文章的摘要十分關(guān)鍵，因為很多研究人員只讀摘要而不讀全文。
因此，摘要提供準確而詳盡的研究總結(jié)十分重要：它可以幫助研究人員了解你所開展的工作、你的研究目的和研究發(fā)現(xiàn)以及研究結(jié)果的益處和重要性。摘要必須能夠獨立成文，具備研究概要的功能，使人不看全文就能讀懂。在閱讀摘要后對文章細節(jié)感興趣的讀者自然會繼續(xù)閱讀全文。因此摘要不必太面面俱到，例如，可不必列舉方法細節(jié)。
盡管摘要是論文的第一部分，但事實上應(yīng)最后撰寫。在完成其他部分后應(yīng)盡快寫摘要，因為這些內(nèi)容依然清晰地印在你的腦海中，使你能夠?qū)ψ约旱墓ぷ鬟M行簡明而全面的總結(jié)，而不至于忽略任何重要的內(nèi)容。不同期刊對摘要的撰寫要求有所不同，因此應(yīng)參照目標雜志的《稿約》了解具體要求。盡管雜志要求不同，但依然存在一些普遍應(yīng)遵守的慣例：
應(yīng)注意對字數(shù)的限制
通常來講摘要的字數(shù)限制平均為250個詞，但許多雜志要求更短些(如《Nature》和《BBRC》對摘要的篇幅限制為150個字)，而許多雜志(如《BioMed Central》)允許摘要篇幅稍長些。這充分說明了為什么應(yīng)在寫文章之前確定目標雜志。
應(yīng)避免使用技術(shù)行話
從而使摘要更易懂，更具可讀性。不同目標期刊的“技術(shù)行話”取決于雜志的讀者情況(可以通過期刊網(wǎng)站查詢)。例如：“焦慮測試”一詞通常比“高架十字迷宮實驗”更容易理解，除非該雜志專門針對行為研究人員。通常摘要因受篇幅所限不能對技術(shù)術(shù)語進行定義和解釋。如果術(shù)語使用不可避免，應(yīng)在首次提到時用簡單的措辭加以定義。
盡量不使用縮略語
如同技術(shù)術(shù)語一樣，應(yīng)盡量不使用縮略語，其可用性也取決于不同的目標期刊。例如，大多數(shù)雜志接受HIV的使用。相比之下，RT-PCR對于分子生物學(xué)技術(shù)的雜志是可以接受的，但絕大多數(shù)雜志要求在首次使用時給出完整拼寫(reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction)。許多雜志在網(wǎng)頁上列出可使用的縮略語。反復(fù)使用三次或以上的必要的縮略語應(yīng)在首次使用時給出完整拼寫。只使用一次或兩次的縮略語應(yīng)使用全稱，除非這樣做超出了字數(shù)要求。摘要中已給出全稱的縮略語在正文中首次使用時也應(yīng)給出全稱。
不應(yīng)在摘要中引用文獻
盡管一些雜志允許在摘要中引用文獻，但絕大多數(shù)雜志不允許引用文獻。因此，除非你要投稿的雜志允許這樣做，否則不應(yīng)在摘要中引用文獻。
以下是BBRC雜志作者須知給出的指導(dǎo)性意見：
-- 摘要應(yīng)放在第2頁，即標題頁之后
-- 摘要應(yīng)采用一段式，總結(jié)文章的主要發(fā)現(xiàn)，篇幅不超過150字
-- 摘要后應(yīng)列出10個用于收錄和檢索的關(guān)鍵詞
一些雜志要求采用結(jié)構(gòu)式摘要，分為背景、目的、方法、結(jié)果和結(jié)論。臨床期刊可能要求額外或不同段落，如“patients”。因此，再次強調(diào)，在動筆之前應(yīng)查閱目標雜志的《稿約》，確定雜志的具體版式或格式要求。
選擇合適的關(guān)鍵詞
摘要后經(jīng)常需要列出由作者選擇的關(guān)鍵詞�！陡寮s》會指出要求列出多少個關(guān)鍵詞，甚至提供可供參考的關(guān)鍵詞清單。選擇合適的關(guān)鍵詞很重要，因為他們可作檢索之用。選擇合適的關(guān)鍵詞可以使你的文章更容易被發(fā)現(xiàn)和引用。因此，關(guān)鍵詞越切合你的文章內(nèi)容越好，應(yīng)避免選擇多數(shù)研究所適用的一般性術(shù)語。
實例：為這個題目選擇合適的關(guān)鍵詞：
“Region-specific neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration”
好的關(guān)鍵詞：okadoic acid、hippocampus、neuronal degeneration、MAP kinase signaling以及mouse (或是rat或其他實驗動物)。
差的關(guān)鍵詞：neuron、brain、OA (簡寫)、regional-specific neuronal degeneration以及signaling。這些詞過于籠統(tǒng)。
英文原文：
The snapshot: abstract and keywords
Your paper’s abstract is critical because many researchers will read that part only, rather than reading the entire paper. Therefore, it is critical that it provides an accurate and sufficiently detailed summary of your work so that those researchers can understand what you did, why you did it, what your findings are, and why your findings are useful and important. Your abstract must be able to stand alone, that is, to function as an overview of your study that can be understood without reading the entire text. Readers who become interested in learning more details than can be included in the abstract will inevitably proceed to the full text. Therefore, the abstract does not need to be overly detailed; for example, it does not need to include a detailed methods section.
