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OPHTHALMOLOGY BUSINESS 64 January 2015 by Lauren Lipuma EyeWorld Staff Writer 10 pearls for perfecting abstracts 7. Avoid needless background. When writing the purpose section, give a brief introduction but avoid a long discussion of the background. In total, the purpose should not be more than about 3 or 4 sentences, Dr. Hartnett said. "I think of the purpose as identifying the gap in knowledge, so it should not be a long para- graph about the disease or area it is addressing," she said. "If this can be done in 1 or 2 sentences, that is great." 8. Ensure sections are consistent with one another. The results and conclusions sections should ad- dress the gap in knowledge stated in the purpose section, Dr. Hartnett said. The methods section should then describe the experiments that yielded those results, includ- ing experimental controls. Results should include quantitative data and statistical information and analysis procedures. 9. Avoid overenthusiastic lan- guage. "I think it is important to be accurate and enthusiastic without using overenthusiastic adjectives," Dr. Hartnett said. The abstract pro- vides evidence, and conclusions may discuss the potential impact or what is needed as next steps, but overenthusiastic qualifiers of results tend to cause red flags, she said. 10. Don't overstate conclusions. "I conclude with the value of the findings and try not to overstate the effect of the results," Dr. Hartnett said. "For example, you don't want to say something like, 'Drug X should be tested in clinical trials for the prevention of diabet- ic retinopathy' when the abstract is about cell culture and there is nothing on animal work, toxicity, etc.," she said. "It doesn't mean that the work isn't important preclinical work, but the conclusions need to follow from the data." EW Editors' note: Dr. Hartnett and Ms. Beiting have no financial interests related to their comments. Contact information Beiting: jan@wordsmithconsulting.com Hartnett: me.hartnett@hsc.utah.edu 3. Use the writing process to structure your thinking. Some investigators put off writing an ab- stract until the study is completed, slides are finished, and a full paper is written, but this isn't necessary, Ms. Beiting said. The abstract writing process can structure your thinking and provide the foundation for cre- ating slides or writing a full-length paper. Writing an outline of the study or abstract beforehand is help- ful in this process, Dr. Hartnett said. 4. Address trending topics. "It is important to consider not only your own interests and area of expertise, but what the 'hot topics' for the up- coming conference are likely to be," Ms. Beiting said. "If your abstract is 'off topic' or on a dated or esoter- ic issue, it might not get accepted because it doesn't fit into any of the planned paper sessions." Sessions on trending topics will be better attend- ed and likely to have strong modera- tors and panelists, so they will likely offer better exposure for your efforts, she added. 5. Write the abstract to the audience. Whether it is based on basic science, preclinical or clinical research, tailor the abstract to the particular scientific audience. Make sure the type of research is clear- ly defined and check the specific guidelines that you need to follow. "Be sure to follow the recommend- ed guidelines of the journal, i.e., whether the abstract should follow a structure (purpose, methods, results, conclusions) or be a narrative," Dr. Hartnett said. "Every organization has slightly different abstract guidelines," Ms. Beiting said. "Be sure to note what they are so you aren't disqualifying yourself on technicalities or deleting your hard work at the last minute because your abstract is much too long." 6. Address the gap in knowledge. "It is important to set the stage given the particular audience as to why your study is important—what gap in understanding it addresses," Dr. Hartnett said. Clearly address this gap in the first sentence of the purpose section to maximize the impact of the abstract and keep the reader interested. Dr. Hartnett and Ms. Beiting offered for writing successful abstracts. 1. Write! The biggest mistake inves- tigators make is not submitting an abstract at all, Ms. Beiting said. Be- ing chosen as a speaker is completely dependent upon writing a successful abstract, so the best way to increase your visibility as a speaker and a key opinion leader is to submit abstracts to academic meetings, she said. It's important to put abstract deadlines on your calendar early, she added, and to give thought to what you'd like to present well before the deadline. 2. Be clear and concise. Clarity and accuracy are incredibly important when writing abstracts. In general, use short sentences to convey one thought, Dr. Hartnett said, and avoid using acronyms. Scientific abstracts tend to become complex and difficult to understand when too many acronyms are present, and as a result, readers will quickly lose interest, she said. Achieve maximum impact with these tips from experts W hether it's for a jour- nal submission or a presentation at an academic meeting, abstract writing is a critical skill to master. An abstract provides the opportunity to convey the importance of a research study succinctly, accurately, and clearly, said Mary Elizabeth Hartnett, MD, FACS, professor of ophthalmology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City. It is often not only the first thing someone reads regarding your study, but also may be the only thing that person reads, she said. "Writing an abstract is the first step to getting a paper accepted and increasing one's visibility as a speak- er," said Jan Beiting, principal at Wordsmith Consulting, Cary, N.C. "It's a step you can take that you have control over, unlike invited lectures." Here are the top 10 pearls digital.ophthalmologybusiness.org

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