ACADEMIC SUPPLEMENT 1

CLECV PLUS 1

Academic Supplement 1
Abstracts

Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú 1

Fabiola Cabello
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ACADEMIC SUPPLEMENT
UNIT 1: ABSTRACTS
Study Guide

Dear student, welcome to the Academic Supplement 1 CLECV Plus1!

In this section of the course you will be able to reactivate previous knowledge and improve
your academic reading skills by means of different academic topics and disciplines. The main
aim is to get you to integrate and use recently acquired reading techniques studied during
Unit 1 (scanning and skimming). The exercises are carefully designed in order to give you
further practice using authentic academic materials.

This supplement will deal with abstracts. We will analyze the structure of an abstract in
academic papers and will see different types of these so you can recognize their components
in each case.

Several activities have been designed so you can apply the scanning and skimming
techniques previously learnt. (Active Reading Skills for reading: book 4 page 12 and 18).
Among them you will match ideas, choose the correct alternative, identify facts, organize
statements, etc. Go back to Unit 1 if necessary to review these important reading strategies.

The activities have been divided into two areas: Reflective Tasks and Practice Tasks.

Practice tasks will provide you with activities and exercises to apply all the new information
learnt by means of reading strategies.

Reflective tasks may also accompany the set of tasks, these are designed to make you recall
and think of knowledge, as the name suggests.

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 Fabiola Cabello
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At the end of this Academic Supplement you will find the answer key to all the different tasks,
as well as the corresponding appendixes to get further information. It is of paramount
importance that you verify your answers so that you can measure the extent of your learning
experience.

It is also important to carefully read and follow not only the calendar of the cycle (in your
syllabus), but also the instructions posted by your tutor in the news forum. Remember to
contact him if you have any doubts about the course, you may do this by using the different
tools Paideia platform offers.

At the end of this Academic Supplement, you will find the answer key to all the different
tasks, as well as the corresponding appendixes to get further information. It is also important
that you verify your answers so that you can measure the extent of your learning experience.

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UNIT 1: ABSTRACTS
Introductory Task 1:
Look, observe and read the following abstract sample:

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/authors/guides/write/abstracts.htm?part=1#2

Figure out:
1- What is an abstract?

2- What kind of information must an abstract contain?

3- Which register (formal or informal) should an abstract take?

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 Fabiola Cabello
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You can answer the questions this way:

1- I think an abstract is ………………………….

2- I suppose an abstract must contain ……………..

3- I think It should take a/ an…………………... register or style.

An abstract is a succinct summary of a longer piece of work, usually

academic in nature, which is published in isolation from the main text and
should, therefore, stand on its own and be understandable without reference
to the longer piece. It should report the latter's essential facts, and should
not exaggerate or contain material that is not there. It should be written in
formal register.
Its purpose is to act as a reference tool (for example in a library abstracting
service), enabling the reader to decide whether or not to read the full text.

Additional Information:
Go to appendix 1 on page 22 of this document and read further information
regarding abstracts.

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Abstracts in the Disciplines:

Now, read the brief information: “Abstracts in Disciplines” and notice the characteristics and
key words you must take into consideration in order to recognize types of abstracts. By doing
this, you will have the tools to proceed with Practice Task 1.

1) Informative Abstracts: They are meant for scientific or technical documents, e.g.
experimental research, reports, surveys. They:

• Condense purpose, methodology, results and conclusion (NISO, 1996, p.3).

• Serve as headings in journals.
• “Supplant the need for reading the full paper” (Day, 1994).
• Can be from a paragraph to a page or two (depending on the original work being
abstracted).
• Include results, conclusions or recommendations.

2) Indicative or Descriptive abstracts: They are meant for less structured documents
(reviews, reports, government documents, books, directories, conference proceeding,
lists). They

• are not used as the heading in journals.

• are written in papers not containing methodology or results.
• Introduce the subject in 70-200 words.
• Include the introduction, method, result, and discussion or only the introduction
and method.
• Omit results, conclusions and recommendations.
• include key phrases: “This paper reports”; “It includes”; It summarizes”.

Additional Information:
To read more about types of abstracts, go to page 23, appendix 2 of this
document.

