how to write an abstract in a literature review

How do I Write a Literature Review?: #5 Writing the Review

• Step #1: Choosing a Topic
• Step #2: Finding Information
• Step #3: Evaluating Content
• Step #4: Synthesizing Content
• #5 Writing the Review
• Citing Your Sources

WRITING THE REVIEW 

You've done the research and now you're ready to put your findings down on paper. When preparing to write your review, first consider how will you organize your review.

The actual review generally has 5 components:

Abstract  -  An abstract is a summary of your literature review. It is made up of the following parts:

• A contextual sentence about your motivation behind your research topic
• Your thesis statement
• A descriptive statement about the types of literature used in the review
• Summarize your findings
• Conclusion(s) based upon your findings

Introduction :   Like a typical research paper introduction, provide the reader with a quick idea of the topic of the literature review:

• Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern. This provides the reader with context for reviewing the literature.
• Identify related trends in what has already been published about the topic; or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, and conclusions; or gaps in research and scholarship; or a single problem or new perspective of immediate interest.
• Establish your reason (point of view) for reviewing the literature; explain the criteria to be used in analyzing and comparing literature and the organization of the review (sequence); and, when necessary, state why certain literature is or is not included (scope)  - 

Body :  The body of a literature review contains your discussion of sources and can be organized in 3 ways-

• Chronological -  by publication or by trend
• Thematic -  organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time
• Methodical -  the focusing factor usually does not have to do with the content of the material. Instead, it focuses on the "methods" of the literature's researcher or writer that you are reviewing

You may also want to include a section on "questions for further research" and discuss what questions the review has sparked about the topic/field or offer suggestions for future studies/examinations that build on your current findings.

Conclusion :  In the conclusion, you should:

Conclude your paper by providing your reader with some perspective on the relationship between your literature review's specific topic and how it's related to it's parent discipline, scientific endeavor, or profession.

Bibliography :   Since a literature review is composed of pieces of research, it is very important that your correctly cite the literature you are reviewing, both in the reviews body as well as in a bibliography/works cited. To learn more about different citation styles, visit the " Citing Your Sources " tab.

• Writing a Literature Review: Wesleyan University
• Literature Review: Edith Cowan University
• << Previous: Step #4: Synthesizing Content
• Next: Citing Your Sources >>
• Last Updated: Aug 22, 2023 1:35 PM
• URL: https://libguides.eastern.edu/literature_reviews

About the Library

• Collection Development
• Circulation Policies
• Mission Statement
• Staff Directory

Using the Library

• A to Z Journal List
• Library Catalog
• Research Guides

Interlibrary Services

• Research Help

Warner Memorial Library

How to Write a Literature Review

• Critical analysis
• Sample Literature Reviews
• Scaffold examples for organising Literature Reviews
• Writing an Abstract
• Creating Appendices
• APA Reference Guide
• Library Resources
• Guide References

What is an abstract?

What is an Abstract?

An abstract is a short summary of an article, essay or research findings. A well-written abstract will provide the reader with a brief overview of the entire article, including the article's purpose, methodology and conclusion. An abstract should give the reader enough detail to determine if the information in the article meets their research needs...and it should make them want to read more!

While an abstract is usually anywhere between 150 - 300 words, it is important to always establish with your teacher the desired length of the abstract you are submitting.

This excellent guide from the University of Melbourne is a great snapshot of how to write an abstract.

Here are a few links to some useful abstract examples:

University of New South Wales

University of Wollongong

Michigan State University

• << Previous: Scaffold examples for organising Literature Reviews
• Next: Creating Appendices >>
• Last Updated: Apr 8, 2024 9:14 AM
• URL: https://saintpatricks-nsw.libguides.com/lit_review

When you choose to publish with PLOS, your research makes an impact. Make your work accessible to all, without restrictions, and accelerate scientific discovery with options like preprints and published peer review that make your work more Open.

• PLOS Biology
• PLOS Climate
• PLOS Complex Systems
• PLOS Computational Biology
• PLOS Digital Health
• PLOS Genetics
• PLOS Global Public Health
• PLOS Medicine
• PLOS Mental Health
• PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
• PLOS Pathogens
• PLOS Sustainability and Transformation
• PLOS Collections
• How to Write an Abstract

Expedite peer review, increase search-ability, and set the tone for your study

The abstract is your chance to let your readers know what they can expect from your article. Learn how to write a clear, and concise abstract that will keep your audience reading.

