EMM5100 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Writing an Abstract
 Titles
The Importance of Titles
The title of your manuscript is usually the first introduction readers (and reviewers) have to your work.
Therefore, you must select a title that grabs attention, accurately describes the contents of your
manuscript, and makes people want to read further.

An effective title should:

• Convey the main topics of the study
• Highlight the importance of the research
• Be concise
• Attract readers

Writing a good title for your manuscript can be challenging. First, list the topics covered by the
manuscript. Try to put all of the topics together in the title using as few words as possible. A title that is
too long will seem clumsy, annoy readers, and probably not meet journal requirements.
 Titles
(Contd.)
Example:
Does Vaccinating Children and Adolescents with Inactivated Influenza Virus Inhibit the Spread of Influenza in Unimmunized
Residents of Rural Communities?
This title has too many unnecessary words.

Influenza Vaccination of Children: A Randomized Trial

This title doesn’t give enough information about what makes the manuscript interesting.

Effect of Child Influenza Vaccination on Infection Rates in Rural Communities: A Randomized Trial
This is an effective title. It is short, easy to understand, and conveys the important aspects of the research.

Think about why your research will be of interest to other scientists. This should be related to the reason you decided to
study the topic. If your title makes this clear, it will likely attract more readers to your manuscript.
TIP: Write down a few possible titles, and then select the best to refine further. Ask your colleagues their opinion. Spending
the time needed to do this will result in a better title.
 Abstract
 The abstract is your chance to describe your research in 200-300 words – so use it wisely.
 Together, the title and abstract should be able to fully represent your manuscript/thesis, including for use
by indexing services.
 Many authors write the abstract last, so it reflects the content accurately.
 The abstract should summarize the problem or objective of your research, and its method, results, and
conclusion.
 Usually an abstract doesn’t include references, figures or tables.
 It should mention each significant section of the manuscript/thesis, with enough detail for readers to
decide whether or not to read the whole manuscript/thesis.
 While it’s great to make the abstract interesting, above all it should be accurate. Don’t promise more than
your manuscript/thesis delivers.
 Abstract
(Contd.)
 The abstract should be a concise (200 words or less), standalone summary of the
manuscript/thesis, with 1-2 sentences on each of these topics:
 Background: What issues led to this work? What is the environment that makes this work
interesting or important?
 Aim: What were the goals of this work? What gap is being filled?
 Approach: What went into trying to achieve the aims (e.g. experimental method, simulation
approach, theoretical approach, combination of these, etc.) What was actually done?
 Results: What were the main results of the study (including numbers, if appropriate)?
 Conclusion: What were the main conclusions? Why are the results important? Where will they
lead?
 Abstract
(Contd.)

 The abstract should be written for the audience of this journal/thesis: do not assume too much or
too little background with the topic.

 Ensure that all of the information found in the abstract also can be found in the body of the
manuscript/thesis.

 Ensure that the important information of the manuscript/thesis is found in the abstract.

 Avoid: using the first paragraph of the introduction as an abstract; citation in the abstract;
acronyms (but if used, spell them out); referring to figures or tables from the body of the paper;
use of the first person; use of words like new or novel, or phrases like in this paper, we report, or
will be discussed.
 Abstract
(Contd.)
The Abstract is:
• A summary of the content of the journal manuscript
• A time-saving shortcut for busy researchers
• A guide to the most important parts of your manuscript’s written content

Many readers will only read the Abstract of your manuscript. Therefore, it has to be able to stand alone. In most
cases the abstract is the only part of your article that appears in indexing databases such as Web of Science or
PubMed and so will be the most accessed part of your article; making a good impression will encourage
researchers to read your full paper.

A well written abstract can also help speed up the peer-review process. During peer review, referees are
usually only sent the abstract when invited to review the paper. Therefore, the abstract needs to contain
enough information about the paper to allow referees to make a judgement as to whether they have enough
expertise to review the paper and be engaging enough for them to want to review it.
 Abstract
(Contd.)

