Writing better abstracts

As I transition from being a "book person" to an "article person" I've started to think more critically about my writing strategies. Apparently this will also be helpful in guiding PhD students through the process. In a helpful article, Kamler and Thomson explain how to write paper abstracts, in context of the larger process of academic writing as both text work and identity work.

I think we can all benefit from considering our readers and the "So What?" question in more detail.

Abstract. The writing of academic abstracts is more than a tiresome necessity of scholarly life. It is a practice that goes beyond genre and technique to questions of writing and identity. In this article we deconstruct a series of abstracts from a variety of refereed journals to 'read' for the representation of data, argument, methodology and significance. We describe one strategy for writing abstracts, developed as part of a long-term project on postgraduate writing pedagogies. We propose that the art of writing abstracts is neglected in the academy, is given scant attention by journal editors, and has produced a motley and often bland array of conventions and genres. We suggest that abstract art should be an important aspect of supervision if graduate students and novice researchers are to stake a claim in the academy. 

Kamler, Barbara, and Pat Thomson. 2004. "Driven to Abstraction: Doctoral Supervision and Writing Pedagogies." Teaching in Higher Education 9(2):195-209. (Melbourne link)