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Practice Task 1:
Scan these two sample abstracts and say whether they are informative or descriptive
abstracts. Tick on the right box. It is suggested you read the following additional information
before proceeding with this practice task 1

ABSTRACT A:

Source: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/education/pdf/Writing_an_abstract.pdf

ABSTRACT B:
This study investigated the role of "signaling" in helping good readers comprehend
expository text. As the existing literature on signaling, reviewed in the last issue of the
Journal, pointed to deficiencies in previous studies methodologies, one goal of this study
was to refine prose research methods. Two passages were designed in one of eight
signaled versions each. The design was constructed to assess the individual and combined
effect of headings, previews, and logical connectives. The study also assessed the effect of
passage length, familiarity and difficulty. The results showed that signals do improve a
reader's comprehension, particularly comprehension two weeks after the reading of a
passage and comprehension of subordinate and superordinate inferential information. This
study supports the hypothesis that signals can influence retention of text-based information,
particularly with long, unfamiliar, or difficult passages.
Source: http://www.tcnj.edu/~asper/infoabstract.html

ABSTRACT INFORMATIVE DESCRIPTIVE

A
B

Go to page 32 of this supplement to check the correct answers.

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REFLECTIVE TASK 1:

Observe fig.1, go over the questions proposed and think of the best
answers. It is strongly suggested you read the additional information
presented below before answering the reflective and introductory tasks.

What can you conclude by observing

the figure? Which one is more
detailed and more elaborated?

Fig. 1 shows and contrasts the structures of both

informative and descriptive abstracts.
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/TAMUWC/abstracts-grad-13841978

Additional Information:
Go to page 24, appendix 3 to find out more about the structure of abstracts.

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Introductory Task 2A:

Structure of an informative abstract: Look at the main components that an
abstract must include and match the questions you may ask yourself concerning each
component in order to build up a successful abstract.

A- What did you actually do to get your

TOPIC results? (E.g. analyzed 3 novels, completed a
INTRODUCTION series of 5 oil paintings, interviewed 17
students)

B- What are the larger implications of your

P
findings, especially for the problem/gap
U
R identified in step 2?
P
O C- Why do we care about the problem? What
S
SCOPE/METHODS E
practical, scientific, theoretical or artistic gap is
your research filling?

FINDING/ D- Here, you present the topic briefly

RESULTS

E- As a result of completing the above

procedure, what did you learn/invent/create?

Source: http://research.berkeley.edu/ucday/abstract.html

Additional Information:
Go to pages 25 and 26, appendixes 4 and 5 to read about informative
abstracts before developing the introductory task.

Look at the illustration of the components of an informative abstract and match the questions.
You may ask yourself in order to build up each part in an informative abstract.

Go to page 32 of this document to check your answers.

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Introductory Task 2B:

By means of this color coding system, you might find it easier to identify the components of
an informative abstract. Scan the below abstract, and identify the main components which
are highlighted in different colors:

TOPIC INTRODUCTIONRESEARCH QUESTION(S)METHODSFINDINGS/RESULTSCONCLUSION

Can nonverbal behavior in popular media influence social category learning?

Molly Lorenzo, Psychology, Multimedia Arts Minor (Class of 2009)
Research Advisor: Nalini Ambady

Social categories (e.g., race, gender, and nationality) have tremendous social
consequences for individuals within those categories. This study investigates whether
arbitrary categories, like shirt color, can be learned and integrated as a meaningful social
category. It was hypothesized that people will be more likely to make distinctions of shirt
color only if they are exposed to repeated instances in which one shirt color is nonverbally
favored over another. Participants viewed screen shots of popular television shows to
induce nonverbal favoring of one of two shirt colors, or neither in the control condition, and
all were then given a memory task using a “who said what” paradigm to measure if shirt
color was established as a new social category. I expected confusions in “who said what” to
occur more frequently within a shirt color than between shirt colors and that this confusion
should be more prevalent in the experimental conditions than in the control condition.
Contrary to hypotheses, the number of within and between category errors did not depend
on the experimental condition, F (2, 60) = 2.02, p = .14. Thus, the shirt color was not
processed as a social category. The results reinforce the mystery of why certain social
categories like race have greater consequences than others (e.g., ear size or shirt color).

Source: Academic Resource Center- Tufts University

Additional Information:
You may wish to read appendices 6 and 7 (page 27 and 28) which offer
colored-coded samples of informative and descriptive abstracts

Go to page 32 of this document to check your answers.

Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú 11

 Fabiola Cabello
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Practice Task 2B:

Now, taking into consideration the same color code and using scanning techniques proceed
with the next abstract in the same way. Write the sentence (s) that represent(s) each part on
an extra sheet of paper.

Effects of Marine Exhaust Water on Algae

Jones, Sally C. 123 main st Hometown, IA 5001- Hometown

This project in its present form is the result of bioassay experimentation on the effects of two-
cycle marine engine exhaust water on certain green algae. The initial idea was to determine the
toxicity of outboard engine lubricant.

