Skills in writing articles, nowadays are increasingly needed. A researcher is not only required to be able to produce novelty in research activities but also needs skills to convey research results in written form. Although the research results have important benefits for the world of science, if the research results do not reach the intended users, the delivery of the research results can be hampered.
On this occasion, we will discuss how to write scientific articles well. Given the breadth of this topic, I will focus on discussing how to write a scientific article abstract well. Why is the abstract an important component to which we need to pay close attention? Abstracts are part of scientific articles which are generally read after someone reads the title of the scientific article.
By reading abstracts, paper readers will save time. Is the article you are reading according to expectations? Or the reader must switch to another article because it turns out that the information they are looking for is not found in that article. So, how do you write an abstract article well?
Abstracts of scientific articles can be found on the first page of a scientific article. Abstracts of scientific articles in technical writing are slightly different from writing a summary of thesis/thesis/dissertation, although they are similar in terms of meaning. There are no standard rules in writing abstracts that strictly standardize the components that must exist in the abstract. However, abstracts are generally written in a single space with 200-250 words. Five components are generally found in scientific articles published in reputable scientific journals both nationally and globally. Let’s explore one by one.
1. Background
The main background of the research becomes an interesting thing to convey in the abstract. Although, not all journal publishers that contain scientific articles ask to be written. Some publishers directly request that the abstract of scientific articles begin with delivering the research objectives. Apart from this, providing background can be an important scientific article.
Please select important sentences which are effective. The background can reveal why the research is important to do. In the background, a justification can be given for why this research was finally chosen to be conducted.
2. Research Objective
Research objectives are generally always asked to be written in the abstract of scientific articles. In research, the delivery of research objectives must be conveyed in the abstract of scientific articles. Please state your research objectives clearly in the abstract you are writing.
Writing the research objectives in the abstract will help the reader immediately know the research objectives. A research objective is a tool for evaluating research results. Are the results and conclusions able to answer the objectives or not? The research objectives written in the abstract will also describe the selection of the selected analytical tools.
3. Research Methods
The research method also needs to be written in the abstract. It is not necessary for us to convey the research methods in detail, just an outline of the research methods chosen in the study. For example, in research in economics, it is necessary to convey the method of data collection, whether sourced from primary data, secondary data, or other data sources. If taking primary data, it is also necessary to convey the sampling method, time and location of the research.
The data analysis method becomes the next part that needs to be conveyed in the abstract. For example, the data were analyzed using multiple linear regression using the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method or the simultaneous equation model using the Two-Stage Least Square (2SLS) method. The software used for the analysis also needs to be submitted up to the version used, for example, SAS/ETS 9.4 software.
4. Research Result
The research results are the essence of the written abstract. What novelty has resulted from the research whose results are written in this scientific article? That’s rough if we are in the position of the reader of the article. Choose the core of the research results that answer the research objectives that have been conveyed earlier. Remember, the number of words limits the abstract, so we are required to be wise in choosing which research results to write in the abstract of scientific articles.
If the reader needs more complete research results, the reader can continue reading in more detail on the results and discussion. So once again, the research results are the core that needs to be conveyed effectively in the abstract.
5. Conclusion
Finally, the reader would want to know the conclusions of the research results. So, help the reader by writing the conclusion of our research in the abstract. The conclusions presented must be able to answer the research objectives.
Based on the five components discussed, it is possible to abstract it even better. Maybe we can use only four components in writing an abstract. Once again, the publishers of the journals that publish our scientific articles have guidelines that we need to obey, so we need to be wise in applying tips on how to write good scientific article abstracts.
