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Research Summary – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

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Research Summary

Definition:

A research summary is a brief and concise overview of a research project or study that highlights its key findings, main points, and conclusions. It typically includes a description of the research problem, the research methods used, the results obtained, and the implications or significance of the findings. It is often used as a tool to quickly communicate the main findings of a study to other researchers, stakeholders, or decision-makers.

Structure of Research Summary

The Structure of a Research Summary typically include:

• Introduction : This section provides a brief background of the research problem or question, explains the purpose of the study, and outlines the research objectives.
• Methodology : This section explains the research design, methods, and procedures used to conduct the study. It describes the sample size, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
• Results : This section presents the main findings of the study, including statistical analysis if applicable. It may include tables, charts, or graphs to visually represent the data.
• Discussion : This section interprets the results and explains their implications. It discusses the significance of the findings, compares them to previous research, and identifies any limitations or future directions for research.
• Conclusion : This section summarizes the main points of the research and provides a conclusion based on the findings. It may also suggest implications for future research or practical applications of the results.
• References : This section lists the sources cited in the research summary, following the appropriate citation style.

How to Write Research Summary

Here are the steps you can follow to write a research summary:

• Read the research article or study thoroughly: To write a summary, you must understand the research article or study you are summarizing. Therefore, read the article or study carefully to understand its purpose, research design, methodology, results, and conclusions.
• Identify the main points : Once you have read the research article or study, identify the main points, key findings, and research question. You can highlight or take notes of the essential points and findings to use as a reference when writing your summary.
• Write the introduction: Start your summary by introducing the research problem, research question, and purpose of the study. Briefly explain why the research is important and its significance.
• Summarize the methodology : In this section, summarize the research design, methods, and procedures used to conduct the study. Explain the sample size, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
• Present the results: Summarize the main findings of the study. Use tables, charts, or graphs to visually represent the data if necessary.
• Interpret the results: In this section, interpret the results and explain their implications. Discuss the significance of the findings, compare them to previous research, and identify any limitations or future directions for research.
• Conclude the summary : Summarize the main points of the research and provide a conclusion based on the findings. Suggest implications for future research or practical applications of the results.
• Revise and edit : Once you have written the summary, revise and edit it to ensure that it is clear, concise, and free of errors. Make sure that your summary accurately represents the research article or study.
• Add references: Include a list of references cited in the research summary, following the appropriate citation style.

Example of Research Summary

Here is an example of a research summary:

Title: The Effects of Yoga on Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis

Introduction: This meta-analysis examines the effects of yoga on mental health. The study aimed to investigate whether yoga practice can improve mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, stress, and quality of life.

Methodology : The study analyzed data from 14 randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of yoga on mental health outcomes. The sample included a total of 862 participants. The yoga interventions varied in length and frequency, ranging from four to twelve weeks, with sessions lasting from 45 to 90 minutes.

Results : The meta-analysis found that yoga practice significantly improved mental health outcomes. Participants who practiced yoga showed a significant reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as stress levels. Quality of life also improved in those who practiced yoga.

Discussion : The findings of this study suggest that yoga can be an effective intervention for improving mental health outcomes. The study supports the growing body of evidence that suggests that yoga can have a positive impact on mental health. Limitations of the study include the variability of the yoga interventions, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.

Conclusion : Overall, the findings of this meta-analysis support the use of yoga as an effective intervention for improving mental health outcomes. Further research is needed to determine the optimal length and frequency of yoga interventions for different populations.

References :

• Cramer, H., Lauche, R., Langhorst, J., Dobos, G., & Berger, B. (2013). Yoga for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Depression and anxiety, 30(11), 1068-1083.
• Khalsa, S. B. (2004). Yoga as a therapeutic intervention: a bibliometric analysis of published research studies. Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology, 48(3), 269-285.
• Ross, A., & Thomas, S. (2010). The health benefits of yoga and exercise: a review of comparison studies. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(1), 3-12.

Purpose of Research Summary

The purpose of a research summary is to provide a brief overview of a research project or study, including its main points, findings, and conclusions. The summary allows readers to quickly understand the essential aspects of the research without having to read the entire article or study.

Research summaries serve several purposes, including:

• Facilitating comprehension: A research summary allows readers to quickly understand the main points and findings of a research project or study without having to read the entire article or study. This makes it easier for readers to comprehend the research and its significance.
• Communicating research findings: Research summaries are often used to communicate research findings to a wider audience, such as policymakers, practitioners, or the general public. The summary presents the essential aspects of the research in a clear and concise manner, making it easier for non-experts to understand.
• Supporting decision-making: Research summaries can be used to support decision-making processes by providing a summary of the research evidence on a particular topic. This information can be used by policymakers or practitioners to make informed decisions about interventions, programs, or policies.
• Saving time: Research summaries save time for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders who need to review multiple research studies. Rather than having to read the entire article or study, they can quickly review the summary to determine whether the research is relevant to their needs.

Characteristics of Research Summary

The following are some of the key characteristics of a research summary:

• Concise : A research summary should be brief and to the point, providing a clear and concise overview of the main points of the research.
• Objective : A research summary should be written in an objective tone, presenting the research findings without bias or personal opinion.
• Comprehensive : A research summary should cover all the essential aspects of the research, including the research question, methodology, results, and conclusions.
• Accurate : A research summary should accurately reflect the key findings and conclusions of the research.
• Clear and well-organized: A research summary should be easy to read and understand, with a clear structure and logical flow.
• Relevant : A research summary should focus on the most important and relevant aspects of the research, highlighting the key findings and their implications.
• Audience-specific: A research summary should be tailored to the intended audience, using language and terminology that is appropriate and accessible to the reader.
• Citations : A research summary should include citations to the original research articles or studies, allowing readers to access the full text of the research if desired.

When to write Research Summary

Here are some situations when it may be appropriate to write a research summary:

• Proposal stage: A research summary can be included in a research proposal to provide a brief overview of the research aims, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.
• Conference presentation: A research summary can be prepared for a conference presentation to summarize the main findings of a study or research project.
• Journal submission: Many academic journals require authors to submit a research summary along with their research article or study. The summary provides a brief overview of the study’s main points, findings, and conclusions and helps readers quickly understand the research.
• Funding application: A research summary can be included in a funding application to provide a brief summary of the research aims, objectives, and expected outcomes.
• Policy brief: A research summary can be prepared as a policy brief to communicate research findings to policymakers or stakeholders in a concise and accessible manner.

Advantages of Research Summary

Research summaries offer several advantages, including:

• Time-saving: A research summary saves time for readers who need to understand the key findings and conclusions of a research project quickly. Rather than reading the entire research article or study, readers can quickly review the summary to determine whether the research is relevant to their needs.
• Clarity and accessibility: A research summary provides a clear and accessible overview of the research project’s main points, making it easier for readers to understand the research without having to be experts in the field.
• Improved comprehension: A research summary helps readers comprehend the research by providing a brief and focused overview of the key findings and conclusions, making it easier to understand the research and its significance.
• Enhanced communication: Research summaries can be used to communicate research findings to a wider audience, such as policymakers, practitioners, or the general public, in a concise and accessible manner.
• Facilitated decision-making: Research summaries can support decision-making processes by providing a summary of the research evidence on a particular topic. Policymakers or practitioners can use this information to make informed decisions about interventions, programs, or policies.
• Increased dissemination: Research summaries can be easily shared and disseminated, allowing research findings to reach a wider audience.

Limitations of Research Summary

Limitations of the Research Summary are as follows:

• Limited scope: Research summaries provide a brief overview of the research project’s main points, findings, and conclusions, which can be limiting. They may not include all the details, nuances, and complexities of the research that readers may need to fully understand the study’s implications.
• Risk of oversimplification: Research summaries can be oversimplified, reducing the complexity of the research and potentially distorting the findings or conclusions.
• Lack of context: Research summaries may not provide sufficient context to fully understand the research findings, such as the research background, methodology, or limitations. This may lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations of the research.
• Possible bias: Research summaries may be biased if they selectively emphasize certain findings or conclusions over others, potentially distorting the overall picture of the research.
• Format limitations: Research summaries may be constrained by the format or length requirements, making it challenging to fully convey the research’s main points, findings, and conclusions.
• Accessibility: Research summaries may not be accessible to all readers, particularly those with limited literacy skills, visual impairments, or language barriers.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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How To Write A Research Summary

It’s a common perception that writing a research summary is a quick and easy task. After all, how hard can jotting down 300 words be? But when you consider the weight those 300 words carry, writing a research summary as a part of your dissertation, essay or compelling draft for your paper instantly becomes daunting task.

A research summary requires you to synthesize a complex research paper into an informative, self-explanatory snapshot. It needs to portray what your article contains. Thus, writing it often comes at the end of the task list.

Regardless of when you’re planning to write, it is no less of a challenge, particularly if you’re doing it for the first time. This blog will take you through everything you need to know about research summary so that you have an easier time with it.

What is a Research Summary?

A research summary is the part of your research paper that describes its findings to the audience in a brief yet concise manner. A well-curated research summary represents you and your knowledge about the information written in the research paper.

While writing a quality research summary, you need to discover and identify the significant points in the research and condense it in a more straightforward form. A research summary is like a doorway that provides access to the structure of a research paper's sections.

Since the purpose of a summary is to give an overview of the topic, methodology, and conclusions employed in a paper, it requires an objective approach. No analysis or criticism.

Research summary or Abstract. What’s the Difference?

They’re both brief, concise, and give an overview of an aspect of the research paper. So, it’s easy to understand why many new researchers get the two confused. However, a research summary and abstract are two very different things with individual purpose. To start with, a research summary is written at the end while the abstract comes at the beginning of a research paper.

A research summary captures the essence of the paper at the end of your document. It focuses on your topic, methods, and findings. More like a TL;DR, if you will. An abstract, on the other hand, is a description of what your research paper is about. It tells your reader what your topic or hypothesis is, and sets a context around why you have embarked on your research.

Getting Started with a Research Summary

Before you start writing, you need to get insights into your research’s content, style, and organization. There are three fundamental areas of a research summary that you should focus on.

• While deciding the contents of your research summary, you must include a section on its importance as a whole, the techniques, and the tools that were used to formulate the conclusion. Additionally, there needs to be a short but thorough explanation of how the findings of the research paper have a significance.
• To keep the summary well-organized, try to cover the various sections of the research paper in separate paragraphs. Besides, how the idea of particular factual research came up first must be explained in a separate paragraph.
• As a general practice worldwide, research summaries are restricted to 300-400 words. However, if you have chosen a lengthy research paper, try not to exceed the word limit of 10% of the entire research paper.

How to Structure Your Research Summary

The research summary is nothing but a concise form of the entire research paper. Therefore, the structure of a summary stays the same as the paper. So, include all the section titles and write a little about them. The structural elements that a research summary must consist of are:

It represents the topic of the research. Try to phrase it so that it includes the key findings or conclusion of the task.

The abstract gives a context of the research paper. Unlike the abstract at the beginning of a paper, the abstract here, should be very short since you’ll be working with a limited word count.

Introduction

This is the most crucial section of a research summary as it helps readers get familiarized with the topic. You should include the definition of your topic, the current state of the investigation, and practical relevance in this part. Additionally, you should present the problem statement, investigative measures, and any hypothesis in this section.

Methodology

This section provides details about the methodology and the methods adopted to conduct the study. You should write a brief description of the surveys, sampling, type of experiments, statistical analysis, and the rationality behind choosing those particular methods.

Create a list of evidence obtained from the various experiments with a primary analysis, conclusions, and interpretations made upon that. In the paper research paper, you will find the results section as the most detailed and lengthy part. Therefore, you must pick up the key elements and wisely decide which elements are worth including and which are worth skipping.

This is where you present the interpretation of results in the context of their application. Discussion usually covers results, inferences, and theoretical models explaining the obtained values, key strengths, and limitations. All of these are vital elements that you must include in the summary.

Most research papers merge conclusion with discussions. However, depending upon the instructions, you may have to prepare this as a separate section in your research summary. Usually, conclusion revisits the hypothesis and provides the details about the validation or denial about the arguments made in the research paper, based upon how convincing the results were obtained.

The structure of a research summary closely resembles the anatomy of a scholarly article . Additionally, you should keep your research and references limited to authentic and  scholarly sources only.

Tips for Writing a Research Summary

The core concept behind undertaking a research summary is to present a simple and clear understanding of your research paper to the reader. The biggest hurdle while doing that is the number of words you have at your disposal. So, follow the steps below to write a research summary that sticks.

1. Read the parent paper thoroughly

You should go through the research paper thoroughly multiple times to ensure that you have a complete understanding of its contents. A 3-stage reading process helps.

a. Scan: In the first read, go through it to get an understanding of its basic concept and methodologies.

b. Read: For the second step, read the article attentively by going through each section, highlighting the key elements, and subsequently listing the topics that you will include in your research summary.

c. Skim: Flip through the article a few more times to study the interpretation of various experimental results, statistical analysis, and application in different contexts.

Sincerely go through different headings and subheadings as it will allow you to understand the underlying concept of each section. You can try reading the introduction and conclusion simultaneously to understand the motive of the task and how obtained results stay fit to the expected outcome.

2. Identify the key elements in different sections

While exploring different sections of an article, you can try finding answers to simple what, why, and how. Below are a few pointers to give you an idea:

• What is the research question and how is it addressed?
• Is there a hypothesis in the introductory part?
• What type of methods are being adopted?
• What is the sample size for data collection and how is it being analyzed?
• What are the most vital findings?
• Do the results support the hypothesis?

Discussion/Conclusion

• What is the final solution to the problem statement?
• What is the explanation for the obtained results?
• What is the drawn inference?
• What are the various limitations of the study?

3. Prepare the first draft

Now that you’ve listed the key points that the paper tries to demonstrate, you can start writing the summary following the standard structure of a research summary. Just make sure you’re not writing statements from the parent research paper verbatim.

Instead, try writing down each section in your own words. This will not only help in avoiding plagiarism but will also show your complete understanding of the subject. Alternatively, you can use a summarizing tool (AI-based summary generators) to shorten the content or summarize the content without disrupting the actual meaning of the article.

SciSpace Copilot is one such helpful feature! You can easily upload your research paper and ask Copilot to summarize it. You will get an AI-generated, condensed research summary. SciSpace Copilot also enables you to highlight text, clip math and tables, and ask any question relevant to the research paper; it will give you instant answers with deeper context of the article..

4. Include visuals

One of the best ways to summarize and consolidate a research paper is to provide visuals like graphs, charts, pie diagrams, etc.. Visuals make getting across the facts, the past trends, and the probabilistic figures around a concept much more engaging.

5. Double check for plagiarism

It can be very tempting to copy-paste a few statements or the entire paragraphs depending upon the clarity of those sections. But it’s best to stay away from the practice. Even paraphrasing should be done with utmost care and attention.

Also: QuillBot vs SciSpace: Choose the best AI-paraphrasing tool

6. Religiously follow the word count limit

You need to have strict control while writing different sections of a research summary. In many cases, it has been observed that the research summary and the parent research paper become the same length. If that happens, it can lead to discrediting of your efforts and research summary itself. Whatever the standard word limit has been imposed, you must observe that carefully.

7. Proofread your research summary multiple times

The process of writing the research summary can be exhausting and tiring. However, you shouldn’t allow this to become a reason to skip checking your academic writing several times for mistakes like misspellings, grammar, wordiness, and formatting issues. Proofread and edit until you think your research summary can stand out from the others, provided it is drafted perfectly on both technicality and comprehension parameters. You can also seek assistance from editing and proofreading services , and other free tools that help you keep these annoying grammatical errors at bay.

8. Watch while you write

Keep a keen observation of your writing style. You should use the words very precisely, and in any situation, it should not represent your personal opinions on the topic. You should write the entire research summary in utmost impersonal, precise, factually correct, and evidence-based writing.

9. Ask a friend/colleague to help

Once you are done with the final copy of your research summary, you must ask a friend or colleague to read it. You must test whether your friend or colleague could grasp everything without referring to the parent paper. This will help you in ensuring the clarity of the article.

Once you become familiar with the research paper summary concept and understand how to apply the tips discussed above in your current task, summarizing a research summary won’t be that challenging. While traversing the different stages of your academic career, you will face different scenarios where you may have to create several research summaries.

In such cases, you just need to look for answers to simple questions like “Why this study is necessary,” “what were the methods,” “who were the participants,” “what conclusions were drawn from the research,” and “how it is relevant to the wider world.” Once you find out the answers to these questions, you can easily create a good research summary following the standard structure and a precise writing style.

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Scientific Journal Article Summary Example: Best Practices

We can all agree - condensing complex scientific research into an accurate, engaging summary is tricky.

But with the right approach, you can craft summaries that effectively convey key details and implications to various audiences.

In this post, you'll uncover best practices for summarizing scientific journal articles. You'll learn how to identify core findings, summarize methodologies precisely, convey results properly, and synthesize everything into a cohesive narrative. An example APA-formatted summary is also provided to see these tips in action.

Introduction to Scientific Journal Article Summaries

Summarizing scientific journal articles is an important skill for researchers and students. It allows you to concisely communicate the key objectives, methods, findings, and conclusions of a study to various audiences.

The Art of Condensing Complex Research

When summarizing scientific research, it is essential to identify and highlight the core elements that capture the essence of the study. This involves analyzing complex details and data to extract the most critical information. Key steps include:

Clearly articulating the central research question or objective

Condensing the methods into a simple overview

Highlighting key results and statistics

Summarizing the conclusions and implications

Skills like active reading, critical thinking, and concise writing help distill multidimensional research into accessible summaries.

Target Audience: Tailoring Summaries for Different Readers

Scientific article summaries should be adapted based on the intended reader. For example:

Emphasize key learning points

Define discipline-specific terminology

Focus on practical applications

Academic Peers

Use precise disciplinary language

Include technical details on methodology

Highlight novel contributions to the field

Scientific Journal Article Summary Example for Students

Here is an example summary of a microbiology study tailored specifically for a student reader:

A 2022 study on antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) found that a synthetic AMP named “peptoid-1” effectively killed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in lab tests. The peptoid-1 molecule disrupted the bacterial cell membranes of MRSA, including difficult-to-treat biofilms. The research demonstrates the potential of synthetic AMPs as a promising new class of antibiotics to combat drug-resistant superbugs like MRSA. This has important implications for developing urgently needed antibiotics to address the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance.

This summary briefly explains the key learning points of the study in straightforward language appropriate for students. Technical details are avoided, and emphasis is placed on articulating the essential findings, applications, and implications.

How do you write a summary for a scientific journal article?

A well-written summary of a scientific journal article should cover three main points:

Why the research was done

The first section of your summary should provide background information and context about why the research was conducted. This includes:

The research goals, questions, or hypotheses being investigated

Gaps in existing knowledge the study aims to address

The overall importance of the research topic

For example:

This study investigates the effects of climate change on crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior research has not examined how higher temperatures may impact staple crops in this region specifically. Understanding climate change effects on agriculture is critical for food security policymaking across developing nations.

What happened in the experiment

The second section should explain the methodology and highlight key findings from the study's experiments, data analysis, or other research activities. Use concise language to describe:

The study sample, materials, and procedures

Statistical analysis techniques

Major results that relate to the research questions

For instance:

Researchers compiled 30 years of temperature data and crop production records from six countries. Using regression analysis, they found higher temperatures significantly reduced wheat and maize yields by an average of 15% and 12%, respectively.

What conclusions the author drew

Finally, summarize the researchers' conclusions, implications, and recommendations based on their results. Mention any limitations noted and future research suggested.

The authors conclude rising temperatures from climate change could seriously impact food security in sub-Saharan Africa. They call for policies to help farmers adapt through heat-tolerant crop varieties and improved irrigation access. Additional research is needed to develop effective adaptation strategies.

Following this basic structure will help you efficiently summarize the essential information in a scientific journal article.

What is journal article summary?

A journal article summary concisely overviews the main points and key takeaways from a scientific paper published in an academic journal. It allows readers to quickly understand the core findings and arguments of the original article without having to read the full text.

An effective summary should:

Identify the main objective or research question the authors aimed to address

Highlight the key methods, data sources, and analytical approaches used

Summarize the major results and main conclusions

Note any limitations or unanswered questions for future research

For example, a summary of a psychology paper might overview the hypothesis tested, experiment methodology, participant demographics, statistical analyses conducted, and whether the findings supported or rejected the original hypothesis.

Summaries are a useful way for scientists to stay current with latest developments across broad fields of research. They also help readers determine if they should invest time reading the full article based on whether the topic and findings are relevant to their own work. As such, summaries should provide enough detail and context to evaluate the scope and implications of the research.

Formatting a Journal Article Summary

When writing a journal article summary, the exact formatting can vary depending on the target publication or audience needs. However, some key elements tend to be consistent:

Citation: Include a full citation of the original paper using the required scholarly style

Background: 1-2 sentences placing the research in context of current knowledge state

Objective: 1 sentence stating the purpose/focus of the study

Methods: 1-2 sentences summarizing the experiment, data, analyses performed

Results: 2-3 sentences describing the major findings

Conclusion: 1-2 sentences covering implications and future directions

The full summary is typically 150-250 words or 8-15 sentences. Brevity and precision are key when condensing a complex study into such a compact overview.

What is the general format for summary of a journal article?

Summarizing a scientific journal article requires capturing the key details while maintaining brevity. Here are some best practices:

Follow the structure of the original paper

Like an abstract, organize your summary by:

Introduction - Cover the background, purpose, and hypothesis.

Methods - Briefly describe the experimental design.

Results - Highlight the main findings without going into excessive detail.

Discussion - Summarize the author's interpretation and conclusions.

Focus on key information

Identify and extract only the most critical details:

Research goals

Sample characteristics

Variables examined

Statistical analyses performed

Major results obtained

Conclusions reached

Maintain objectivity

Present the findings in a neutral tone without inserting your own opinions or judgments.

Use paraphrasing

Summarize points in your own words instead of relying heavily on direct quotes. However, scientifically precise terminology should be retained.

Follow formatting guidelines

Adhere to style formatting per journal or publisher requirements. Most scientific summaries require American Psychological Association (APA) citations.

Keeping summaries clear, accurate, and concise requires practice. But following these research article summary guidelines will help ensure quality. With wisio.app 's tools for discovering papers and translating terminology, scientists can efficiently produce summaries to advance their work.

How do you summarize a journal article in APA?

When summarizing a journal article in APA style, it is important to follow some key guidelines:

Use Your Own Words

Read through the full article and highlight the key points

Write the summary using your own words while staying true to the original meaning

Avoid directly quoting chunks of text from the original

Focus on Relevant Elements

Identify the critical elements like purpose, methods, findings, conclusions

Summarize only details directly relevant to the core focus of the article

Keep contextual details brief or exclude if non-essential

Maintain Clear Distinction

Clearly indicate in the summary which ideas are yours versus the author's

Do not interject your own analysis, evaluation, or interpretation

Keep the summary objective and descriptive in nature

Follow APA Formatting

Include a citation to the original article

Apply proper in-text citations for any verbatim short quotes

Format the summary using standard APA guidelines for font, spacing, etc.

Keep it Brief

Strive to keep the summary less than 10-15% of the original length

Tighten long summaries by removing non-vital details

Aim for brevity while preserving meaning and scientific accuracy

Following these basic tips will help produce an APA-style summary that accurately conveys the essence of the journal article in a clear and concise manner.

Understanding the Structure of Scientific Articles

Delve into the typical structure of scientific journal articles to understand the framework from which summaries are derived.

Dissecting the IMRaD Format

The IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) format is a standard structure used in scientific writing. Understanding this structure is key when summarizing journal articles.

The Introduction presents background context, defines key terms, and states the research objective and hypothesis. When summarizing, capture the main research goals and questions driving the study.

The Methods section provides details on the experimental design, materials, data collection procedures, and statistical analysis. Identify the overall methodology without delving into granular specifics.

The Results present objective findings from the data analysis. Highlight key quantitative outcomes and discoveries in your summary.

The Discussion section interprets the results, explores their significance, compares them to other studies, acknowledges limitations, and suggests future work. Summarize the main conclusions, implications, and next steps discussed.

Decoding Abstracts and Conclusions

Article abstracts concisely overview the purpose, methods, findings, and implications covered in the full text. Leverage abstracts when first assessing articles for relevance.

Conclusions summarize the key points and provide final thoughts. Use them to validate your understanding of the central themes.

Both provide a helpful frame of reference when synthesizing summaries.

Critical Reading for Effective Summarization

Carefully analyze each section and subsection

Annotate and highlight meaningful passages

Identify connections between key ideas

Focus on what findings reveal about the research problem

Capture enough detail to convey original intent

Synthesize using clear, concise language

Thoughtful critical reading builds comprehension essential for quality summarization.

How to Summarize a Research Article

Summarizing a research article requires identifying the core findings and contributions, accurately capturing the methodologies, conveying the key results and implications, and crafting a cohesive narrative. Here is a step-by-step guide:

Identifying Core Findings and Contributions

When summarizing a research article, it is essential to pinpoint the most significant findings and contributions of the study. Key steps include:

Read the abstract and conclusion to understand the major findings.

Highlight unique discoveries, breakthroughs, or advances made.

Note the implications and importance communicated by the authors.

Identify knowledge gaps filled or new frameworks proposed.

Focusing on these elements will help determine the core essence to convey in your summary.

Summarizing Methodologies with Precision

While summarizing the methodologies, avoid oversimplifying complex research processes. Key tips include:

Use concise yet precise language to describe methods applied.

Specify instruments or tools leveraged in the research.

Provide sample sizes and measures captured if relevant.

Note statistical or analytical techniques utilized.

Maintaining key methodological details demonstrates analytical rigor when sharing the research with others.

Conveying Results and Their Implications

An effective summary should clearly communicate the study's results and why they matter. To accomplish this:

Report quantitative findings or qualitative discoveries made.

Contextualize results using benchmarks, comparisons, or real-world impacts.

Connect results back to the research aims and knowledge gaps identified.

Discuss limitations along with future research needed.

This enables readers to grasp the meaningfulness of the results.

Crafting a Cohesive Narrative

Finally, structure the various summary elements into a cohesive overview:

Organize content using section headers around aims, methods, results, and conclusions.

Use transition words (e.g. “additionally,” “in contrast,” “as a result”) to improve flow.

Focus on information that supports the core findings and contributions of the work.

Avoid excessive details and maintain brevity.

Following these steps will produce a concise yet insightful summary showcasing the relevance of the research.

Scientific Journal Article Summary Example APA Format

Adhering to proper formatting guidelines is critical when summarizing scientific journal articles, especially for academic purposes. The American Psychological Association (APA) style provides clear standards that enable precise, uniform communication across scientific disciplines.

Adhering to APA Style in Summaries

Following APA style lends credibility and ensures readers can easily reference sources. Key elements include:

Properly formatting in-text citations and references

Using headings and subheadings to organize content

Applying title case capitalization

Using active voice and clear language

Formatting title page with running head, page numbers, and other elements

Adhering to these conventions helps establish summaries as reputable academic works worthy of consideration.

Example of an APA-Formatted Summary

Here is an example of a properly formatted APA summary:

Smith, J. (2021). The impact of climate change on coral reef ecosystems. Marine Biology , 166 (3), 201–215. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03876-8

This study examined the effects of rising ocean temperatures and acidification on coral reef health over 5 years. The author tracked changes in coral cover and biodiversity across 12 reef sites in the Caribbean Sea. On average, coral cover declined by 18.7% and species richness decreased by 22.4% on reefs exposed to prolonged marine heatwaves. The declines were attributed to mass coral bleaching triggered by unusually warm water temperatures. The findings suggest climate change may severely degrade coral reef ecosystems within decades. Further research into mitigation strategies is warranted to preserve these valuable marine habitats.

Key elements like the citation, use of third-person perspective, headings, and formal academic language adhere to APA conventions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in APA Summaries

When writing APA-style summaries, writers should avoid:

Neglecting to include a full citation for the original work

Using first-person pronouns like “I” or “we”

Inserting opinions or commentary from the summarizer

Failing to use headings to organize content

Including direct quotes from the original text

Avoiding these pitfalls will ensure an APA-compliant summary format.

Practical Tips for Writing Scientific Summaries

Language and terminology: clarity above all.

When summarizing scientific research, it is crucial to use clear, precise language and terminology. Avoid vague or ambiguous phrasing, and opt for specificity whenever possible. Define key terms, acronyms, or concepts that may be unfamiliar to readers. Simplify complex statistical analysis or scientific jargon for general audiences without losing integrity. Stick to plain language with straightforward syntax to ensure readers grasp the key findings.

Brevity vs. Completeness: Striking the Right Balance

Balancing brevity and completeness presents a challenge when summarizing scientific papers. Focus on highlighting the central objective, methodology, results, and conclusions. Resist dwelling on intricate experimental details or tangential discussions. However, take care not to oversimplify complex research. Seek to distill the essence without omitting information that substantively impacts the interpretation or reproducibility of the study. Adhere to word limits when required but avoid excluding key facts, figures, or takeaways in the quest for brevity.

Ethical Considerations in Summarizing Research

When writing scientific summaries, it is vital to represent the original piece fairly and avoid misconstruing the author's intent. Exercise caution when paraphrasing specialized statistical analysis or scientific terminology. Cite sources properly, and refrain from plagiarizing significant portions of the original text. Also, recognize the limitations of summarization; for complete details, readers should consult the primary literature. By maintaining high ethical standards, scientific summarizers uphold the integrity of research communication.

Conclusion: Synthesizing the Essentials

Summarizing scientific journal articles effectively requires adhering to several key best practices. By focusing on the article's key findings, methodology, and conclusions, skilled summarizers can efficiently communicate the essential information to readers.

Recapitulating Best Practices for Summary Writing

When summarizing a scientific article, it's important to:

Highlight the important methods, data, and analyses used in the study

Note the study's core findings and conclusions

Maintain the authors' original meaning and intent

Follow applicable formatting guidelines (e.g. APA style)

Adhering to these principles helps preserve the accuracy and integrity of the research while making the information more readily digestible.

Summary of a Research Article Example

Here is an example summary incorporating the best practices covered in this article:

Smith et al. (2021) set out to understand the effects of climate change on crop yields. The authors analyzed 30 years of temperature, rainfall, and corn production data across major farming regions of the U.S. Midwest. They found that increased temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns have already caused measurable declines in corn yields over the past decade. Based on predictive climate models, the authors expect these negative impacts on crop productivity to accelerate in the coming years if mitigation measures are not adopted. This clearly structured summary concisely conveys the objective, methods, key results, and conclusions of the article while maintaining authorial intent and voice. The formatting adheres to APA guidelines.

In this way, skillful summarization enables efficient scientific communication while upholding standards of accuracy and integrity.

Antonio Carlos Filho @acfilho_dev

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• How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples

How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples

Published on 25 September 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 12 May 2023.

Summarising , or writing a summary, means giving a concise overview of a text’s main points in your own words. A summary is always much shorter than the original text.

There are five key steps that can help you to write a summary:

• Read the text
• Break it down into sections
• Identify the key points in each section
• Write the summary
• Check the summary against the article

Writing a summary does not involve critiquing or analysing the source. You should simply provide an accurate account of the most important information and ideas (without copying any text from the original).

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Table of contents

When to write a summary, step 1: read the text, step 2: break the text down into sections, step 3: identify the key points in each section, step 4: write the summary, step 5: check the summary against the article, frequently asked questions.

There are many situations in which you might have to summarise an article or other source:

• As a stand-alone assignment to show you’ve understood the material
• To keep notes that will help you remember what you’ve read
• To give an overview of other researchers’ work in a literature review

When you’re writing an academic text like an essay , research paper , or dissertation , you’ll integrate sources in a variety of ways. You might use a brief quote to support your point, or paraphrase a few sentences or paragraphs.

But it’s often appropriate to summarize a whole article or chapter if it is especially relevant to your own research, or to provide an overview of a source before you analyse or critique it.