Even though the abstract is one of the first parts of your paper, it should actually be written last. You should write it soon after finishing the other sections, while the rest of the manuscript is fresh in your mind, enabling you to write a concise but comprehensive summary of your study without overlooking anything important. Requirements for abstracts differ among journals, so the target journal’s instructions for authors should be consulted for specific details. Despite differences among journals, there are a few general rules that should be obeyed when writing an abstract:
-- The word limit should be observed; 250 words is probably about average and commonly adopted as a word limit for the abstract, but many journals request shorter abstracts (for example, Nature Articles and BBRC both have a 150-word limit) while many others (for example, BioMed Central journals) allow longer ones. This is one good reason why the target journal should be identified before you write your paper.
-- Technical jargon should be avoided so that the abstract is understandable for a broad readership, although what is considered “technical” may vary depending on the target journal’s audience (check the journal’s website for details of their readership). For example, “a test of anxiety” would generally be clearer than “elevated plus-maze test” in an abstract unless the journal was specifically targeted to behavioral researchers. Usually, there simply isn’t enough space in the abstract to define and explain technical terminology. If such terminology is unavoidable, it should be defined in simple terms where it is first used.
-- Like technical jargon, abbreviations should be limited as much as possible, although their acceptability may again depend on the target journal. For example, HIV is likely to be acceptable in abbreviated form by most journals. By contrast, RT-PCR might be considered acceptable by a journal reporting molecular biology techniques, but would it need to be spelt in full (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) in most journals at first use. Many journals provide a list of acceptable abbreviations on their websites. Necessary abbreviations used three or more times should be defined at first use; however, abbreviations used only once or twice should be spelled out in full unless doing so causes the word limit to be exceeded. Abbreviations that are defined in the abstract will need to be defined again at first use in the main text.
-- Although some journals do allow references to be cited in the abstract, the vast majority do not. Therefore, unless you plan to submit to a journal that allows it, you should not cite references in your abstract.
If we look at the instructions to authors for BBRC, we can see the following guidelines:
-- The Abstract should be on page 2, i.e., after the title page
-- The Abstract must be a single paragraph that summarizes the main findings of the paper in fewer than 150 words.
-- A list of up to 10 keywords useful for indexing or searching should be included after the Abstract.
Some journals request structured abstracts divided into sections such as background, objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. Clinical journals may require additional or alternative sections, such as ‘patients’. Therefore, it is again necessary to check the target journal’s instructions for authors to determine the particular formatting/outline requirements prior to writing.
Abstracts are frequently followed by a list of keywords selected by the authors. The instructions for authors will state how many keywords are required and may even provide a list of recommended keywords. Choosing appropriate keywords is important, because these are used for indexing purposes. Well chosen keywords enable your manuscript to be more easily identified and cited. Thus, the keywords should be as specific to your manuscript as possible, and general terms, which could apply to an enormous number of studies, should be avoided.
Examples:
Let’s consider some appropriate keywords for the following title: “Region-specific neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration”.
Good keywords would be: okadaic acid, hippocampus, neuronal degeneration, MAP kinase signaling, and possibly mouse (or rat or whatever experimental animal was used).
Poor keywords would be: neuron, brain, OA (as an abbreviation), regional-specific neuronal degeneration, and signaling. These terms are simply too general.
如何撰寫世界一流論文 | 摘要與關(guān)鍵詞 |
|
收藏
分享
支持
反對
提升卡
置頂卡
沉默卡
喧囂卡
變色卡
千斤頂
照妖鏡
