ABSTRACT
Nearly all original research papers have an abstract – a brief summary of the paper. It is the basis on which readers decide for or against reading the whole paper.
❐ Polish the abstract until it is just right Th e abstract is usually the fi rst part of a paper that editors and reviewers read. It is also the fi rst, and sometimes the only, part of your paper that will be read by other scientists and clinicians. To some readers, it may be the only available information about the study. Indeed, healthcare decisions may be based on the abstract alone. If the abstract is not clear, concise and informative, readers may not feel inclined to look any further into your paper. Th erefore it pays to spend some time getting the abstract right – a wellwritten abstract may help get your paper published.
