This PowerPoint presentation aims to assist individuals in creating impactful abstracts by providing them with a step-by-step guide. Whether you are a researcher, academic, or professional in any field, abstracts are essential in summarizing the essence of your work in a concise and persuasive manner.

1. How to Develop an
Abstract
Akash Roy
1
©Akash Roy

2. What is an Abstract?
 Abstracts are concise summaries of presentations, workshops, or posters.
 They help readers quickly grasp the main content and relevance of the work.
 Abstracts enable individuals to decide whether to engage further with the complete
presentation.
 They are typically brief and informative, often subject to word limits.
 Abstracts aim to attract potential attendees by being captivating and informative.

3. Preparing to write an abstract…
 Clarify presentation objectives:
Identify what you want to present and why it is relevant to the conference audience.
 Evaluate relevance:
Assess whether your topic aligns with the conference's focus, and if it is timely, strategic, and significant.
 Consider suitability:
Determine whether the conference is an appropriate platform for your content and if it fits both the audience and your goals.
 Theme alignment:
Ensure that your topic relates to the conference theme, if applicable, as it may influence abstract selection.
 Manage deadlines:
Note the abstract submission deadline and plan preparation timelines to avoid last-minute rushes and allow for editorial feedback if needed.

4. Criteria of an Abstract
 Introduction (3 sentences): -
1. What is the research question?
2. Explain why investigating this question is important.
 Methodology/Theoretical Framework (3 sentences): -
 The research is conducted utilizing [describe the methodology or theoretical framework being employed].
 Results (Actual, Preliminary, Expected) (3 sentences): -
a. What do the results of your studies suggest? [summary of findings]
b. What are the implications?
c. What will you do in the future? [mention future actions or research directions]
 Significance (2 sentences)
a. Elaborate on the significance of the findings. [importance or impact of the results in 1-2 sentences]
b. Additionally, a brief description of Table 1 is provided, illustrating [brief description of the table or figure].
Why did you start?
What did you do?
What did you find?
What does it mean?

5. Breakdown part by part:
1. Title:
• It should convey as much as possible about the context and aims of the
study.
• In general, it is preferable to make the title a description of what was
investigated rather than to state the results or conclusions.
• The abstract’s title should be easy for readers everywhere to understand.
• Using clever wordplay may catch people's attention at first, but they can
end up making the main topic seem unimportant in the long run.

6. 2. Authors:
• Author lists are rough rank orders of the relative contributions of the
persons named, with the exception that the senior author (the mentor) is
often listed last.
• In general, the author listed first is the person who conceived the study and
did most of the creative work on the project.
• Full names and formal credentials should be used rather than nicknames or
job titles.

7. 3. Introduction or Background:
• Clearly state the aim of the study and include a concise statement of the
hypothesis.
• Use hypotheses to guide scientific study towards truth, avoiding bias and
preference.
• A hypothesis, like whether device D is better or not, keeps researchers
unbiased and focused on facts, not preferences.

8. 4. Methods:
• Reviewers and editors often reject manuscripts due to deficiencies in this
section.
• In abstracts, methods must be concise, but readers should still understand
the study's design, context, and inclusion criteria.
• It's important to specify if a study involving human subjects was
retrospective or prospective, and if randomization was used.
• Abstracts should offer a clear summary of the study's methodology for
readers to grasp its approach and scope.

9. 5. Results
• Abstracts should clearly communicate the study's findings. Vague
statements like "The findings will be presented" are inadequate.
• It's crucial to provide the main results, including real data, not just
subjective assessments. Even if no statistically significant differences were
found, results related to the study's hypothesis and primary endpoints
should be included.
• A table or figure may be included in the abstract if it conveys the findings
of the study more effectively than text alone.

10. 6. Conclusion or Discussion
• The conclusions section should explain why the study's findings matter.
• Don't exaggerate the importance of the data; keep conclusions realistic.
• Make sure conclusions are backed by the study's results.
• Don't stretch conclusions beyond the study's limits, like specific patient
groups or treatment conditions.

