Abstracts

What is an abstract?  a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a larger work  Components vary according to discipline

 presenting a brief introduction to the issue  making the key statement of your thesis  giving a summary of how you want to address the issue  include a possible implication of your work Abstract A brief summary of your thesis research proposal

Some useful sentence patterns: This paper investigates the relationship between… The purpose of this paper is to … The paper is divided into five parts concerning the five aspects of …respectively.

an abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain  Scope/content  purpose  results

An abstract of a humanities work may also contain  the thesis  Background  conclusion of the larger work

An abstract is not  a review  an evaluation of the work being abstracted.

 an original document  rather than an excerpted passage.

Function of an abstract?  Selection  Indexing

keywords and phrases  online databases use abstracts to index larger works.  abstracts should contain keywords and phrases that allow for easy searching.

Types of Abstracts  Descriptive /indicative  Informative

Descriptive /indicative Abstracts  Indicating the type of information found in the work  making no judgments about the work  nor providing results or conclusions of the research

 incorporating key words found in the text  including the purpose, methods, and scope of the research  Essentially, the descriptive abstract describes the work being abstracted.

Grammar Teaching and the Real World  Grammar teaching still dominates English teaching in China. When Chinese students finally obtain opportunities to study in English speaking countries, do the English they have acquired through grammar teaching facilitate their life and academic study in the target countries? An investigation was conducted among the Chinese oversea students in the UK to find out the answers. The results reveal that the answer to the question contains both positive and negative aspects.

 Descriptive abstracts are usually very short — 100 words or less.

Informative Abstracts  The majority of abstracts are informative.  not critique or evaluate a work  more than describe it

A good informative abstract acts as a surrogate for the work itself by  presenting  explaining all the main arguments and the important results and evidence in the complete article/paper/book

An informative abstract includes  the information that can be found in a descriptive abstract (purpose, methods, scope)  also the results and conclusions of the research  and the recommendations of the author.

The length  varies according to discipline  but an informative abstract is rarely more than 10% of the length of the entire work  words = descriptive; 250+ words = informative.

Key Process Elements:  Reason for Writing (thesis or purpose)  Problem(background)  Methodology  content  Results  Implications(conclusion)

All abstracts include:  The most important information first.  The same level of language found in the original, including technical language.  Key words and phrases that quickly identify the content and focus of the work.  Clear, concise, and powerful language.

Abstracts may include:  The thesis of the work in the first sentence.  The background that places the work in the larger body of literature.  The same chronological structure of the original work.

Some DON'TS for an abstract:  Do not refer extensively to other works.  Do not add information not contained in the original work.  Do not define terms.

Commonly used patterns (1)This paper deals with... （ 2 ） This article focuses on the topics of (that, having, etc)... （ 3 ） This essay presents knowledge that... （ 4 ） This thesis discusses... （ 5 ） This thesis analyzes... （ 6 ） This paper provides an overview of... (7)This paper elaborates on... (8 ） This article gives an overview of... (9 ） This article compares...and summarizes key findings. (10 ） This paper includes discussions concerning... (11)This paper presents up-to-date information on... (12)This article covers the role of chemicals in... (13)This paper addresses important topics including... (14)This paper touches upon... (15)This paper strongly emphasizes...

 （ 1 ） The author of this article reviews (or: discusses, describes, summarizes, examines)something …… （ 2 ） This article reviews (or: reports, tells of, is about, concerns)something ……. （ 3 ） This article has been prepared (or:designed, written) ……. （ 4 ） The purpose of this article is to determine something ……. （ 5 ） The problem of something is discussed …….

Conclusions and suggestions ：  （ 1 ） The author suggests (recommends, concludes) that ……. （ 2 ） This paper shows that ……. （ 3 ） It is suggested that ……. （ 4 ） The author's suggestion (or: conclusion )is that …… （ 5 ） The author finds it necessary to …….

Pattern  Backgrou/thesis statement(2 ’ )  Purspose (2 ’ )  Problem: (2 ’ )  Content/scope (2 ’ )  Methodology: (2 ’ )  Results: (2 ’ )  Implications: (2 ’ )

Text Background, thesis statement  American slang, as an informal language form, develops with the spirit of time. This thesis explains the relationship that slang bears with American culture and explores the interactive relationship among language, culture and history.

Problems  Slang words have been studied mostly from linguistic perspective. However, investigations show that historical sources play an important role in making up different American slang.

Scope/Contents  American slang reflects the life of the American people and survives with the people who use it. American slang develops with time and changes with time. Some slang words have disappeared and have changed their meanings. Some slang words disappeared for a period of time but then come back. New slang words are also being created. Some slang words have changed stylistically and passed into standard speech.

Methods  The methodology used is the investigation of the relationship in terms of historical events, historical characteristics and related laws. In the study of spirit of time, comparisons are made with the slang contributing to these changes.

result  By analyzing slang with America culture and history,the result of my research proves that …

conclusion  The research shows that American slang develops with time and reflects history. sample

Key Elements  Purpose  Problem  Scope  Methodology  Results and Implications

Purpose  This dissertation examines the impacts of social movements through a multi-layered study of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement from its peak in the early 1960s through the early 1980s. By examining this historically important case, I clarify the process by which movements transform social structures and the constraints' movements face when they try to do so.

Problem  The dissertation challenges the argument that movements are inconsequential. Indeed, some view federal agencies, courts, political parties, or economic elites as the agents driving institutional change. Typically these groups acted in response to movement demands and the leverage brought to bear by the civil rights movement.

Scope  The time period studied in this dissertation includes the expansion of voting rights and gains in black political power, the desegregation of public schools and the emergence of white-flight academies, and the rise and fall of federal anti-poverty programs.

Methodology  Two major research strategies are applied: (1) a quantitative analysis of county-level data and (2) three case studies.  Data have been collected from archives, interviews, newspapers, and published reports.

Results and Implications  The Mississippi movement attempted to forge independent structures for sustaining challenges to local inequities and injustices. By propelling change in an array of local institutions, movement infrastructures had an enduring legacy in Mississippi.

Keywords  Civil Rights Movement  Mississippi  voting rights  desegregation

Abstracts writing  1. Write an informative abstract (250 words) on the basis of the following fragments of introduction and contents. Marking its “ Background, Thesis, Scope, Methodology, Conclusion ” in separate lines.  2. Write 3-5 key words in a separate line.