How your abstract impacts editorial evaluation and future readership

After the title , the abstract is the second-most-read part of your article. A good abstract can help to expedite peer review and, if your article is accepted for publication, it’s an important tool for readers to find and evaluate your work. Editors use your abstract when they first assess your article. Prospective reviewers see it when they decide whether to accept an invitation to review. Once published, the abstract gets indexed in PubMed and Google Scholar , as well as library systems and other popular databases. Like the title, your abstract influences keyword search results. Readers will use it to decide whether to read the rest of your article. Other researchers will use it to evaluate your work for inclusion in systematic reviews and meta-analysis. It should be a concise standalone piece that accurately represents your research. 

What to include in an abstract

The main challenge you’ll face when writing your abstract is keeping it concise AND fitting in all the information you need. Depending on your subject area the journal may require a structured abstract following specific headings. A structured abstract helps your readers understand your study more easily. If your journal doesn’t require a structured abstract it’s still a good idea to follow a similar format, just present the abstract as one paragraph without headings. 

Background or Introduction – What is currently known? Start with a brief, 2 or 3 sentence, introduction to the research area. 

Objectives or Aims – What is the study and why did you do it? Clearly state the research question you’re trying to answer.

Methods – What did you do? Explain what you did and how you did it. Include important information about your methods, but avoid the low-level specifics. Some disciplines have specific requirements for abstract methods. 

• CONSORT for randomized trials.
• STROBE for observational studies
• PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Results – What did you find? Briefly give the key findings of your study. Include key numeric data (including confidence intervals or p values), where possible.

Conclusions – What did you conclude? Tell the reader why your findings matter, and what this could mean for the ‘bigger picture’ of this area of research. 

Writing tips

The main challenge you may find when writing your abstract is keeping it concise AND convering all the information you need to.

• Keep it concise and to the point. Most journals have a maximum word count, so check guidelines before you write the abstract to save time editing it later.
• Write for your audience. Are they specialists in your specific field? Are they cross-disciplinary? Are they non-specialists? If you’re writing for a general audience, or your research could be of interest to the public keep your language as straightforward as possible. If you’re writing in English, do remember that not all of your readers will necessarily be native English speakers.
• Focus on key results, conclusions and take home messages.
• Write your paper first, then create the abstract as a summary.
• Check the journal requirements before you write your abstract, eg. required subheadings.
• Include keywords or phrases to help readers search for your work in indexing databases like PubMed or Google Scholar.
• Double and triple check your abstract for spelling and grammar errors. These kind of errors can give potential reviewers the impression that your research isn’t sound, and can make it easier to find reviewers who accept the invitation to review your manuscript. Your abstract should be a taste of what is to come in the rest of your article.

Don’t

• Sensationalize your research.
• Speculate about where this research might lead in the future.
• Use abbreviations or acronyms (unless absolutely necessary or unless they’re widely known, eg. DNA).
• Repeat yourself unnecessarily, eg. “Methods: We used X technique. Results: Using X technique, we found…”
• Contradict anything in the rest of your manuscript.
• Include content that isn’t also covered in the main manuscript.
• Include citations or references.

Tip: How to edit your work

Editing is challenging, especially if you are acting as both a writer and an editor. Read our guidelines for advice on how to refine your work, including useful tips for setting your intentions, re-review, and consultation with colleagues.

• How to Write a Great Title
• How to Write Your Methods
• How to Report Statistics
• How to Write Discussions and Conclusions
• How to Edit Your Work

The contents of the Peer Review Center are also available as a live, interactive training session, complete with slides, talking points, and activities. …

The contents of the Writing Center are also available as a live, interactive training session, complete with slides, talking points, and activities. …

There’s a lot to consider when deciding where to submit your work. Learn how to choose a journal that will help your study reach its audience, while reflecting your values as a researcher…

Writing an Abstract for Your Research Paper

Definition and Purpose of Abstracts

An abstract is a short summary of your (published or unpublished) research paper, usually about a paragraph (c. 6-7 sentences, 150-250 words) long. A well-written abstract serves multiple purposes:

• an abstract lets readers get the gist or essence of your paper or article quickly, in order to decide whether to read the full paper;
• an abstract prepares readers to follow the detailed information, analyses, and arguments in your full paper;
• and, later, an abstract helps readers remember key points from your paper.

It’s also worth remembering that search engines and bibliographic databases use abstracts, as well as the title, to identify key terms for indexing your published paper. So what you include in your abstract and in your title are crucial for helping other researchers find your paper or article.

If you are writing an abstract for a course paper, your professor may give you specific guidelines for what to include and how to organize your abstract. Similarly, academic journals often have specific requirements for abstracts. So in addition to following the advice on this page, you should be sure to look for and follow any guidelines from the course or journal you’re writing for.