In any case, the goal of summarising is to give your reader a clear understanding of the original source. Follow the five steps outlined below to write a good summary.

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You should read the article more than once to make sure you’ve thoroughly understood it. It’s often effective to read in three stages:

• Scan the article quickly to get a sense of its topic and overall shape.
• Read the article carefully, highlighting important points and taking notes as you read.
• Skim the article again to confirm you’ve understood the key points, and reread any particularly important or difficult passages.

There are some tricks you can use to identify the key points as you read:

• Start by reading the abstract . This already contains the author’s own summary of their work, and it tells you what to expect from the article.
• Pay attention to headings and subheadings . These should give you a good sense of what each part is about.
• Read the introduction and the conclusion together and compare them: What did the author set out to do, and what was the outcome?

To make the text more manageable and understand its sub-points, break it down into smaller sections.

If the text is a scientific paper that follows a standard empirical structure, it is probably already organised into clearly marked sections, usually including an introduction, methods, results, and discussion.

Other types of articles may not be explicitly divided into sections. But most articles and essays will be structured around a series of sub-points or themes.

Now it’s time go through each section and pick out its most important points. What does your reader need to know to understand the overall argument or conclusion of the article?

Keep in mind that a summary does not involve paraphrasing every single paragraph of the article. Your goal is to extract the essential points, leaving out anything that can be considered background information or supplementary detail.

In a scientific article, there are some easy questions you can ask to identify the key points in each part.

If the article takes a different form, you might have to think more carefully about what points are most important for the reader to understand its argument.

In that case, pay particular attention to the thesis statement —the central claim that the author wants us to accept, which usually appears in the introduction—and the topic sentences that signal the main idea of each paragraph.

Now that you know the key points that the article aims to communicate, you need to put them in your own words.

To avoid plagiarism and show you’ve understood the article, it’s essential to properly paraphrase the author’s ideas. Do not copy and paste parts of the article, not even just a sentence or two.

The best way to do this is to put the article aside and write out your own understanding of the author’s key points.

Examples of article summaries

Let’s take a look at an example. Below, we summarise this article , which scientifically investigates the old saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’.

An article summary like the above would be appropriate for a stand-alone summary assignment. However, you’ll often want to give an even more concise summary of an article.

For example, in a literature review or research paper, you may want to briefly summarize this study as part of a wider discussion of various sources. In this case, we can boil our summary down even further to include only the most relevant information.

Citing the source you’re summarizing

When including a summary as part of a larger text, it’s essential to properly cite the source you’re summarizing. The exact format depends on your citation style , but it usually includes an in-text citation and a full reference at the end of your paper.

You can easily create your citations and references in APA or MLA using our free citation generators.

APA Citation Generator MLA Citation Generator

Finally, read through the article once more to ensure that:

• You’ve accurately represented the author’s work
• You haven’t missed any essential information
• The phrasing is not too similar to any sentences in the original.

If you’re summarising many articles as part of your own work, it may be a good idea to use a plagiarism checker to double-check that your text is completely original and properly cited. Just be sure to use one that’s safe and reliable.

A summary is a short overview of the main points of an article or other source, written entirely in your own words.

Save yourself some time with the free summariser.

A summary is always much shorter than the original text. The length of a summary can range from just a few sentences to several paragraphs; it depends on the length of the article you’re summarising, and on the purpose of the summary.

With the summariser tool you can easily adjust the length of your summary.

You might have to write a summary of a source:

• As a stand-alone assignment to prove you understand the material
• For your own use, to keep notes on your reading
• To provide an overview of other researchers’ work in a literature review
• In a paper , to summarise or introduce a relevant study

To avoid plagiarism when summarising an article or other source, follow these two rules:

• Write the summary entirely in your own words by   paraphrasing the author’s ideas.
• Reference the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

An abstract concisely explains all the key points of an academic text such as a thesis , dissertation or journal article. It should summarise the whole text, not just introduce it.

An abstract is a type of summary , but summaries are also written elsewhere in academic writing . For example, you might summarise a source in a paper , in a literature review , or as a standalone assignment.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, May 12). How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/working-sources/how-to-write-a-summary/

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Writing Article Summaries

• Understanding Article Summaries 

Common Problems in Article Summaries

Read carefully and closely, structure of the summary, writing the summary.

• Sample Outlines and Paragraphs

Understanding Article Summaries

An article summary is a short, focused paper about one scholarly article that is informed by a critical reading of that article. For argumentative articles, the summary identifies, explains, and analyses the thesis and supporting arguments; for empirical articles, the summary identifies, explains, and analyses the research questions, methods, findings, and implications of the study.

Although article summaries are often short and rarely account for a large portion of your grade, they are a strong indicator of your reading and writing skills. Professors ask you to write article summaries to help you to develop essential skills in critical reading, summarizing, and clear, organized writing. Furthermore, an article summary requires you to read a scholarly article quite closely, which provides a useful introduction to the conventions of writing in your discipline (e.g. Political Studies, Biology, or Anthropology).

The most common problem that students have when writing an article summary is that they misunderstand the goal of the assignment. In an article summary, your job is to write about the article, not about the actual topic of the article. For example, if you are summarizing Smith’s article about the causes of the Bubonic plague in Europe, your summary should be about Smith’s article: What does she want to find out about the plague? What evidence does she use? What is her argument? You are not writing a paper about the actual causes of Bubonic plague in Europe.

Further, as a part of critical reading, you will often consider your own position on a topic or an argument; it is tempting to include an assessment or opinion about the thesis or findings, but this is not the goal of an article summary. Rather, you must identify, explain, and analyse the main point and how it is supported.

Your key to success in writing an article summary is your understanding of the article; therefore, it is essential to read carefully and closely. The Academic Skills Centre offers helpful instruction on the steps for critical reading: pre-reading, active and analytical reading, and reflection.

Argumentative Articles

As you read an argumentative article, consider the following questions:

• What is the topic?
• What is the research question? In other words, what is the author trying to find out about that topic?
• How does the author position his/her article in relation to other studies of the topic?
• What is the thesis or position? What are the supporting arguments?
• How are supporting arguments developed? What kind of evidence is used?
• What is the significance of the author’s thesis? What does it help you to understand about the topic?

Empirical Articles

As you read an empirical article, consider the following questions:

• What is the research question?
• What are the predictions and the rationale for these predictions?
• What methods were used (participants, sampling, materials, procedure)? What were the variables and controls?
• What were the main results?
• Are the findings supported by previous research?
• What are the limitations of the study?
• What are the implications or applications of the findings?

Create a Reverse Outline

Creating a reverse outline is one way to ensure that you fully understand the article. Pre-read the article (read the abstract, introduction, and/or conclusion). Summarize the main question(s) and thesis or findings. Skim subheadings and topic sentences to understand the organization; make notes in the margins about each section. Read each paragraph within a section; make short notes about the main idea or purpose of each paragraph. This strategy will help you to see how parts of the article connect to the main idea or the whole of the article.

A summary is written in paragraph form and generally does not include subheadings. An introduction is important to clearly identify the article, the topic, the question or purpose of the article, and its thesis or findings. The body paragraphs for a summary of an argumentative article will explain how arguments and evidence support the thesis. Alternatively, the body paragraphs of an empirical article summary may explain the methods and findings, making connections to predictions. The conclusion explains the significance of the argument or implications of the findings. This structure ensures that your summary is focused and clear.

Professors will often give you a list of required topics to include in your summary and/or explain how they want you to organize your summary. Make sure you read the assignment sheet with care and adapt the sample outlines below accordingly.

One significant challenge in writing an article summary is deciding what information or examples from the article to include. Remember, article summaries are much shorter than the article itself. You do not have the space to explain every point the author makes. Instead, you will need to explain the author’s main points and find a few excellent examples that illustrate these points.

You should also keep in mind that article summaries need to be written in your own words. Scholarly writing can use complex terminology to explain complicated ideas, which makes it difficult to understand and to summarize correctly. In the face of difficult text, many students tend to use direct quotations, saving them the time and energy required to understand and reword it. However, a summary requires you to summarize, which means “to state briefly or succinctly” (Oxford English Dictionary) the main ideas presented in a text. The brevity must come from you, in your own words, which demonstrates that you understand the article.

Sample Outlines and Paragraph

Sample outline for an argumentative article summary.

• General topic of article
• Author’s research question or approach to the topic
• Author’s thesis
• Explain some key points and how they support the thesis
• Provide a key example or two that the author uses as evidence to support these points
• Review how the main points work together to support the thesis?
• How does the author explain the significance or implications of his/her article?

Sample Outline for an Empirical Article Summary

• General topic of study
• Author’s research question
• Variables and hypotheses
• Participants
• Experiment design
• Materials used
• Key results
• Did the results support the hypotheses?
• Implications or applications of the study
• Major limitations of the study

Sample Paragraph

The paragraph below is an example of an introductory paragraph from a summary of an empirical article:

Tavernier and Willoughby’s (2014) study explored the relationships between university students’ sleep and their intrapersonal, interpersonal, and educational development. While the authors cited many scholars who have explored these relationships, they pointed out that most of these studies focused on unidirectional correlations over a short period of time. In contrast, Tavernier and Willoughby tested whether there was a bidirectional or unidirectional association between participants’ sleep quality and duration and several psychosocial factors including intrapersonal adjustment, friendship quality, and academic achievement. Further they conducted a longitudinal study over a period of three years in order to determine whether there were changes in the strength or direction of these associations over time. They predicted that sleep quality would correlate with measures of intrapersonal adjustment, friendship quality, and academic achievement; they further hypothesized that this correlation would be bidirectional: sleep quality would predict psychosocial measures and at the same time, psychosocial measures would predict sleep quality.

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Finding and summarizing research articles - apa format, introduction.

Writing a summary or abstract teaches you how to condense information and how to read an article more effectively and with better understanding. Research articles usually contain these parts: Title/Author Information, Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Result or Findings, Discussion or Conclusion, and References. To gain a better understanding of an article, try reading the abstract and the discussion or conclusion first and then read the entire article.

Finding an Article

PsycINFO Research Database The American Psychological Association’s (APA) renowned resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations, the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health.

PsycINFO Tutorial

Journal Article Request If you can't find the free full text version of a research article, please complete and submit this form. An Learning Commons staff member will then place an interlibrary loan request on your behalf.

Summarizing an Article

The following websites offer advice and instruction on summarizing articles:

Andrews University: Guidelines for Writing an Article Summary

UConn: How to Summarize a Research Article

Resources for APA Style

APA (7th ed.) Formatting and Style Guide Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

APA Style Website American Psychological Association

Books in the Learning Commons

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.): BF76.7 .P83

Sample APA Citations

In-text citation.

If the author’s name is included within the text, follow the name with (year)

            Example: Jones (2009) found that diabetes symptoms improve with exercise.

If the author’s name is not included within the text, follow the sentence with (Last Name, year).

            Example: Increased exercise resulted in diminished diabetes symptoms (Jones, 2009).

Reference Citation

Author’s last name, A. A., & Author’s last name, B.B. (year).Title of article. Title of Journal , volume (issue), page number – page number. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Iscoe, K. E., & Riddell, M. C. (2011). Continuous moderate-intensity exercise with or without intermittent high-intensity work: Effects on acute and late glycaemia in athletes with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Diabetic Medicine , 28 (7), 824-832. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-5491.2011.03274.x

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Article Summaries, Reviews & Critiques

Writing an article summary.

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When writing a summary, the goal is to compose a concise and objective overview of the original article. The summary should focus only on the article's main ideas and important details that support those ideas.

Guidelines for summarizing an article:

• State the main ideas.
• Identify the most important details that support the main ideas.
• Summarize in your own words.
• Do not copy phrases or sentences unless they are being used as direct quotations.
• Express the underlying meaning of the article, but do not critique or analyze.
• The summary should be about one third the length of the original article. 

Your summary should include:

• Give an overview of the article, including the title and the name of the author.
• Provide a thesis statement that states the main idea of the article.
• Use the body paragraphs to explain the supporting ideas of your thesis statement.
• One-paragraph summary - one sentence per supporting detail, providing 1-2 examples for each.
• Multi-paragraph summary - one paragraph per supporting detail, providing 2-3 examples for each.
• Start each paragraph with a topic sentence.
• Use transitional words and phrases to connect ideas.
• Summarize your thesis statement and the underlying meaning of the article.

 Adapted from "Guidelines for Using In-Text Citations in a Summary (or Research Paper)" by Christine Bauer-Ramazani, 2020

Additional Resources

All links open in a new window.

How to Write a Summary - Guide & Examples  (from Scribbr.com)

Writing a Summary  (from The University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center)

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• Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024 9:32 AM
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Research Summary: What is it & how to write one

The Research Summary is used to report facts about a study clearly. You will almost certainly be required to prepare a research summary during your academic research or while on a research project for your organization.

If it is the first time you have to write one, the writing requirements may confuse you. The instructors generally assign someone to write a summary of the research work. Research summaries require the writer to have a thorough understanding of the issue.

This article will discuss the definition of a research summary and how to write one.

What is a research summary?

A research summary is a piece of writing that summarizes your research on a specific topic. Its primary goal is to offer the reader a detailed overview of the study with the key findings. A research summary generally contains the article’s structure in which it is written.

You must know the goal of your analysis before you launch a project. A research overview summarizes the detailed response and highlights particular issues raised in it. Writing it might be somewhat troublesome. To write a good overview, you want to start with a structure in mind. Read on for our guide.

Why is an analysis recap so important?

Your summary or analysis is going to tell readers everything about your research project. This is the critical piece that your stakeholders will read to identify your findings and valuable insights. Having a good and concise research summary that presents facts and comes with no research biases is the critical deliverable of any research project.

We’ve put together a cheat sheet to help you write a good research summary below.

Research Summary Guide

• Why was this research done?  – You want to give a clear description of why this research study was done. What hypothesis was being tested?
• Who was surveyed? – The what and why or your research decides who you’re going to interview/survey. Your research summary has a detailed note on who participated in the study and why they were selected. 
• What was the methodology? – Talk about the methodology. Did you do face-to-face interviews? Was it a short or long survey or a focus group setting? Your research methodology is key to the results you’re going to get. 
• What were the key findings? – This can be the most critical part of the process. What did we find out after testing the hypothesis? This section, like all others, should be just facts, facts facts. You’re not sharing how you feel about the findings. Keep it bias-free.
• Conclusion – What are the conclusions that were drawn from the findings. A good example of a conclusion. Surprisingly, most people interviewed did not watch the lunar eclipse in 2022, which is unexpected given that 100% of those interviewed knew about it before it happened.
• Takeaways and action points – This is where you bring in your suggestion. Given the data you now have from the research, what are the takeaways and action points? If you’re a researcher running this research project for your company, you’ll use this part to shed light on your recommended action plans for the business.

LEARN ABOUT:   Action Research

If you’re doing any research, you will write a summary, which will be the most viewed and more important part of the project. So keep a guideline in mind before you start. Focus on the content first and then worry about the length. Use the cheat sheet/checklist in this article to organize your summary, and that’s all you need to write a great research summary!

But once your summary is ready, where is it stored? Most teams have multiple documents in their google drives, and it’s a nightmare to find projects that were done in the past. Your research data should be democratized and easy to use.

We at QuestionPro launched a research repository for research teams, and our clients love it. All your data is in one place, and everything is searchable, including your research summaries! 

Authors: Prachi, Anas

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• Research Summary: What Is It & How To Write One

Introduction

A research summary is a requirement during academic research and sometimes you might need to prepare a research summary during a research project for an organization.

Most people find a research summary a daunting task as you are required to condense complex research material into an informative, easy-to-understand article most times with a minimum of 300-500 words.

In this post, we will guide you through all the steps required to make writing your research summary an easier task. 

What is a Research Summary?

A research summary is a piece of writing that summarizes the research of a specific topic into bite-size easy-to-read and comprehend articles. The primary goal is to give the reader a detailed outline of the key findings of a research.

It is an unavoidable requirement in colleges and universities. To write a good research summary, you must understand the goal of your research, as this would help make the process easier. 

