Interdisciplinary Research Manual - Units.muohio.edu

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Abstract. The abstract is the next page after the title page. Abstracts are singlespaced
and should not be longer than a page; half a page is preferable. The point of the
abstract is to offer a concise account of the project so readers can decide whether they
want to read the complete project. Too often, the abstract is written at the last minute and
in haste. Remember that it is a potential reader’s first look at the substance of the project.
A sloppily written abstract suggests a sloppily researched and written project, so you are
likely to lose readers if you do not proof read the abstract with care. Here’s a sample:
ABSTRACT
This project evaluates justice within the United States judicial system by exploring
the definition of “crime” and the impact of this understanding on the way laws are
formed, and then by discussing the most just response of a society to people who break
these laws. An evaluation of the history of the United States penal system reveals that,
though the response to criminal behavior in the United States has consistently revolved
around punishment, the ways in which this punishment is inflicted have corresponded
with economic and structural changes in society. The current popular use of incarceration
as a means to punish offenders is unjust in that it does not create the maximum social
utility that justice demands. The exploration of alternative methods of justice, such as
restorative and rehabilitative justice, leads to a more specific discussion of the drug court
in Franklin County, Ohio – the Treatment is Essential for Success (TIES) Program. The
results of a preliminary case study conducted on the TIES Program suggest that success
within the program, as defined by graduation, is strongly tied to the previous educational
experience of the participants as well as to their use patterns in crucial phases of the
program. Additional data suggest that future research will be able to predict more
accurately which offenders are likely to succeed within the program and evaluate the
efficacy of the program in reducing recidivism. By working at the root of criminality for
these specific offenders in addressing addiction rather than punishing the results, drug
courts such as the TIES Program result in greater justice and social utility for participants
and for society as a whole.
Acknowledgements. You are not required to include an acknowledgements page,
but if you do it is the next page after the abstract. Remember that this page will be read
not only by friends and family but (hopefully) by professionals in your field: your private
comments to friends and family are on public display.
Preface. Similarly, you are not required to include a preface, but if you do it goes
after acknowledgements (or after the abstract if there are no acknowledgements). The
focus of a preface is on you, not your topic. Feel free to reveal how you came to your
topic, the experience of writing the project, or how it fits into your career or personal
plans. But, as with acknowledgements, remember that professional readers and not just
friends and family see what you reveal about yourself, and their impression of the
seriousness of your scholarship can be shaped by what you say here.
Table of Contents. This goes immediately after any preface, and should be
confined to one page. Think of the table of contents, not just as a list of chapters and
corresponding page numbers, but as an indication of how you have broken up the topic
and organized your approach to it. For a savvy potential reader, it is the final test of