Most readers decide whether to read — and later cite — your paper based on the abstract alone. Databases show it for free, reviewers form their first impression from it, and search engines index it. These 250 words deserve as much care as any section of the manuscript.
The backbone of a structured abstract — even without headings, keep this logical order.
Background, objective, methods, results and conclusion — in that order. In unstructured abstracts, keep the same logic without the headings.
Report effect sizes and confidence intervals, not only p-values — and the primary outcome always comes first.
Skip generic openers and state the specific gap your study fills.
Abstract and title are the fields PubMed and Google Scholar index most. Use the exact terms readers will search for (including MeSH terms).
Draft the abstract after the paper is finished, then remove every sentence that does not answer: why, how, what was found, what it means.
Most journals cap it at 250 words — ABCD follows this standard. Every sentence must earn its place.
No. The abstract must be self-contained: no citations, undefined abbreviations or data absent from the paper.
Vague results ('significant improvement') without numbers, and a textbook first sentence that does not state the gap the study fills.
Written by Francisco Tustumi, digestive system surgeon (FMUSP), associate editor of ABCD.
Desenvolvido por Surya MKT