A research summary preserves the structure and sections of the article it is derived from.

Research Summary or Abstract: What’s The Difference?

The Research Summary and Abstract are similar, especially as they are both brief, straight to the point, and provide an overview of the entire research paper. However, there are very clear differences.

To begin with, a Research summary is written at the end of a research activity, while the Abstract is written at the beginning of a research paper. 

A Research Summary captures the main points of a study, with an emphasis on the topic, method , and discoveries, an Abstract is a description of what your research paper would talk about and the reason for your research or the hypothesis you are trying to validate.

Let us take a deeper look at the difference between both terms.

What is an Abstract?

An abstract is a short version of a research paper. It is written to convey the findings of the research to the reader. It provides the reader with information that would help them understand the research, by giving them a clear idea about the subject matter of a research paper. It is usually submitted before the presentation of a research paper.

What is a Summary?

A summary is a short form of an essay, a research paper, or a chapter in a book. A research summary is a narration of a research study, condensing the focal points of research to a shorter form, usually aligned with the same structure of the research study, from which the summary is derived.

What Is The Difference Between an Abstract and a Summary?

An abstract communicates the main points of a research paper, it includes the questions, major findings, the importance of the findings, etc.

An abstract reflects the perceptions of the author about a topic, while a research summary reflects the ideology of the research study that is being summarized.

Getting Started with a Research Summary

Before commencing a research summary, there is a need to understand the style and organization of the content you plan to summarize. There are three fundamental areas of the research that should be the focal point:

• When deciding on the content include a section that speaks to the importance of the research, and the techniques and tools used to arrive at your conclusion.
• Keep the summary well organized, and use paragraphs to discuss the various sections of the research.
• Restrict your research to 300-400 words which is the standard practice for research summaries globally. However, if the research paper you want to summarize is a lengthy one, do not exceed 10% of the entire research material.

Once you have satisfied the requirements of the fundamentals for starting your research summary, you can now begin to write using the following format:

• Why was this research done?   – A clear description of the reason the research was embarked on and the hypothesis being tested.
• Who was surveyed? – Your research study should have details of the source of your information. If it was via a survey, you should document who the participants of the survey were and the reason that they were selected.
• What was the methodology? – Discuss the methodology, in terms of what kind of survey method did you adopt. Was it a face-to-face interview, a phone interview, or a focus group setting?
• What were the key findings? – This is perhaps the most vital part of the process. What discoveries did you make after the testing? This part should be based on raw facts free from any personal bias.
• Conclusion – What conclusions did you draw from the findings?
• Takeaways and action points – This is where your views and perception can be reflected. Here, you can now share your recommendations or action points.
• Identify the focal point of the article –  In other to get a grasp of the content covered in the research paper, you can skim the article first, in a bid to understand the most essential part of the research paper. 
• Analyze and understand the topic and article – Writing a summary of a research paper involves being familiar with the topic –  the current state of knowledge, key definitions, concepts, and models. This is often gleaned while reading the literature review. Please note that only a deep understanding ensures efficient and accurate summarization of the content.
• Make notes as you read – Highlight and summarize each paragraph as you read. Your notes are what you would further condense to create a draft that would form your research summary.

How to Structure Your Research Summary

• Title – This highlights the area of analysis, and can be formulated to briefly highlight key findings.
• Abstract – this is a very brief and comprehensive description of the study, required in every academic article, with a length of 100-500 words at most. 
• Introduction – this is a vital part of any research summary, it provides the context and the literature review that gently introduces readers to the subject matter. The introduction usually covers definitions, questions, and hypotheses of the research study. 
• Methodology –This section emphasizes the process and or data analysis methods used, in terms of experiments, surveys, sampling, or statistical analysis. 
• Results section – this section lists in detail the results derived from the research with evidence obtained from all the experiments conducted.
• Discussion – these parts discuss the results within the context of current knowledge among subject matter experts. Interpretation of results and theoretical models explaining the observed results, the strengths of the study, and the limitations experienced are going to be a part of the discussion. 
• Conclusion – In a conclusion, hypotheses are discussed and revalidated or denied, based on how convincing the evidence is.
• References – this section is for giving credit to those who work you studied to create your summary. You do this by providing appropriate citations as you write.

Research Summary Example 1

Below are some defining elements of a sample research summary.

Title – “The probability of an unexpected volcanic eruption in Greenwich”

Introduction – this section would list the catastrophic consequences that occurred in the country and the importance of analyzing this event. 

Hypothesis –  An eruption of the Greenwich supervolcano would be preceded by intense preliminary activity manifesting in advance, before the eruption.

Results – these could contain a report of statistical data from various volcanic eruptions happening globally while looking critically at the activity that occurred before these events. 

Discussion and conclusion – Given that Greenwich is now consistently monitored by scientists and that signs of an eruption are usually detected before the volcanic eruption, this confirms the hypothesis. Hence creating an emergency plan outlining other intervention measures and ultimately evacuation is essential. 

Research Summary Example 2

Below is another sample sketch.

Title – “The frequency of extreme weather events in the UK in 2000-2008 as compared to the ‘60s”

Introduction – Weather events bring intense material damage and cause pain to the victims affected.

Hypothesis – Extreme weather events are more frequent in recent times compared to the ‘50s

Results – The frequency of several categories of extreme events now and then are listed here, such as droughts, fires, massive rainfall/snowfalls, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.

Discussion and conclusion – Several types of extreme events have become more commonplace in recent times, confirming the hypothesis. This rise in extreme weather events can be traced to rising CO2 levels and increasing temperatures and global warming explain the rising frequency of these disasters. Addressing the rising CO2 levels and paying attention to climate change is the only to combat this phenomenon.

A research summary is the short form of a research paper, analyzing the important aspect of the study. Everyone who reads a research summary has a full grasp of the main idea being discussed in the original research paper. Conducting any research means you will write a summary, which is an important part of your project and would be the most read part of your project.

Having a guideline before you start helps, this would form your checklist which would guide your actions as you write your research summary. It is important to note that a Research Summary is different from an Abstract paper written at the beginning of a research paper, describing the idea behind a research paper.

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Writing a Summary – Explanation & Examples

Published by Alvin Nicolas at October 17th, 2023 , Revised On October 17, 2023

In a world bombarded with vast amounts of information, condensing and presenting data in a digestible format becomes invaluable. Enter summaries. 

A summary is a brief and concise account of the main points of a larger body of work. It distils complex ideas, narratives, or data into a version that is quicker to read and easier to understand yet still retains the essence of the original content.

Importance of Summaries

The importance of summarising extends far beyond just making reading more manageable. In academic settings, summaries aid students in understanding and retaining complex materials, from textbook chapters to research articles. They also serve as tools to showcase one’s grasp of the subject in essays and reports. 

In professional arenas, summaries are pivotal in business reports, executive briefings, and even emails where key points need to be conveyed quickly to decision-makers. Meanwhile, summarising skills come into play in our personal lives when we relay news stories to friends, recap a movie plot, or even scroll through condensed news or app notifications on our smartphones.

Why Do We Write Summaries?

In our modern information age, the sheer volume of content available can be overwhelming. From detailed research papers to comprehensive news articles, the quest for knowledge is often met with lengthy and complex resources. This is where the power of a well-crafted summary comes into play. But what drives us to create or seek out summaries? Let’s discuss.

Makes Important Things Easy to Remember

At the heart of summarisation is the goal to understand. A well-written summary aids in digesting complex material. By distilling larger works into their core points, we reinforce the primary messages, making them easier to remember. This is especially crucial for students who need to retain knowledge for exams or professionals prepping for a meeting based on a lengthy report.

Simplification of Complex Topics

Not everyone is an expert in every field. Often, topics come laden with jargon, intricate details, and nuanced arguments. Summaries act as a bridge, translating this complexity into accessible and straightforward content. This is especially beneficial for individuals new to a topic or those who need just the highlights without the intricacies.

Aid in Researching and Understanding Diverse Sources

Researchers, writers, and academics often wade through many sources when working on a project. This involves finding sources of different types, such as primary or secondary sources , and then understanding their content. Sifting through each source in its entirety can be time-consuming. Summaries offer a streamlined way to understand each source’s main arguments or findings, making synthesising information from diverse materials more efficient.

Condensing Information for Presentation or Sharing

In professional settings, there is often a need to present findings, updates, or recommendations to stakeholders. An executive might not have the time to go through a 50-page report, but they would certainly appreciate a concise summary highlighting the key points. Similarly, in our personal lives, we often summarise movie plots, book stories, or news events when sharing with friends or family.

Characteristics of a Good Summary

Crafting an effective summary is an art. It’s more than just shortening a piece of content; it is about capturing the essence of the original work in a manner that is both accessible and true to its intent. Let’s explore the primary characteristics that distinguish a good summary from a mediocre one:

Conciseness

At the core of a summary is the concept of brevity. But being concise doesn’t mean leaving out vital information. A good summary will:

• Eliminate superfluous details or repetitive points.
• Focus on the primary arguments, events, or findings.
• Use succinct language without compromising the message.

Objectivity

Summarising is not about infusing personal opinions or interpretations. A quality summary will:

• Stick to the facts as presented in the original content.
• Avoid introducing personal biases or perspectives.
• Represent the original author’s intent faithfully.

A summary is meant to simplify and make content accessible. This is only possible if the summary itself is easy to understand. Ensuring clarity involves:

• Avoiding jargon or technical terms unless they are essential to the content. If they are used, they should be clearly defined.
• Structuring sentences in a straightforward manner.
• Making sure ideas are presented in a way that even someone unfamiliar with the topic can grasp the primary points.

A jumble of ideas, no matter how concise, will not make for a good summary. Coherence ensures that there’s a logical flow to the summarised content. A coherent summary will:

• Maintain a logical sequence, often following the structure of the original content.
• Use transition words or phrases to connect ideas and ensure smooth progression.
• Group related ideas together to provide structure and avoid confusion.

Steps of Writing a Summary

The process of creating a compelling summary is not merely about cutting down content. It involves understanding, discerning, and crafting. Here is a step-by-step guide to writing a summary that encapsulates the essence of the original work:

Reading Actively

Engage deeply with the content to ensure a thorough understanding.

• Read the entire document or work first to grasp its overall intent and structure.
• On the second read, underline or highlight the standout points or pivotal moments.
• Make brief notes in the margins or on a separate sheet, capturing the core ideas in your own words.

Identifying the Main Idea

Determine the backbone of the content, around which all other details revolve.

• Ask yourself: “What is the primary message or theme the author wants to convey?”
• This can often be found in the title, introduction, or conclusion of a piece.
• Frame the main idea in a clear and concise statement to guide your summary.

List Key Supporting Points

Understand the pillars that uphold the main idea, providing evidence or depth to the primary message.

• Refer back to the points you underlined or highlighted during your active reading.
• Note major arguments, evidence, or examples that the author uses to back up the main idea.
• Prioritise these points based on their significance to the main idea.

Draft the Summary

Convert your understanding into a condensed, coherent version of the original.

• Start with a statement of the main idea.
• Follow with the key supporting points, maintaining logical order.
• Avoid including trivial details or examples unless they’re crucial to the primary message.
• Use your own words, ensuring you are not plagiarising the original content.

Fine-tune your draft to ensure clarity, accuracy, and brevity.

• Read your draft aloud to check for flow and coherence.
• Ensure that your summary remains objective, avoiding any personal interpretations or biases.
• Check the length. See if any non-essential details can be removed without sacrificing understanding if it is too lengthy.
• Ensure clarity by ensuring the language is straightforward, and the main ideas are easily grasped.

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Dos and Don’ts of Summarising Key Points

Summarising, while seemingly straightforward, comes with its nuances. Properly condensing content demands a balance between brevity and fidelity to the original work. To aid in crafting exemplary summaries, here is a guide on the essential dos and don’ts:

Use your Own Words

This ensures that you have truly understood the content and are not merely parroting it. It also prevents issues of plagiarism.

Tip: After reading the original content, take a moment to reflect on it. Then, without looking at the source, write down the main points in your own words.

Attribute Sources Properly

Giving credit is both ethical and provides context to readers, helping them trace back to the original work if needed. How to cite sources correctly is a skill every writer should master.

Tip: Use signal phrases like “According to [Author/Source]…” or “As [Author/Source] points out…” to seamlessly incorporate attributions.

Ensure Accuracy of the Summarised Content

A summary should be a reliable reflection of the original content. Distorting or misrepresenting the original ideas compromises the integrity of the summary.

Tip: After drafting your summary, cross-check with the original content to ensure all key points are represented accurately and ensure you are referencing credible sources .

Avoid Copy-Pasting Chunks of Original Content

This not only raises plagiarism concerns but also shows a lack of genuine engagement with the material.

Tip: If a particular phrase or sentence from the original is pivotal and cannot be reworded without losing its essence, use block quotes , quotation marks, and attribute the source.

Do not Inject your Personal Opinion

A summary should be an objective reflection of the source material. Introducing personal biases or interpretations can mislead readers.

Tip: Stick to the facts and arguments presented in the original content. If you find yourself writing “I think” or “In my opinion,” reevaluate the sentence.

Do not Omit Crucial Information

While a summary is meant to be concise, it shouldn’t be at the expense of vital details that are essential to understanding the original content’s core message.

Tip: Prioritise information. Always include the main idea and its primary supports. If you are unsure whether a detail is crucial, consider its impact on the overall message.

Examples of Summaries

Here are a few examples that will help you get a clearer view of how to write a summary. 

Example 1: Summary of a News Article

Original Article: The article reports on the recent discovery of a rare species of frog in the Amazon rainforest. The frog, named the “Emerald Whisperer” due to its unique green hue and the soft chirping sounds it makes, was found by a team of researchers from the University of Texas. The discovery is significant as it offers insights into the biodiversity of the region, and the Emerald Whisperer might also play a pivotal role in understanding the ecosystem balance.

Summary: Researchers from the University of Texas have discovered a unique frog, termed the “Emerald Whisperer,” in the Amazon rainforest. This finding sheds light on the region’s biodiversity and underscores the importance of the frog in ecological studies.

Example 2: Summary of a Research Paper

Original Paper: In a study titled “The Impact of Urbanisation on Bee Populations,” researchers conducted a year-long observation on bee colonies in three urban areas and three rural areas. Using specific metrics like colony health, bee productivity, and population size, the study found that urban environments saw a 30% decline in bee populations compared to rural settings. The research attributes this decline to factors like pollution, reduced green spaces, and increased temperatures in urban areas.

Summary: A study analysing the effects of urbanisation on bee colonies found a significant 30% decrease in bee populations in urban settings compared to rural areas. The decline is linked to urban factors such as pollution, diminished greenery, and elevated temperatures.

Example 3: Summary of a Novel

Original Story: In the novel “Winds of Fate,” protagonist Clara is trapped in a timeless city where memories dictate reality. Throughout her journey, she encounters characters from her past, present, and imagined future. Battling her own perceptions and a menacing shadow figure, Clara seeks an elusive gateway to return to her real world. In the climax, she confronts the shadow, which turns out to be her own fear, and upon overcoming it, she finds her way back, realising that reality is subjective.

Summary: “Winds of Fate” follows Clara’s adventures in a surreal city shaped by memories. Confronting figures from various phases of her life and battling a symbolic shadow of her own fear, Clara eventually discovers that reality’s perception is malleable and subjective.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is a summary.

A summary condenses a larger piece of content, capturing its main points and essence.  It is usually one-fourth of the original content.

What is a summary?

A summary is a concise representation of a larger text or content, highlighting its main ideas and points. It distils complex information into a shorter form, allowing readers to quickly grasp the essence of the original material without delving into extensive details. Summaries prioritise clarity, brevity, and accuracy.

When should I write a summary?

Write a summary when you need to condense lengthy content for easier comprehension and recall. It’s useful in academic settings, professional reports, presentations, and research to highlight key points. Summaries aid in comparing multiple sources, preparing for discussions, and sharing essential details of extensive materials efficiently with others.

How can I summarise a source without plagiarising?

