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Criteria for evaluating abstracts
Format.
Did the abstract provide a brief (max. 220 words) outline of what the
research paper was about?
Grammar.
Were the words spelled correctly? Were informal words and phrases
avoided?
Was the punctuation correct? Were there grammatical mistakes present
(wrong verbal tenses, omitted articles, wrong use of prepositions, relative
pronouns, syntactically awkward structures)?
Content.
Did it follow the chronology of the paper? Were all keynotes present in
the abstract? Were the ideas organized in a logical fashion?
Science writing aspects.
Was the passive voice used? Was the scientific vocabulary used and not
the general vocabulary?
