A good informative abstract acts as a surrogate for the work itself. That is, the writer presents and
explains all the main arguments and the important results and evidence in the complete paper. Even
though an abstract is quite brief, it must do almost as much work as the multi-page paper that follows it.
This means that it should, in most cases, include the following sections. Each section is typically a single
sentence, although there is room for creativity. The parts may be merged or spread among a set of
sentences. Use the following as a checklist for your next abstract:
- Motivation: Why do we care about the issue? This section should include the importance of your
work, the difficulty of the area, and the impact it might have if successful. For a conference
paper, you could, for example, refer to the topic of the panel for which you have written the
abstract.
- Problem statement: What is the main argument of your paper? Be careful not to use too much
jargon in respect to novice readers. In some cases, it is appropriate to put the problem
statement before the motivation, but usually this only works if most readers already understand
why the topic/ problem is important.
- Methodology: Describe your interpretative angle or the types of evidence used in your research.
Mention key concepts, key terms, names, and make clear which aspects you will focus on (SAS
procedures, statistical model, etc.).
- Results: What will you conclude? Foreshadow the outcome of your discussion. What is the point
of your paper? Avoid vague, hand-waving results such as “very,” “small,” or “significant.”
- Implications: What are the implications of your answer? How does this work add to the body of
knowledge on the topic?
Abstracts for SAS Global Forum should be 250 words or less and should not contain bullets due to the
limitations of the mobile app. It should also contain the following information:
- SAS Platform (9.4, Viya, Both, or neither)
- Job role the paper pertains too (i.e. statistician, programmer, educator, etc.)
- Level of knowledge (novice, intermediate, advanced)
- Primary SAS product (Base SAS, SAS Enterprise Miner, etc.)
- Industry (or cross-industry)
Remember, put the most important information first. Use the same language that is used in your paper,
including technical terms. Add keywords and phrases that quickly identify the content and focus of your
paper. Be clear, concise, and use powerful language.
Adapted from University of North Carolina handouts: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/abstracts.html