Some success with lubricants eventually led to the formulation of “synthetic” exhaust water
which, in turn, led to the use of actual two-cycle engine exhaust water as the test substance.

Toxicity was determined by means of the standard bottle of “batch” bioassay technique.
Scenedesmus qaudricauda and Ankistrodesmus sp. were used as the test organisms. Toxicity
was measured in terms of a decrease in the maximum standing crop. The effective
concentration – 50% (EC 50) for scenedesmus quadricauda was found to be 3.75% exhaust
water, for Ankistrodesmus sp. 3.1% exhaust water using the bottle technique.

Anomalies in growth curves raised the suspicion that evaporation was affecting the results;
therefore, a flow-through system was improvised utilizing the characteristics of a device called a
Biomonitor. The use of the biomonitor lessened the influence of evaporation, and the EC 50 was
found to be 1.4% exhaust water, using ankistrodesmus sp. as the test organism. Mixed
populations of various algae gave an EC 50 of 1.28% exhaust water.

The contributions of this project are twofold. First, the toxicity of two-cycle engine exhaust was
found to be considerably greater than reported in the literature (1.4% vs. 4.4%). Secondly, the
benefits of a flow-through bioassay technique utilizing the biomonitor were demonstrated.

TOPIC INTRODUCTION

RESEARCH QUESTION

METHODS

RESULT

CONCLUSION

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Introductory Task 3A:

Structure of a descriptive abstract
Skim the below abstract and answer the questions one by one.

1) Does the text say what the study was about?

2) Does the text show any results?
3) Does the text give any recommendations or conclusions?
4) Does the text mention the purpose of the study?

ABSTRACT:

Various studies in inspection have demonstrated the usefulness of feedforward

and feedback in improving performance. However these studies have looked at
the search and decision making components separately. Hence, it is difficult to
draw generalized conclusions on the effects of feedforward and feedback for
inspection tasks that have both search and decision making components. In
response to this need, this study evaluates the individual and collective effect
of feedforward and feedback on an inspection task that has both the search
and decision-making components. For this purpose, the study used a computer
simulated inspection task generated by the VisIns program. Twenty-four
subjects, randomly assigned to various conditions, performed an inspection
task wherein the feedforward and the feedback conditions were manipulated
between subjects. Defect probability and the number of defects were also
manipulated within subjects. Subsequently, the search and decision making
performances were analyzed and interpreted

Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú 13

Fabiola Cabello
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Introductory Task 3B:

3B: Now, scan the text and identify the components of a descriptive abstract. Write the
color:

TOPIC
INTRODUCTION P TOPIC
INTRODUCTION
____________
U
R
P
O
S
RESEARCH E RESEARCH
QUESTION QUESTION
____________

SCOPE/METHODS SCOPE/METHODS ____________

Additional Information:
You may wish to refer to appendix 8 (page 29) to read some additional
information about descriptive abstracts.

Go to page 33 of this document to check your answers.

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Practice Task 3:
Scan the two abstracts and determine the type of abstract they are. Take into consideration
the characteristics studied before. You can also refer to the key words presented. Use the
grid below to check the components you find in each abstract in order to support your
answers. Remember that not all the components may be found in informative abstracts
necessarily. In this case there is one component missing.

Abstract 1:
There has been a rise in recent years of a theoretical current entitled “Foucauldian gerontology”.
This broad theory has attempted to understand how aging is socially constructed by discourses
used by professions and disciplines in order to control and regulate the experiences of older
people and to legitimize powerful narratives afforded to age by such groups. Gerontology too as
a discipline and praxis provides the space for the construction and dissemination of knowledge
formation. To address this, the paper introduces some of the methodological tools from the
scholarship of Michel Foucault. In particular, the paper locates concepts of archaeology,
genealogy and technologies of self and highlights the importance and creative impact these
have for social gerontology in the USA, UK and Australasia. The paper draws from examples
from current gerontological research to illuminate the usefulness of such a Foucauldian
approach for researching social gerontology.

