English for Writing Research Papers

12  Abstracts ..................................................................................................  177
  12.1  What is an abstract? How long should it be? # ............................  179
  12.2  When should I write the Abstract? ...............................................  179
  12.3  How should I structure my Abstract? # .......................................  180
  12.4  Formal, natural and applied sciences.  
How should I structure my abstract? How much  
background information? .............................................................  180
  12.5  Social and behavioral sciences. How should I structure  
my abstract? How much background information? .....................  181
  12.6  I am a historian. We don’t necessarily get ‘results’  
or follow a specific methodology. What should I do? .................  182

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Contents
  12.7  I am writing a review. How should I structure  
my Abstract? ................................................................................  183
  12.8  How should I begin my Abstract? ................................................  184
  12.9  What style should I use: personal or impersonal? .......................  185
12.10  What tenses should I use? ............................................................  186
12.11  How do I write a structured abstract? ..........................................  187
12.12  How do I write an abstract for a conference? ..............................  188
12.13  How do I write an abstract for a work in progress  
that will be presented at a conference? ........................................  189
12.14  How should I select my key words? How often should  
I repeat them? ...............................................................................  190
12.15  Should I mention any limitations in my research? .......................  190
12.16  What should I not mention in my Abstract? ................................  191
12.17  How can I ensure that my Abstract has maximum impact? .........  191
12.18  What are some of the typical characteristics  
of poor abstracts? # ......................................................................  191
12.19  Summary: How can I assess the quality of my Abstract? # .........  193