This document provides guidance on writing abstracts and keywords for research papers. It discusses including a background, methods, results, and conclusion section in the abstract. The abstract should be a short, plain paragraph that lists the core findings and main points of the paper. It should stand alone without needing the full paper for context. Technical abbreviations should be defined and references and excessive details generally avoided. Keywords should represent major concepts and be selected from an approved medical index.

1. Abstract
Tarek Tawfik Amin
Professor of Epidemiology
Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt
email: amin55@myway.com
orcid.org/0000-0003-2502-110X
Scopus ID: Author ID: 23007746000
ResearcherID: E-6189-2012

2. Abstract [stand alone section]
The mirror of your paper
Reason to read
Reason to cite
• General rules
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3. Statement of:
- The question asked (present verb tense)
- What was done to answer the question (past verb tense) (Research
design, population studied, independent and dependent or
the outcome variables)
- Findings that answer the question (past verb tense) (Most
important results and evidence (data) presented in a logical
order).
- The answer to the question (present verb tense)
If useful, and where word limit allows, include:
- One or two sentences of background information (placed at the
beginning)
- An implication or a speculation based on the answer (present
verb tense, placed at the end)
Abstract details: (contents)
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4. Skeleton
1–Simple Abstract
• One Paragraph: “We did. We saw. We
concluded.”
Skeleton
2–Abstract with Subsections
A. One or Two Sentence BACKGROUND
B. Two or Three Sentence METHODS
C. Less Than Ten Sentence RESULTS
D. One Sentence CONCLUSION 9/27/201534 Professor Tarek Tawfik Amin

5. • Write your Abstract in complete
sentences, and don’t use technical
abbreviations without their definitions.
• It is unusual to cite references in an
Abstract.
• Try to write a lean Abstract.
The Abstract should be bare—a short, plain
paragraph listing your core findings and
stating the one or two main points of your
paper. 9/27/201535 Professor Tarek Tawfik Amin

6. • For the given papers check the structure of
their abstract and keywords
Group work
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7. Abstract: additional guidance
1. Must be (Stand Alone).
2. Clear accurate recapitulation of manuscript. (Zeiger, 1991).
3. Must not contain data which are not included in the
results.
4. One or two paragraphs flow and not collection of
disjointed sentences.
5. Words should be simple, jargon avoided and
abbreviations omitted except for standard units of
measurement and statistical terms.
6. Excessive detail (long lists of variables), large
amounts of data or an excessive number of (p)
values is not acceptable.
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8. Key Words
o Most journals require the author to identify three
or four key words which represent the major
concept of the paper.
o These are used for indexing purposes and must be
selected from the Index Medicus Medical Subject
Headings (MeSH).
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