Abstract 2:
Research reported by Daly, Miller, and their colleagues suggests that writing apprehension is
related to a number of factors we do not yet fully understand. This study suggests that included
among those factors should be the belief that writing ability is a gift. Giftedness, as it is referred
to in the study, is roughly equivalent to the Romantic notion of original genius. Results from a
survey of 247 postsecondary students enrolled in introductory writing courses at two institutions
indicate that higher levels of belief in giftedness are correlated with higher levels of writing
apprehension, lower self-assessments of writing ability, lower levels of confidence in achieving
proficiency in certain writing activities and genres, and lower self-assessments of prior
experience with writing instructors. Significant differences in levels of belief in giftedness were
also found among students who differed in their perceptions of the most important purpose for
writing, with students who identified "to express your own feelings about something" as the most
important purpose for writing having the highest mean level of belief in giftedness. Although the
validity of the notion that writing ability is a special gift is not directly addressed, the results
suggest that belief in giftedness may have deleterious effects on student writers.
Source: http://wcx.sagepub.com/content/9/1/137.abstract

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Fabiola Cabello
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Use the checklist grid below to help you state your points:

Components Abstract 1 Abstract 2

Topic Introduction

Research question

Scope/Methods

Results

Conclusions

Recommendations

Abstract 1 is _________________ Abstract 2 is _______________

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-write-an-abstract-for-a-research-paper.html

Go to page 33 of this document to check your answers.

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Practice Task 4:
Read the titles of the 3 abstracts listed on the grid. Once you have read them, proceed to
scan the abstracts and try to match each one with a title.

TITLE ABSTRACT N°
Influence of the endogenous opioid system on high alcohol
consumption and genetic predisposition to alcoholism.
Light Scattering Spectroscopic Characterization of Healthy
and Cancerous White Blood Cells
Fatherhood and Managerial Style: How a Male CEO’s
Children Affect the Wages of His Employee

ABSTRACT 1:

Leukemia is uncontrolled proliferation of immature white blood cells. The conventional method of
diagnosis requires invasive and medically extensive biopsies and blood samplings of great discomfort
to the patients. Since leukemia is the most prevalent type of cancer in children, where blood drawing
is particularly painful and difficult, a non-invasive screening modality could improve significantly the
detection and monitoring of these patients. For this reason, we performed an initial set of studies to
assess the potential of light scattering spectroscopy to determine whether unique light scattering
signatures can differentiate leukemic from healthy white blood cells. We acquired angle-dependent
and wavelength-dependent light scattering maps of the samples in the backscattering geometry.
Specifically, we acquired polarized light scattering maps from isolated cell populations along the
parallel and perpendicular polarizations and computed the differential light scattering maps,
representing mostly singly backscattered light. From these LSS maps, the wavelength-dependence of
the biological samples, characterized by a power law exponent value, was used to quantitatively
differentiate between the healthy lymphocytes, granulocytes and the leukemia cells. Therefore, these
initial findings provide the basis for detection of leukemia in in vivo flow cytometry and demonstrate
the potential of a non-invasive leukemia screening test.
Source: Academic Resource CenterTufts University

ABSTRACT 2:
There is increasing evidence supporting a link between the endogenous opioid system and excessive
alcohol consumption. Acute or light alcohol consumption stimulates the release of opioid peptides in
brain regions that are associated with reward and reinforcement and that mediate, at least in part, the
reinforcing effects of ethanol. However, chronic heavy alcohol consumption induces a central opioid
deficiency, which may be perceived as opioiwithdrawal and may promote alcohol consumption
through the mechanisms of negative reinforcement. The role of genetic factors in alcohol dependency
is well recognized, and there is evidence that the activity of the endogenous opioid system under
basal conditions and in response to ethanol may play a role in determining an individual's
predisposition to alcoholism. The effectiveness of opioid receptor antagonists in decreasing alcohol
consumption in people with an alcohol dependency and in animal models lends further support to the
view that the opioid system may regulate alcohol consumption. A better understanding of the complex
interactions between ethanol, the endogenous opioids and other neurotransmitter systems will help to
delineate the neurochemical mechanisms leading to alcoholism and may lead to the development of
novel treatments.
Source: Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Vol 26(4), Sep (2001). (pp. 304-318).

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ABSTRACT 3:

Motivated by a growing literature in the social sciences suggesting that the transition to fatherhood
has a profound effect on men’s values, we study how the wages of employees change after a male
chief executive officer (CEO) has children, using comprehensive panel data on the employees,
CEOs, and families of CEOs in all but the smallest Danish firms between 1996 and 2006. We find that
(a) a male CEO generally pays his employees less generously after fathering a child, (b) the birth of a
daughter has a less negative influence on wages than does the birth of a son and has a positive
influence if the daughter is the CEO’s first, and (c) the wages of female employees are less adversely
affected than are those of male employees and positively affected by the CEO’s first child of either
gender. We also find that male CEOs pay themselves more after fathering a child, especially after
fathering a son. These results are consistent with a desire by the CEO to husband more resources for
his family after fathering a child and the psychological priming of the CEO’s generosity after the birth
of his first daughter and specifically toward women after the birth of his first child of either gender.