To summarise without plagiarising: Read the source thoroughly, understand its main ideas, and then write the summary in your own words. Avoid copying phrases verbatim. Attribute the source properly. Use paraphrasing techniques and cross-check your summary against the original to ensure distinctiveness while retaining accuracy. Always prioritise understanding over direct replication.

What is the difference between a summary and an abstract?

A summary condenses a text, capturing its main points from various content types like books, articles, or movies. An abstract, typically found in research papers and scientific articles, provides a brief overview of the study’s purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions. Both offer concise versions, but abstracts are more structured and specific.

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The vast sea of information is merely a click away in today’s fast-paced, digitally dominated world. With the proliferation of blogs, forums, news outlets, and social media platforms, anyone can become an ‘expert’ and share ‘facts’.

In academia, research, journalism, and writing, the skill of quoting sources is fundamental. Accurate and proper quoting adds credibility to your work and demonstrates respect for the original authors and their ideas.

The ability to effectively incorporate multiple sources into one’s work is not just a skill, but a necessity. Whether we are talking about research papers, articles, or even simple blog posts, synthesising sources can elevate our content to a more nuanced, comprehensive, and insightful level.

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Research Summary

A research paper analyzes a perspective or argues a point. It is an expanded essay based on your interpretation, evaluation or argument about a certain topic.

According to Sunny Empire State College , “When you write a research paper you build upon what you know about the subject and make a deliberate attempt to find out what experts know. A research paper involves surveying a field of knowledge in order to find the best possible information in that field.” Whatever type of research paper you choose to write, it should present your own ideas backed with others’ (especially experts on the field) information and data.

Every research paper has a research summary. A research summary is a brief overview of what the whole research is about. It is a professional piece of writing that describes your research to the readers. It concisely yet perfectly captures the essence of the research as a whole. You may also see What Should Be in an Executive Summary of a Report?

Fundamentals of a Research Summary

Having a good template for a research summary is nothing if you don’t know its importance and basic function. Before you start writing your research summary, you should first know its fundamentals on the areas you need to pay attention to such as its content, style and organization.

• The content of your research summary must briefly discuss the techniques and tools used in the research and the importance of the research as a whole. Explain how the research can be of benefit for the people.
• To organize your research summary, each topic must be discussed in separate paragraphs. How you came up with a factual research must be briefly explained in a separate paragraph.
• If you have a lengthy research paper, try not to write not more than 10% of the entire paper. If it’s not as lengthy, you should not write more than 300 words in your summary.

However, rules may vary according to your research professor’s standards. This is just the basic fundamentals on how to write your research summary. Also see  Thesis Outline Examples

How to Write a Research Summary

It is apparent that a research summary is a condensed version of the main idea of your research paper. Because of this, it is advised that the summary of your paper is written after you are done with your entire research. This is to ensure that all the added information in your research can be written in your summary as well and all of those that removed can be edited out. Here are a few steps on how to write a research summary:

Read your paper

It should be a fact you should know beforehand; the importance of reading your entire research paper thoroughly to write an effective research summary. Along the way, take notes of the important details and key findings that you want to highlight in your paper. This will help you organize your summary better. Remember that your research summary is a mini-paper of your study and it should contain the main ideas of your entire research.

Write a draft

For your first draft, focus on the content rather than the length of your summary. Your draft is your first outline on what to include in the final summary. Writing a draft ensures you write a clear, thorough and coherent summary of your research paper. Also see  How to Write a Rough Outline

Identify main points

Within your research paper, you must identify the major points that will encourage prospective readers to go through your research paper. These major points must thoroughly and completely explain what the paper is trying to convey.

Separate sections

Identify the differences of the main section in your paper. Write a few sentences describing the main ideas of each section. In short, you should be able to present and thoroughly describe what each main section is focused on. It should have these basic sections:

• Introduction, brief opening statement
• Purpose of the study
• Data gathering method
• Summary of findings
• Description of recommendations with actual justification.

Combine Information

All the information you have gathered must be then used to make your summary. Remember that your summary is just an overview of your research paper as a whole. It should be not be more than 10% of your whole paper. Also see  5 Summary Writing Examples and Samples

Making The First Draft

After establishing the basic way of writing a research summary, it is a must to write a first draft. It should follow the flow of the original paper. Here’s a few steps on how to make a first draft:

First, state the research question in the introduction of your summary. This holds the ground as to the summary’s direction. Provide an explanation why your research is interesting and how it can help your target recipients.

Second, state the hypothesis you wish to prove. This will help you and your readers stay grounded on the topic at hand.

Third, briefly discuss the methodology used in your research. Discuss and describe the procedure, materials, participants, design, etc. The analysis of your data must also be included. You may also see  How to Write a Successful Thesis Proposal

Fourth, describe the results and significance of your research. And lastly, briefly discuss the key implications of your research. The results and its interpretation should directly coincide with your hypothesis.

Editing your Research Summary

A research paper is a formal piece of writing. Your summary should be tailored to your expected readers. Say for example the prospective readers are your classmates, so the style of your paper should be clearly understood by them.

Eliminate wordiness. Avoid using unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. Write in a way it would be easier for your readers to understand. It is common for research papers to establish a word count. Avoid elongating your sentences when it has shorter versions.

Being vague in describing and explaining the points of your paper might lead to confusion in your readers part. Use specific, concrete language when presenting results. Use reliable and specific examples and references as well. You should also use scientifically accurate language to help support your claims. Avoid informal words and adjectives to describe the results of your research.

Paraphrase the information you want to include in your research paper. Direct quoting the information you have read from a different source is not oftenly used in formal writings. To give the exact credit for the information you paraphrased, follow the citation format required by your professor.

Reread your paper and let others read it as well. This way minor errors you were not able to notice can be quickly pointed out and corrected.

Research Summary Writing Tips

Your research summary should not be more than 10 pages long or not more than 10% of your original document. This keeps your research summary concise and compact. It should be short enough for your readers to read through but long enough for you to clearly explain your study.

Copy and paste

Avoid simply copy and pasting different parts of your paper into your summary. You should paraphrase parts that you want to include. As most research advisers read through all of your paper, it can easily be identified if you have copy-pasted parts from your research and might give you a bad grade.

Consider the readers

Although not a requirement from your professor, catering your summary to what the readers need is sometimes required. As some studies are given out to different influential people in the field, writing a summary that caters to the readers’ necessities might be required.

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Research Writing Summary Tips (continuation)

Clarity and organization.

One of the common mistakes in writing a research is publishing an unclear and unpolished summary. Bear in mind that your readers are likely reading about the topic of your research for the first time, avoid unclear and uncertain explanations and a disorganized summary.

Use strong and positive language

Use precise and strong words to help strengthen the foundation of your summary. Your summary should be able to stand alone despite it being a part of the research paper. Once you have convinced your readers with the recommendations regarding the topic of your paper, the readers should be able to find concrete evidence and explanations within your summary. Avoid pleas and biased statements in your summary, but make sure you are able to relay the sense of urgency for the recommendations you have given.

Divide into parts

To make things easier for you, divide your paper into different sections and headings, much like creating an outline. With this in mind, every point should be explained limited to its essence. In this way, you avoid writing too much information about your paper in your summary.

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How to Summarize Any Research Article Better: Proven Tips Outlined

Rev › Blog › Marketing › How to Summarize Any Research Article Better: Proven Tips Outlined

You’ve got content gold on your hands—  primary  and  secondary  research materials from some of the top market research companies. Now, it’s time to decide how it relates to your products, project, or consumers. What’s more, you need to distill each article’s essential parts into easy-to-read, accurate, informative, and, most importantly, concise summaries. Overwhelming? Maybe. Impossible? Heck no; you just need a good strategy. So, where to start?

You’ve landed on the right page! These tips and techniques provide a template to help guide you through the process. 

Know Your Focus

The streaming TV hit,  Cobra Kai,  brings to mind Mr. Miyagi’s age-old wisdom– ‘Focus, Daniel-San.’ Focus is vital, as some sections of a research article are more relevant to your strategy than others. 

For example, a summary crafted for a school project or a university may focus on the experiment itself. In contrast, the article’s results and discussion sections may be more relevant to consumer marketing or for a business model.

Once you establish your focus, you’re less likely to waste time.

Read The Research Article

But before you do, let’s look at the makeup of these articles. Market research, focus group data, and surveys usually consist of five or more sections.

• An abstract or hypothesis
• Explanation of the methods used
• Tests or experiments performed
• Summation and or discussion of the results
• A list of references or source materials

Read The Abstract

Since some of the research articles you find will not work for your purpose, you should always start with the abstract. It’s an overview of the data and explains the purpose of the study as well as the expected results. So you’ll know whether to include the article or move on to the next piece of research.

Take Good Notes

The next step– read the article from abstract to references. But be prepared! Your mind may wander when faced with numbers, statistics, and long-winded wording. So grab your highlighter and pen and start taking notes.

Depending on the space available, you can write your notes in the margin. If you’re in a time crunch, check out  Rev . We’ve designed a convenient application perfect for taking notes! Download our  Voice Recorder App  for free and read your notes out loud. You’ll get a 99% accurate transcription of your summary notes sent to your email or account with a simple tap. 

Research Hack:  As an overview, a research article may not include every insight from the participants, interviews, or market data. Take a look at the references. You may find some hidden gems that will help your strategy stand out.    

Outline Your Thoughts

You’ve made notes, sifted through the numbers and statistics; but, there’s still a ton of information. An outline will make your writing process much more efficient. Although each research article is relatively straight-forward, you want your summary to stay on strategy.

Write A Summary

Okay, you’re ready to condense someone else’s work. Rather than stress over grammar and length, take the pressure off by writing a rough draft. Use key points from your notes, REV transcriptions, your outline, and the research article’s sections as your guide. 

Identify The Goal And The Methods Used

Like the author’s abstract, the beginning of your summary should address the research article’s fundamental objective .  This section may also include critical details about demographics, customer behavior, or trends. When summarizing, consider three key questions. 

• What is the goal of the research?
• What methods did the author(s) use?
• Are potential obstacles to success listed?

Methods vary in market research. You may have focus groups ,  in-depth interviews , or online discussions. Depending on the reason for your summary, the raw audio or video clips used in the study may hold nuggets. If full transcripts aren’t available, save time by uploading the clips to Rev. Our human transcription service costs $1.50 per minute, and we offer a 99% accuracy guarantee. We also offer a more cost-effective A.I. speech-to-text solution for only $0.25 per minute .

Describe The Observations

The experiment is the “meat” of the research. In your own words, briefly explain what the author(s) observed as the testing played out in real-time. You can talk about the time it took participants to complete tasks or directives. Were they excited about the client’s brand or disinterested? Basically, you’re recapping the participant’s reactions. 

Discuss The Outcome

As with any study, the results make or break the goal of the research. Was the test successful? Was anyone surprised by the outcome, or were there any unexpected developments? Pay careful attention to detail as you layout all conclusions reached by the author(s).

Article Summary Quick Tips: Do This, Not That

Is your head spinning yet? You can simplify the editing process by following these technical takeaways.

• Be Careful Not To Draw Your Own Conclusions:  You are summarizing the results of the research. The last thing you want to do is editorialize your summary. To avoid this, use the third-person point of view and present tense.  
• Keep Your Copy Clean And Free Of Errors:  Reread your text. Eliminate words like “that,” “in fact,” “however,” and adverbs. Make sure your summary is accurate. Then, use free websites like  Hemingway App  or paid services such as  Grammarly  to check for grammar or spelling issues. 
• Watch For Plagiarism:  Unless you’re using a word coined by the researcher, paraphrase your text. If you notice similar wording in your summary, reread the article so you can explain the data in your own words.
• Cite Your Sources: Steer clear of directly quoting the research. It’s best to paraphrase the data and reference the source using: the name of the university, the name of the journal and year of publication, or the name of the researcher, team, or society and year of study.  

Finalize Your Article Summary

Remember, you want your summary to be clear, straight-forward, and compelling. The market research article or study you’ve chosen may prove vital to you or your client’s business strategy and brand analysis. Take your time. Read and reread your summary. Make sure it’s representative of the research. And always triple-check your text for technical and factual accuracy.

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How to Write a Research Paper Summary

One of the most important skills you can imbibe as an academician is to know how to summarize a research paper. During your academic journey, you may need to write a summary of findings in research quite often and for varied reasons – be it to write an introduction for a peer-reviewed publication , to submit a critical review, or to simply create a useful database for future referencing.

It can be quite challenging to effectively write a research paper summary for often complex work, which is where a pre-determined workflow can help you optimize the process. Investing time in developing this skill can also help you improve your scientific acumen, increasing your efficiency and productivity at work. This article illustrates some useful advice on how to write a research summary effectively. But, what is research summary in the first place?  

A research paper summary is a crisp, comprehensive overview of a research paper, which encapsulates the purpose, findings, methods, conclusions, and relevance of a study. A well-written research paper summary is an indicator of how well you have understood the author’s work. 

Table of Contents

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• 2. Invest enough time to understand the topic deeply 

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• Mistakes to avoid while writing your research paper summary 

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Frequently asked questions (faq), how to write a research paper summary.

Writing a good research paper summary comes with practice and skill. Here is some useful advice on how to write a research paper summary effectively.  

1. Determine the focus of your summary

Before you begin to write a summary of research papers, determine the aim of your research paper summary. This will give you more clarity on how to summarize a research paper, including what to highlight and where to find the information you need, which accelerates the entire process. If you are aiming for the summary to be a supporting document or a proof of principle for your current research findings, then you can look for elements that are relevant to your work.

On the other hand, if your research summary is intended to be a critical review of the research article, you may need to use a completely different lens while reading the paper and conduct your own research regarding the accuracy of the data presented. Then again, if the research summary is intended to be a source of information for future referencing, you will likely have a different approach. This makes determining the focus of your summary a key step in the process of writing an effective research paper summary. 

2. Invest enough time to understand the topic deeply

In order to author an effective research paper summary, you need to dive into the topic of the research article. Begin by doing a quick scan for relevant information under each section of the paper. The abstract is a great starting point as it helps you to quickly identify the top highlights of the research article, speeding up the process of understanding the key findings in the paper. Be sure to do a careful read of the research paper, preparing notes that describe each section in your own words to put together a summary of research example or a first draft. This will save your time and energy in revisiting the paper to confirm relevant details and ease the entire process of writing a research paper summary.

When reading papers, be sure to acknowledge and ignore any pre-conceived notions that you might have regarding the research topic. This will not only help you understand the topic better but will also help you develop a more balanced perspective, ensuring that your research paper summary is devoid of any personal opinions or biases. 

3. Keep the summary crisp, brief and engaging

A research paper summary is usually intended to highlight and explain the key points of any study, saving the time required to read through the entire article. Thus, your primary goal while compiling the summary should be to keep it as brief, crisp and readable as possible. Usually, a short introduction followed by 1-2 paragraphs is adequate for an effective research article summary. Avoid going into too much technical detail while describing the main results and conclusions of the study. Rather focus on connecting the main findings of the study to the hypothesis , which can make the summary more engaging. For example, instead of simply reporting an original finding – “the graph showed a decrease in the mortality rates…”, you can say, “there was a decline in the number of deaths, as predicted by the authors while beginning the study…” or “there was a decline in the number of deaths, which came as a surprise to the authors as this was completely unexpected…”.

Unless you are writing a critical review of the research article, the language used in your research paper summaries should revolve around reporting the findings, not assessing them. On the other hand, if you intend to submit your summary as a critical review, make sure to provide sufficient external evidence to support your final analysis. Invest sufficient time in editing and proofreading your research paper summary thoroughly to ensure you’ve captured the findings accurately. You can also get an external opinion on the preliminary draft of the research paper summary from colleagues or peers who have not worked on the research topic. 

Mistakes to avoid while writing your research paper summary

Now that you’ve understood how to summarize a research paper, watch out for these red flags while writing your summary. 

• Not paying attention to the word limit and recommended format, especially while submitting a critical review 
• Evaluating the findings instead of maintaining an objective , unbiased view while reading the research paper 
• Skipping the essential editing step , which can help eliminate avoidable errors and ensure that the language does not misrepresent the findings 
• Plagiarism, it is critical to write in your own words or paraphrase appropriately when reporting the findings in your scientific article summary 

We hope the recommendations listed above will help answer the question of how to summarize a research paper and enable you to tackle the process effectively. 

