学术写作：如何写“摘要”
Academic writing: How to Write the ABSTRACT
刘立军 供稿
QUESTIONS
Listen to the lecture and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
1. Which of the following statements about an abstract is true according to the text?
A. It should be at least 500 words.
B. It typically contains two parts.
C. It’s the most detailed section of a research paper.
D. It can be thought of as a miniature version of the research paper.
2. What does the second part of an abstract focus on in a literature review, as stated in the passage?
A. The number of experiments performed.
B. A description of how the review was conducted and what sources were used.
C. A take-home message of the overall findings.
D. The question that the research is designed to answer.
3. According to the passage, what dictates the amount of detail provided in an abstract?
A. The writing style of the author.
B. The word limit set by APA style.
C. The type of research being written about.
D. The preference of the reader.
4. Why does the text suggest to divide the process of writing an abstract into four parts?
A. To ensure no important information is omitted.
B. To exceed the 250-word limit imposed by APA style.
C. To make it easier for the readers to understand.
D. It’s a mandatory rule in all research papers.
5. In which circumstance might one provide more specific details in an abstract according to the passage?
A. When the research uses a survey study method.
B. When the research involves a reaction time experiment.
C. When the research has many broad implications.
D. When the research purpose is very general.
TRANSCRIPT
The abstract is a one paragraph summary of your research paper. It provides the reader with an overview of what your paper is going to be about. You can think of it as a miniature version of your paper.
overview n. 概述
miniature adj. 微型的，小规模的
Abstracts have four parts. Each part is generally covered by one to two sentences. Part one, introduction. This describes the overall purpose of the research, such as a question that the research is designed to answer. Part two, methods. In an empirical research, meaning research in which an experiment was conducted, this should include how many experiments were performed, what exactly occurred in these experiments, and who participated in the experiments. For literature reviews, this should include a description of how the review was conducted, as well as what sources were used. Part three, results. This should include a summary of what was found. Part four, conclusions. This usually includes a take-home message of the overall findings. It may also include any broader implications.
take-home message 从…中了解到的主要信息
So, how do you write an abstract? Here’s one approach. Divide up the process into all four parts. Write one to two sentences for each, then combine it into one full paragraph. And with that, you have your abstract. APA style abstracts are typically not longer than 250 words. Sometimes they’re even shorter, so you should try to write as concisely as possible. The amount of detail you should include depends on the type of research that you are writing about. For example, if you’re writing about a survey study, you might want to keep things a little more general. While if you’re writing about a reaction time experiment, you might want to make things a little bit more specific.
Thanks for watching. If you have any questions, please comment below. And for more on research papers, please visit the UCSD psychology website.
KEY
1. Which of the following statements about an abstract is true according to the text?
A. It should be at least 500 words.
B. It typically contains two parts.
C. It’s the most detailed section of a research paper.
D. It can be thought of as a miniature version of the research paper.
【答案】D
【解析】细节题。命题出处在文本的 “It provides the reader with an overview of what your paper is going to be about. You can think of it as a miniature version of your paper.”根据这个句子，我们可以得知摘要可以被看作是论文的迷你版。
2. What does the second part of an abstract focus on in a literature review, as stated in the passage?
A. The number of experiments performed.
B. A description of how the review was conducted and what sources were used.
C. A take-home message of the overall findings.
D. The question that the research is designed to answer.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。命题出处在文本的“Part two, methods... For literature reviews, this should include a description of how the review was conducted, as well as what sources were used.”对于文献回顾，摘要的第二部分应包括描述是如何进行回顾的以及使用了哪些来源。
3. According to the passage, what dictates the amount of detail provided in an abstract?
A. The writing style of the author.
B. The word limit set by APA style.
C. The type of research being written about.
D. The preference of the reader.
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。命题出处在文本的 “The amount of detail you should include depends on the type of research that you are writing about...”根据这句话，摘要中应包含的细节量取决于你正在写作的研究的类型。
4. Why does the text suggest to divide the process of writing an abstract into four parts?
A. To ensure no important information is omitted.
B. To exceed the 250-word limit imposed by APA style.
C. To make it easier for the readers to understand.
D. It’s a mandatory rule in all research papers.
【答案】A
【解析】推理题。命题出处在整个文本。根据文本的内容，我们可以推断出，将写摘要的过程分成四个部分的目的是为了确保没有遗漏任何重要信息，将论文的全部内容概括进摘要中。
5. In which circumstance might one provide more specific details in an abstract according to the passage?
A. When the research uses a survey study method.
B. When the research involves a reaction time experiment.
C. When the research has many broad implications.
D. When the research purpose is very general.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。命题出处在文本的“While if you’re writing about a reaction time experiment, you might want to make things a little bit more specific.”当研究涉及反应时间的实验时，摘要可能需要提供更具体的细节。
（说明：本录音文字稿为编者根据视频文件整理，并非逐字逐句的录音文字稿，仅供学习者参考！）
视频文件来源：https://psychology.ucsd.edu/undergraduate-program/undergraduate-resources/academic-writing-resources/writing-research-papers/writing-research-papers-videos.html
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