Source: http://asq.sagepub.com/content/57/4/669.abstract

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/olpal77/abstract-writing-15830942

Go to page 33 of this document to check your answers.

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Practice Task 5A:

Read the statements taken from an abstract and put them in order to make a properly
developed abstract. To do this, you can review appendixes 6 and 7 before developing this
practice task.

A. This study tested the illusion of understanding hypothesis with a

randomized, double-blind, 2 × 2 factorial design using two different types
of animation— representational and directive.

B. Consistent with expertise reversal effect, the animations induced more

optimistic meta-comprehension in low-proficiency learners but more
pessimistic meta-comprehension in high-proficiency learners.

C. Representational animation had a negative effect on learning, and

directive animation had a positive effect. Both representational and
directive animations induced illusion of understanding. Moreover, the
animations induced multiple forms of the illusion.

D. As a result, learners invest less cognitive effort when learning with

animation.

E. The illusion of understanding hypothesis asserts that, when people are

learning with multimedia presentations, the addition of animation can
affect metacognitive monitoring such that they perceive the presentation
to be easier to understand and develop more optimistic meta-
comprehension.
Source: PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved

Write sentence letters in order:

NUMBER SENTENCES
1-

2-

3-

4-

5-

Go to page 34 of this document to check your answers.

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Practice Task 5B:

After reading the abstract, and once it is properly organized, select the title of the abstract:

a) The discovery of meta- comprehensive disadvantages

b) Learning with animations and illusions of understanding
c) High vs. low proficiency learners

Go to page 34 of this document to check your answers.

Practice Task 6A:

Scan the text to identify the non- required sentence in the following abstract sample.
Choose a number.

"Quantifying the Mechanics of a Laryngoscopy"

(1) Laryngoscopy is a medical procedure that provides a secure airway by passing a breathing tube
through the mouth and into the lungs of a patient. (2) The ability to successfully perform laryngoscopy
is highly dependent on operator skill; experienced physicians have failure rates of 0.1% or less, while
less experienced paramedics may have failure rates of 10-33%, which can lead to death or brain
injury. (3) Accordingly, there is a need for improved training methods, and virtual reality technology
holds promise for this application. (4) The immediate objective of this research project is to measure
the mechanics of laryngoscopy, so that an advanced training mannequin can be developed. (5)This
summer an instrumented laryngoscope has been developed which uses a 6-axis force/torque sensor
and a magnetic position/orientation sensor to quantify the interactions between the laryngoscope and
the patient. (6) If the surgeon takes a biopsy from one of the vocal cords, you will need to rest your
voice for 10 days after the operation, while the vocal cord heals up. This means no speaking at all for
10 days. Instead you will have to write things down. (7) Experienced physicians as well as residents
in training have used this device on an existing mannequin, and the force and motion trajectories
have been visualized in 3D. (8) One objective is to use comparisons between expert and novice
users to identify the critical skill components necessary for patients, to identify the mechanical
properties of the human anatomy that effect laryngoscopy, and thus enable the development of a
realistic training simulator.(9) In the future an advanced training mannequin will be developed whose
physical properties will be based on our sensor measurements, and where virtual reality tools will be
used to provide training feedback for novice users.
Source: http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/Abstract.html

Non required sentence Number:

Go to page 34 of this document to check your answers.

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Practice Task 6B:

Skim over the abstracts below and select the one that supports the given question. Select
abstract 1 or abstract 2.

Research question:
How has entrepreneurship evolved throughout the years?

The Founders of New Magazines in America, 1741–1860

Heather A. Haveman
Jacob Habinek
Leo A. Goodman
University of California, Berkeley
Abstract 1
We craft a historically sensitive model of entrepreneurship linking individual actors to the evolving
social structures they must navigate to acquire resources and launch new ventures. Theories of
entrepreneurship and industry evolution suggest two opposing hypotheses: as an industry develops,
launching a new venture may become more difficult for all but industry insiders and the socially
prominent because of competition from large incumbents, or it may become easier for all people
because the legitimacy accorded to the industry simplifies the entrepreneurial task. To test these
two conflicting claims, we study the American magazine industry from 1741 to 1860. We find that
magazine publishing was originally restricted to publishing-industry insiders, professionals, and the
highly educated, but most later founders came from outside publishing and more were of middling
stature. Gains by entrepreneurs from the social periphery, however, were uneven: most were
doctors and clergy without college degrees in small urban areas; magazines founded by industry
insiders remained predominant in the industry centers. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of
grounding studies of entrepreneurship in historical context. It also shows that entrepreneurship
scholars must attend to temporal shifts within the focal industry and in society at large.
Source: http://asq.sagepub.com/content/57/4/585.abstract