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The abstract and research paper summary serve similar purposes but differ in scope, length, and placement. The abstract is a concise yet detailed overview of the research, placed at the beginning of a paper, with the aim of providing readers with a quick understanding of the paper’s content and to help them decide whether to read the full article. Usually limited to a few hundred words, it highlights the main objectives, methods, results, and conclusions of the study. On the other hand, a research paper summary provides a crisp account of the entire research paper. Its purpose is to provide a brief recap for readers who may want to quickly grasp the main points of the research without reading the entire paper in detail.

The structure of a research summary can vary depending on the specific requirements or guidelines provided by the target publication or institution. A typical research summary includes the following key sections: introduction (including the research question or objective), methodology (briefly describing the research design and methods), results (summarizing the key findings), discussion (highlighting the implications and significance of the findings), and conclusion (providing a summary of the main points and potential future directions).

The summary of a research paper is important because it provides a condensed overview of the study’s purpose, methods, results, and conclusions. It allows you to quickly grasp the main points and relevance of the research without having to read the entire paper. Research summaries can also be an invaluable way to communicate research findings to a broader audience, such as policymakers or the general public.

  When writing a research paper summary, it is crucial to avoid plagiarism by properly attributing the original authors’ work. To learn how to summarize a research paper while avoiding plagiarism, follow these critical guidelines: (1) Read the paper thoroughly to understand the main points and key findings. (2) Use your own words and sentence structures to restate the information, ensuring that the research paper summary reflects your understanding of the paper. (3) Clearly indicate when you are paraphrasing or quoting directly from the original paper by using appropriate citation styles. (4) Cite the original source for any specific ideas, concepts, or data that you include in your summary. (5) Review your summary to ensure it accurately represents the research paper while giving credit to the original authors.

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• Research Guides

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

• Executive Summary
• Purpose of Guide
• Design Flaws to Avoid
• Independent and Dependent Variables
• Glossary of Research Terms
• Reading Research Effectively
• Narrowing a Topic Idea
• Broadening a Topic Idea
• Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
• Academic Writing Style
• Applying Critical Thinking
• Choosing a Title
• Making an Outline
• Paragraph Development
• Research Process Video Series
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• Background Information
• The Research Problem/Question
• Theoretical Framework
• Citation Tracking
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• Evaluating Sources
• Primary Sources
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• Tiertiary Sources
• Scholarly vs. Popular Publications
• Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Methods
• Insiderness
• Using Non-Textual Elements
• Limitations of the Study
• Common Grammar Mistakes
• Writing Concisely
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Footnotes or Endnotes?
• Further Readings
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An executive summary is a thorough overview of a research report or other type of document that synthesizes key points for its readers, saving them time and preparing them to understand the study's overall content. It is a separate, stand-alone document of sufficient detail and clarity to ensure that the reader can completely understand the contents of the main research study. An executive summary can be anywhere from 1-10 pages long depending on the length of the report, or it can be the summary of more than one document [e.g., papers submitted for a group project].

Bailey, Edward, P. The Plain English Approach to Business Writing . (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), p. 73-80 Todorovic, Zelimir William and Marietta Wolczacka Frye. “Writing Effective Executive Summaries: An Interdisciplinary Examination.” In United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Conference Proceedings . (Decatur, IL: United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 2009): pp. 662-691.

Importance of a Good Executive Summary

Although an executive summary is similar to an abstract in that they both summarize the contents of a research study, there are several key differences. With research abstracts, the author's recommendations are rarely included, or if they are, they are implicit rather than explicit. Recommendations are generally not stated in academic abstracts because scholars operate in a discursive environment, where debates, discussions, and dialogs are meant to precede the implementation of any new research findings. The conceptual nature of much academic writing also means that recommendations arising from the findings are distributed widely and not easily or usefully encapsulated. Executive summaries are used mainly when a research study has been developed for an organizational partner, funding entity, or other external group that participated in the research . In such cases, the research report and executive summary are often written for policy makers outside of academe, while abstracts are written for the academic community. Professors, therefore, assign the writing of executive summaries so students can practice synthesizing and writing about the contents of comprehensive research studies for external stakeholder groups.

When preparing to write, keep in mind that:

• An executive summary is not an abstract.
• An executive summary is not an introduction.
• An executive summary is not a preface.
• An executive summary is not a random collection of highlights.

Christensen, Jay. Executive Summaries Complete The Report. California State University Northridge; Clayton, John. "Writing an Executive Summary that Means Business." Harvard Management Communication Letter (July 2003): 2-4; Keller, Chuck. "Stay Healthy with a Winning Executive Summary." Technical Communication 41 (1994): 511-517; Murphy, Herta A., Herbert W. Hildebrandt, and Jane P. Thomas. Effective Business Communications . New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997; Vassallo, Philip. "Executive Summaries: Where Less Really is More." ETC.: A Review of General Semantics 60 (Spring 2003): 83-90 .

Structure and Writing Style

Writing an Executive Summary

Read the Entire Document This may go without saying, but it is critically important that you read the entire research study thoroughly from start to finish before you begin to write the executive summary. Take notes as you go along, highlighting important statements of fact, key findings, and recommended courses of action. This will better prepare you for how to organize and summarize the study. Remember this is not a brief abstract of 300 words or less but, essentially, a mini-paper of your paper, with a focus on recommendations.

Isolate the Major Points Within the Original Document Choose which parts of the document are the most important to those who will read it. These points must be included within the executive summary in order to provide a thorough and complete explanation of what the document is trying to convey.

Separate the Main Sections Closely examine each section of the original document and discern the main differences in each. After you have a firm understanding about what each section offers in respect to the other sections, write a few sentences for each section describing the main ideas. Although the format may vary, the main sections of an executive summary likely will include the following:

• An opening statement, with brief background information,
• The purpose of research study,
• Method of data gathering and analysis,
• Overview of findings, and,
• A description of each recommendation, accompanied by a justification. Note that the recommendations are sometimes quoted verbatim from the research study.

Combine the Information Use the information gathered to combine them into an executive summary that is no longer than 10% of the original document. Be concise! The purpose is to provide a brief explanation of the entire document with a focus on the recommendations that have emerged from your research. How you word this will likely differ depending on your audience and what they care about most. If necessary, selectively incorporate bullet points for emphasis and brevity. Re-read your Executive Summary After you've completed your executive summary, let it sit for a while before coming back to re-read it. Check to make sure that the summary will make sense as a separate document from the full research study. By taking some time before re-reading it, you allow yourself to see the summary with fresh, unbiased eyes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Length of the Executive Summary As a general rule, the correct length of an executive summary is that it meets the criteria of no more pages than 10% of the number of pages in the original document, with an upper limit of no more than ten pages [i.e., ten pages for a 100 page document]. This requirement keeps the document short enough to be read by your audience, but long enough to allow it to be a complete, stand-alone synopsis. Cutting and Pasting With the exception of specific recommendations made in the study, do not simply cut and paste whole sections of the original document into the executive summary. You should paraphrase information from the longer document. Avoid taking up space with excessive subtitles and lists, unless they are absolutely necessary for the reader to have a complete understanding of the original document. Consider the Audience Although unlikely to be required by your professor, there is the possibility that more than one executive summary will have to be written for a given document [e.g., one for policy-makers, one for private industry, one for philanthropists]. This may only necessitate the rewriting of the introduction and conclusion, but it could require rewriting the entire summary in order to fit the needs of the reader. If necessary, be sure to consider the types of audiences who may benefit from your study and make adjustments accordingly. Clarity in Writing One of the biggest mistakes you can make is related to the clarity of your executive summary. Always note that your audience [or audiences] are likely seeing your research study for the first time. The best way to avoid a disorganized or cluttered executive summary is to write it after the study is completed. Always follow the same strategies for proofreading that you would for any research paper. Use Strong and Positive Language Don’t weaken your executive summary with passive, imprecise language. The executive summary is a stand-alone document intended to convince the reader to make a decision concerning whether to implement the recommendations you make. Once convinced, it is assumed that the full document will provide the details needed to implement the recommendations. Although you should resist the temptation to pad your summary with pleas or biased statements, do pay particular attention to ensuring that a sense of urgency is created in the implications, recommendations, and conclusions presented in the executive summary. Be sure to target readers who are likely to implement the recommendations.

Bailey, Edward, P. The Plain English Approach to Business Writing . (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), p. 73-80; Christensen, Jay. Executive Summaries Complete The Report. California State University Northridge; Executive Summaries. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Clayton, John. "Writing an Executive Summary That Means Business." Harvard Management Communication Letter , 2003; Executive Summary. University Writing Center. Texas A&M University;  Green, Duncan. Writing an Executive Summary.   Oxfam’s Research Guidelines series ; Guidelines for Writing an Executive Summary. Astia.org; Markowitz, Eric. How to Write an Executive Summary. Inc. Magazine, September, 15, 2010; Kawaski, Guy. The Art of the Executive Summary. "How to Change the World" blog; Keller, Chuck. "Stay Healthy with a Winning Executive Summary." Technical Communication 41 (1994): 511-517; The Report Abstract and Executive Summary. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Writing Executive Summaries. Effective Writing Center. University of Maryland; Kolin, Philip. Successful Writing at Work . 10th edition. (Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2013), p. 435-437; Moral, Mary. "Writing Recommendations and Executive Summaries." Keeping Good Companies 64 (June 2012): 274-278; Todorovic, Zelimir William and Marietta Wolczacka Frye. “Writing Effective Executive Summaries: An Interdisciplinary Examination.” In United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Conference Proceedings . (Decatur, IL: United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 2009): pp. 662-691.

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Writing the Introduction/Background of a Research Article

Writing the introduction and background of a research article can be daunting. Where do you start? What information should you include?

A great place to start is creating an argument structure for why your research topic is relevant and important. This structure should clearly walk the reader through current, relevant literature and lead them to the gap in the literature that your topic fills. To do this I use the following 4-step argument creation structure.

• Create argument funnel questions/statements
• Harvest article quotes that explain/backup each of the argument funnel questions/statements
• Organize article quotes to best support each section of the argument funnel
• Write prose that utilizes the article quotes to progress your argument from most well known to your specific topic

1. Argument Funnel Creation

Create an argument funnel with statements that take the reader form the most well known and widely accepted knowledge connected to my topic down to your specific research topic.

Completed Argument Funnel Example

When creating your funnel statements think about what research exists related to your topic. Where are the gaps in the existing literature? How do you know those are the gaps? If you get stuck, think about the 50,000 ft view of your topic and how you would explain the necessity of your research to people not in your field.

2. Harvesting Article Quotes

Find research articles that pertain to each of your funnel statements to back them up with evidence. As you find the articles put them into a citation manager (e.g., Zotero) now to save yourself time later. While reading the articles, pull (copy and paste) article quotes/excerpts that MAY be relevant. Pull more than you think you need, especially duplicates of the same idea by different authors to strengthen your argument. Store your quotes/excerpts in a document organized by your funnel statements with in-text citations with the page number you pulled it from. The National Academy of Engineering reports can be valuable top of funnel resources.

3. Organizing Article Quotes

Once you have harvested many article quotes for each of your funnel statements, organized them in an order that walks your reader through the literature landscape in a logical way. As you do this assume the reader doesn’t know anything about your topic so start at the beginning. Chronological order is a good place to start but may not always fit your argument. Think about your quotes/excerpts as puzzle pieces, where do they logically fit together?

4. Writing Prose

Now that your article quotes are organized, summarize the quotes in your own voice with appropriate citations. This is the time to begin including transition/connecting words and phrases between summarized quotes to bring your reader through your argument. Don’t forget to include “so what?” sentences and phrases after summarized quotes. In other words don’t only report what other authors said or found, tell the reader why that is important to your argument.

• Open access
• Published: 19 April 2024

Asparagine reduces the risk of schizophrenia: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study of aspartate, asparagine and schizophrenia

• Huang-Hui Liu 1 , 2   na1 ,
• Yao Gao 1 , 2   na1 ,
• Dan Xu 1 , 2 ,
• Xin-Zhe Du 1 , 2 ,
• Si-Meng Wei 1 , 2 ,
• Jian-Zhen Hu 1 , 2 ,
• Yong Xu 1 , 2 &
• Liu Sha 1 , 2  

BMC Psychiatry volume  24 , Article number:  299 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Despite ongoing research, the underlying causes of schizophrenia remain unclear. Aspartate and asparagine, essential amino acids, have been linked to schizophrenia in recent studies, but their causal relationship is still unclear. This study used a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method to explore the causal relationship between aspartate and asparagine with schizophrenia.

This study employed summary data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted on European populations to examine the correlation between aspartate and asparagine with schizophrenia. In order to investigate the causal effects of aspartate and asparagine on schizophrenia, this study conducted a two-sample bidirectional MR analysis using genetic factors as instrumental variables.

No causal relationship was found between aspartate and schizophrenia, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.221 (95%CI: 0.483–3.088, P -value = 0.674). Reverse MR analysis also indicated that no causal effects were found between schizophrenia and aspartate, with an OR of 0.999 (95%CI: 0.987–1.010, P -value = 0.841). There is a negative causal relationship between asparagine and schizophrenia, with an OR of 0.485 (95%CI: 0.262-0.900, P -value = 0.020). Reverse MR analysis indicates that there is no causal effect between schizophrenia and asparagine, with an OR of 1.005(95%CI: 0.999–1.011, P -value = 0.132).

This study suggests that there may be a potential risk reduction for schizophrenia with increased levels of asparagine, while also indicating the absence of a causal link between elevated or diminished levels of asparagine in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. There is no potential causal relationship between aspartate and schizophrenia, whether prospective or reverse MR. However, it is important to note that these associations necessitate additional research for further validation.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric illness that affects 0.5 -1% of the global population [ 1 ]. The burden of mental illness was estimated to account for 7% of all diseases worldwide in 2016, and nearly 20% of all years lived with disability [ 2 ]. The characteristics of schizophrenia are positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms, which are often severe functional impairments and significant social maladaptations for patients suffering from schizophrenia [ 3 ]. It is still unclear what causes schizophrenia and what the pathogenesis is. There are a number of hypotheses based on neurochemical mechanisms, including dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems [ 4 ]. Although schizophrenia research has made significant advances in the past, further insight into its mechanisms and causes is still needed.

Association genetics research and genome-wide association studies have successfully identified more than 24 candidate genes that serve as molecular biomarkers for the susceptibility to treatment- refractory schizophrenia (TRS). It is worth noting that some proteins in these genes are related to glutamate transfer, especially the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) [ 5 ]. It is thought that NMDARs are important for neural plasticity, which is the ability of the brain itself to adapt to new environments. With age, NMDAR function usually declines, which may lead to decreased plasticity, leading to learning and memory problems. Consequently, the manifestation of cognitive deficits observed in diverse pathologies, including Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and major depression, can be attributed to the dysfunction of NMDAR [ 4 ]. There are two enantiomers of aspartate (Asp): L and D [ 6 ]. In the brain, D-aspartate (D-Asp) stimulates glutamate receptors and dopaminergic neurons through its direct NMDAR agonist action [ 7 ]. According to the glutamate theory of Sch, glutamate NMDAR dysfunction is a primary contributor to the development of this psychiatric disorder and TRS [ 8 ]. It has been shown in two autopsy studies that D-Asp of prefrontal cortex neurons in patients with schizophrenia are significantly reduced, which is related to an increased expression of D-Asp oxidase [ 9 ] or an increased activity of D-Asp oxidase [ 10 ]. Several studies in animal models and humans have shown that D-amino acids, particularly D-Ser and D-Asp [ 11 ], are able to modulate several NMDAR-dependent processes, including synaptic plasticity, brain development, cognition and brain ageing [ 12 ]. In addition, D-Asp is synthesized in hippocampal and prefrontal cortex neurons, which play an important role in the development of schizophrenia [ 13 ]. It has been reported that the precursor substance of asparagine (Asn), aspartate, activates the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor [ 14 ]. Asparagine is essential for the survival of all cells [ 15 ], and it was decreased in schizophrenia patients [ 16 ]. Asparagine can cause metabolic disorders of alanine, aspartate, and glutamic acid, leading to dysfunction of the glutamine-glutamate cycle and further affecting it Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid(GABA) level [ 17 ].It is widely understood that the imbalance of GABA levels and NMDAR plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, causing neurotoxic effects, synaptic dysfunction, and cognitive impairments [ 18 ].Schizophrenic patients exhibited significantly higher levels of serum aspartate, glutamate, isoleucine, histidine and tyrosine and significantly lower concentrations of serum asparagine, tryptophan and serine [ 19 ]. Other studies have also shown that schizophrenics have higher levels of asparagine, phenylalanine, and cystine, and lower ratios of tyrosine, tryptophan, and tryptophan to competing amino acids, compared to healthy individuals [ 20 ]. Aspartate and asparagine’s association with schizophrenia is not fully understood, and their causal relationship remains unclear.

