英语医学论文摘要写作I
英语医学论文摘要写作I
I . Functions and purpose of Abstracts (论文摘要的作用)
"The function of the abstract of a scientific paper is to provide an overview of the paper so that the readers know the main story and a few essential details of your work without reading the whole text of the paper. The abstract should make sense both when read alone and when read with the paper."
- URMSMJ
The purpose of the abstract is to allow readers to quickly examine the content of a paper. This is one of the most important parts of the manuscript because most bibliographic services post abstracts. They also use abstracts to classify the paper by keywords. Many readers look only at the abstract or use it to decide whether or not to examine more of the paper. Abstracts are also used to select submitted manuscripts for presentation at national scientific meetings so the quality and clarity of an abstract is also important in a competitive sense.
Example:
Chemical Abstracts, CA ;
Biological Abstracts, BA ;
Excerpta Medica, EM
The abstract is a summary of the key points from all sections of the paper. Some abstracts are more general in type(indicative abstracts), while others include significant detail about the content of the paper (informative abstracts). The latter are more typical of scientific writing and should include statements about:
The background information.
The research problem and the hypothesis.
The experimental design and methods, described in enough detail so that the reader will understand how the experiments were done.
The results with quantitative data, supported by statistical analysis. The abstract should be able to stand alone as a statement of the research.
The most important conclusions of the study.
The number of words allowed is usually limited to 250—300 words in total. Example: The
Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA
China: Chinese 200-300
URMSMJ: non-structured:
Generally: about 200 words
The abstract is usually written in the past tense.
Unlike other sections of the paper, the abstract does not usually include references to the literature. The abstract should not contain any abbreviations since they make reading difficult.
Spelling errors or typographical mistakes are also serious problems since they make readers think that the work has not been carefully done.
II . Classification of Abstracts(摘要的分类)
Format: Non-structured Abstract (非结构式)
Structured Abstract(结构式)
Character: Indicative abstract(通报性或指示性摘要)
Informative abstract(报道性或资料性摘要)(结构式和非结构式)
Informative-indicative abstract (资料/指示性摘要 )
Structured Abstracts (结构式摘要)
Critical Abstracts (评论性摘要) : comment on some research, method or conclusion. Non-structured Abstract (非结构式):
指示性摘要:Indicative abstract(亦称通报性、描述性或说明性摘要)
只通报论文主题,不介绍研究的材料、方法、数据和结果等具体内容,有的甚至只有1-2个句子。研究简报、专题讨论、技术方法及医学文献综述等摘要多为指示性。100字左右。一般用现在时表述。许多专业杂志在其目录页的标题下都有一个指示性摘要,特别是编者认为较重要的一些文章标题后。
如:
Free transfer of two undamaged fingers from a non-replantable left arm to a mutilated right hand in a 16-month-old boy is reported. (本文报道将一无法再植的左臂上的两个未受损伤的手指移植给一16岁男孩被切断的右手。)
Primary Lymphomas of the Gastrointestinal Tract
An institutional experience with primary gastrointestinal lymphoma(PGL) is reviewed. The
clinical, pathologic, and therapeutic aspects of PGL are discussed.
资料性摘要:Informative abstract (亦称报道性摘要)
告诉读者研究的总体情况,使他们了解研究的目的、材料、方法、结果、结论以及存在的问题 或对未来的展望。学术性期刊或论文集多选用资料性摘要,子数300左右。研究过程、结果及结论是叙述的内容。
Example:
Malignant Hypertension and Cigarette Smoking
The smoking habit of 48 patients with malignant hypertension was compared with that of 92 consecutive patients with non-malignant hypertension. Thirty-three of the patients with malignant and 34 of the patients with non-malignant hypertension were smoker when first diagnosed. This difference was significant, and remained so when only men or black and white patients were considered separately. Results suggest that malignant hypertension is yet another disease related to cigarette smoking.
资料/指示性摘要
兼顾两种摘要的写法, 即以资料性文摘的形式表达论文中信息价值较高的内容,而以指示性摘要的形式略述其余部分。字数200词左右。
Example:
Malignant Lymphoma Associated with Marked Eosinophilia
A 60-year-old black man with poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma presented with generalized lymphadenopathy and marked eosinophilia. Extensive evaluation of the eosinophils revealed them to be normal morphologically and functionally. The patient responded to corticosteroid therapy with resolution of the lymphadenopathy and reversion of the peripheral blood counts to normal limits. Recurrence of the original clinical picture within months prompted institution of systemic chemotherapy. Response was transient, and the patient expired after an unremitting downhill course. Recent advances in our knowledge of mechanisms of eosinophilia and eosinophilia function are reviewed. The relationship of lymphoma to eosinophilia is discussed.