Your Abstract should answer these questions about your manuscript:

• What was done?
• Why did you do it?
• What did you find?
• Why are these findings useful and important?

Answering these questions lets readers know the most important points about your study,
and helps them decide whether they want to read the rest of the paper. Make sure you follow
the proper journal manuscript formatting guidelines when preparing your abstract.

TIP: Journals often set a maximum word count for Abstracts, often 250 words, and no
citations. This is to ensure that the full Abstract appears in indexing services.
Abstract - Example
(Contd.)
 Abstract - Example
(Contd.)
Laser microwelding has been an essential tool with a reputation of rapidity and precision for
joining miniaturized metal parts. In industrial applications, an accurate prediction of weld bead
geometry is required in automation systems to enhance productivity of laser microwelding. The
present work was conducted to establish an intelligent algorithm to build a simplified relationship
between process parameters and weld bead geometry that can be easily used to predict the weld
bead geometry with a wide range of process parameters through an artificial neural network
(ANN) in laser microwelding of thin steel sheet. The backpropagation with the Levenberg-
Marquardt training algorithm was used to train the neural network model. The accuracy of neural
network model has been tested by comparing the simulated data with actual data from the laser
microwelding experiments. The predictions of the neural network model showed excellent
agreement with the experimental results, indicating that the neural network model is a viable
means for predicting weld bead geometry. Furthermore, a comparison was made between the
neural network and mathematical model. It was found that the developed neural network model
has better prediction capability compared to the regression analysis model.
 Abstract - Example
(Contd.)
Laser microwelding has been an essential tool with a reputation of rapidity and precision for
joining miniaturized metal parts. In industrial applications, an accurate prediction of weld bead
geometry is required in automation systems to enhance productivity of laser microwelding.
The present work was conducted to establish an intelligent algorithm to build a simplified
relationship between process parameters and weld bead geometry that can be easily used to
predict the weld bead geometry with a wide range of process parameters through an artificial
neural network (ANN) in laser microwelding of thin steel sheet. The backpropagation with the
Levenberg-Marquardt training algorithm was used to train the neural network model. The
accuracy of neural network model has been tested by comparing the simulated data with
actual data from the laser microwelding experiments. The predictions of the neural network
model showed excellent agreement with the experimental results, indicating that the neural
network model is a viable means for predicting weld bead geometry. Furthermore, a
comparison was made between the neural network and mathematical model. It was found that
the developed neural network model has better prediction capability compared to the
regression analysis model.
 Abstract - Example
(Contd.)
The basic logic of writing abstracts
follows the IMRaD model
“IMRaD” format refers to a
paper that is structured
by four main sections:
Introduction, Methods,
Results, and
Discussion.
 Keywords
Keywords are a tool to help indexers and search engines find relevant
papers. If database search engines can find your journal manuscript, readers
will be able to find it too. This will increase the number of people reading your
manuscript, and likely lead to more citations.

However, to be effective, Keywords must be chosen carefully.

They should:
• Represent the content of your manuscript
• Be specific to your field or sub-field
 Keywords - Example
(Contd.)
Manuscript title: Direct observation of Manuscript title: Region-specific
nonlinear optics in an isolated carbon neuronal degeneration after okadaic
nanotube acid administration

Poor keywords: molecule, optics, lasers, Poor keywords: neuron, brain, OA (an
energy lifetime abbreviation), regional-specific neuronal
degeneration, signaling
Better keywords: single-molecule interaction,
Kerr effect, carbon nanotubes, energy level Better keywords: neurodegenerative
structure diseases; CA1 region, hippocampal;
okadaic acid; neurotoxins; MAP kinase
signaling system; cell death
 Keywords - Example
(Contd.)

Manuscript title: Increases in levels of sediment transport at

former glacial-interglacial transitions

Poor keywords: climate change, erosion, plant effects

Better keywords: quaternary climate change, soil erosion,

bioturbation
Keywords - Example (Contd.)
Acknowledgement
 References

• Relevant and recent (past 5 to 7 years)

• Be highly selective
• Read the refences
• Do not misquote
• Use correct style for journal
 References
(Contd.)