The MR method is a method that uses Mendelian independence principle to infer causality, which uses genetic variation to study the impact of exposure on outcomes. By using this approach, confounding factors in general research are overcome, and causal reasoning is provided on a reasonable temporal basis [ 21 ]. The instrumental variables for genetic variation that are chosen must adhere to three primary hypotheses: the correlation hypothesis, which posits a robust correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and exposure factors; the independence hypothesis, which asserts that SNPs are not affected by various confounding factors; the exclusivity hypothesis, which maintains that SNPs solely influence outcomes through on exposure factors. In a recent study, Mendelian randomization was used to reveal a causal connection between thyroid function and schizophrenia [ 22 ]. According to another Mendelian randomization study, physical activity is causally related to schizophrenia [ 23 ]. Therefore, this study used Mendelian randomization method to explore the causal effects of aspartate on schizophrenia and asparagine on schizophrenia.

To elucidate the causal effects of aspartate and asparagine on schizophrenia. This study used bidirectional MR analysis. In the prospective analysis of MR, the exposure factors under consideration were aspartate and asparagine, while the outcome of interest was the risk of schizophrenia. On the contrary, in the reverse MR analysis, schizophrenia was utilized as the exposure factor, with aspartate and asparagine being chosen as the outcomes.

Materials and methods

Obtaining data sources, select genetic tools closely related to aspartate or asparagine.

In this research, publicly accessible GWAS summary statistical datasets from the MR basic platform were utilized. These datasets consisted of 7721 individuals of European ancestry [ 24 ] for the exposure phenotype instrumental variable of aspartate, and 7761 individuals of European ancestry [ 24 ] for the exposure phenotype instrumental variable of asparagine.

Select genetic tools closely related to schizophrenia

Data from the MR basic platform was used in this study for GWAS summary statistics, which included 77,096 individuals of European ancestry [ 5 ], as instrumental variables related to schizophrenia exposure phenotype.

Obtaining result data

The publicly accessible GWAS summary statistical dataset for schizophrenia was utilized on the MR basic platform, with a sample size of 77096. Additionally, the summary level data for aspartate and asparagine were obtained from the publicly available GWAS summary dataset on the MR basic platform, with sample sizes of 7721 and 7761, respectively, serving as outcome variables.

Instrumental variable filtering

Eliminating linkage disequilibrium.

The selection criteria for identifying exposure related SNPs from the aggregated data of GWAS include: (1) Reaching a significance level that meets the threshold for whole genome research, expressed as P -value < 5 * 10 − 6 [ 25 ]; (2) Ensure the independence of the selected SNPs and eliminate linkage disequilibrium SNPs ( r 2  < 0.001, window size of 10000KB) [ 26 ]; (3) There are corresponding data related to the research results in the GWAS summary data.

Eliminating weak instruments

To evaluate whether the instrumental variables selected for this MR study have weak values, we calculated the F-statistic. If the F-value is greater than 10, it indicates that there are no weak instruments in this study, indicating the reliability of the study. Using the formula F =[(N-K-1)/K] × [R 2 /(1-R 2 )], where N denotes the sample size pertaining to the exposure factor, K signifies the count of instrumental variables, and R 2 denotes the proportion of variations in the exposure factor that can be elucidated by the instrumental variables.

The final instrumental variable obtained

As a result of removing linkage disequilibrium and weak instrumental variables, finally, 3 SNPs related to aspartate and 24 SNPs related to asparagine were selected for MR analysis.

Bidirectional MR analysis

Research design.

Figure  1 presents a comprehensive depiction of the overarching design employed in the MR analysis undertaken in this study. We ascertained SNPs exhibiting robust correlation with the target exposure through analysis of publicly available published data, subsequently investigating the existence of a causal association between these SNPs and the corresponding outcomes. This study conducted two bidirectional MR analyses, one prospective and reverse MR on the causal relationship between aspartate and schizophrenia, and the other prospective and reverse MR on the causal relationship between asparagine and schizophrenia.

A MR analysis of aspartate and schizophrenia (located in the upper left corner). B  MR analysis of schizophrenia and aspartate (located in the upper right corner). C  MR analysis of asparagine and schizophrenia (located in the lower left corner). D  MR analysis of schizophrenia and asparagine (located in the lower right corner)

Statistical analysis

Weighted median, weighted mode, MR Egger, and inverse variance weighting (IVW) were used to conduct a MR study. The primary research findings were derived from the results obtained through IVW, the results of sensitivity analysis using other methods to estimate causal effects are considered. Statistical significance was determined if the P -value was less than 0.05. To enhance the interpretation of the findings, this study converted the beta values obtained in to OR, accompanied by the calculation of a 95% confidence interval (CI).

Test for directional horizontal pleiotropy

This study used MR Egger intercept to test horizontal pleiotropy. If the P -value is greater than 0.05, it indicates that there is no horizontal pleiotropy in this study, meaning that instrumental variables can only regulate outcome variables through exposure factors.

Results of bidirectional MR analysis of aspartate and schizophrenia

Analysis results of aspartate and schizophrenia.

In prospective MR analysis, this study set aspartate as the exposure factor and schizophrenia as the outcome. We used 3 SNPs significantly associated with aspartate screened across the entire genome. The instrumental variables exhibited F-values exceeding 10, signifying the absence of weak instruments and thereby affirming the robustness of our findings. Through MR analysis (Fig.  2 A), we assessed the individual influence of each SNP locus on schizophrenia. The results of the IVW method indicate that no causal effect was found between aspartate and schizophrenia, with an OR of 1.221 (95%CI: 0.483–3.088, P -value = 0.674).

In addition, the analyses conducted using the weighted mode and weighted median methods yielded similar results, indicating the absence of a causal association between aspartate and schizophrenia. Furthermore, the MR Egger analysis demonstrated no statistically significant disparity in effectiveness between aspartate and schizophrenia, as evidenced by a P -value greater than 0.05 (Table  1 ; Fig.  2 B).

In order to test the reliability of the research results, this study used MR Egger intercept analysis to examine horizontal pleiotropy, and the result was P -value = 0.579 > 0.05, indicating the absence of level pleiotropy. Furthermore, a leave-one-out test was conducted to demonstrate that no single SNP had a substantial impact on the stability of the results, indicating that this study has considerable stability (Fig.  2 C). Accordingly, the MR analysis results demonstrate the conclusion that aspartate and schizophrenia do not exhibit a causal relationship.

Analysis results of schizophrenia and aspartate

Different from prospective MR studies, in reverse MR studies, schizophrenia was set as an exposure factor and aspartate was set as the outcome. Through MR analysis (Fig.  2 D), we assessed the individual influence of each SNP locus on aspartate .The results of the IVW method indicate that there is no causal effect between schizophrenia and aspartate, with an OR of 0.999(95%CI: 0.987–1.010, P -value = 0.841). Similarly, the weighted mode, weighted median methods also failed to demonstrate a causal link between schizophrenia and aspartate. Additionally, the MR Egger analysis did not reveal any statistically significant difference in effectiveness between schizophrenia and aspartate ( P -value > 0.05) (Table  1 and Fig . 2 E).

The MR Egger intercept was used to test horizontal pleiotropy, and the result was P -value = 0.226 > 0.05, proving that this study is not affected by horizontal pleiotropy. Furthermore, a leave-one-out test revealed that no individual SNP significantly influenced the robustness of the findings (Fig.  2 F).

Depicts the causal association between aspartate and schizophrenia through diverse statistical analyses, as well as the causal association between schizophrenia and aspartate through diverse statistical analyses. A The forest plot of aspartate related SNPs and schizophrenia analysis results, with the red line showing the MR Egger test and IVW method. B  Scatter plot of the analysis results of aspartate and schizophrenia, with the slope indicating the strength of the causal relationship. C  Leave-one-out test of research results on aspartate and schizophrenia. D The forest plot of schizophrenia related SNPs and aspartate analysis results, with the red line showing the MR Egger test and IVW method. E  Scatter plot of the analysis results of schizophrenia and aspartate, with the slope indicating the strength of the causal relationship. F  Leave-one-out test of research results on schizophrenia and aspartate

Results of bidirectional MR analysis of asparagine and schizophrenia

Analysis results of asparagine and schizophrenia.

In prospective MR studies, we used asparagine as an exposure factor and schizophrenia as a result to investigate the potential causal relationship between them. Through a rigorous screening process, we identified 24 genome-wide significant SNPs associated with asparagine. In addition, the instrumental variable F values all exceeded 10, indicating that this study was not affected by weak instruments, thus proving the stability of the results. This study conducted MR analysis to evaluate the impact of all SNP loci on schizophrenia. (Fig.  3 A). According to the results of IVW, a causal relationship was found between asparagine and schizophrenia, and the relationship is negatively correlated, with an OR of 0.485 (95%CI: 0.262-0.900, P -value = 0.020).

The weighted median results also showed a causal relationship between asparagine and schizophrenia, and it was negatively correlated. In the weighted mode method, asparagine and schizophrenia did not have a causal relationship, while in the MR Egger method, there was no statistically significant difference in efficacy between them ( P -value > 0.05) (Table  1 ; Fig.  3 B).

In order to examine the horizontal pleiotropy, the MR Egger intercept was applied, and P -value = 0.768 > 0.05 result proves that this study is not affected by horizontal pleiotropy Furthermore, a leave-one-out test was conducted to demonstrate that no individual SNP had a substantial impact on the stability of the results, indicating that this study has good stability. (Fig.  3 C). Therefore, MR analysis shows that asparagine is inversely proportional to schizophrenia.

Analysis results of schizophrenia and asparagine

In reverse MR analysis, schizophrenia is considered an exposure factor, and asparagine is considered the result, studying the causal effects of schizophrenia and asparagine. Through MR analysis (Fig.  3 D), we assessed the individual influence of each SNP locus on s asparagine. The IVW method results indicated no potential causal relationship between schizophrenia and asparagine, with an OR of 1.005(95%CI: 0.999–1.011, P -value = 0.132). The research results of weighted mode method and weighted median method did not find a causal effects of schizophrenia and asparagine. Additionally, the MR Egger analysis did not reveal any statistically significant difference in effectiveness between schizophrenia and asparagine ( P -value > 0.05) (Table  1 ; Fig.  3 E).

In order to examine the horizontal pleiotropy, the MR Egger intercept was applied, and the result was P -value = 0.474 > 0.05, proving that this study is not affected by horizontal pleiotropy. Furthermore, a leave-one-out test was conducted to demonstrate that no individual SNP had a substantial impact on the stability of the results, indicating that this study has good stability (Fig.  3 F).

Depicts the causal association between asparagine and schizophrenia through diverse statistical analyses, as well as the causal association between schizophrenia and asparagine through diverse statistical analyses. A  The forest plot of asparagine related SNPs and schizophrenia analysis results, with the red line showing the MR Egger test and IVW method. B  Scatter plot of the analysis results of asparagine and schizophrenia, with the slope indicating the strength of the causal relationship. C Leave-one-out test of research results on asparagine and schizophrenia. D  The forest plot of schizophrenia related SNPs and asparagine analysis results, with the red line showing the MR Egger test and IVW method. E  Scatter plot of the analysis results of schizophrenia and asparagine, with the slope indicating the strength of the causal relationship. F  Leave-one-out test of research results on schizophrenia and asparagine

In this study, the MR analysis results after sensitivity analysis suggested a causal relationship between asparagine and schizophrenia, which was negatively correlated. However, the reverse MR analysis did not reveal any potential relationship between schizophrenia and asparagine, no potential causal relationship between aspartate and schizophrenia was found in both prospective and reverse MR analyses (Fig.  4 ).

Summary of results from bidirectional two-sample MR study

The levels of asparagine in schizophrenia patients decrease, according to studies [ 16 ]. Based on the findings of the Madis Parksepp research team, a continuous five-year administration of antipsychotic drugs (AP) has been observed to induce significant metabolic changes in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Significantly, the concentrations of asparagine, glutamine (Gln), methionine, ornithine, and taurine have experienced a substantial rise, whereas aspartate, glutamate (Glu), and alpha-aminoadipic acid(α-AAA) levels have demonstrated a notable decline. Olanzapine (OLZ) treatment resulted in significantly lower levels of Asn compared to control mice [ 27 ]. Asn and Asp play significant roles in various biological processes within the human body, such as participating in glycoprotein synthesis and contributing to brain functionality. It is worth noting that the ammonia produced in brain tissue needs to have a rapid excretion pathway in the brain. Asn plays a crucial role in regulating cellular function within neural tissues through metabolic control. This amino acid is synthesized by the combination of Asp and ammonia, facilitated by the enzyme asparagine synthase. Additionally, the brain effectively manages ammonia elimination by producing glutamine Gln and Asn. This may be an explanation for the significant increase in Asn and Gln levels (as well as a decrease in Asp and Glu levels) during 5 years of illness and after receiving AP treatment [ 28 ]. The study by Marie Luise Rao’s team compared unmedicated schizophrenic patients, healthy individuals and patients receiving antipsychotic treatment. Unmedicated schizophrenics had higher levels of asparagine, citrulline, phenylalanine, and cysteine, while the ratios of tyrosine, tryptophan, and tryptophan to competing amino acids were significantly lower than in healthy individuals [ 29 ].

The findings of our study demonstrate an inverse association between asparagine levels and the susceptibility to schizophrenia, suggesting that asparagine may serve as a protective factor against the development of this psychiatric disorder. However, we did not find a causal relationship between schizophrenia and asparagine. Consequently, additional investigation and scholarly discourse are warranted to gain a comprehensive understanding of this complex association.

Two different autopsy studies measured D-ASP levels in two different brain samples from patients with schizophrenia and a control group [ 14 ]. The first study, which utilized a limited sample size (7–10 subjects per diagnosis), demonstrated a reduction in D-ASP levels within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) postmortem among individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, amounting to approximately 101%. This decrease was found to be correlated with a notable elevation in D-aspartate oxidase (DDO) mRNA levels within the same cerebral region [ 30 ]. In addition, the second study was conducted on a large sample size (20 subjects/diagnosis/brain regions). The findings of this study indicated a noteworthy decrease of approximately 30% in D-ASP selectivity within the dorsal lateral PFC (DLPFC) of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, when compared to corresponding brain regions of individuals without schizophrenia. However, no significant reduction in D-ASP was observed in the hippocampus of patients with schizophrenia. The decrease in D-Asp content was associated with a significant increase (about 25%) in DDO enzyme activity in the DLPFC of schizophrenia patients. This observation highlights the existence of a dysfunctional metabolic process in DDO activity levels in the brains of schizophrenia patients [ 31 ].

Numerous preclinical investigations have demonstrated the influence of D-Asp on various phenotypes reliant on NMDAR, which are linked to schizophrenia. After administering D-Asp to D-Asp oxidase gene knockout mice, the abnormal neuronal pre-pulse inhibition induced by psychoactive drugs such as MK-801 and amphetamine was significantly reduced by the sustained increase in D-Asp [ 32 ]. According to a review, free amino acids, specifically D-Asp and D-Ser (D-serine), have been identified as highly effective and safe nutrients for promoting mental well-being. These amino acids not only serve as integral components of the central nervous system’s structural proteins, but also play a vital role in maintaining optimal functioning of the central nervous system. This is due to their essential role in regulating neurotransmitter levels, including dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and others. For many patients with schizophrenia, a most persistent and effective improvement therapy may be supplementing amino acids, which can improve the expected therapeutic effect of AP and alleviate positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia [ 33 ].

