Why These Tips
- Many strong academic articles/presentations get rejected because of poor organization and confusing writing. Editors and selection committees analyze not just your research originality and rigor but also your writing skill. They want to know if you can write a full article that is clear, organized, and engaging. With every word of your abstract, you either build trust with your readers or you lose it.
Content Requirement for the SINHAS environmental justice special issue
- Make sure you identify exactly what your environmental justice content is. In your case study, what is the EJ issue? What groups of people are being hurt and how? Are there connections to EJ or political ecology research that you can make?
Content Suggestions for Abstracts in General
- Include crystal clear problem statement, often at the beginning. “Since 1950, Nepalis in the eastern hills have faced the problem of XXXX.” (Won’t apply to all papers but will for most.)
- Include a crystal clear statement of your argument and, if possible, what’s new or important about it. Often comparing to another school of thought helps you clarify your point. “While others have argued XXX, my evidence suggests YYYYY.”
- Include a roadmap for your paper/presentation. What are your 2, 3 or 4 sections?
- Describe the source of your evidence/data – interviews, archives, surveys, etc. “Based on 15 interviews conducted in Bardiya between 2022 and 2024 as well as archival research, this paper….”
- Give clear dates and locations. Always crucial but often forgotten.
- Some other things you might include: A startling statistic or key short quotation.
Organization/Writing Suggestions
- Avoid long, rambly paragraphs. Subdivide your abstract into 2-3 short, focused paragraphs. Doing so makes it much easier to read. The first paragraph could be set up, argument, and description of the research basis. The second can be your paper’s 4 sections.
- Use a numbered list. An easy, super effective but often overlooked tip. “My paper will have 3 sections. First, …. Second, …. Third.” “My paper makes two contributions: first, it adds to….And second, it helps us understand…”
- Try a “Nowhere shows this dynamic better than …” sentence to introduce your case study. Sentences in the negative are often more powerful than sentences in the positive. “No place shows this better than ….” Or “Few places show this better than…” Once you learn this structure, you will see it everywhere. For other fantastic uses of this structure, see here.
Three other Helpful Suggestions
- Read 10 abstracts for similar journals and analyze them.
- Input these tips and your abstract into AI and ask for suggestions. AI helps make the world fairer for non-native English speakers.
- For other writing/organization tips, see Tom’s Writing Tips on the Martin Chautari website or Tom’s Nepali-language Mitho Lekhai youtube videos.
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