Entrepreneurship versus Intrapreneurship in Mutual Funds

Aleksandra J. Kacperczyk1
Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract 2
This study revisits the well-established notion that large and mature organizations stifle an
employee’s ability and motivation to become an entrepreneur. Using unique data on U.S. mutual
funds founded between 1979 and 2005, I examine whether large and mature firms, which are
typically associated with lower individual rates of entrepreneurship, are also associated with lower
individual rates of intrapreneurship. The findings show that, though employees in large and mature
organizations are less likely to transition to entrepreneurship, they nonetheless exhibit a higher
propensity to pursue venturing opportunities inside the established firm than employees in smaller
and younger firms. The results suggest that the observed negative effect of large, mature
organizations on entrepreneurship arises partly due to high rates of intrapreneurship and that the
stultification processes in such organizations are far less important than has been generally
assumed.
Source: http://asq.sagepub.com/content/57/3/484.abstract

Go to page 34 of this document to check your answers.

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REFLECTIVE TASK 2:

How much can you remember?

Circle I= Informative abstract or D= Descriptive abstract

1 Provides synopsis of the actual results I D

2 Contains general statements I D
3 Appropriate for longer papers (e.g. review articles) I D
4 Gives summary of the main actual information (methods, I D
materials, results, conclusion)
5 Provides an overview of the content I D
6 Suited to papers or reports about original research I D
7 Follows the IMRAD* structure I D

Go to page 34 of this document to check your answers.

Additional Information:
Appendices 9 and 10 (pages 30 and 31) offer some useful guidelines on
how to write an abstract.

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NOW YOU CAN:

• Read abstracts in different disciplines
• Differentiate kinds of abstracts.
• State the different components of informative and
descriptive abstracts.
• Scan and skim abstracts in order to arrange content.
• Identify components, select the title and determine
their purpose.

Congratulations!

You have finished this

section successfully.
Now you are ready
to proceed with self- assessment task 1.

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APPENDIX 1

Writing an Abstract
Often when asked to write a report or article, you will be required to include an abstract. This is usually
a very concise summary of what the report or article is about and is usually placed before the body of
your writing. The abstract can be read to get a quick overview. It tells the reader what to expect in your
work and it should be based on all you have written.
Definitions
The word abstract comes from the Latin abstractum, which means a condensed form of a longer piece
of writing. There are two main types of abstract: the (1) Descriptive and the (2) Informative abstract.
The type of abstract you write depends on your discipline area.
Why do we write abstracts?
Abstracts are important parts of academic assignments, most often, reports and research papers. The
abstract is the last item that you write, but the first thing people read when they want to have a quick
overview of the whole paper. We suggest you leave writing the abstract to the end, because you will
have a clearer picture of all your findings and conclusions.
How do I write an abstract?
 First re-read your paper/report for an overview. Then read each section and shrink the information
in each down to 1-2 sentences;
 Next read these sentences again to ensure that they cover the major points in your paper;
 Ensure you have written something for each of the key points outlined above for either the
descriptive or informative abstract;
 Check the word length and further reduce your words if necessary by cutting out unnecessary words
or rewriting some of the sentences into a single, more succinct sentence; and
 Edit for flow and expression.
What makes a good abstract?
• Uses one well-developed paragraph that is coherent and concise, and is able to stand alone as
a unit of information;
• Covers all the essential academic elements of the full-length paper, namely the background,
purpose, focus, methods, results and conclusions;
• Contains no information not included in the paper;
• Is written in plain English and is understandable to a wider audience, as well as to your
discipline-specific audience;
• Often uses passive structures in order to report on findings, focusing on the issues rather than
people;
• Uses the language of the original paper, often in a more simplified form for the more general
reader;
• Usually does not include any referencing; and in publications such as journals, it is found at
the beginning of the text, but in academic assignments, it is placed on a separate preliminary
page.