Parenteral nutrition-induced gallbladder disease: A reason for early cholecystectomy
Patients who receive long-term parenteral (不经胃肠的)nutrition have an increased
incidence of both calculous and acalculous cholecystitis. 【研究背景-用现在时表述】In an attempt to establish guidelines for clinical management of patients with TPN-induced gallbladder disease, we have reviewed the records of 35 patients who have undergone cholecytectomy for this problem since 1976 at the UCLA Medical Center.【目的-用过去时或现在时表述】 The mean age of the 23 adults and 12 children who had cholecystectomy was 29.1 years. Forty percent of these patients required emergency cholecystecotmy. 【材料和方法 - 过去时表述】 The overall operative morbidity was 54 percent, and the hospital mortality was 11 percent. Significant factors contributing to this high rate of complications included a delay in diagnosis, especially in the young children, and increased operative difficulty due to extensive adhesions and intraoperative hemorrhage. 【结果 - 过去时表述】 Our analysis suggests that patients receiving long-term TPN should have a program of ultrasound surveillance for gallbladder formation, elective cholecystectomy when stones first appear, and consideration of cholecystectomy at the time of laparotomy performed for other reasons. 【结论 - 时态视具体情况】 Whether TPN-induced gallstones can be prevented through daily stimulated gallbladder emptying awaits results of future studies. 【前瞻性说明 - 现在时或将来时表述】
上述3种摘要是传统型摘要(Traditional Abstract )或非结构式摘要(Non-structured Abstract )。 其缺点是段落不明,没有按层次列出具体项目名称,给阅读、审稿、二次文献编制索引以及计算机处理等带来不便。
Structured Abstracts (结构式摘要)
结构式摘要在形式上按一定的格式列出项目名称,逐项叙述。常见的格式有两种:半结构式摘要和全结构式摘要。
半结构式摘要(Semi-structured Abstracts)
1. 根据国际医学杂志编辑委员会(The International committee of Medical Journal Editors, ICMJE )制定的《生物医学期刊投稿统一要求》(The Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, 5th Ed., 1997) (Vancouver System) 规定, 采用OMRAC 或AMRAC 格式,即四要素或四层次结构式摘要, 有人称其为半结构式摘要(Semi-structured Abstracts ). 结构式摘要不超过250词。其内容包括:
2) Purpose of research(目的)
3) Methodology (方法)/ Materials(材料)
5) Results (结果)
6) Conclusions (结论)
Example 1
Purpose: Autopsy studies have shown that pregnancy results in physiologic pituitary(垂体的)enlargement. We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to corroborate these findings in vivo. Patients and Methods: Based on gestational age, 32 normal primigravid (初产的) patients were divided into three groups: Group I (n=11), less than 12 gestational weeks; Group II (n=10), 13 to 26 gestational weeks, and Group II (n=11), 27 gestational weeks or more. The pituitary dimensions and volumes in these groups were compared with those in 20 healthy nulliparous(未经产的)women (control group).
Results: MRI measurements showed a significant increase in pituitary volume in Group I, II and III when compared with the control group (p0.05). At the end of pregnancy, the hypothysis had increased 2.6mm in vertical, anteroposterior, and transverse dimensions, with overall increase of 136 percent when compared with that of the control group.
Conclusion: Baseline measurement of the normal enlargement of the pituitary gland that occurs during pregnancy could prove useful when evaluating pregnant patients with suspected pituitary tumors or lymphocytic hypothysitis.
Example 2
Objective : To evaluate the incidence of factor V Leiden and prothrombin gene G20310A mutation in patients with venous thrombosis and healthy volunteers. Methods: Factor V Leiden and prothrombin gene G20210 A mutation were analyzed in 97 cases of venous thrombosis and 100 healthy volunteers with the methods of one-step PCR-RFLP. Results: PCR products for the factor V gene (175 Bp) and for the prothrombin gene (118 bp) were identified to 157 bp and 98 bp fragments by electrophoreses after Taq I treatment. No factor V Leiden and prothrombin gene G20210 A mutation were found in each group. Conclusion: The low incidence of factor V Leiden and prothrombin gene G2010A mutation suggest that they are not the major genetic risk factors for thrombophilia in the Chinese.