The Contents of an Abstract

Abstracts contain most of the following kinds of information in brief form. The body of your paper will, of course, develop and explain these ideas much more fully. As you will see in the samples below, the proportion of your abstract that you devote to each kind of information—and the sequence of that information—will vary, depending on the nature and genre of the paper that you are summarizing in your abstract. And in some cases, some of this information is implied, rather than stated explicitly. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , which is widely used in the social sciences, gives specific guidelines for what to include in the abstract for different kinds of papers—for empirical studies, literature reviews or meta-analyses, theoretical papers, methodological papers, and case studies.

Here are the typical kinds of information found in most abstracts:

• the context or background information for your research; the general topic under study; the specific topic of your research
• the central questions or statement of the problem your research addresses
• what’s already known about this question, what previous research has done or shown
• the main reason(s) , the exigency, the rationale , the goals for your research—Why is it important to address these questions? Are you, for example, examining a new topic? Why is that topic worth examining? Are you filling a gap in previous research? Applying new methods to take a fresh look at existing ideas or data? Resolving a dispute within the literature in your field? . . .
• your research and/or analytical methods
• your main findings , results , or arguments
• the significance or implications of your findings or arguments.

Your abstract should be intelligible on its own, without a reader’s having to read your entire paper. And in an abstract, you usually do not cite references—most of your abstract will describe what you have studied in your research and what you have found and what you argue in your paper. In the body of your paper, you will cite the specific literature that informs your research.

When to Write Your Abstract

Although you might be tempted to write your abstract first because it will appear as the very first part of your paper, it’s a good idea to wait to write your abstract until after you’ve drafted your full paper, so that you know what you’re summarizing.

What follows are some sample abstracts in published papers or articles, all written by faculty at UW-Madison who come from a variety of disciplines. We have annotated these samples to help you see the work that these authors are doing within their abstracts.

Choosing Verb Tenses within Your Abstract

The social science sample (Sample 1) below uses the present tense to describe general facts and interpretations that have been and are currently true, including the prevailing explanation for the social phenomenon under study. That abstract also uses the present tense to describe the methods, the findings, the arguments, and the implications of the findings from their new research study. The authors use the past tense to describe previous research.

The humanities sample (Sample 2) below uses the past tense to describe completed events in the past (the texts created in the pulp fiction industry in the 1970s and 80s) and uses the present tense to describe what is happening in those texts, to explain the significance or meaning of those texts, and to describe the arguments presented in the article.

The science samples (Samples 3 and 4) below use the past tense to describe what previous research studies have done and the research the authors have conducted, the methods they have followed, and what they have found. In their rationale or justification for their research (what remains to be done), they use the present tense. They also use the present tense to introduce their study (in Sample 3, “Here we report . . .”) and to explain the significance of their study (In Sample 3, This reprogramming . . . “provides a scalable cell source for. . .”).

Sample Abstract 1

From the social sciences.

Reporting new findings about the reasons for increasing economic homogamy among spouses

Gonalons-Pons, Pilar, and Christine R. Schwartz. “Trends in Economic Homogamy: Changes in Assortative Mating or the Division of Labor in Marriage?” Demography , vol. 54, no. 3, 2017, pp. 985-1005.

Sample Abstract 2

From the humanities.

Analyzing underground pulp fiction publications in Tanzania, this article makes an argument about the cultural significance of those publications

Emily Callaci. “Street Textuality: Socialism, Masculinity, and Urban Belonging in Tanzania’s Pulp Fiction Publishing Industry, 1975-1985.” Comparative Studies in Society and History , vol. 59, no. 1, 2017, pp. 183-210.

Sample Abstract/Summary 3

From the sciences.

Reporting a new method for reprogramming adult mouse fibroblasts into induced cardiac progenitor cells

Lalit, Pratik A., Max R. Salick, Daryl O. Nelson, Jayne M. Squirrell, Christina M. Shafer, Neel G. Patel, Imaan Saeed, Eric G. Schmuck, Yogananda S. Markandeya, Rachel Wong, Martin R. Lea, Kevin W. Eliceiri, Timothy A. Hacker, Wendy C. Crone, Michael Kyba, Daniel J. Garry, Ron Stewart, James A. Thomson, Karen M. Downs, Gary E. Lyons, and Timothy J. Kamp. “Lineage Reprogramming of Fibroblasts into Proliferative Induced Cardiac Progenitor Cells by Defined Factors.” Cell Stem Cell , vol. 18, 2016, pp. 354-367.