Source: Learning Guide WRITING CENTRE Level 3 East, Hub Central, North Terrace campus, The University of Adelaide SA 5005 Australia T: +61 8
8313 5771 | E: writingcentre@adelaide.edu.au | W: www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/

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APPENDIX 2

Types of Abstracts
(1) Descriptive abstracts
Descriptive abstracts are generally used for humanities and social science papers or
psychology essays. This type of abstract is usually very short (50-100 words). Most
descriptive abstracts have certain key parts in common. They are:
• Background
• Purpose
• Particular interest/focus of paper
• Overview of contents (not always included)

(2) Informative abstracts

Informative abstracts are generally used for science, engineering or psychology reports. You
must get the essence of what your report is about, usually in about 200 words. Most
informative abstracts also have key parts in common. Each of these parts might consist of 1-
2 sentences. The parts include:
• Background
• Aim or purpose of research
• Method used
• Findings/results
• Conclusion

The table below summarizes the main features of, as well as the differences between, the
two types of abstracts discussed above. In both types of abstract, your lecturer/tutor may
require other specific information to be included. Always follow your lecturer/tutor’s
instructions.

Descriptive abstract Informative abstract

Describes the major points of the project to the Informs the audience of all essential points of the
reader. paper.
Includes the background, purpose and focus of the Briefly summarizes the background, purpose, focus,
paper or article, but never the methods, results and methods, results, findings and conclusions of the
conclusions, if it is a research paper. full-length paper.
Is most likely used for humanities and Is concise, usually 10% of the original paper length,
social science papers or psychology often just one paragraph.
essays Is most likely used for sciences,
engineering or psychology
Source: Learning Guide WRITING CENTRE Level 3 East, Hub Central, North Terrace campus, The University of Adelaide SA 5005 Australia T: +61
8 8313 5771 | E: writingcentre@adelaide.edu.au | W: www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/

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CLECV PLUS 1

APPENDIX 3

Source:http://www.prismnet.com/~hcexres/textbook/abstrax.html

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APPENDIX 4

Source: https://www.google.com.pe/#q=writing+abstracts+by+ana+vukadinovic

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CLECV PLUS 1

APPENDIX 5

Source: https://www.google.com.pe/#q=writing+abstracts+by+ana+vukadinovic

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APPENDIX 6

Color-coded sample of an informative abstract

May or
may not
be
included

Source: http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/files/2010/06/Colored-Coded-Abstracts.pdf

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CLECV PLUS 1

APPENDIX 7

Color-coded sample of a descriptive abstract

Important!

Source: writingcenter.tamu.edu/.../Colored-Coded-Abstracts.

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APPENDIX 8

Source: https://www.google.com.pe/#q=writing+abstracts+by+ana+vukadinovic

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CLECV PLUS 1

APPENDIX 9

Source:http://www.prismnet.com/~hcexres/textbook/abstrax.html

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APPENDIX 10

Checklist for Abstracts

As you reread and revise your abstracts, watch out for problems such as the following:

• Make sure that the descriptive abstract does not include informative abstract
phrasing; make sure that the informative abstract does not include descriptive
abstract phrasing.
• Make sure the descriptive overviews all the contents--all the major sections--of the
report.
• Make sure that the informative abstract summarizes all the major sections of the
report. (And don't forget--the informative abstract is not an introduction!)
• Make sure the informative abstract summarizes all key concepts, conclusions, and
facts from the body of the report (including key statistical information).
• Make sure that the informative abstract excludes general, obvious, deadwood
information and that the phrasing is compact and concentrated.
• Make sure that the informative abstract is neither too brief (less than 10 percent) nor
too long (more than 15 percent).

Source: adapted from: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/abstracts.html

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ANSWER KEY
Practice Task 1: abstract A: Descriptive / Abstract B: Informative (includes results).
Reflective Task: Informative abstracts are more detailed and elaborated.

Introductory Task 2A
Topic Introduction D
Research question C
Scope/ methods A
Findings/ results B
Conclusion and/or recommendations E

Practice Task 2:
This project in its present form is the results of bioassay experimentation on the
Topic effects of two-cycle marine engine exhaust water on certain green algae. The
Introduction
initial idea was to determine the toxicity of outboard engine lubricant.

Some success with lubricants eventually led to the formulation of “synthetic”

Research exhaust water which, in turn, led to the use of actual two-cycle engine exhaust
question
water as the test substance.

Toxicity was determined by means of the standard bottle of “batch” bioassay

technique. Scenedesmus qaudricauda and Ankistrodesmus sp. Were used as
Method
the test organisms. Toxicity was measured in terms of a decrease in the
maximum standing crop.

