Writing and Revising Abstracts

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The following guidelines contain information on the required format of abstracts for every type of source that GWonline provides. Please refer to this closely as you work on writing or verifying/revising abstracts for secondary literature, autobiographies, film, or websites.

Guiding Principles for the Writing and Editing of Abstracts

  • Your starting question should be: What would a teacher, student, or researcher need to know to decide whether to consult this source?
  • Because only 4-5 lines are visible on the first glance on the website, the most important information on the text/film/website needs to be presented in the first 2-3 sentences, i.e. about 50 words.
  • In total each abstract should not be longer than one paragraph of about 100-150 words.
  • All abstracts should be in English. If the original is in another language you need to work on a translation or ask the Project Coordinator for help.
  • Under each sub-heading (Secondary Literature, Autobiographies, etc.) we provide reliable resources to search for abstracts. Often you will be able to use one of these abstracts with little or no revision. If you do use a prewritten abstract from one of these sources, please give credit at the end (in sqare brackets, e.g. [publisher]).

Example:

"'. . . unarmed conflict.' [Library of Congress]"

Responsibilities:

  • Undergraduate assistants will only revise and write abstracts for secondary literature.Graduate assistants will revise and write abstracts for autobiographies, films and websites, as well as for secondary literature if necessary.

Guidelines for Secondary Literature Abstracts

Please make sure that your abstract addresses all the following questions:

  • What is the main historical topic that the book covers?
  • Is the book a work of historiography (examining trends and competing interpretations of history) or is it based on original research?
  • If the book is a work of original research, what are the major sources? (If you can determine this).
  • What is/are the war period(s) that the book covers?
  • What is the book's major argument?

Example:

"This book fills in a significant gap in the study of psychological trauma wrought by war by focusing not on soldiers, but on the men and women who fought to save them in casualty clearing stations, hospitals, and prison camps. Through a rich analysis of both published and unpublished personal accounts by doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and other medical personnel from the major wars of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the authors uncover a spectrum of responses to what was often unimaginable suffering, which ranged from breakdown to resilience, from exhausted resignation to firmer belief in humanity despite the brutalities of unarmed conflict." (104 words)

Resources:

The resources for a good online abstract that we recommend to use are:

Guidelines for Autobiography Abstracts

Please make sure your abstract answers the following questions:

  • Who is the author, and what do we know about her position in society (social class, political power, etc., if you can find this information)?
  • What is/are the main topics covered in the memoir (if you can determine this)?
  • What is the war period, or the specific event during a war period, that the autobiography takes place in?
  • What is the language that the book is published in?
  • Is there any other information that makes the memoir or the author herself especially noteworthy (for instance, one of the few women officers in an army or a woman who served in the military disguised as a man, etc.)?

Example:

"Glenda Dugar served for twenty years with the U.S. Army Airborne. She has served in various key positions and in many countries throughout the world. She became the first African-American female Airborne Policewoman in her Fort Brag, N.C. 118th MP Airborne Unit, and became the Assistant Airfield Manager at Stuttgart Army Airfield, Germay, assisting many dignitaries from the U.S. President to local nationals. The author's memoir focuses mainly on her military experiences. " (72 words)

Resources:

The resources for a good online abstract that we recommend to use are:

You might to need to edit the abstract text of these sources according to our needs.

Guidelines for Film Abstracts

Please limit the plot summary to 1-2 sentences if at all possible. Ideally, film abstracts should be written for a scholarly audience, and not read like a film review for a general audience. Please address all the following questions in your abstract:

  • In what country or countries does the film take place?
  • What is the genre of the film?
  • What is the war period, or specific event during a war period, in which this film takes place?
  • Are there any other factors making this film especially noteworthy (for example, the director's first film, an early sound movie, the first film to portray this particular war or event, etc.)?

Example:

"A six-hour long epic (original director's cut) about the life of Don Cossacks in a village in southern Russia between 1912 and 1922. The leading character Grigori Melekhov is a rugged Cossack, who is torn between his first and true love Aksiniya, and his wife Natalya. Grigori Melekhov's personal life is shown as a rough journey through the experiences of World War One, the Russian Revolution, and the following Civil War. The Cossacks are shown as traditional farmers and workers, who are suffering through the most dramatic events in the history of Russia." (93 words)

Resources:

The resources for a good online abstract that we recommend to use are:

You might to need to edit the abstract text of these sources according to our needs.

Guidelines for Website Abstracts

Please focus on information, rather than strictly archival materials: public institutions and projects on an academic level, with emphasis on core museums and libraries. Make sure that your abstract addresses all of the following questions:

  • What is the goal or aim of the website/institution?
  • Who is/are the website's institutional sponsor(s)?
  • What is the war period, or specific event in a war period, that the collection covers?
  • What kind of primary sources are included in the collections (e.g., diaries, photographs, government documents, newsreels, etc.)?
  • What is the country(ies) and language(s) of coverage of the collection, if this is not already obvious from the title?
  • What is the time period covered?

Example:

"The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) is an educational non-profit dedicated to promoting social activism and the defense of human rights. ALBA's work is inspired by the American volunteers of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade who fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), and presents an extensive collection of letters and personal papers of several volunteers. Drawing on the ALBA collections in New York University's Tamiment Library, and working to expand such collections, ALBA works to preserve the legacy of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade as an inspiration for present and future generations." (92 words)

Resources:

Here you will have to create an abstract based on the text of the website. Usually the text of the welcome/homepage helps. Online newspaper articles about the launch of the website might be helpful as well.

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