全结构式(full-structured )摘要:
1974年4月,加拿大McMaster 大学医学中心的Dr R Brian Haynes首先提出建立临床研究论文的结构式摘要。在 Dr Edward J Huth创导下,美国《内科学记事》(Annuals of Internal Medicine )在国际上率先采用了全结构式(full-structured )摘要。它不是一段,而是由一系列很短的段落组成,每一段有一个小标题开头。国外的一些杂志如:《英国医学杂志》(British Medical Journal, BMJ)、《美国医学协会杂志》(The Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA) 等要求采用这种形式。
Haynes 所提出的全结构式摘要包含9个要素:
1. 背景(Context/Background)
2. 目的(Objective ):说明论文要解决的问题
3. 设计(Design ):说明研究的基本设计,包括的研究性质
4. 地点(Setting ):说明进行研究的地点和研究机构的等级
5. 对象(Patients, participants or subjects):说明参加并完成研究的病人或受试者的性质、数量及挑选方法
6. 处理(Interventions ):说明确切的治疗或处理方法
7. 主要测定项目(Main outcome measures):说明为评定研究结果而进行的主要测定项目
8. 结果(Results ):说明主要客观结果
9. 结论(Conclusion ):说明主要结论,包括直接临床应用意义
有时根据情况删除1-2项,或将其中数项合并,但目的、结果和结论部分是重点内容。 Objectives: To determine whether a computerized decision support system for initiation and control of oral anticoagulant improves quality of anticoagulant control achieved by trainee doctors
Design: Randomized control trial
Setting : District general hospital in North London
Subjects: 148 inpatients requiring start of Warfarin (华法灵/苄丙酮香豆素) treatment
Interventions : Management by trainee doctors (to achieve therapeutic range of international normalized ration of 2 to 3) with indirect assistance from computerized decision support system (intervention group) or without such assistance (control group)
Main outcome measures: Median time to therapeutic range, stable dose, and first pseudoevent (excessive international normalized ratio after therapeutic range had been reached) and person time spent in the therapeutic range
Results: 72 patients were randomized to the intervention group and 76 to control group. Median time to reach international normalized ratio of >2 was not significantly different in the two groups (3 days). Median time to achieve a stable dose was significantly lower in intervention group than in controls (7 days v 9 days, p
Conclusions: The computerized decision support system was safe and effective and improved quality of initiation and control of Warfarin treatment by trainee doctors.
与非结构式摘要相比,全结构式摘要观点更明确(more explicitness ),信息量更大(more information ),差错更少(fewer errors),同时也更符合计算机数据库的建立和使用要求。但其缺点也是显而易见的,即烦琐、重复、篇幅过长, 而且不是所有研究都能按以上9个要素分类的。
采用何种摘要形式要根据各杂志的具体要求而定。目前国内许多杂志正从非结构式摘要向半结构式摘要过度。
III. 摘要部分的语言特点
1. Tense.
2. Mood and Personal Pronouns
(1) We, authors are frequently used.
We describe a patient with amyloidosis of renal pelvis and tow patients with urinary bladder amyloidosis, anddiscuss immunology of amyloid formation and treatment of amyloidosis.
(2) Try to use “ this report, this paper, this study etc. take the place of “ we” or “authors ” : This paper reports a method of evaluating sleep apnea, and presents tow cases fully studied by this method.
(3) First person and active voice are used in main statement, methods and conlusions.: We describe tow cases of angiosarcoma of the heart.
We treated the patient with Penbritin in a dosage of 4g/day.
We conclude that endoscopic US is useful in preoperative TN staging of esophageal tumors.
(4) Sometimes third person and passive voice are used in order to stress the object or for
accounting.
The results of treatment of early gastric carcinoma were analysed in 35 patients.
3. Parallelism
and, or, but, both…and, either… or, neither… nor, not only… but also, whether… or, than, as well as, etc.
It ’s quite common in Chinese medical journals.
Example 1
(original) The purpose of this study was to produce a model of GVHD in rat pancreas-spleen transplantation and evaluating the effect of graft irradiation in preventing this complication. Example 2
(original) Follow up the rest 9 cases, 3 died 3.5 years later either because of hepatic metastasis or local recurrence, while 6 survived more than 5.5 years already.
Revised : Among the remaining 9 cases, 3 died 3.5 years later either because of hepatic metastasis or because of local recurrence, ( because of either hepatic metastasis or local recurrence/ because either of hepatic metastasis or of local recurrence), while 6 have already survived more than 5.5 years .
4. Inversion
(1) for stress
Only in two cases was adenovirus discovered, Type 3 in one and Type 7 in the other. (stress adverbial)
More serious are two distant complications----acute nephritis and acute rheumatic fever, with or without heart involvement.. (stress predicative)
(2) Connection
The clinical significance of these observations is underscored by the expanding indications for TPN and the increasing number of patients who are receiving their nutritional support in this manner. Included in this group are both children and adults with catastrophic gastrointestinal problems who are receiving TPN as their sole source of caloric support.