The effective concentration – 50% (EC 50) for scenedesmus quadricauda was
found to be 3.75% exhaust water, for Ankistrodesmus sp. 3.1% exhaust water
using the bottle technique (paragraph 2)

Results Use of the biomonitor lessened the influence of evaporation, and the EC 50
was found to be 1.4% exhaust water, using ankistrodesmus sp. as the test
organism. Mixed populations of various algae gave an EC 50 of 1.28% exhaust
water (paragraph 4)

The contributions of this project are twofold. First, the toxicity of two-cycle
engine exhaust was found to be considerably greater than reported in the
Conclusion
literature (1.4% vs 4.4%). Secondly, the benefits of a flow-through bioassay
technique utilizing the biomonitor were demonstrated.

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Introductory Task 3A:

1) Yes, it does.
2) No, it doesn’t.
3) No, it doesn’t.
4) Yes, it does.

Introductory Task 3B:

Topic Introduction= RED

Research question= GREEN
Scope/method= PINK

Practice Task 3:

COMPONENTS ABSTRACT 1 ABSTRACT 2

Topic Introduction  

Research question  

Scope/Methods  

Results 

Conclusions 

Recommendations

Abstract 1 is DESCRIPTIVE Abstract 2 is INFORMATIVE

Practice Task 4:
TITLE ABSTRACT N°

Influence of the endogenous opioid system on high alcohol 2

consumption and genetic predisposition to alcoholism.

Light Scattering Spectroscopic Characterization of Healthy and 1

Cancerous White Blood Cells

Fatherhood and Managerial Style: How a Male CEO’s Children 3

Affect the Wages of His Employee

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CLECV PLUS 1

Practice Task 5A:

NUMBER SENTENCES

1- E

2- A

3- C

4- D

5- B

Practice Task 5B:

Title b) “Learning with animations and illusions of understanding “

Practice Task 6A:

Non-required sentence: 6

Practice Task 6B:

Abstract that answers the question: Abstract 2

Reflective Task 2:
1. I

2- D

3- D

4- I

5- D

6- I

7- I

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Self-Assessment Task 1
Optional

Before or upon completion of this Unit 1

Upon completion of this self-assessment task, participants will be able to verify their progress
and measure the amount of learning of the contents in Unit 1. They will also be able to
determine which areas need to be reinforced.

Instructions

To access this self-assessment task, follow these steps:

1. Access your course (Curso: CLECV PLUS 1) available in the PUCP Paidea LMS.

2. Go to Academic Supplement 1: and click on Self-Assessment Task 1.

3. This activity is not mandatory but we do suggest that you do it in order to measure
your progress.

4. Do the task as instructed in the indications included in it. Follow the instructions
carefully. Your answers will be corrected immediately once you complete the task.

5. Should you experience any difficulties that do not allow you to complete your self-
assessment task, send an e-mail (in Spanish) to soportevirtual@pucp.edu.pe and to
your tutor so you can get the assistance you need.

Materials

Unit 1 study materials: Active Skills for Reading: Book 4 and Academic Supplement 1

Scoring

The result of this activity will not affect your final score in this cycle.

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CLECV PLUS 1

Quiz 1
Mandatory

Day and Hour: See Activities Calendar

Instructions

To answer this quiz, follow these steps:

1. Access your course (CLECV Plus 1) available in the PUCP Paideia LMS.

2. Go to Academic Supplement 1 and click on Quiz 1. Carefully read the instructions and
suggestions given on the first screen.

3. Quiz 1 will be accessible only on the indicated dates. Once you open the quiz, you will
have 60 minutes to answer all the questions. Therefore, we advise that you distribute
your time carefully so that you can complete the evaluation.

4. Answer all the questions in Quiz 1. Observe the instructions and the time allotted,
which are clearly visible.

5. Upon completion of Quiz 1, save all your answers by clicking on the button labeled
“Submit all and finish”, which is at the bottom of the screen.

6. You will have only one entry to complete the quiz. Should you experience any
difficulties that do not allow you to complete it, send an e-mail (in Spanish) to your tutor
and to soportevirtual@pucp.edu.pe so you can get the assistance you need.

Materials

Unit 1 study materials: Active Skills for Reading: Book 4 and Academic Supplement 1

Results

To access your results, enter the quiz three business days after having completed the
evaluation. You will be able to view your answers, the correct answers and your score.

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Scoring

This quiz will be assessed over 100 points. The average you obtain from the two quizzes you
submit in this module accounts for 15% of your final grade.

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CLECV PLUS 1

40 IDIOMAS CATÓLICA