专业英语写作Chapter 6 Abstract Writing.ppt
Chapter 6,Abstract Writing,Definition of an abstract,Short account or brief overview of the contents of a book,a paper,or a report,etc.,What are abstracts written for?,1)For readers to identify and locate the necessary articles/libraries to catalogue the articles-identifying and locating function-bibliographic information;2)For readers to decide if they need to read it or not-sorting function-overview of the article.,The format of an abstract for journal papers,The Title The title of your abstract should be the same as the title of your scientific paper.The Body of the Abstract The abstract is a very brief overview of your entire study.It tells the reader WHAT you did,WHY you did it,HOW you did it,WHAT you found,and WHAT it means.The abstract should briefly state the purpose of the research(introduction),how the problem was studied(methods),the principal findings(results),and what the findings mean(discussion and conclusion).It tends to be descriptive but concise-say only what is essential,using no more words than necessary to convey meaning.The Key Words Several key words are used for the bibliographic(书目的)information needed by libraries and information retrieval systems for cataloguing,Sample,Cultural Differences between China and U.S.A(Title of the article)Xu Ping(The authors name)(Tsinghua University,Beijing China 100000)(The authors office address)Abstract:(Body part)Key words:,*The body part*,1.Only one paragraph is needed.2.Imperative sentences,exclamations,formulas and tables,etc.are not permitted.3.Comments,explanations and interpretations are not needed.4.Third person should be used,for example:this paper,it,etc.5.Passive voice is often used.6.Present tense,past tense,and present perfect tense are often used in writing an abstract.7.Sentences used should be clear and concise.,*The keywords*,Better to use specific words or word groups for the purpose of retrieval(e.g.“carbon dioxide”instead of“organic compound”)；Avoid abbreviated words created by yourself,use abbreviations recognized by scientific community(e.g.:DNA);Use appropriate number of key words(3-5).,Sample abstract for journal paper,This paper deals with the English syllabus for graduate students in China.It first reviews the history of the graduate English teaching,then discusses the shortcomings in the syllabus and finally proposes some suggestions for its revision.Key words:syllabus,graduate English teaching,Tenses used in abstracts,1.Mostly the present tense is used,the past and the present perfect tense are also used occasionally.2.Academic papers are written to reveal the truth which remains the same in the past,nowadays,and in the future,so the findings are reported in the present tense.3.The past tense is used to tell an action which happened in the past and finishes now.For example,“This was first known in 1930”.4.The present perfect tense is used to indicate the continuity of the process.Though a process occurred in the past,its effect on the real life is emphasized through the present perfect tense.For example,“Man has not yet discovered an effective cure for the common cold”.,Example 1:present tense and passive voice Variations of the drawing are discussed in terms of the structure in these materials.Theincrements are also interpreted using a threephases model.,Example 2:past tense and passive voice An analysis of the cure kinetics ofseveral different formulations wasperformed.All kinetic parameters ofthe curing reaction were calculated andreported.,Example 3:past perfect tense and passive voice The phase diagram of this system has been confirmed by thermal analysis methods.By an optimization method the excess of the liquid mixtures was also calculated.From these values the mixing contents have been deduced.,Voices used in abstracts1.Presently,the passive voice is frequently used in English abstracts.It is thought that more information is gathered in the beginning part in this way,which highlights the meaning.2.The active voice is occasionally but increasingly used.And the person“we”is used.The sentence with active voice is regarded to be clear,forceful,and concise.,Examples:active voice1.We report rheological data on anionic polyelec trolyte solutions of variable chain length and concentration,2.We have studied the dehydration under atmospheric pressure for,NiNa4(PO3)6H2O,between 25 and 700 by thermal analyses(TG,DTA),infrared spectrometry and X-ray diffraction.3.We find that one component(polyimide)controls the permeability values and activation energies for helium permeation in the blends.,4.To examine the effect of electric field on the aggregation structure of the particles,we observed light scattering of the suspension under an electric field,and found that the scattering pattern became anisotropic.5.We demonstrate the thermally activated nature of the-PMMA and-P(VDF-TrFE)relaxation,with activation energies of 29.3 and 13.5 kcal/mol,respectively.6.We refer to the lamellar thickening process as a type of secondary crystallization.,Exercise 1 Directions:Translate the following Chinese abstract into English.,本文探讨了中国商法体系，并将其与国外的商业法律进行了比较。在调查的基础上，客观地指出了该体系的可行性及不足之处。同时提出了完善这一体系的建议。This paper explores the commerce law system in China,and compares it with those in foreign countries.On the basis of the investigation,it objectively points out the feasibility and disadvantages of this system.At the same time,it comes up with some suggestions to improve it.,Exercise 2 Directions:Translate the following Chinese abstract into English.,本文在教学实践的基础上指出了在“建筑学”这门课程中引入CAD的重要性和必要性。根据这门课程的需要，设计了系统，介绍了该系统的特点及功能，并展示了它在教学中的实际效果。On the basis of practical teaching,this paper points out the importance and necessity of introducing CAD into Architecture.In accordance with the needs of this course,a CAD system has been designed,and its special features and functions are presented.Its real teaching effects are shown in this paper.,Note:When you learn to write an abstract,you should pay attention to the differences between an abstract and a summary.They are very much alike but different.(By summary,we mean a brief restatement,in your own words,of the content of a passage.),Comparison between summaries and abstracts,1.Both are placed before the body part of the article.2.Both are independent elements rather than a part of the body of the article.3.An abstract is usually shorter(briefer)than a summary.4.An abstract tells the reader what points are covered in a piece of writing and a summary tells the reader what is said about them.,Exercise:Write an abstract and a summary for the passage.,Original:Gardeners are very frequently asked by persons interested in the cultivation of ornamental trees and shrubs to indicate to them some of the distinctive characters which mark off the common cypress（柏树）from its near relative,the American arbor-vitae（金钟柏）.These are two of the most widely grown ornamental conifers（针叶树）in the British Isles,and there is hardly a garden or park of any size in which one or other is not present.(90 words),Summary:Gardeners are often asked to distinguish between the common cypress and the American arbor-vitae,two of the most popular ornamental shrubs in the British Isles.(28 words),Abstract:This paragraph shows the commonly seen shrubs in the British Isles and reveals the difficulty of distinguishing them.(18 words),Steps for Writing Effective Abstracts,1)Reread the article,paper,or report with the goal of abstracting in mind.Look specifically for these main parts of the article,paper,or report:purpose,methods,scope,results,conclusions,and recommendation.Use the headings,outline heads,and table of contents as a guide to writing your abstract.If youre writing an abstract about another persons article,paper,or report,the introduction and the summary are good places to begin.These areas generally cover what the article emphasizes.,2)After youve finished rereading the article,paper,or report,write a rough draft without looking back at what youre abstracting.Dont merely copy key sentences from the article,paper,or report:youll put in too much or too little information.Dont rely on the way material was phrased in the article,paper,or report:summarize information in a new way.3)Revise your rough draft to correct weaknesses in organization.improve transitions from point to point.drop unnecessary information.add important information you left out.eliminate wordiness.fix errors in grammar,spelling,and punctuation.4)Print your final copy and read it again to catch any glitches that you find.,