Sample Abstract 4, a Structured Abstract

Reporting results about the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in managing acute bacterial sinusitis, from a rigorously controlled study

Note: This journal requires authors to organize their abstract into four specific sections, with strict word limits. Because the headings for this structured abstract are self-explanatory, we have chosen not to add annotations to this sample abstract.

Wald, Ellen R., David Nash, and Jens Eickhoff. “Effectiveness of Amoxicillin/Clavulanate Potassium in the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Sinusitis in Children.” Pediatrics , vol. 124, no. 1, 2009, pp. 9-15.

“OBJECTIVE: The role of antibiotic therapy in managing acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS) in children is controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of high-dose amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate in the treatment of children diagnosed with ABS.

METHODS : This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Children 1 to 10 years of age with a clinical presentation compatible with ABS were eligible for participation. Patients were stratified according to age (<6 or ≥6 years) and clinical severity and randomly assigned to receive either amoxicillin (90 mg/kg) with potassium clavulanate (6.4 mg/kg) or placebo. A symptom survey was performed on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, and 30. Patients were examined on day 14. Children’s conditions were rated as cured, improved, or failed according to scoring rules.

RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred thirty-five children with respiratory complaints were screened for enrollment; 139 (6.5%) had ABS. Fifty-eight patients were enrolled, and 56 were randomly assigned. The mean age was 6630 months. Fifty (89%) patients presented with persistent symptoms, and 6 (11%) presented with nonpersistent symptoms. In 24 (43%) children, the illness was classified as mild, whereas in the remaining 32 (57%) children it was severe. Of the 28 children who received the antibiotic, 14 (50%) were cured, 4 (14%) were improved, 4(14%) experienced treatment failure, and 6 (21%) withdrew. Of the 28children who received placebo, 4 (14%) were cured, 5 (18%) improved, and 19 (68%) experienced treatment failure. Children receiving the antibiotic were more likely to be cured (50% vs 14%) and less likely to have treatment failure (14% vs 68%) than children receiving the placebo.

CONCLUSIONS : ABS is a common complication of viral upper respiratory infections. Amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate results in significantly more cures and fewer failures than placebo, according to parental report of time to resolution.” (9)

Some Excellent Advice about Writing Abstracts for Basic Science Research Papers, by Professor Adriano Aguzzi from the Institute of Neuropathology at the University of Zurich:

Academic and Professional Writing

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Analysis Papers

Reading Poetry

A Short Guide to Close Reading for Literary Analysis

Using Literary Quotations

Play Reviews

Writing a Rhetorical Précis to Analyze Nonfiction Texts

Incorporating Interview Data

Grant Proposals

Planning and Writing a Grant Proposal: The Basics

Additional Resources for Grants and Proposal Writing

Job Materials and Application Essays

Writing Personal Statements for Ph.D. Programs

• Before you begin: useful tips for writing your essay
• Guided brainstorming exercises
• Get more help with your essay
• Frequently Asked Questions

Resume Writing Tips

CV Writing Tips

Cover Letters

Business Letters

Proposals and Dissertations

Resources for Proposal Writers

Resources for Dissertators

Research Papers

Planning and Writing Research Papers

Quoting and Paraphrasing

Writing Annotated Bibliographies

Creating Poster Presentations

Thank-You Notes

Advice for Students Writing Thank-You Notes to Donors

Reading for a Review

Critical Reviews

Writing a Review of Literature

Scientific Reports

Scientific Report Format

Sample Lab Assignment

Writing for the Web

Writing an Effective Blog Post

Writing for Social Media: A Guide for Academics

What this handout is about

This handout provides definitions and examples of the two main types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. It also provides guidelines for constructing an abstract and general tips for you to keep in mind when drafting. Finally, it includes a few examples of abstracts broken down into their component parts.

What is an abstract?

An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a larger work. Components vary according to discipline. An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work. An abstract of a humanities work may contain the thesis, background, and conclusion of the larger work. An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted. While it contains key words found in the larger work, the abstract is an original document rather than an excerpted passage.

Why write an abstract?

You may write an abstract for various reasons. The two most important are selection and indexing. Abstracts allow readers who may be interested in a longer work to quickly decide whether it is worth their time to read it. Also, many online databases use abstracts to index larger works. Therefore, abstracts should contain keywords and phrases that allow for easy searching.

