How to write an abstract

July 2015
Writing an abstract
EAUN online tool

Introduction
The following educational tool is provided to assist you in the development
of your abstract, for submission to the European Association of Urological
Nurses (EAUN) annual meeting.
This tool will describe the key components of an abstract, offer practical suggestions
for optimising the key messages of your work, provide general advice on abstract
preparation and tips for increasing the likelihood of your abstract being accepted for
presentation.
If you are already an accomplished presenter then the guidelines will inform you about
the required “EAUN abstract format”. If you have never written an abstract for
conference previously, or if you feel unsure about the steps to take, then we hope the
tool will not only answer the practical questions that you may have, but will give you
confidence in composing and submitting your abstract.
We are delighted that you are making this abstract for submission and encourage you
not to underestimate the importance of sharing your work with your colleagues to
further the development of urological nursing.
Lawrence Drudge-Coates – EAUN Chair

European Association of Urology NursesEuropean Association of Urology Nurses
Learning objectives
On completion of this tool you will be able to:
• Demonstrate, stating clearly the purpose, rationale and scope of
the research project or clinical developments you are undertaking or
have completed.
• Be able to concisely describe the content and scope of the work
using the agreed abstract format.
This learning tool should be used in conjunction with the EAUN
abstract submission instructions at:
http://www.uroweb.org/nurses/eaun-annual-meetings/

• An abstract is a very concise statement of the key elements
of your research project or clinical development.
• It states the purpose, methods, and findings of your
research project or clinical development
• An abstract is a condensed version of a full scientific
paper/presentation.
What is an abstract?

• WHAT you did,
• WHY you did it,
• HOW you did it,
• WHAT you found, and
• WHAT it means.
Your abstract should describe
the following:

The following headings are the format for your abstract
submission:
•Introduction & Objectives
•Materials & Methods
•Results
•Conclusion
Abstract format

• Introduction & Objectives: The abstract should briefly state the
purpose, rationale and scope of your
research project/clinical development.
• Materials & Methods: How was the problem studied?
• Results: Present the principal findings.
• Conclusions: Why are your findings important and
what do you think they mean?
Abstract objectives

Introduction & Objectives
You should describe....
• What this project is about.
• Why this project is interesting or important.
(Elaborate upon the rationale)
• What the scope is of the project.
• What your hypothesis is, or objective of the research project/clinical
development. What did you think you were going to find?
• Whether your topic is newly discovered or has been ignored in the
past.

Methods & Materials
• What your approach was.
• Whether you used sampling, experimentation, best evidence,
consensus opinion, for example.
• The process you used (briefly).
• What sources you used.
• Whether the methods are new to your field.

Results
• What you found when you performed your experiment, your work.
• Your data and effects observed.
(Some information can be transmitted more efficiently in a graph.)
• If your project is not completed yet, what do you expect to find.

Conclusions
(Take home messages)
• What you think these results mean.
• Why your findings are of interest.
• What the implications are for future research/clinical development.
Importantly!!!
• Make your “Take home messages” clear.

Ranking system for EAUN
submissions
The reviewers will give rankings from 1 to 5 points
on the following 4 criteria:
1. Importance of the topic
2. Originality of the abstract
3. Quality of the abstract
4. Relevance to nursing

Why abstracts are not
accepted for presentation
Most common reasons:
•Poor presentation
•Spelling and grammatical errors
•Unclear abstract or unclear findings/conclusion
•Use of jargon, acronyms or technical terminology without explanation
•Written in passive voice
•Lack of relevance to conference submitted to
•Weak discussion
•Lack of originality
•Poor methods
•Inappropriate statistical analysis
•Inadequate results

Writing tips

Five C's of Essential Abstract
Writing
• Correct - you have read the instructions before submission.
• Complete - it covers the major parts of the project/case.
• Concise - it contains no excess wordiness or unnecessary information.
• Clear - it is readable, well organised, and not too jargon-laden.
• Cohesive - it flows smoothly between the parts.

Writing your sentences
• Your text should be written in the “Active voice” in preference
to the passive voice where possible. It’s okay to use first
person “We”.
Example
“We studied 15 patients post radical cystectomy” is much better
than “15 patients post radical cystectomy were studied”.

• In general, the past tense is correctly used for:
A) observations, B) for completed actions &
C) specific conclusions.
Examples:
A) “Inpatient stay was reduced by 35%”
B) “95% of patients underwent a nutritional assessment”
C) “Pre-operative nutritional assessment significantly
reduced inpatient stay”

• Use generic names for drugs and devices, unless the specific
brand is a key aspect of the study.
• Use numbers for numbers and only very well known abbreviations
e.g., ml, kg, MRI… If you must use other abbreviations, you must
explain the first time it appears.
Example
“RC” should be written as Radical Cystectomy, the first time it
appears.

Word use
• The abstract will have a word limit –make it count!
The size of an EAUN abstract is limited to 3,000 characters (this includes title, body of abstract,
spaces, tables and graphics). Every picture/graphic counts for 500 characters.
• American and British spellings can cause confusion.
The EAUN prefers British spelling, or at least consistency
• Look at shorter ways of saying the same thing.
Examples:
• Think of a half-dozen search phrases and keywords that people
looking for your work might use. Be sure that those exact phrases
appear in your abstract.
• Appears to be – seems
• Higher in comparison to – more than
• Was found to be – was

Title
• A good title will attract readers to your abstract – make it
interesting!
• It should be clear about the subject and focus of the abstract.
• It is most effective when it refers to the overall take home
message.
• It should begin with key words, not with a low-impact phrase
such as – “Effect of ...” or “Influence of ...”.

Example
Low impact phrase!
• “The effect of a nursing nutritional assessment on reducing
inpatient stay for radical cystectomy patients”
High impact phrase!
• “Nursing nutritional assessment reduces inpatient stay for
radical cystectomy patients”

Now!
• Revise your draft.
• Read the abstract aloud: How does it sound? How does it flow?
• Get your colleague to read it.
• Eliminate any unnecessary information.
• Edit, edit, edit.
• Check grammar, syntax and punctuation.

Prior to submission
Check you have:
• Followed the abstract submission instructions!!!!
• Included headings exactly as stated in the instructions/template.
• Used short, clear sentences; one idea per sentence.
• Limited your abstract to the word count/character count requirement.
Submit & Good luck!

Resources
• Pierson DJ (2004) How to write an abstract that will be accepted for presentation
at a national meeting. Respiratory Care;49(10):1206-1210.
• https://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/documents/betterauthor.pdf
• http://medicalwriter.blogspot.it/2008/10/how-to-write-abstract.html
• http://www.uri.ualberta.ca/en/URIPresents/How-
toseminars/~/media/uri/How_to_write_an_abstract_-_April_2013.pdf
Abstract examples
• http://rcmadrid2015.uroweb.org/
• http://www.aua2015.org/abstracts/

How to write an abstract

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