29/08/2018 Bad vs.

good abstract - Tips For Writing | Elsevier Webshop Blog

TO THE WEBSHOP >

HOME | TIPS FOR WRITING | LANGUAGE EDITING | TRANSLATIONS |

ILLUSTRATION SERVICES | NEWS FROM ELSEVIER | WEBSHOP NEWS | 中文博客
Search… 

Bad vs. good abstract

1 year and 10 months ago in Language Editing, Tips For Writing

     https://blog.webshop.elsevier.com/xM07I

When people search through articles on ScienceDirect, they may look at the table of contents of a
journal or use the search function to nd relevant articles. The title should tell them whether the
article could be of interest, but to nd out more they have to click through to see the abstract.

https://blog.webshop.elsevier.com/tips-for-writing/bad-vs-good-abstract/ 1/6
29/08/2018 Bad vs. good abstract - Tips For Writing | Elsevier Webshop Blog

As an author, this is where you could either grab or lose your reader’s attention. A good abstract
will keep them reading but a bad one could put them off, even if your research is relevant to them,
which means you could miss out on a download or even a citation. Here are some notable
differences between good and bad abstracts that could help you when writing yours.

Length

Bad: Too short and readers won’t know enough about your work; too long and it may be rejected
by the journal.

Good: Depending on the journal’s requirements, 200 words is short enough for readers to scan
quickly but long enough to give them enough information to decide to read the article.

Structure

Bad: Jumping from point to point with no clear ow will confuse your readers.

Good: Follow the structure of your paper: summarize the background, motivation, methods,
results, conclusion and impact. Some journals require this to be broken down into sections, so
check the Guide for Authors.

Content

Bad: Focusing on the wrong information, such as too much content about others’ work, will put off
readers

Good: Pick the pertinent points. The content of the abstract should re ect the most important
points and main ndings presented in your article. This ensures it re ects your work accurately,
attracting the right readers.

Style

Bad: A badly written abstract will confuse or turn off readers, who will not want to read a badly
written article.

Good: Clear, concise, careful writing will help readers understand the information quickly and
enjoy reading it. Using a professional editing service, such as Elsevier’s English Language Editing
service, can help.

Language

Bad: Too much jargon makes an abstract dif cult to read and even harder to understand.

https://blog.webshop.elsevier.com/tips-for-writing/bad-vs-good-abstract/ 2/6
29/08/2018 Bad vs. good abstract - Tips For Writing | Elsevier Webshop Blog

Good: An abstract that is accessible to a wider audience – one that contains no jargon – will
encourage researchers from other disciplines to read the article.

Conclusion

Bad: A weak – or worse, no – conclusion does not re ect the impact and importance of the work.

Good: A strong, clear conclusion presented near the end of the abstract shows readers the
research in a nutshell, helping them decide to read on.

Keywords

Bad: Too few keywords in the abstract means the article is dif cult to nd in searches.

Good: Optimizing your abstract for search engines by using the most important keywords from
your research helps make it discoverable for the right readers. Again, a language service can help.

Graphical abstract

Bad: A text-only abstract can be lost in a list of graphical abstracts.

Good: If the journal you want to publish in accepts graphical abstracts, it is a good idea to submit
one, making your article more noticeable. Professional illustration, including through Elsevier’s
Illustration Service, can help make it impactful.

RELATED ARTICLES
Top language mistakes for The sentence not to start your
rejection paper with

First impressions count: why How to write your references

getting published is like… quickly and easily

SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG

https://blog.webshop.elsevier.com/tips-for-writing/bad-vs-good-abstract/ 3/6
29/08/2018 Bad vs. good abstract - Tips For Writing | Elsevier Webshop Blog

Please enter your e-mail if you wish to

receive updates from WebShop Blog

Your Name

Your e-mail

Subscribe Now

MOST POPULAR

Bad vs. good abstract

How to write your references

quickly and easily

The sentence not to start your

paper with

How to switch between active

and passive writing

The writing challenges PhD

students face

https://blog.webshop.elsevier.com/tips-for-writing/bad-vs-good-abstract/ 4/6
29/08/2018 Bad vs. good abstract - Tips For Writing | Elsevier Webshop Blog

ELSEVIER AUTHORS'
UPDATE

I submitted to Journal X but all I got was

this lousy revision

The 5 most common mistakes to avoid

when you are publishing a systematic
review

Why wait for a good thing? Introducing

the new special issue work ow

ABOUT THIS BLOG CATEGORIES

Welcome to Elsevier’s WebShop blog, where you Tips For Writing

can nd top tips for writing a great scienti c
paper, nd out the latest news and views on Language Editing
academic publishing and get an insight into
Translations
Elsevier’s approach with expert opinion.
Read on
Illustration Services

News from Elsevier

WebShop News

中文博客

RECENT POSTS

The writing challenges PhD students face

How to write your references quickly and easily

Bad vs. good abstract

Why is English the main language of science?

Common mistakes: apostrophe use

https://blog.webshop.elsevier.com/tips-for-writing/bad-vs-good-abstract/ 5/6
29/08/2018 Bad vs. good abstract - Tips For Writing | Elsevier Webshop Blog

· Copyright © 2018 Elsevier BV · Terms and conditions · Privacy Policy

https://blog.webshop.elsevier.com/tips-for-writing/bad-vs-good-abstract/ 6/6