Say you are beginning a research project on how Brazilian newspapers helped Brazil’s ultra-liberal president Luiz Ignácio da Silva wrest power from the traditional, conservative power base. A good first place to start your research is to search Dissertation Abstracts International for all dissertations that deal with the interaction between newspapers and politics. “Newspapers and politics” returned 569 hits. A more selective search of “newspapers and Brazil” returned 22 hits. That is still a fair number of dissertations. Titles can sometimes help winnow the field, but many titles are not very descriptive. For example, one dissertation is titled “Rhetoric and Riot in Rio de Janeiro.” It is unclear from the title what this dissertation has to do with newspapers in Brazil. One option would be to download or order the entire dissertation on the chance that it might speak specifically to the topic. A better option is to read the abstract. In this case, the abstract reveals the main focus of the dissertation:

This dissertation examines the role of newspaper editors in the political turmoil and strife that characterized late First Empire Rio de Janeiro (1827-1831). Newspaper editors and their journals helped change the political culture of late First Empire Rio de Janeiro by involving the people in the discussion of state. This change in political culture is apparent in Emperor Pedro I’s gradual loss of control over the mechanisms of power. As the newspapers became more numerous and powerful, the Emperor lost his legitimacy in the eyes of the people. To explore the role of the newspapers in the political events of the late First Empire, this dissertation analyzes all available newspapers published in Rio de Janeiro from 1827 to 1831. Newspapers and their editors were leading forces in the effort to remove power from the hands of the ruling elite and place it under the control of the people. In the process, newspapers helped change how politics operated in the constitutional monarchy of Brazil.

From this abstract you now know that although the dissertation has nothing to do with modern Brazilian politics, it does cover the role of newspapers in changing traditional mechanisms of power. After reading the abstract, you can make an informed judgment about whether the dissertation would be worthwhile to read.

Besides selection, the other main purpose of the abstract is for indexing. Most article databases in the online catalog of the library enable you to search abstracts. This allows for quick retrieval by users and limits the extraneous items recalled by a “full-text” search. However, for an abstract to be useful in an online retrieval system, it must incorporate the key terms that a potential researcher would use to search. For example, if you search Dissertation Abstracts International using the keywords “France” “revolution” and “politics,” the search engine would search through all the abstracts in the database that included those three words. Without an abstract, the search engine would be forced to search titles, which, as we have seen, may not be fruitful, or else search the full text. It’s likely that a lot more than 60 dissertations have been written with those three words somewhere in the body of the entire work. By incorporating keywords into the abstract, the author emphasizes the central topics of the work and gives prospective readers enough information to make an informed judgment about the applicability of the work.

When do people write abstracts?

• when submitting articles to journals, especially online journals
• when applying for research grants
• when writing a book proposal
• when completing the Ph.D. dissertation or M.A. thesis
• when writing a proposal for a conference paper
• when writing a proposal for a book chapter

Most often, the author of the entire work (or prospective work) writes the abstract. However, there are professional abstracting services that hire writers to draft abstracts of other people’s work. In a work with multiple authors, the first author usually writes the abstract. Undergraduates are sometimes asked to draft abstracts of books/articles for classmates who have not read the larger work.

Types of abstracts

There are two types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. They have different aims, so as a consequence they have different components and styles. There is also a third type called critical, but it is rarely used. If you want to find out more about writing a critique or a review of a work, see the UNC Writing Center handout on writing a literature review . If you are unsure which type of abstract you should write, ask your instructor (if the abstract is for a class) or read other abstracts in your field or in the journal where you are submitting your article.

Descriptive abstracts

A descriptive abstract indicates the type of information found in the work. It makes no judgments about the work, nor does it provide results or conclusions of the research. It does incorporate key words found in the text and may include the purpose, methods, and scope of the research. Essentially, the descriptive abstract describes the work being abstracted. Some people consider it an outline of the work, rather than a summary. Descriptive abstracts are usually very short—100 words or less.

Informative abstracts

The majority of abstracts are informative. While they still do not critique or evaluate a work, they do more than describe it. A good informative abstract acts as a surrogate for the work itself. That is, the writer presents and explains all the main arguments and the important results and evidence in the complete article/paper/book. An informative abstract includes the information that can be found in a descriptive abstract (purpose, methods, scope) but also includes the results and conclusions of the research and the recommendations of the author. The length varies according to discipline, but an informative abstract is rarely more than 10% of the length of the entire work. In the case of a longer work, it may be much less.

Here are examples of a descriptive and an informative abstract of this handout on abstracts . Descriptive abstract:

The two most common abstract types—descriptive and informative—are described and examples of each are provided.