Typically, there are more mistakes in the references than any other part of the
manuscript. It is one of the most annoying problems, and causes great
headaches among editors.
 Cite the main scientific publications on which your work is based.
 Do not over-inflate the manuscript with too many references – it doesn’t
make a better manuscript.
 Avoid excessive self-citations.
 Avoid excessive citations of publications from the same region.
 References
 Make the reference list and the in-text citation conform strictly to the style
given in the Guide for Authors.
 Presentation in the correct format is the responsibility of the author, not the
Editor.

 Checking the format is normally a large job for editors. Make their work easier
and they will appreciate the effort.

 Check the following:

 Spelling of author names, years of publications.
 Usage of et al., and punctuations.
 References
(Contd.)
Journal articles:
• Wahle A, Prause GPM, von Birgelen C, Erbel R, Sonka M (1999) Fusion of angiography and
intravascular ultrasound in vivo: Establishing the absolute 3-D frame orientation. IEEE Trans
Biomed Eng 46:1176-1180.

Books:
• Nichols W, O'Rourke M (1998) McDonald's Blood Flow in Arteries: Theoretic, Experimental and
Clinical Principles. 3rd ed. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, pp 54-97.
• South J, Blass B (2001) The Future of Modern Genomics. Blackwell, London, pp 32-56.

Chapter in Books:
• Hovind HJ (1986) Traumatic birth injuries. In: Raimondi AJ, Choux M, Di Rocco C (eds) Head
Injuries in the Newborn and Infant. Principles of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Springer, Berlin
Heidelberg New York, pp 87-109.
 References
(Contd.)
Article in conference proceedings:
Author (Year) Title of article. In: Editor(s) of proceedings, Conference Name, Publisher, Place,
Pages.
Conference Location and Organization may be used in case Publisher and Place are not
available. Some examples are given here:

• Holzapfel GA, Schulze-Bauer CAJ, Stadler M (2000) Mechanics of angioplasty: Wall, balloon
and stent. In: Casey J, Bao G (eds) Mechanics in Biology. The American Society of Mechanical
Engineers; New York, AMD-Vol. 242/BED-Vol. 46, pp 141–156
Online document:
• Doe J (1999) Title of subordinate document. In: The dictionary of substances and their effects.
Royal Society of Chemistry. Available via DIALOG. http://www.rsc.org/dose/title of subordinate
document. Accessed 15 Jan 1999
 Language - Long Sentences
Direct and short sentences are preferred.

 Long sentences will not make the writing more professional. They only confuse
readers.

 Nowadays, the average length of sentences in scientific writing is about 12-17 words.

 It is said that we read one sentence in one breath. Long sentences obstruct readers.

 One idea or piece of information per sentence is sufficient. Avoid multiple statements in
one sentence.
 Language - Long Sentences
(Contd.)
Problems with long sentences:
 Inappropriate use of passive voice or dummy clauses (e.g. “It has been found that
there had been many…”) makes sentence complex.

 Bad structure of sentences with wrongly used conjunctive words or dangling

modifiers (e.g. “because…, so…”, “Although…, but…”, “considering…, it is…”).

 Excessive use of subordinate clauses in one sentence (e.g. “It has already been
found that when… there would be… which… while…”).

 Mixing different levels of parallelisms connected by “and” in one sentence.

Language - Repetition & Redundancy
As far as … is concerned As for
At the present time At present, or now
By means of By
In order to To
In view of the fact that
Since; because
Red in colour
Red
Small in size
Small
Until such time as
Adequate enough Until
Research work Adequate
Schematic diagram Research, or work
... Scheme, or diagram
What Leads to Acceptance?
Attention to detail
Check and double check your work
Consider the reviews
English must be as good as possible
Presentation is important
Take your time with revision
Acknowledge those who have helped you
New original and previously unpublished
Critically evaluate your own manuscript
Ethical rules must be obeyed