(3) Structure balance
(original) A retrospective analysis of all adults and pediatric patients (age less than 18 years) who received a prolonged course of parental nutrition at Medical Center from January 1995through December 2003 was conducted.
Revised: A retrospective analysis was conducted of all adults and pediatric patients (age less
than 18 years) who received a prolonged course of parental nutrition at Medical Center from January 1995through December 2003.
Of the 35 patients who required cholecystectomy for TPN-induced gallbladder disease, operative morbidity and mortality were 54 percent and 11 percent, respectively.
5. Ellipsis
(1) Abbreviation
CT, APC, AIDS, CO2, A.M., M. D., WBC, DNA, HIV(human immunodeficiency virus), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging 核磁共振成像) , LDH(Lactic dehydrogenase 乳酸脱氢酶) ,OPD(Outpatient Department)
5-human platelets alloantigens (HPAL-5) 5种血小板同种抗原;partial left ventriculectomy(PLV) 左心室部分切除; vascular smooth muscles cells(VSMC )血管平滑肌细胞。
(2) Compound nouns
patient with duodenal ulcer---- duodenal ulcer patient;
disease of coronary artery----coronary artery disease;
infection of upper urinary tract---upper urinary tract infection;
plasma rennin activity; (血浆肾素活性) ; breast cancer screening
(3) Ellipsis in compound sentences ( subject, predicate, and auxiliary verb)
The duration of mechanical ventilation in non-survivors was 10.28 days, but (the duration of mechanical ventilmion) in survivors (was) 8.11 days. ( subject and predicate)
The syndrome is reviewed and the anesthetic management of a case (is) described. ( link verb)
A high incidence of superficial mucosal lesions was found , and the importance of early investigation in the diagnosis of these lesions is stressed
(4) Ellipsis in parallelism
Despite vaccination, one patient developed pneumococcal meningitis and another (developed) pneumococcal bacteremia.
(5) Ellipsis in attributive clause
The twelve patients who had surgery all survived; the two who did not (have surgery) died.
(6) Ellipsis in adverbial clause
Hypercalciuria was considered as a secondary condition when (it was) associated with familial renal tubular acidosis.
Piptic ulcer is more common in maen than (it is) in women.
(7) Brackets
Original: Twentt-five of 36 patients had gastrointestinal lesions, of whom 17 patients had endocarditis and 8 patients had bacteremia alone.
Revised : Of 36 patients twenty-five (17 with endocarditis, 8 with bacteremia alone) had gastrointestinal lesions.
(8) non-finite Forms of the Verbs
In women, correlations with blood pressure after excluding those taking sex hormones, suggesting that hormonal status may be an important determinant of blood pressure in women and may obscure other relationships.
(9) Cancel unnecessary words
The problem of diagnosing hyperthyroidism in the presence of thyroxine-binding globulin excess is discussed (in this paper by the authors).
(It is obvious that) Obviously proper treatment must depend on the illness or injury involved.
(10) Use simple expression
In order to/so as to to
For the purpose of for
At this point in time now
At the present time now
It has been reported by us that Now we report that
Take into consideration consider
Through the use of/by means of through/by/with
Due to the fact that because
On account of the fact that because
During the same time that during/while
It is clear that Clearly
With regard to about/concerning
With the result that so that
At all times always
In the near future soon
Bring all this to a conclusion conclude
Small in size small
More or less optional optional
The time frame we were given the schedule
May or may not may
Enclosed please find enclosed is
Well qualified experts experts
Few in number fewer
From the standpoint of according to
If conditions are such that If
It is possible that the cause is The cause may be
On the basis of from, by, because
The treatment having been performed After treatment
There can be little doubt that this is This probably is
Throughout the whole of the experiment throughout the experiment
Checklist for the Abstract
Have you summarized the most important background information in one or two sentences? Have you clearly stated the research problem and hypothesis?
Have you briefly described the experimental design and methods?
Have you summarized the results of your experiments?
Have you included quantitative data and statistical analysis?
Could your abstract stand by itself as a statement of your research?
Have you summarized your most important conclusions?
Have you adhered to the style of the journal to which you will submit your paper? Have you adhered to the word limit [usually 250-300 words]?
Have you removed all abbreviations from your abstract?
Have you checked to ensure that there are no literature references in the abstract? Is the abstract in the simple past tense?
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