Informative abstract:

Abstracts present the essential elements of a longer work in a short and powerful statement. The purpose of an abstract is to provide prospective readers the opportunity to judge the relevance of the longer work to their projects. Abstracts also include the key terms found in the longer work and the purpose and methods of the research. Authors abstract various longer works, including book proposals, dissertations, and online journal articles. There are two main types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. A descriptive abstract briefly describes the longer work, while an informative abstract presents all the main arguments and important results. This handout provides examples of various types of abstracts and instructions on how to construct one.

Which type should I use?

Your best bet in this case is to ask your instructor or refer to the instructions provided by the publisher. You can also make a guess based on the length allowed; i.e., 100-120 words = descriptive; 250+ words = informative.

How do I write an abstract?

The format of your abstract will depend on the work being abstracted. An abstract of a scientific research paper will contain elements not found in an abstract of a literature article, and vice versa. However, all abstracts share several mandatory components, and there are also some optional parts that you can decide to include or not. When preparing to draft your abstract, keep the following key process elements in mind:

• Reason for writing: What is the importance of the research? Why would a reader be interested in the larger work?
• Problem: What problem does this work attempt to solve? What is the scope of the project? What is the main argument/thesis/claim?
• Methodology: An abstract of a scientific work may include specific models or approaches used in the larger study. Other abstracts may describe the types of evidence used in the research.
• Results: Again, an abstract of a scientific work may include specific data that indicates the results of the project. Other abstracts may discuss the findings in a more general way.
• Implications: What changes should be implemented as a result of the findings of the work? How does this work add to the body of knowledge on the topic?

(This list of elements is adapted with permission from Philip Koopman, “How to Write an Abstract.” )

All abstracts include:

• A full citation of the source, preceding the abstract.
• The most important information first.
• The same type and style of language found in the original, including technical language.
• Key words and phrases that quickly identify the content and focus of the work.
• Clear, concise, and powerful language.

Abstracts may include:

• The thesis of the work, usually in the first sentence.
• Background information that places the work in the larger body of literature.
• The same chronological structure as the original work.

How not to write an abstract:

• Do not refer extensively to other works.
• Do not add information not contained in the original work.
• Do not define terms.

If you are abstracting your own writing

When abstracting your own work, it may be difficult to condense a piece of writing that you have agonized over for weeks (or months, or even years) into a 250-word statement. There are some tricks that you could use to make it easier, however.

Reverse outlining:

This technique is commonly used when you are having trouble organizing your own writing. The process involves writing down the main idea of each paragraph on a separate piece of paper– see our short video . For the purposes of writing an abstract, try grouping the main ideas of each section of the paper into a single sentence. Practice grouping ideas using webbing or color coding .

For a scientific paper, you may have sections titled Purpose, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Each one of these sections will be longer than one paragraph, but each is grouped around a central idea. Use reverse outlining to discover the central idea in each section and then distill these ideas into one statement.

Cut and paste:

To create a first draft of an abstract of your own work, you can read through the entire paper and cut and paste sentences that capture key passages. This technique is useful for social science research with findings that cannot be encapsulated by neat numbers or concrete results. A well-written humanities draft will have a clear and direct thesis statement and informative topic sentences for paragraphs or sections. Isolate these sentences in a separate document and work on revising them into a unified paragraph.

If you are abstracting someone else’s writing

When abstracting something you have not written, you cannot summarize key ideas just by cutting and pasting. Instead, you must determine what a prospective reader would want to know about the work. There are a few techniques that will help you in this process:

Identify key terms:

Search through the entire document for key terms that identify the purpose, scope, and methods of the work. Pay close attention to the Introduction (or Purpose) and the Conclusion (or Discussion). These sections should contain all the main ideas and key terms in the paper. When writing the abstract, be sure to incorporate the key terms.

Highlight key phrases and sentences:

Instead of cutting and pasting the actual words, try highlighting sentences or phrases that appear to be central to the work. Then, in a separate document, rewrite the sentences and phrases in your own words.

Don’t look back:

After reading the entire work, put it aside and write a paragraph about the work without referring to it. In the first draft, you may not remember all the key terms or the results, but you will remember what the main point of the work was. Remember not to include any information you did not get from the work being abstracted.

Revise, revise, revise

No matter what type of abstract you are writing, or whether you are abstracting your own work or someone else’s, the most important step in writing an abstract is to revise early and often. When revising, delete all extraneous words and incorporate meaningful and powerful words. The idea is to be as clear and complete as possible in the shortest possible amount of space. The Word Count feature of Microsoft Word can help you keep track of how long your abstract is and help you hit your target length.

