Twelve tips on writing abstracts and titles: How to get people to use and cite your work

Abstract

The authors share 12 practical tips on creating effective titles and abstracts for a journal publication or conference presentation. When crafting a title authors should: (1) start thinking of the title from the start; (2) brainstorm many key words, create permutations, and ask others for input; (3) strive for an informative and indicative title; (4) start the title with the most important words; and (5) wait to finalize the title until the very end. When writing the abstract, authors should: (6) wait until the end to write the abstract; (7) copy and paste from main text as the starting point; (8) start with a detailed structured format; (9) describe what they did; (10) describe what they found; (11) highlight what readers can do with this information; and (12) ensure that the abstract aligns with the full text and conforms to submission guidelines.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Notes on contributors

David Cook, MD, MHPE, is an Associate Director of Mayo Clinic Online Learning, Director of the Knowledge Delivery Center Research and Measurement Group, and Professor of Medicine and Medical Education, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine; and a Consultant in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Georges Bordage, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Medical Education in the Department of Medical Education in the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA.