Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Abstract
An abstract is typically a single paragraph of about 50-200 words. The function
of an abstract is to allow readers to judge whether or not the paper is of relevance
to them. It should therefore be a concise summary of the paper's aims, scope, and
conclusions. There is no space for unnecessary text; an abstract should be kept to as
few words as possible while remaining clear and informative. Irrelevancies, such as
minor details or a description of the structure of the paper, are usually inappropriate,
as are acronyms, mathematics, abbreviations, or citations. Only in rare circumstances
should an abstract cite another paper (for example, when one paper consists entirely
of analysis of results in another), in which case the reference should be given in
full, not as a citation to the bibliography. Sentences such as “We review relevant
literature” should be omitted.
Many abstracts follow a five-element organization:
1. A general statement introducing the broad research area of the particular topic
being investigated.
2. An explanation of the specific problem (difficulty, obstacle, challenge) to be
solved.
3. A review of existing or standard solutions to this problem and their limitations.
4. An outline of the proposed new solution.
5. A summary of how the solution was evaluated and what the outcomes of the
evaluation were.
Thus a draft of an abstract can consist of five sentences, one for each of the points
above. Introductions should be structured inmuch the same way, but with a paragraph
or two, not a sentence, for each component. Avaluable exercise is to read other papers,
analyze their abstracts and introductions to see if they have this form, and then decide
whether they are effective.
The more specific an abstract is, the more interesting it is likely to be. Instead of
writing “space requirements can be significantly reduced”, for example, write “space
requirements can be reduced by 60%”. Instead of writing “we have a new inversion
algorithm”, write “we have a new inversion algorithm, based on move-to-front lists”.
Many scientists browse research papers outside their area of expertise. You should
not assume that all likely readerswill be specialists in the topic of the paper—abstracts
should be self-contained and written for as broad a readership as possible.
Introduction
An introduction can be regarded as an expanded version of the abstract. It should
describe the paper's topic, the problem being studied, references to key papers, the
approach to the solution, the scope and limitations of the solution, and the outcomes.
There needs to be enough detail to allow readers to decide whether or not they need
to read further. It should include motivation: the introduction should explain why