Example 1: Humanities abstract

Kenneth Tait Andrews, “‘Freedom is a constant struggle’: The dynamics and consequences of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, 1960-1984” Ph.D. State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1997 DAI-A 59/02, p. 620, Aug 1998

This dissertation examines the impacts of social movements through a multi-layered study of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement from its peak in the early 1960s through the early 1980s. By examining this historically important case, I clarify the process by which movements transform social structures and the constraints movements face when they try to do so. The time period studied includes the expansion of voting rights and gains in black political power, the desegregation of public schools and the emergence of white-flight academies, and the rise and fall of federal anti-poverty programs. I use two major research strategies: (1) a quantitative analysis of county-level data and (2) three case studies. Data have been collected from archives, interviews, newspapers, and published reports. This dissertation challenges the argument that movements are inconsequential. Some view federal agencies, courts, political parties, or economic elites as the agents driving institutional change, but typically these groups acted in response to the leverage brought to bear by the civil rights movement. The Mississippi movement attempted to forge independent structures for sustaining challenges to local inequities and injustices. By propelling change in an array of local institutions, movement infrastructures had an enduring legacy in Mississippi.

Now let’s break down this abstract into its component parts to see how the author has distilled his entire dissertation into a ~200 word abstract.

What the dissertation does This dissertation examines the impacts of social movements through a multi-layered study of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement from its peak in the early 1960s through the early 1980s. By examining this historically important case, I clarify the process by which movements transform social structures and the constraints movements face when they try to do so.

How the dissertation does it The time period studied in this dissertation includes the expansion of voting rights and gains in black political power, the desegregation of public schools and the emergence of white-flight academies, and the rise and fall of federal anti-poverty programs. I use two major research strategies: (1) a quantitative analysis of county-level data and (2) three case studies.

What materials are used Data have been collected from archives, interviews, newspapers, and published reports.

Conclusion This dissertation challenges the argument that movements are inconsequential. Some view federal agencies, courts, political parties, or economic elites as the agents driving institutional change, but typically these groups acted in response to movement demands and the leverage brought to bear by the civil rights movement. The Mississippi movement attempted to forge independent structures for sustaining challenges to local inequities and injustices. By propelling change in an array of local institutions, movement infrastructures had an enduring legacy in Mississippi.

Keywords social movements Civil Rights Movement Mississippi voting rights desegregation

Example 2: Science Abstract

Luis Lehner, “Gravitational radiation from black hole spacetimes” Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, 1998 DAI-B 59/06, p. 2797, Dec 1998

The problem of detecting gravitational radiation is receiving considerable attention with the construction of new detectors in the United States, Europe, and Japan. The theoretical modeling of the wave forms that would be produced in particular systems will expedite the search for and analysis of detected signals. The characteristic formulation of GR is implemented to obtain an algorithm capable of evolving black holes in 3D asymptotically flat spacetimes. Using compactification techniques, future null infinity is included in the evolved region, which enables the unambiguous calculation of the radiation produced by some compact source. A module to calculate the waveforms is constructed and included in the evolution algorithm. This code is shown to be second-order convergent and to handle highly non-linear spacetimes. In particular, we have shown that the code can handle spacetimes whose radiation is equivalent to a galaxy converting its whole mass into gravitational radiation in one second. We further use the characteristic formulation to treat the region close to the singularity in black hole spacetimes. The code carefully excises a region surrounding the singularity and accurately evolves generic black hole spacetimes with apparently unlimited stability.

This science abstract covers much of the same ground as the humanities one, but it asks slightly different questions.

Why do this study The problem of detecting gravitational radiation is receiving considerable attention with the construction of new detectors in the United States, Europe, and Japan. The theoretical modeling of the wave forms that would be produced in particular systems will expedite the search and analysis of the detected signals.

What the study does The characteristic formulation of GR is implemented to obtain an algorithm capable of evolving black holes in 3D asymptotically flat spacetimes. Using compactification techniques, future null infinity is included in the evolved region, which enables the unambiguous calculation of the radiation produced by some compact source. A module to calculate the waveforms is constructed and included in the evolution algorithm.

Results This code is shown to be second-order convergent and to handle highly non-linear spacetimes. In particular, we have shown that the code can handle spacetimes whose radiation is equivalent to a galaxy converting its whole mass into gravitational radiation in one second. We further use the characteristic formulation to treat the region close to the singularity in black hole spacetimes. The code carefully excises a region surrounding the singularity and accurately evolves generic black hole spacetimes with apparently unlimited stability.

Keywords gravitational radiation (GR) spacetimes black holes

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2009. Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Press.

