Kunutu – Medical Manuscript Writing

An abstract can have two reasons why it needs to be written – to communicate a summary of a detailed piece of work, including research paper, journals, article, thesis, dissertation, etc. or to submit an application in order to write a paper for a particular meet or conference. In the field of medicine, you are constantly required to write research papers and therefore, you will also need to submit an abstract that is a summary of your work. It is quite difficult to incorporate all your work in a small summary with a limited word count. However, if you do it correctly, you can write an effective abstract that can serve the purpose well.

Key points to remember while writing your abstract:

• In one sentence, write the objective of your paper. You may be tempted to explain it further on and keep writing, but limit your writing to just one sentence that gives a clear idea of the objective of your paper.
• While writing the abstract, start in a chronological order and refer to the headlines of your topics for guidelines to write. Avoid unnecessary details since you have a limited word count and you must use it wisely if you want to create an impact.
• While determining the words used in the abstract, you must keep in mind that your abstract will be read by experts in the field. So you can use medical terminology freely to explain your concepts.
• Your content should flow and connect seamlessly. There should be no gaps in communication.
• Use active voice rather than passive voice
• The sentences in the abstract can be longer than usual and the word quality can be dense.
• Check the entire content for grammar and spelling mistakes before you submit it.

Writing an abstract can be an interesting task. Give it ample of time and thought to make it impactful.