11. Example 1: Effectiveness of Rehabilitation Interventions on Functional
Recovery in Stroke Survivors
Example 2: Nonparametric Behrens-Fisher Problem with Dependent Replicates
Idea Courtesy: Dr. Beall

12. First Draft: Example 1
Introduction: Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability
worldwide, and rehabilitation interventions play a crucial role in
improving functional outcomes for stroke survivors. However, there is
a need to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of various
rehabilitation strategies to inform clinical practice and optimize
patient outcomes.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to
examine the impact of rehabilitation interventions on functional
outcomes in stroke survivors. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and
Embase databases were searched for relevant studies published
between 2010 and 2020. Functional outcomes assessed using
standardized measures such as the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS),
Barthel Index, and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) were
considered as primary outcomes.
Lacks explicit
mentions of the gap
in current
knowledge or
specific focus of
the review
the search strategy
lacks detail,
including specific
keywords and
terms used

13. First Draft: Example 1 Continuation…
Results: A total of 50 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in
the meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated a significant improvement in
functional outcomes following rehabilitation interventions compared to
control conditions (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that
multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs were associated with the greatest
improvements in functional independence, followed by occupational therapy
and physical therapy. However, no significant difference was found in the
effectiveness of speech therapy compared to control conditions.
Discussion: The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis
highlight the positive impact of rehabilitation interventions on functional
outcomes in stroke survivors. Multidisciplinary approaches appear to be
particularly effective in enhancing functional independence post-stroke.
The results section
presents the main
findings of the meta-
analysis concisely but
lacks specific details
on effect sizes or
confidence intervals
more context on the
clinical relevance
and potential
limitations of the
study

14. Reconstructed: Example 1
Title: Effectiveness of Rehabilitation Interventions on Functional Outcomes in Stroke Survivors
Introduction: Stroke-induced disabilities pose significant challenges to the quality of life for survivors worldwide,
necessitating effective rehabilitation interventions. Despite their importance, there remains a need to systematically
evaluate the efficacy of various rehabilitation strategies in optimizing functional outcomes among stroke survivors.
Methods: We conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the impact of rehabilitation
interventions on functional outcomes in stroke survivors. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were
systematically searched for relevant studies published between 2010 and 2020. Studies investigating the effects of
rehabilitation interventions, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and multidisciplinary
rehabilitation programs, were included. Functional outcomes, measured through standardized scales such as the
Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Barthel Index, and Functional Independence Measure (FIM), were considered as
primary endpoints.

15. Reconstructed: Example 1 Continuation…
Results: Fifty studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Our findings demonstrated a
significant improvement in functional outcomes following rehabilitation interventions compared to control
conditions (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs yielded the most
substantial enhancements in functional independence, followed by occupational therapy and physical therapy.
However, speech therapy did not show a significant difference compared to control conditions.
Table 1: Summary of Included Studies and Key Findings
Discussion: Our systematic review and meta-analysis underscore the positive impact of rehabilitation interventions on
functional outcomes in stroke survivors. Specifically, multidisciplinary approaches demonstrate superior effectiveness in
enhancing post-stroke functional independence. However, further research is warranted to elucidate the optimal timing,
intensity, and duration of rehabilitation interventions to maximize their benefits for stroke survivors, thus informing clinical
practice and enhancing patient outcomes.
Study
Rehabilitation
Intervention
Functional Outcome
Measure Effect Size (95% CI)
Study 1 Multidisciplinary Barthel Index 0.72 (0.60-0.84)
Study 2 Physical therapy
Functional Independence
Measure
0.55 (0.40-0.70)
Study 3 Occupational therapy Modified Rankin Scale 0.68 (0.50-0.86)
Study 4 Speech therapy Barthel Index 0.12 (-0.05-0.29)

