How To Write a Medical Abstract

A concise and useful summary of a longer medical article or study is the purpose of the medical abstract.A good abstract informs readers of the research and ideas presented in the full article.Before you write the abstract, make sure you understand the research you're writing about.Tell us about the background to your research, your expectations, the methods you used, and the results of your medical investigation.

Step 1: You can read a style guide.

The book AMA Manual of Style: Guide for Authors and Editors is a good place to start.This book will show you how to construct an abstract correctly.You can find it online at http://www.amamanualofstyle.com.

Step 2: Read the other papers.

You can get a sense of what kind of information they should have by reading other medical abstracts.Pay attention to tone, length, and structure of other medical abstracts, especially ones related to research in your field, published in the journal for which you are writing the abstract

Step 3: You need to understand the research.

An abstract is usually based on research done alone or as part of a team.You should be comfortable with the paper that the medical abstract summarizes.If you want to explain it to others, read it a few times.If you are writing a medical abstract on someone else's behalf, make sure to ask any questions you have about the research.

Step 4: You have to read the instructions.

There are specific guidelines for publication in every medical journal.Contact the university or professional society if you want to publish an abstract for a conference presentation.If you want your abstract to be as direct as possible, you need to stay within a certain word count.

Step 5: The abstract should be written in a timely manner.

The longer the abstract, the more difficult it is to write.Cramming meaningful text about a large medical study into a limited space can be difficult, but talking about the many details of the project is easy.Get your medical abstract down well in advance of its due date to give yourself a head start.Before you submit the abstract, make your co-authors look over the draft.If you don't have co-authors, submit a draft of the abstract to a peer in your field of research or a trusted mentor who is knowledgeable about the submission and publication process.

Step 6: Tell us why you started the research.

The section should explain what inspired the research.What problems did not get solved by previous research?Explain why the question needs to be answered and how it has not been answered in the past.You could say, "Livingston has demonstrated the efficacy of nucleotide reparation in E. Coli UBPs."

Step 7: The project goals and expectations should be stated.

After stating the background or inspiration to the research, state your own goals and hypotheses.This shows your honesty and objectivity as a researcher.It's a good idea to be direct and succinct with your goals and hypotheses.For instance, you might write, "Our hypothesis was that medication X was superior in treating epilepsy than medication Y."If you don't have a background section, you can start your abstract with information on the goals and expectations of your research.

Step 8: You should outline your methods.

The section answers the question, "How did you investigate the topic or problem?" and provides a specific section where methodology can be explored in detail over five or six sentences.Don't over-describe.If you say you used a common procedure or technique, don't go into too much detail about the technique or procedure itself.Setting, where did you conduct your research, and several other areas are related to your methods.How many individuals participated in the research?How were they selected?This applies to animal populations as well.How were statistics recorded?What were the variables you looked at?How did you account for them?What did you do to manipulate the variables?

Step 9: Take the time to summarize your findings.

In six to eight short sentences, state the results of the research.When reporting findings, use specific numbers and statistics.For instance, you might say that the use of the medication resulted in a 30% decline in mortality rate.Don't give interpretation of your results in this section.Interpretation and analysis should be left for the conclusion.Tables and charts should not be included in your abstract.The main body of the paper should contain these.

Step 10: Allow the abstract to speak for itself.

The conclusion should help the reader understand the results and implications of your research.The results of the study can be connected to the methods used to get them.Discuss whether your hypothesis was correct and whether the original purpose was achieved.It's a good idea to address the question, "Did your research and findings produce the answer you expected?"

Step 11: You can choose a title.

It is important that the title expresses the topic or methodology you are publishing about.Pick a title that doesn't announce results.Readers may be prejudiced against your conclusions or discoveries.Pick a title that describes the problem you are researching.New Corticosteroids Provide Asthma Relief is a poor title.The title "Corticosteroid Treatment in Asthmatic Patients" is a good one.You should not use puns or jokes in your title.This may make your work seem unimportant.

Step 12: List the authors.

The author or authors should be listed directly after the title.Guidelines specific to the publication or organization will dictate how the authors names should be listed.The first and last names are placed in their natural order.All authors are expected to be listed in alphabetical order according to their last names.The end of the author list might be expected of you.The leader of the study would be listed last.You may have to list each author's credentials.The title and authors should be listed at the top of the abstract.

Step 13: You can modify your abstract.

When the medical abstract is completed, your peers will be looking for originality, scientific merit, clinical significance, and whether it is appropriate for the audience of educated medical staff professionals.Rechecking your work is important.Spelling errors and other mistakes will affect your research.It is possible to read the abstract out loud and make sure it sounds right.To make it easy to understand, ask a colleague to read it for you.After you have edited the abstract, submit it to the appropriate journal, professional society, or conference committee.