases

available in libraries

Abstract: Abstract: GOALGOAL

Provide enough information to

help others decide if the paper

is what they are looking for


Provide enough information to

help others decide if the paper

is what they are looking for, or

not!


Without spending a long time

reading the whole paper


Is this paper relevant

enough to proceed to the

full text, or should I move

on to another paper?

To serve as a table of contents

in sentence form

Abstract: Abstract: Not a GOALNot a GOAL

“O artigo introduz uma leve abordagem sobre Análise Orientada a Objetos – AOO – e também à Redes Neurais artificiais, no caso uma Rede Neural de Kohonen. Estando assim situado no espaço de atuação, inicia uma AOO sobre a rede neural de Kohonen. A análise Identifica os problemas, a forma e sua estrutura. Uma vez tendo o problema sob domínio, parte-se para uma implementação, usando para tanto a linguagem C++. Em seguida é exposta e analisada toda a estrutura da rede Neural já na linguagem C++. Discute-se então o método da AOO para representar as Redes Neurais, seus problemas e a sua funcionalidade para tal atividade.”


“The behavior of editors is discussed.

What should be covered by an abstract

is considered. The importance of the

abstract is described. Dictionary

definitions of “abstract” are quoted. At

the conclusion a revised abstract is

presented.” – BAAPG, 1951.


”The abstract is of utmost importance, for it is

read by 10 to 500 times more people than

hear the entire paper. It should not be a mere

recital of the subjects covered, replete with

such expressions as “is discussed” and “is

described.” It should be a condensation and

concentration of the essential qualities of the

paper.” – BAAPG, 1951.

Improved VersionImproved Version

Please, revise this abstract:

” This article gives a brief

overview of the structure and purposes of

rubrics; reviews the benefits of using rubrics as

both teaching and grading tools; warns against

approaches that limit the effectiveness of

rubrics; and urges instructors to take simple

steps toward ensuring the validity, reliability,

and fairness of their rubrics. Tips for using

rubrics with undergraduate and graduate

students are also included.”

Bad example:

” This article gives a brief

overview of the structure and purposes of

rubrics; reviews the benefits of using rubrics as

both teaching and grading tools; warns against

approaches that limit the effectiveness of

rubrics; and urges instructors to take simple

steps toward ensuring the validity, reliability,

and fairness of their rubrics. Tips for using

rubrics with undergraduate and graduate

students are also included.”

“This study suggests that students use rubrics to support their own learning and academic performance. In focus groups, fourteen undergraduate students discussed the ways in which they used rubrics to plan an approach to an assignment, check their work, and guide or reflect on feedback from others. The students said that using rubrics helped them focus their efforts, produce work of higher quality, earn a better grade, and feel less anxious about an assignment. Their comments also revealed that most of the students tend not to read a rubric in its entirety, and that some may perceive of a rubric as a tool for satisfying a particular teacher’s demands rather than as a representation of the criteria and standards of a discipline."

What about this abstract?What about this abstract?

An abstract must stand alone (be self-explanatory):

Without referring to any part of the paper

Citing a reference entry? Not a chance! Avoid referencing!

Attributes of a Good Attributes of a Good AbstractAbstract

An Abstract must stand alone (be self-explanatory):

No new information: refer to just information used in the paper text!

Avoid using abbreviations, symbols, acronyms, and jargon!


If necessary, define unfamiliar terms, introduce acronyms

E.g. “... Test-driven Development (TDD)…”


Avoid using passive voice

Example: The abstract was written in the last

weekend



Avoid beginning (or using) with "This paper reports that sex leads to happiness.”




What about here?What about here?

Avoid repeating information from the title


Read the two abstracts found in TIDIA: ExerciseGoodBadAbstract 01 and 02

Tell if they are good or bad abstracts, and why!

Classroom WorkClassroom Work

1. Write the problem

Tip: Tip: Four Sentences Four Sentences SchemeScheme

2. Explain why the problem is a problem


3. Write a catchy and startling phrase, which captures the essence of your solution/contribution


4. As a result of the previous sentence, write the main conclusion, implication, and recommendation


1[The rejection rate for OOPSLA papers in near 90%.] 2[Most papers are rejected not because of a lack of good ideas, but because they are poorly structured.] 3[Following four simple steps in writing a paper will dramatically increase your chances of acceptance.] 4[If everyone followed these steps, the amount of communication in the object community would increase, improving the rate of progress.]

Example: Example: Four Sentences Four Sentences SchemeScheme


The following abstract follows The following abstract follows the Four Sentences Scheme?the Four Sentences Scheme?

Read the two abstracts found in TIDIA: ExerciseStructureAbstractFourParagraphs 01 and 02

Tell if they follow the Four Sentences Scheme, and why!

Classroom WorkClassroom Work

Alternative Methods Alternative Methods

for Writing Abstractsfor Writing Abstracts

Write the world before your work: context and objective

Write your main results/contributions

Write the world after your work: conclusions and implications

World Before/After Your World Before/After Your WorkWork

Context/Background (where they come from)

Objective/purpose or rationale of study (why they did it)

Methodology/methods (how they did it)

Results/findings (what they found) Conclusions/recommendations

(what it means)

Informative: Informative: 5 5 SentencesSentences

Another Model

http://www.editage.com/resources/art11.html

Good Explanation Good Explanation about about Type Type InformativeInformative

Contains information that is consistent with that presented in the paper

Meets the guidelines of the targeted journal (word limit, type of abstract, etc.)

Does not contain typographical errors (typos)

Check that the final abstractCheck that the final abstract

Choose randomly one paper from your research area

Try to dissect its structure, according to the models seen here!

PracticePractice

The problem of predicting the next request during a user’s navigation session has been extensively studied. In this context, higher-order Markov models have been widely used to model navigation sessions and to predict the next navigation step, while prediction accuracy has been mainly evaluated with the hit and miss score.We claim that this score, although useful, is not sufficient for evaluating next link prediction models with the aim of finding a sufficient order of the model, the size of a recommendation set, and assessing the impact of unexpected events on the prediction accuracy. Herein, we make use of a variable length Markov model to compare the usefulness of three alternatives to the hit and miss score: the Mean Absolute Error, the Ignorance Score, and the Brier score. We present an extensive evaluation of the methods on real data sets and a comprehensive comparison of the scoring methods. Borges et al., International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making, 9, 2010, 547.

Educative sensemaking focuses on the needs of self-directed learners, a nonexpert population of thinkers who must locate relevant information sources, evaluate the applicability and accuracy of digital resources for learning, and determine how and when to use these resources to complete educational tasks. Self-directed learners face a sensemaking paradox: They must employ deep-level thinking skills to process information sources meaningfully, but they often lack the requisite domain knowledge needed to deeply analyze information sources and to successfully integrate incoming information with their own existing knowledge. In this article, we focus on the needs of college-aged students engaged in learning about natural sciences using web-based learning resources. We explored the impact of cognitive personalization technologies on students’ sensemaking processes using a controlled study in which students’ cognitive and metacognitive processes were analyzed as they completed a common educational task: writing an essay.We coded students’ observable on-screen behaviors, selfreported processes, final essays, and responses to domain assessments to assess benefits of personalization technologies on students’ educative sensemaking. Results show that personalization supported students’ analysis of knowledge representations, helped students work with their representations in meaningful ways, and supported effective encoding of new knowledge. We discuss implications for new technologies to help students overcome the educative sensemaking paradox.

Butcher et al., Human–Computer Interaction, 26, 2011,123.

The EndThe End

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Workshop Writing Scientific Papers: Abstract