RHETORICAL FUNCTIONS IN ACADEMIC
WRITING
WRITING
THE ABSTRACT
Learning outcomes
Identify the purpose of an abstract to a report.
Identify elements in an abstract.
Identifying the elements.
Writing an abstract.
RECAP/OVERVIEW
Reports generally include these
sections in this order:
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
ABSTRACT
First section of the report.
Comes after the title and before the introduction. In some
subject areas, this section may be titled “Summary".
Provides an overview of the study based on information
from the other sections of the report.
Reader can read to obtain enough information about the
study to decide if they want to read the complete report.
As it contains elements from the whole report, it is
usually written last.
Types Of Abstracts
There are two types of abstracts: Informational and
Descriptive.
Informational Abstracts
communicate contents of reports
include purpose, methods, scope, results, conclusions, and
recommendations
highlight essential points
are short—from a paragraph to a page or two, depending
upon the length of the report (10% or less of the report)
allow readers to decide whether they want to read the
report
Types Of Abstracts
Descriptive Abstracts
tell what the report contains
include purpose, methods, scope, but NOT
results, conclusions, and recommendations
are always very short— usually under 100
words
introduce subject to readers, who must then
read the report to learn study results
To conclude
Abstract
Always comes first
Microcosm of entire paper – contains key info from each
section (Weissberg & Buker, 1990, p. 186):
some background information
Research problem
the principal activity (or purpose) of the study and its scope
some information about the methodology used in the study
the most important results of the study
a statement of conclusion or recommendation
Qualities Of A Good Abstract
An effective abstract
uses one or more well-developed paragraphs, which are
unified, coherent, concise, and able to stand alone
uses an introduction-body-conclusion structure in which the
parts of the report are discussed in order: purpose, findings,
conclusions, recommendations
follows strictly the chronology of the report
provides logical connections between material included
adds no new information but simply summarizes the report
is intelligible to a wide audience
Steps For Writing Effective Report
Abstracts
The Four Steps
To write an effective report abstract, follow
these four steps:
Reread your report.
Write a rough draft
Revise your rough draft
Carefully proofread your final copy
1. Reread your report.
Reread your report with the purpose of
abstracting in mind. Look specifically for
these main parts:
Background information
Research problem
Purpose
Methods
Results
Conclusions and recommendations.
2. Write a rough draft
After you have finished rereading your report,
write a rough draft WITHOUT LOOKING
BACK AT YOUR REPORT.
Consider the main parts of the abstract listed in
step #1.
Do not merely copy key sentences from your
report. You will put in too much or too little
information.
Do not summarize information in a new way.
3. Revise your rough draft
Revise your rough draft to :
correct weaknesses in organization and
coherence,
drop superfluous information,
add important information originally left out,
eliminate wordiness, and
correct errors in grammar and mechanics.
4. Carefully proofread your final
copy
CONCLUSION
PRINCIPAL RESULTS
METHOD
BACKGROUND
RESEARCH
ACTIVITY(PURPOSE)
INFORMATION
PROBLEM
Abstract Example
Construction sites are major contributors to nonpoint
source (NPS) pollution. However, a lack of personnel to
enforce erosion control regulations and limited voluntary
compliance means that few developers apply effective
erosion control. New approaches are needed to increase
erosion control on construction sites if this source of NPS
pollution is to be significantly reduced. This study tests
whether an economic advantage exists for developers who
use vegetative cover for erosion control, independent of
advantages gained in addressing environmental or
regulatory concerns. Improving residential lot appearance
from muddy brown to green grass may increase the appeal
of the lot to buyers. A market survey shows that
homebuyers and realtors perceive vegetated lots to be
worth more than unvegetated lots, and this increased value
exceeds the cost of seeding. Thus, developers can now be
encouraged to invest in vegetative cover because of the
potentially high return on the investment.
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, January, 2000 by Bennett, K.; Harbor, J.; Herzog, M.; Law, J.; McClintock, K.
TUTORIAL
EXERCISE
REFERENCE
Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press
Abdul Majid, N., Md Yusoff, A.A., Abdullah, T. Marzuki, S., Md Salleh,
z., Muhammad, F., Abd Hamid, S.A., Kahar, R. (2007) Academic Report
Writing: From Research to Presentation. Selangor: Pearson Malaysia Sdn.
Bhd. Pp. 40-57.
Leonhard, B.H. (2002) Discoveries in Academic Writing. Singapore:
Heinle & Heinle. Pp. 1-10.
Halligan, N. (2004). A short course on writing technical reports.
Technical Writing. Retrieved June 9, 2005 from http://www.technical-
writing-course.com/type-of-technical-report.html
Asian Institute of Technology Language Center. (2003). Writing Up
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