Preparation of manuscripts for radiology journals: advice to first-time authors.

An abstract typically is about 200 words long (approximately one double-spaced manuscript page) and is very important because it is reprinted in abstract indexes and is therefore seen by more readers than any other section of your paper-it is probably the only section of your article that some busy readers look at. Therefore, this small section must be able to stand on its own, represent the paper accurately, and clearly make the points you want to emphasize. The first sentence of the abstract should be a succinct, accurate, and clear statement of the specific focus of the paper: this sentence should explain the problem or dilemma 206 BEAK AJR:158, January 1992 studied and its importance. The sentences that follow should briefly and carefully describe the research covered (in the following order): patients and methods (selection of patients, study technique, gold standard), results (the most important data obtained and significant differences found), and conclusion. (In the AJR, the abstract is all one paragraph, except for the conclusion, which provides the take-home message and answers the readers’ inevitable question, “So what?”)