The IMRAD, the Abstract and the Oral Presentation Polina Chemishanova Rhetoric and Prof Comm URA Writing Workshop

Topics for today Overview of IMRAD Writing an Abstract The Oral Presentation

What is an abstract? An abstract is a concise summary of a larger document that highlights the major points covered in the document. It describes the content and the scope of the report, identifies the methodology used, and outlines the findings, conclusions, or intended results. It presents recommendations for further work.

Why are abstracts important? For research purposes, an abstract makes it possible for readers to quickly determine the content of a work and decide if the full text should be consulted. For the AMP Conference, a well-written abstract helps others, who may not be studying in your discipline, understand the purpose and the value of your work. For professional conferences, your abstract is your entrance point.

Answer four simple questions to create an effective abstract: –What problem did you study and why is it important? –What methods did you use? –What were the main results? –What conclusions can you draw from the results? Hint: Make your sentences as specific as possible. Abstracts are usually written last. Writing effective abstracts

Hints for writing effective abstracts Use the past tense when describing what was done. Use complete sentences, do not omit articles/words in order to save space Drop unnecessary information Avoid jargon

Overview of IMRAD just one of the many approaches/formats –Introduction –Method –Results –and –Discussion

Introduction –Purpose –Description of the Problem –Means of solution –Background Here you must engage us as readers. Provide a significance or larger reason for the study. Tell us what has already been written about this, and how you contribute or are different than other articles.

Methods –Give us every step you took to get to your results. –We need to recreate the experiment We need to know exactly what you did, and why you did it. What you did: From the amount of time it took for something to the serial numbers of the tools you used. Why you did it: Are there different ways to do it? Why did you choose this method? Is this a standard?

Results Specific data only. Simply lay out what was found. Important to remember is that this should be as close to a “data dump” as possible. Little or no discussion of the significance of your findings should be included here.

Discussion Define the results, tell us what they mean. Here the reader expects you to do something with the results. Compare, contrast, point out significant results and explain why they are significant. Explain what implications come from your results, what can I or you do with them? Give us any shortcomings you may have seen, and/or plans for the future.

The Oral Presentation The easiest way to create an oral presentation is to follow IMRAD format 15 minute presentation ~ roughly 15 slides. 20+ slides may be too much. 5 minutes for Q&A

Introduction: Giving them what’s important Give a brief background –What does your project have to do with life? Who Cares? State the objective/research question –What are you trying to do? Give a brief organization of the presentation

The Methodology –Avoid “jargon” –“Describe” or tell a story –Focus on the fundamental scientific or technical concepts, not the statistical techniques –Provide graphics if it’s something we will not understand

The Results State the results and their importance Explain what the results tell us. Use graphics to show your results

The Discussion –Give us the importance of the findings –Tell us what you infer from the findings –If you compare, do so graphically when possible, on the same slide –Relate findings to “larger life” issues-- answer the SO WHAT?

The Conclusion What are the implications of your research? What are the limitations? What should be done next?

Remember! PowerPoint is only supplemental to your presentation –We can’t focus on two things at once –Don’t put entire message on slides. Too much text is distracting. –Include main points for emphasis –Make them focus on YOU!

Be Prepared! Technology is likely to fail. Have a Plan B and don’t forget: You can still deliver a great oral presentation even if you have technical difficulties.

Most Importantly… Practice

Oral Presentation Suggestions/Hints

Questions?