Numerous studies have demonstrated a plausible correlation between aspartate and schizophrenia; however, our prospective and reverse MR investigations have failed to establish a causal link between aspartate and schizophrenia. This discrepancy may be attributed to the indirect influence of aspartate on the central nervous system through the stimulation of NMDAR, necessitating further investigation to elucidate the direct relationship between aspartate and schizophrenia.

This study used a bidirectional two-sample MR analysis method to explore the causal relationship between aspartate and asparagine with schizophrenia, as well as its inverse relationship [ 34 ]. The utilization of MR analysis presents numerous benefits in the determination of causality [ 35 ]. Notably, the random allocation of alleles to gametes within this method permits the assumption of no correlation between instrumental variables and confounding factors. Consequently, this approach effectively alleviates bias stemming from confounding factors during the inference of causality. Furthermore, the study’s utilization of a substantial sample size in the GWAS summary data engenders a heightened level of confidence in the obtained results [ 36 ]. Consequently, this investigation not only advances the existing body of research on the relationship between aspartate and asparagine with schizophrenia, but also contributed to clinical treatment decisions for patients with schizophrenia.

Nevertheless, this study possesses certain limitations, as it solely relies on populations of European ancestry for both exposure and results. Consequently, it remains uncertain whether these findings can be replicated among non-European races, necessitating further investigation. In addition, in this study, whether the effects of aspartate and asparagine on schizophrenia vary by gender or age cannot be evaluated, and stratified MR analysis should be performed. Additional experimental research is imperative for a comprehensive understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms connecting aspartate and asparagine with schizophrenia.

In summary, our MR analysis found a negative correlation between asparagine and schizophrenia, indicating that asparagine reduces the risk of schizophrenia. However, there is no potential causal relationship between schizophrenia and asparagine. This study provides new ideas for the early detection of schizophrenia in the clinical setting and offers new insights into the etiology and pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Nonetheless, additional research is required to elucidate the potential mechanisms that underlie the association between aspartate and asparagine with schizophrenia.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are available in the GWAS repository. https://gwas.mrcieu.ac.uk/datasets/met-a-388/ , https://gwas.mrcieu.ac.uk/datasets/met-a-638/ , https://gwas.mrcieu.ac.uk/datasets/ieu-b-42/ .

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This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82271546, 82301725, 81971601); National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFC2506201); Key Project of Science and Technology Innovation 2030 of China (2021ZD0201800, 2021ZD0201805); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2023M732155); Fundamental Research Program of Shanxi Province (202203021211018, 202203021212028, 202203021212038). Research Project Supported by Shanxi Scholarship Council of China (2022 − 190); Scientific Research Plan of Shanxi Health Commission (2020081, 2020SYS03,2021RC24); Shanxi Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2023ZYYC2034), Scientific and Technological Innovation Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi (2022L132); Shanxi Medical University School-level Doctoral Initiation Fund Project (XD2102); Youth Project of First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University (YQ2203); Doctor Fund Project of Shanxi Medical University in Shanxi Province (SD2216); Shanxi Science and Technology Innovation Talent Team (202304051001049); 136 Medical Rejuvenation Project of Shanxi Province, China; STI2030-Major Projects-2021ZD0200700. Key laboratory of Health Commission of Shanxi Province (2020SYS03);

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Huang-Hui Liu and Yao Gao contributed equally to this work.

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Department of Psychiatry, First Hospital/First Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University, NO.85 Jiefang Nan Road, Taiyuan, China

Huang-Hui Liu, Yao Gao, Dan Xu, Xin-Zhe Du, Si-Meng Wei, Jian-Zhen Hu, Yong Xu & Liu Sha

Shanxi Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Assisted Diagnosis and Treatment for Mental Disorder, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China

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Huang-Hui Liu and Yao Gao provided the concept and designed the study. Huang-Hui Liu and Yao Gao conducted the analyses and wrote the manuscript. Dan Xu, Huang-Hui Liu and Yao Gao participated in data collection. Xin-Zhe Du, Si-Meng Wei and Jian-Zhen Hu participated in the analysis of the data. Liu Sha, Yong Xu and Yao Gao revised and proof-read the manuscript. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

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Liu, HH., Gao, Y., Xu, D. et al. Asparagine reduces the risk of schizophrenia: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study of aspartate, asparagine and schizophrenia. BMC Psychiatry 24 , 299 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05765-5

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05765-5

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Publications output: u.s. trends and international comparisons.

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Executive Summary

Key takeaways:

• The United States remains a highly influential nation in science and engineering (S&E) research, as measured by the volume of peer-reviewed scholarly publications and the rate of citations to those publications.
• In 2022, China remained the largest producer of publications, followed by the United States, then by India. China’s top scientific field in terms of number of articles produced was engineering (25% of all publications), whereas the top field in the United States was health sciences (37%), and India’s top field was computer and information sciences (21%).
• Analysis of funding acknowledgments shows that from 2018 to 2022, the scientific fields most frequently acknowledging federal funding are chemistry, biological and biomedical sciences, astronomy and astrophysics, and physics.
• The United States, the European Union (EU-27), and China currently produce a high number of highly cited articles, relative to their overall production.
• Open access (OA) has become an increasingly important feature of the publication landscape, in terms of output and impact, as shown by the growth of fully OA articles.
• International collaborations with U.S. authors of S&E publications have increased over the last 15 years, and China is the most frequent U.S. partner.
• International collaboration in the fast-growing field of artificial intelligence helps show an important research network and the most important collaborations in terms of absolute and relative size.

The primary method of disseminating research findings is through publication of peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings (i.e., publication output ). Data on publication output indicate a continued increase in global research activity, a growth in the proliferation and impact of some categories of OA research, and an internationally connected research ecosystem.

Global publication output reached 3.3 million articles in 2022, based on data from the Scopus database of S&E publications. The regions, countries, or economies with the largest volume of S&E publications in 2022 were China, with 27% of global output, and the United States, with 14%. From 2012 to 2022, the global yearly publication total grew by 59%. In terms of growth for these two largest producers, China and the United States had noticeably different expansion in their levels of overall production (growing by 173% and 6%, respectively).

Beyond differences at the level of region, country, or economy, the number of OA publications has increased dramatically in the last 10 years. In 2022, nearly 1.6 million articles were OA (classified in one of four OA categories), compared with about 1.5 million traditional closed-access journal articles. Just 10 years prior, OA articles accounted for around a third of all articles with a known access status. This growth is also clear with respect to impact, where OA research as a whole has a higher proportion of highly cited articles relative to the size of OA scholarship.

When an article is cited by a high number of subsequent articles by other authors, it is deemed to have exceptional scientific impact. Analyzing the distribution of highly cited articles based on the authors’ locations, the United States has a long-standing record of producing a disproportionate share of such articles, although its share has decreased in recent years. China’s share of those articles grew consistently over the past 20 years, and its scientific impact is on par with that of the EU-27. That impact varies by scientific discipline. In 2020, publications by authors in the United States in materials science, geosciences, and physics had relatively higher scientific impact than those in other fields. For publications by authors in China for the same year, those in the social sciences tended to have higher scientific impact than those in any other field.

International collaborations continue to grow in their share of global scientific publications. From 2012 to 2022, the share of articles from authors affiliated with institutions in multiple regions, countries, or economies increased by 19%. In 2022, the United States was involved in a high number of international collaborations (40% of U.S. articles produced included an international coauthor). Other top producers like China (19%), India (24%), and the United Kingdom (67%) varied in the concentration of international collaborations among their respective total outputs.

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The following outline provides a high-level overview of the FTC’s proposed final rule :

• Specifically, the final rule provides that it is an unfair method of competition—and therefore a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act—for employers to enter into noncompetes with workers after the effective date.
• Fewer than 1% of workers are estimated to be senior executives under the final rule.
• Specifically, the final rule defines the term “senior executive” to refer to workers earning more than $151,164 annually who are in a “policy-making position.”
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• This represents an estimated increase of 11-19% annually over a ten-year period.
• The average worker’s earnings will rise an estimated extra $524 per year. 

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What Are Americans’ Top Foreign Policy Priorities?

Protecting the u.s. from terrorism and reducing the flow of illegal drugs are top issues overall, but democrats and republicans have very different priorities, table of contents.

• Differences by partisanship
• Differences by age
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• The American Trends Panel survey methodology

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to better understand Americans’ long-range foreign policy priorities. For this analysis, we surveyed 3,600 U.S. adults from April 1 to April 7, 2024. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology .

Americans have a lot on their plates in 2024, including an important election to determine who will remain or become again president. But the world does not stop for a U.S. election, and multiple conflicts around the world as well as other issues of global prominence continue to concern Americans.

When asked to prioritize the long-range foreign policy goals of the United States, the majority of Americans say preventing terrorist attacks (73%), keeping illegal drugs out of the country (64%) and preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction (63%) are top priorities. Over half of Americans also see maintaining the U.S. military advantage over other countries (53%) and preventing the spread of infectious diseases (52%) as primary foreign policy responsibilities.

About half of Americans say limiting the power and influence of Russia and China are top priorities. A recent annual threat assessment from the U.S. intelligence community focused heavily on those countries’ strengthening military relationship and their ability to shape the global narrative against U.S. interests.

Fewer than half of Americans say dealing with global climate change (44%) and getting other countries to assume more of the costs of maintaining world order (42%) are top priorities. The partisan gaps on these two issues are quite large:

• 70% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say climate change should be a top priority, while 15% of Republicans and Republican leaners say this.
• 54% of Republicans say getting other countries to assume more of the costs of maintaining world order should be a top priority, compared with 33% of Democrats.

About four-in-ten Americans see limiting the power and influence of North Korea and Iran as top priorities. (The survey was conducted before Iran’s large-scale missile attack on Israel on April 13.) And about a third say the same about the U.S. being a leader in artificial intelligence, a technology that governments around the world are increasingly concerned about .

When it comes to goals that focus on international engagement, like strengthening the United Nations and NATO or finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, fewer than a third of Americans mark these as top foreign policy priorities.

Related: Fewer Americans view the United Nations favorably than in 2023

Only about a quarter of Americans prioritize promoting human rights in other countries, leading other countries in space exploration and reducing military commitments overseas. And similar shares say supporting Ukraine (23%) and Israel (22%) are top issues.

At the bottom of this list of foreign policy priorities are promoting global democracy ( a major policy push from the Biden administration ) and aiding refugees fleeing violence around the world – about two-in-ten Americans describe these as top concerns. These assessments come amid a recent global surge in asylum claims . Still, in Center surveys, democracy promotion has typically been at the bottom of Americans’ list of foreign policy priorities, even dating back to George W. Bush’s and Barack Obama’s administrations .

Overall, a majority of Americans say that all 22 long-range foreign policy goals we asked about should be given at least some priority. Still, about three-in-ten Americans say supporting Israel (31%), promoting democracy (28%) and supporting Ukraine (27%) should be given no priority.

The long-range foreign policy priority questions were also asked in 2018 and 2021, and since then there have been some significant shifts in responses:

• Since 2018, the public has become significantly more likely to say limiting the power and influence of China (+17 percentage points) and finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (+11) are top foreign policy priorities.
• Americans have also increased the emphasis they place on limiting the power and influence of Russia, particularly in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (+8 points since 2021).
• On the decline since 2018 are strengthening the UN and aiding refugees (-8 points each), reducing foreign military commitments (-6), and promoting and defending human rights in other countries (-5).
• Preventing the spread of infectious diseases is down 19 percentage points since 2021 – during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – and about back to where it was in 2018.

These are among the findings from a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 1-7, 2024.

The survey of 3,600 U.S. adults shows that foreign policy remains a partisan issue. Republicans prioritize the prevention of terrorism, reducing the flow of illegal drugs into the country, and maintaining a military advantage over other nations. Meanwhile, Democrats prioritize dealing with climate change and preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), but also preventing terrorist attacks.

There are also stark age differences on many of the policy goals mentioned, but for the most part, young adults are less likely than older Americans to say the issues we asked about are top priorities. The exceptions are dealing with climate change, reducing military commitments overseas, and promoting and defending human rights abroad – on these issues, 18- to 29-year-olds are significantly more likely than older Americans to assign top priority.

Even with these priorities, foreign policy generally takes the backset to domestic policy for most Americans: 83% say it is more important for President Joe Biden to focus on domestic policy, compared with 14% who say he should focus on foreign policy.

Americans are even less likely to prioritize international affairs than they were in 2019, when 74% wanted then-President Donald Trump to focus on domestic policy and 23% said he should focus on foreign policy.

Americans’ foreign policy priorities differ greatly by party. The largest divide, by a significant margin, is the 55 percentage point gap between Democrats and Republicans on dealing with global climate change (70% vs. 15%, respectively, see it as a top priority).

Supporting Ukraine, aiding refugees, reducing the spread of diseases, protecting human rights, and strengthening the UN are also issues on which Democrats are at least 20 points more likely than Republicans to prioritize. For example, 63% of Democrats say reducing the spread of infectious diseases is a top priority, compared with 41% of Republicans.

Republicans prioritize supporting Israel, reducing the flow of illegal drugs and maintaining a military advantage over other countries – among other security and hard power issues – significantly more than Democrats do. For example, more than half of Republicans (54%) say getting other countries to assume more of the costs of maintaining world order should be a top focus in foreign policy. Only a third of Democrats say the same.

The priority assigned to several issues is divided even further by ideology within parties. Take support for Israel and Ukraine as examples. Supporting Israel is generally a higher priority for Republicans than Democrats, but within the Republican Party, 48% of conservatives say it’s a top concern, while 18% of moderates and liberals agree. Previous Center research shows that conservative Republicans are especially likely to favor military aid to Israel .

Supporting Ukraine, something Democrats emphasize more than Republicans, is a top priority particularly for liberal Democrats (47%), while about three-in-ten moderate and conservative Democrats agree (29%). Democrats have also shown more willingness than Republicans to provide aid to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Generally, the partisan differences on the importance of several foreign policy issues have gotten smaller since 2021 , when most of these questions were last fielded. This is especially true for items related to the relative power of major countries, like the U.S. maintaining a military advantage and limiting the power and influence of both Russia and China.

However, finding a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians – a priority that saw no partisan difference at all when it was last asked about in 2018 – has an emerging partisan gap today. The share of Democrats who call this a top priority has more than doubled, while the share of Republicans has changed little.

Age differences persist on foreign policy issues. Older Americans prioritize most of the issues we asked about at higher rates than those ages 18 t0 29.

On four issues, there is at least a 40 percentage point gap between Americans ages 65 and older and young adults ages 18 to 29. The oldest Americans are more likely to prioritize reducing the flow of illegal drugs, limiting the power and influence of China and Iran, and maintaining a U.S. military advantage.

Those in the oldest age group are also more concerned than their younger counterparts on an additional 11 issues, ranging from support for Israel to U.S. leadership in space exploration.

For their part, young adults are more likely to say dealing with global climate change, reducing U.S. military commitments overseas, and promoting and defending human rights in other countries should be top foreign policy priorities.

Even starker patterns appear when looking at partisanship within two age groups – adults ages 18 to 49 and those 50 and older.

Among Democrats, older adults place particularly high priority on supporting Ukraine, strengthening NATO, and limiting the power and influence of Russia amid its war with Ukraine. Older Democrats are also more likely than younger ones to prioritize preventing the development of WMDs, curbing the spread of diseases, strengthening the UN and promoting democracy around the world, among other issues.

Among Republicans, those ages 50 and older are more likely than those ages 18 to 49 to prioritize supporting Israel, limiting the power and influence of Iran and China, getting other countries to assume more foreign policy costs, reducing the amount of illegal drugs entering the U.S., preventing terrorism, and maintaining a military advantage.

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