16. Draft: Example 2
Introduction: Statistical comparison of two independent groups is one of the most frequently occurring
inference problems in scientific research. Most of the existing methods available in the literature are not
applicable when measurements are taken with dependent replicates, for example when visual acuity or
any blood parameters of mice sharing the same cage are measured. In all these scenarios the replicates
should neither be assumed to be independent nor be observations coming from different subjects.
Furthermore, using a summary measure of the replicates as a single observation would decrease precision
of the effect estimates and thus decrease the powers of the test procedures. Thus, there is a need for
purely nonparametric flexible methods that can be used for analyzing such data in a unified way.
Ranking procedures are known to be a robust and powerful statistical analysis tool for which parametric
distributional assumptions are doubtful.
Methods: So, a solution is proposed for these two sample problems with correlated replicates. The results
achieved in our work generalize the ideas on previous attempts for testing the rather strict hypothesis H0:
F1 = F2 or even for testing H0: p = ½. In comparison to the existing pioneering works, differently
weighted estimators of the treatment effect p as well as unbiased variance estimators will be proposed in
the current work. Therefore, it is of major interest to estimate the treatment effect and to test whether
there is any significant difference between these two groups along with the computation of a confidence
interval.
Too large
"purely nonparametric
flexible methods" may
need further clarification
or examples for better
understanding.
should specify why
parametric distributional
assumptions are doubtful
and how ranking
procedures address this
issue.
Clarification needed by
explaining the rationale
behind using differently
weighted estimators and
how they improve upon
existing methods.

17. Draft: Example 2 Continuation…
Results: Weighted as well as unweighted versions of the estimators of the treatment effects
are investigated and their asymptotic distributions are derived in a closed form. Furthermore,
major attention will be given to the accuracy of the tests in terms of controlling the nominal
type-I error level as well as their powers when sample size are rather small. Here, it will be
shown that the distributions of the tests can be approximated using t-distributions with
approximated Satterthwaite-Welch degrees of freedom.
Discussion: Application of this method is extensively shown in two different toxicological
studies involving small sample sizes and different numbers of dependent replicates per unit.
could be clearer if it
specifies what is meant
by "weighted" and
"unweighted" versions
and how they differ in
terms of practical
application.
needs further explanation
to clarify how the
proposed method aligns
with the Brunner-Munzel
test.
could be improved by
providing a summary of the
findings or insights gained
from these applications.

18. Timeline
Requirements
1-2 days
Review the guidelines provided
by the conference, journal, or
instructor to understand the
specific requirements for the
abstract.
Key Points
2-3 days
Review your research or project
to identify the main objectives,
methods, results, and
conclusions.
•Highlight the most significant
findings or contributions of your
work.
Draft
3-5 days
Begin drafting the abstract by
summarizing each key aspect of
your research or project.
•Ensure that the abstract is
concise, clear, and coherent,
with a logical flow of information.
Feedback
1-2 days
Share your draft abstract with
colleagues, mentors, or peers
for feedback.
•Incorporate their suggestions
for improvement, focusing on
clarity, relevance, and impact.
Revise & Finalize
2-3 days
Revise the abstract based on
the feedback received, paying
attention to language, grammar,
and formatting.
Submission
1 day before
deadline
Submit the finalized abstract
before the deadline, following
the submission instructions
provided by the conference,
journal, or instructor.

19. Summary
• Seed of Idea: Like a seed, the research begins with an idea or question.
• Germination of Concept: The abstract takes shape as the idea develops.
• Rooting in Literature: It establishes its foundation by reviewing relevant literature.
• Stemming Structure: The abstract outlines methodology, theory, and outcomes.
• Leafing Out Results: Results emerge, enriching the abstract.
• Flowering Conclusion: It reaches full form with conclusions and future directions.
• The fruition of Impact: Finally, it conveys significance and impact.
©Akash Roy ©Akash Roy

20. Thank you!
Happy Writing
Akash Roy
royak@musc.edu
©Akash Roy ©Akash Roy