





































 V38 N2 / 2023 

©2023 American Medical Writers Association. All rights reserved.  
ISSN 2163-5315

AMWAJournal.org     53

Speaker
Susan Aiello, DVM, ELS
Words World Consulting, Townsend, TN

By Tonya Scardina, PharmD
Dr Aiello emphasized the importance of a well-written 

abstract. After the title, the abstract is the most widely read 

part of a scientific paper. It is worth putting in the effort to 

ensure that the abstract grabs the attention of your audi-

ence with the key components of the scientific paper. Dr 

Aiello reviewed how the methods used in journalism could 

be adapted in the process for writing abstracts. During 

her presentation, Dr Aiello reviewed the purpose of an 

abstract, compared scientific abstracts to news stories, and 

provided a stepwise approach on how to apply a journalis-

tic approach to writing a scientific abstract.

PURPOSE OF AN ABSTRACT
An abstract should summarize essential information of 

the scientific paper, be concise, nonrepetitive, and should 

be reader-focused.

FORMAT OF AN ABSTRACT
The abstract should present the sections of a scientific 

paper in the same order (eg, objective, methods, results 

and discussion/conclusion). Dr Aiello elaborated on 

the contents of each section of a paper, and hence the 

abstract. The objective of the study, or scientific ques-

tion, should be in the introduction section. The methods 

section should state how the study was conducted. The 

results section should include what was found during the 

study. The answer to the scientific question should be in 

the discussion/conclusion section. The abstract should  

be written in a manner that the reader can understand  

the key points of the study without referring to the scien-

tific paper.

 The abstract should focus on the question, main 

methods, results, and conclusion. This can be achieved 

by being specific and selective. For example, the abstract 

may include the primary objective, the study result of the 

primary objective, and conclusion drawn from the study 

results. If space allows, any secondary objectives and their 

respective results can be included.

HOW TO ADOPT A JOURNALISTIC APPROACH
In journalism, the lead, defined as the first sentence of a 

news story, is very important. The standard news lead is 

typically one sentence and includes all essential informa-

tion for the reader. The sentence contains the 5 W’s: who, 

what, where, when, and why. The lead of a news story and 

the abstract of a scientific article have the following char-

acteristics in common:

• The lead of a news story is the equivalent of the 

abstract of a scientific paper.

• After the title, the lead is the first part of a news story 

seen by the reader. After the title, the first part of a  

scientific paper that provides context regarding the 

study is the abstract.

• The lead and the abstract are the most read part of a 

news story and scientific 

paper, respectively.

• The lead of a news story 

and an abstract of a sci-

entific paper should be 

able to make sense on 

their own.

 Table 1 compares which 

key parts of an abstract corre-

spond with some of the Ws of a lead.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A NEWS STORY AND  
AN ABSTRACT
A key difference between drafting a news story and an 

abstract is why the intended reader should take an interest 

in the presented topic. In an abstract, the discussion/con-

clusion section will explain why the results of the scientific 

paper should be of interest and contribute to scientific  

literature. This component is not commonly found in a 

news story.

Session Report 
Journalistic Approach to Writing Better Abstracts

CONFERENCE

Table 1. Comparison of the 
Abstract to a News Lead

Part of the 
Abstract

“W” of  
the Lead

Objective Why?

Methods How?

Results What?

Discussion So what?

http://www.amwajournal.org


AMWAJournal.org     54Journalistic Approach to Writing Better Abstracts

 Dr Aiello provided key points on the method of using a 

journalistic approach to draft an abstract:

• Read the scientific paper carefully.

–  Mark key words and sentences. This will be helpful 

to highlight key components of the paper.

• Think about the lead technique.

– Consider the why, how, what, and so what when 

drafting the objective, methods, results, and discus-

sion sections, respectively.

• Create a list of all marked material.

• Edit to condense and refine content.

Dr Tonya Scardina is a freelance writer and owner of Scardina 

Medical Writing & Editing LLC in Chicago, IL.

Author declaration and disclosures: The author notes no  

commercial associations that may pose a conflict of interest in 

relation to this article.

Author contact: scardinacommunications@outlook.com

A Career in 
Medical Communication:
Steps to Success
Learn about the skills and attributes needed 
to be a successful medical communicator 
and discover opportunities in the field.

www.amwa.org/career_steps

http://www.amwajournal.org



