Preparation of an Abstract and Biography

Preparation of an Abstract

General

The abstract should be written concisely in normal rather than highly abbreviated English. The author should assume that the reader has some knowledge of the subject but has not read the paper. Thus, the abstract should be intelligible and complete in itself (no numerical references); it should not cite figures, tables, or sections of the paper. The abstract should be written using third person instead of first person (i.e., “The experiments were performed” versus “We performed the experiments…”). Keywords and significant findings should be incorporated into the first two sentences of the abstract to improve search visibility and results.

Content

The title normally is read along with the abstract and so should not be repeated or paraphrased in the first sentence of the abstract. The opening sentences should, in general, indicate the subjects dealt with in the paper (unless the title identifies them adequately) and should state the objectives of the investigation. It is also desirable to describe the treatment by one or more such terms as brief, exhaustive, theoretical, experimental, and so forth. 

The body of the abstract should indicate newly observed facts and the conclusions of the experiment or argument discussed in the paper. It should contain new numerical data presented in the paper if space permits; otherwise, attention should be drawn to the nature of such data. In the case of experimental results, the abstract should indicate the methods used in obtaining them; for new methods the basic principle, range of operation, and degree of accuracy should be given.

Length

The abstract must appear as one paragraph. Its optimum length will vary somewhat with the nature and extent of the paper, but it must range from a minimum of 100 to a maximum of 200 words. 

Preparation of a Biography

General

Journal Survey papers, Lectures, and History papers include one-paragraph biographies of the authors along with their photographs.

Content

Biographies should be professional rather than personal in nature and must include the author’s current affiliation and AIAA membership status, if applicable. Degrees earned, professional awards received, and relevant contributions to the field should be included, along with prior, relevant work experience. The author’s publishing history also may be included, if appropriate.

Length and Style

The biography should appear as one paragraph. Its optimum length will vary somewhat, but it should range from 100 to a maximum of 250 words. Abbreviate academic degrees rather than spelling them out, and include periods in the abbreviations. Spell out names of disciplines  instead of using common abbreviations; e.g., instead of M.S.C.E., use M.S. in civil engineering.