1. Writing the Abstract
RWJF | GRC | CAPS

2. What you need to say:
• Motivation
Problem
• Approach
• Results
• Conclusions

3. Motivation
Why should we care?

4. Problem
Why aren’t things working right now?

5. Approach
What have you done to
resolve the problem?

6. Results
...so how did that all
work out?

7. Conclusions
What do your findings
mean for everyone?

8. A Good Abstract
• Should leave the reader with a clear understanding of the
motivation, problem, approach, results, and conclusion of
the research
Should be easily understandable and organized
• Should take no more than a minute or two to understand.

9. The catch
Do it in as few words as
humanly possible.

10. Practice
Elevator Pitch: Can you
sum up your research in
the time it takes an
elevator to get to the
third floor?

11. Tips
• Avoid unnecessary words.
• “However, the swift
brown fox nevertheless
jumped over the lazy dog”

12. Mistakes people make
Too long: Way beyond the word
limit. It’s there for a reason - people
are much more likely to learn about
your research if you can describe it
simply and succinctly.

13. Mistakes people make
Too much detail: You’re writing a
whole paper/poster too. There are
other venues to get into the nitty
gritty. Stick to the broad themes,
and mention only one or two
specific results.

14. Mistakes people make
Too short: Don’t go too far
overboard in making it
succinct. You still need to
cast your findings in the
broader field.

15. Mistakes people make
Leaving out important
information - An abstract must
give a clear indication of what is in
the paper.