Twelve tips on writing abstracts and titles: How to get people to use and cite your work

Written by David A. Cook

 

Abstract

The authors share 12 practical tips on creating effective titles and abstracts for a journal publication or conference presentation.

 

When crafting a title authors should:

 

(1) start thinking of the title from the start;

(2) brainstorm many key words, create permutations, and ask others for input;

(3) strive for an informative and indicative title;

(4) start the title with the most important words; and

(5) wait to finalize the title until the very end. When writing the abstract, authors should:

(6) wait until the end to write the abstract;

(7) copy and paste from main text as the starting point;

(8) start with a detailed structured format;

(9) describe what they did;

(10) describe what they found;

(11) highlight what readers can do with this information; and

(12) ensure that the abstract aligns with the full text and conforms to submission guidelines.

 

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