First, how to write and abstract: 1) Motivation/problem statement, 2) Methods/procedure/approach, 3) Results/findings/product, 4) Conclusion/implications.
Using these four points, I can construct an abstract. I will need to make up a few points for my results and conclusions, but this should be clear, as I have not yet finished the product.
Abstract:
The process of writing, editing, and completing a document seem very basic and straightforward, but there is much more that goes into the writing process. Many items, for example, are not thought of as part of "the writing process", but they contribute to the whole as much as the topic itself. By shadowing an editor, asking him questions, and collecting documents he has written/edited, I am able to see this process more clearly. The data collection methods used help this researcher answer different types of questions. By asking open-ended questions, I am able to get the editor talking about a certain method he used. By asking a very general question, we might engage in a discourse which will lead to an important question/answer. As this project is not yet complete, I can only hypothesize about my findings. I hope to find ways in which the editor uses the space around him to help him in his writing process. This can be by using a computer with a wireless keyboard in order for him to sit back in his chair and type, without feeling tied down to the desk. By observing his interactions with his workspace, this researcher will be able to answer questions on how the placement of the computer desktop and the lighting in the room contribute to the amount of work being done in the work space. I might come to the discovery that this editor completes more work at home because of less distraction and more quiet. By answering these questions using several methods of research, I will be able to help other writers in the same field better use their work area. Since I myself am trying to go into the field I am researching, this project will help me in my future career.
My thoughts on the abstract at present:
The most important thing for me to do to better enhance this abstract is to finish the project. By doing this, I will have come to a conclusion and be able to lead the reader along through the abstract to the findings I will have discovered by then. By writing this now, when the project is still in its initial stage, I do not know enough information to write my findings.
1 comment:
Two major comments here and one minor.
First, the minor comment: use the verb "observe" instead of shadow to describe your first data collection method; "observe/observing/observation" suggests that you will be taking detailed notes as you document the many activities that the editor completes at work, while "shadowing" suggests that you'll be following the person to get a feel for what he or she does but not necessarily taking a precise account of all that he or she does.
Second, the first major comment: You're right that you cannot explain the precise findings that you will make through your research project because you have not yet completed the research. Many abstracts are written of uncompleted projects, though, and the important thing to do in such cases is to talk about your findings in the future tense and in a way that the helps the reader to understand the types of findings that you hope to produce. Consider, for example, this type of statement. "Through this ethnographic study of professional editor, I hope to learn how editors arrange their workspaces in order to better understand . . ." You do, in fact, handle this section well.
Third, the second major comment: You do a nice job in Part 3 and Part 4 of describing in relatively specific detail the kinds of findings that you hope to make. Parts 1 and 2 should feature a similar level of detail that matches Parts 3 and 4. For example, when you set out your problem in Part 1, raise the issue of spatial arrangement and/or tools that the editor puts to use, and in Part 2 describe what specific methods you will use to collect data about this aspect of the editors' work.
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