1. Abstracts

2. Abstract A brief overview of the report’s contents
Most read section of a report
Offers readers a “first impression” of your work
Readers determine the report’s usefulness to them
Written last (usually)

3. Two Basic Types of Abstracts
Descriptive abstract
Informative abstract

4. Descriptive Abstracts
Provides the specialist with enough information to decide if she would benefit from reading the report
Gives an accurate indication of the subject matter and scope
May use technical language and jargon

5. Informative Abstracts
Provides administrator or executive with an overview of the project and the results it shows
Summarizes the results and conclusions in context by adding a bit of background
Contains terms understood by a general audience

6. Guidelines
Include enough specific information to satisfy the needs of a busy reader
Topic
Method
Budget
Results
Other??

7. Guidelines (con’t) Must be a self-contained unit
The abstract must accurately portray the report’s contents in order to be effective
“Report-in-miniature” (or a snapshot of the report’s contents)

8. Guidelines (con’t) Must be short Depends on the length of the paper
Rule of thumb words
Longer reports will require longer abstracts

9. Guidelines (con’t) Must be easy-to-read Grammatically correct
Each sentence must be purposeful
Be able to identify the function of each sentence
If you can’t identify a sentence’s purpose, consider revising
No tables or illustrations

10. Handout