| | | | | | determined on the basis of submitted abstracts), scientists should master the fundamentals of Abstract preparation. | | | | | | | | | When writing the Abstract, examine every word carefully. If you can tell your story in 100 words, do not use 200. Economically and scientifically, it doesn't make sense to waste words. The total communication system can afford only so much verbal abuse. Of more importance to you, the use of clear, significant words will impress the editors and reviewers (not to mention readers), whereas the use of abstruse, verbose constructions is very likely to provoke a check in the "reject" box on the review form. | | | | | | | | | In teaching courses in scientific writing, I sometimes tell a story designed to point up the essentials of good Abstract-writing. I tell my students to take down only the key points in the story, which of course is the key to writing good abstracts. | | | | | | | | | The story goes like this: One night a symphony orchestra was scheduled to play the famous Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Before the performance, the bass viol players happened to be chatting among themselves, and one of the bass players reminded the others that there is a long rest for the bass players toward the conclusion of Beethoven's Ninth. One bassist said, "Tonight, instead of sitting on the stage looking dumb all that time, why don't we sneak off the stage, go out the back door, go to the bar across the street, and belt down a few?" They all agreed. That night, when "rest" time came, they indeed snuck off the stage, went to the bar, and knocked back about four double scotches each. One bass player said, "Well, it's about time we headed back for the finale." Whereupon another bassist said, "Not to worry. After we decided to do this, I went up to the conductor's stand and, at the place in the conductor's score where our rest ends, I tied a bunch of string around his score. It will take him a few minutes to untie those knots. Let's have another.'' And they did. | | | | | | | | | At this point, I tell the students, "Now, this story has reached a very dramatic point. If you have put down the essentials, as you would in a good Abstract, here is what you should have: It's the last of the Ninth, the score is tied, and the basses are loaded." | | | | |
