It is the epitome of a long document, which is placed before papers, technical reports, monographs and other documents to summarize and highlight the main points of the document. In the information age of the rapid increase of scientific and technological literature, various literature magazines and retrieval system information bases have emerged, with more and more types, wider coverage and more and more information. It has become an important means for scientific and technological personnel to input and output information and an important way to transmit scientific and technological information in scientific exchanges. In order to promote international exchange, scientific and technological publications in various countries are accompanied by English abstracts. This paper intends to discuss the writing of English abstracts from the aspects of their functions, types, contents and styles.
Key points of writing English abstracts of academic papers
An ideal abstract should usually include the following main contents: purpose and scope, methods and processes, results and conclusions.
A general English abstract is an article of about 200 words, which concisely states the purpose, methods, results and conclusions of a document with standard English, standardized grammar and complete sentences. Abstract itself should be complete and can exist independently, not attached to a single document. It should contain as much information about the document as possible, and it is best to keep the tone and style of the document, but there can be nothing that is not in the document. Limited to space, it is not appropriate to give examples, quote other people's works, use illustrations and tables. In order to improve readability, try to use less nonstandard abbreviations, symbols, equations and molecular formulas, and don't use too many technical terms. A good abstract should be accurate, concise, coherent, logical, understandable and fascinating.
At the beginning of the abstract.
It is related to whether the reader reads the full text of the document, and the beginning of the abstract is varied. The following two methods are better and more commonly used.
(1) begins with a topic sentence, stating the purpose and scope. This method is straightforward and straightforward, so that readers can grasp the center of the abstract at once. For example:
(2) Ask questions on the basis of reviewing the history or summarizing the present situation. Lead to the theme of literature. This method is logical and meticulous, which makes readers have a strong desire to stop until they finish reading in one breath and find a solution to the problem. For example:
2. The end of the abstract
The end of the abstract is as impressive as the beginning of the abstract. There are many ways to end the summary, but the following two methods are often used.
(1) ends with "conclusion". If it is a summary of an experiment, it is often pointed out at the end what these experimental results show; If the paper is about a new method, new technology or new equipment, its use or value can be indicated at the end. For example:
(2) Point out other contents in the literature.
3. An abstract person
Most English abstracts use the third person (but not he and she), the author (s), the author (s) and our occasional first person. Even if there are only 1 authors in the original literature, we should use "we" instead of "I". Please see the following abstract, written by Ahmed E. Kamal.
4. Abstract voice
At present, a considerable part of English abstracts published in various countries are written in passive voice to reduce subjective factors and enhance objectivity. For example:
5. Abbreviations in the abstract
Due to space reasons, abbreviations are widely used in English abstracts of academic papers, and their frequency of use far exceeds that of other types of documents.
Elements of English abstract writing
Prepare concise, complete and independent abstracts.
Briefly describe the purpose, methods, results and conclusions of the literature.
Try to accommodate as much content as possible in a limited space.
The quantitative and qualitative information in the abstract should be consistent with that in the literature.
Use standard English and accurate terminology, and follow traditional grammar and punctuation rules.
Don't appear anything in the abstract that isn't in the literature.
Don't state background knowledge and quote others' works abstractly.
Do not use nonstandard abbreviations, symbols, charts and other non-verbal materials.
When unfamiliar abbreviations first appear, you should pay attention to the full text.
Delete unnecessary words, phrases and sentences.