Table 3.

Checklist/useful tips for formulating a good abstract for a research paper

The abstract should have simple language and phrases (rather than sentences)

It should be informative, cohesive, and adhering to the structure (subheadings) provided by the target journal. Structured abstracts are preferred over unstructured abstracts

It should be independent and stand-alone/complete

It should be concise, interesting, unbiased, honest, balanced, and precise

It should not be misleading or misrepresentative; it should be consistent with the main text of the paper (especially after a revision is made)

It should utilize the full word capacity allowed by the journal so that most of the actual scientific facts of the main paper are represented in the abstract

It should include the key message prominently

It should adhere to the style and the word count specified by the target journal (usually about 250 words)

It should avoid nonstandard abbreviations and (if possible) avoid a passive voice

Authors should list appropriate “keywords” below the abstract (keywords are used for indexing purpose)