How to write an abstract - online EAUN course

September 2011

Writing an abs tract

EAUN online tool

IntroductionThe following educational tool is provided to assist you in the development

of your abstract, for submission to the European Association of Urological

Nurses (EAUN) annual meeting.

This tool will describe the key components of an abstract, offer practical suggestions for optimising the key messages of your work, provide general advice on abstract preparation and tips for increasing the likelihood of your abstract being accepted for presentation.

If you are already an accomplished presenter then the guidelines will inform you about the required “EAUN abstract format”. If you have never written an abstract for conference previously, or if you feel unsure about the steps to take, then we hope the tool will not only answer the practical questions that you may have, but will give you confidence in composing and submitting your abstract.

We are delighted that you are making this abstract for submission and encourage you not to underestimate the importance of sharing your work with your colleagues to further the development of urological nursing.

Kate Fitzpatrick – EAUN Chair

European Association of Urology NursesEuropean Association of Urology Nurses

Learning objectivesOn completion of this tool you will be able to:

• Demonstrate, stating clearly the purpose, rationale and scope of the research project or clinical developments you are undertaking or have completed.

• Be able to concisely describe the content and scope of the work using the agreed abstract format.

This learning tool should be used in conjunction with the EAUN abstract submission instructions at:

http://www.uroweb.org/nurses/eaun-annual-meetings/


• An abstract is a very concise statement of the key elements of your research project or clinical development.

• It states the purpose, methods, and findings of your research project or clinical development

• An abstract is a condensed version of a full scientific paper/presentation.

What is an abs tract?


• WHAT you did,

• WHY you did it,

• HOW you did it,

• WHAT you found, and

• WHAT it means.

Your abs tract should describe the following:


The following headings are the format for your abstract submission:

•Introduction & Objectives

•Materials & Methods

•Results

•Conclusion

Abstract format


• Introduction & Objectives: The abstract should briefly state the purpose, rationale and scope of your research project/clinical development.

• Materials & Methods: How was the problem studied?

• Results: Present the principal findings.

• Conclusions: Why are your findings important and what do you think they mean?

Abstract objectives


Introduction & Objectives

You should describe....

• What this project is about.

• Why this project is interesting or important.

(Elaborate upon the rationale)

• What the scope is of the project.

• What your hypothesis is, or objective of the research project/clinical development. What did you think you were going to find?

• Whether your topic is newly discovered or has been ignored in the past.


Methods & Materia lsYou should describe....

• What your approach was.

• Whether you used sampling, experimentation, best evidence,

consensus opinion, for example.

• The process you used (briefly).

• What sources you used.

• Whether the methods are new to your field.


Results


• What you found when you performed your experiment, your work.

• Your data and effects observed.

(Some information can be transmitted more efficiently in a graph.)

• If your project is not completed yet, what do you expect to find.


Conclus ions (Take home messages)


• What you think these results mean.

• Why your findings are of interest.

• What the implications are for future research/clinical development.

Importantly!!!• Make your “Take home messages” clear.


Ranking sys tem for EAUN submiss ionsThe reviewers will give rankings from 1 to 5 points

on the following 4 criteria:

1. Importance of the topic

2. Originality of the abstract

3. Quality of the abstract

4. Relevance to nursing

Why abs tracts a re not accepted for presenta tion

Most common reasons:

•Poor presentation

•Spelling and grammatical errors

•Unclear abstract or unclear findings/conclusion

•Use of jargon, acronyms or technical terminology without explanation

•Written in passive voice

•Lack of relevance to conference submitted to

•Weak discussion

•Lack of originality

•Poor methods

•Inappropriate statistical analysis

•Inadequate results


Writing tips


Five C's of Essentia l Abs tract Writing

• Correct - you have read the instructions before submission.

• Complete - it covers the major parts of the project/case.

• Concise - it contains no excess wordiness or unnecessary information.

• Clear - it is readable, well organised, and not too jargon-laden.

• Cohesive - it flows smoothly between the parts.


Writing your sentences

• Your text should be written in the “Active voice” in preference to the passive voice where possible. It’s okay to use first person “We”.

Example“We studied 15 patients post radical cystectomy” is much betterthan “15 patients post radical cystectomy were studied”.


• In general, the past tense is correctly used for:

A) observations, B) for completed actions &

C) specific conclusions.

Examples:

A) “Inpatient stay was reduced by 35%”

B) “95% of patients underwent a nutritional assessment”

C) “Pre-operative nutritional assessment significantly

reduced inpatient stay”


• Use generic names for drugs and devices, unless the specific brand is a key aspect of the study.

• Use numbers for numbers and only very well known abbreviations e.g., ml, kg, MRI… If you must use other abbreviations, you must explain the first time it appears.

Example “RC” should be written as Radical Cystectomy, the first time it appears.


Word use• The abstract will have a word limit –make it count! The size of an EAUN abstract is limited to 3,000 characters (this includes title, body of abstract,

spaces, tables and graphics). Every picture/graphic counts for 500 characters.

• American and British spellings can cause confusion. The EAUN prefers British spelling, or at least consistency

• Look at shorter ways of saying the same thing.

Examples:

• Think of a half-dozen search phrases and keywords that people looking for your work might use. Be sure that those exact phrases appear in your abstract.

• Appears to be – seems• Higher in comparison to – more than• Was found to be – was


Title

• A good title will attract readers to your abstract – make it

interesting!

• It should be clear about the subject and focus of the abstract.

• It is most effective when it refers to the overall take home

message.

• It should begin with key words, not with a low-impact phrase

such as – “Effect of ...” or “Influence of ...”.


Example

Low impact phrase! • “The effect of a nursing nutritional assessment on reducing

inpatient stay for radical cystectomy patients”

High impact phrase!• “Nursing nutritional assessment reduces inpatient stay for

radical cystectomy patients”


Now!• Revise your draft.

• Read the abstract aloud: How does it sound? How does it flow?

• Get your colleague to read it.

• Eliminate any unnecessary information.

• Edit, edit, edit.

• Check grammar, syntax and punctuation.


Prior to submiss ion

Check you have:

• Followed the abstract submission instructions!!!!

• Included headings exactly as stated in the instructions/template.

• Used short, clear sentences; one idea per sentence.

• Limited your abstract to the word count/character count requirement.

Submit & Good luck!


Resources• Pierson DJ (2004) How to write an abstract that will be accepted for presentation

at a national meeting. Respiratory Care;49(10):1206-1210.

• http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/documents/betterauthor.pdf

Abstract examples

• http://www.aua2015.org/abstracts/

• http://uroweb.org/urosource/?offset[abstract]=&search=&types=ABSTRACT&events=EAUN16

Health & Medicine

How to write an abstract - online EAUN course