Koopman, Philip. 1997. “How to Write an Abstract.” Carnegie Mellon University. October 1997. http://users.ece.cmu.edu/~koopman/essays/abstract.html .

Lancaster, F.W. 2003. Indexing And Abstracting in Theory and Practice , 3rd ed. London: Facet Publishing.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, automatically generate references for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation
• How to Write an Abstract | Steps & Examples

How to Write an Abstract | Steps & Examples

Published on 1 March 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 10 October 2022 by Eoghan Ryan.

An abstract is a short summary of a longer work (such as a dissertation or research paper ). The abstract concisely reports the aims and outcomes of your research, so that readers know exactly what your paper is about.

Although the structure may vary slightly depending on your discipline, your abstract should describe the purpose of your work, the methods you’ve used, and the conclusions you’ve drawn.

One common way to structure your abstract is to use the IMRaD structure. This stands for:

• Introduction

Abstracts are usually around 100–300 words, but there’s often a strict word limit, so make sure to check the relevant requirements.

In a dissertation or thesis , include the abstract on a separate page, after the title page and acknowledgements but before the table of contents .

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Be assured that you'll submit flawless writing. Upload your document to correct all your mistakes.

Table of contents

Abstract example, when to write an abstract, step 1: introduction, step 2: methods, step 3: results, step 4: discussion, tips for writing an abstract, frequently asked questions about abstracts.

Hover over the different parts of the abstract to see how it is constructed.

This paper examines the role of silent movies as a mode of shared experience in the UK during the early twentieth century. At this time, high immigration rates resulted in a significant percentage of non-English-speaking citizens. These immigrants faced numerous economic and social obstacles, including exclusion from public entertainment and modes of discourse (newspapers, theater, radio).

Incorporating evidence from reviews, personal correspondence, and diaries, this study demonstrates that silent films were an affordable and inclusive source of entertainment. It argues for the accessible economic and representational nature of early cinema. These concerns are particularly evident in the low price of admission and in the democratic nature of the actors’ exaggerated gestures, which allowed the plots and action to be easily grasped by a diverse audience despite language barriers.

Keywords: silent movies, immigration, public discourse, entertainment, early cinema, language barriers.

The only proofreading tool specialized in correcting academic writing

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts and by native English editors. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students.

Correct my document today

You will almost always have to include an abstract when:

• Completing a thesis or dissertation
• Submitting a research paper to an academic journal
• Writing a book proposal
• Applying for research grants

It’s easiest to write your abstract last, because it’s a summary of the work you’ve already done. Your abstract should:

• Be a self-contained text, not an excerpt from your paper
• Be fully understandable on its own
• Reflect the structure of your larger work

Start by clearly defining the purpose of your research. What practical or theoretical problem does the research respond to, or what research question did you aim to answer?

You can include some brief context on the social or academic relevance of your topic, but don’t go into detailed background information. If your abstract uses specialised terms that would be unfamiliar to the average academic reader or that have various different meanings, give a concise definition.

After identifying the problem, state the objective of your research. Use verbs like “investigate,” “test,” “analyse,” or “evaluate” to describe exactly what you set out to do.

This part of the abstract can be written in the present or past simple tense  but should never refer to the future, as the research is already complete.

• This study will investigate the relationship between coffee consumption and productivity.
• This study investigates the relationship between coffee consumption and productivity.

Next, indicate the research methods that you used to answer your question. This part should be a straightforward description of what you did in one or two sentences. It is usually written in the past simple tense, as it refers to completed actions.

• Structured interviews will be conducted with 25 participants.
• Structured interviews were conducted with 25 participants.

Don’t evaluate validity or obstacles here — the goal is not to give an account of the methodology’s strengths and weaknesses, but to give the reader a quick insight into the overall approach and procedures you used.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

Next, summarise the main research results . This part of the abstract can be in the present or past simple tense.

• Our analysis has shown a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.
• Our analysis shows a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.
• Our analysis showed a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.

Depending on how long and complex your research is, you may not be able to include all results here. Try to highlight only the most important findings that will allow the reader to understand your conclusions.

Finally, you should discuss the main conclusions of your research : what is your answer to the problem or question? The reader should finish with a clear understanding of the central point that your research has proved or argued. Conclusions are usually written in the present simple tense.

• We concluded that coffee consumption increases productivity.
• We conclude that coffee consumption increases productivity.

If there are important limitations to your research (for example, related to your sample size or methods), you should mention them briefly in the abstract. This allows the reader to accurately assess the credibility and generalisability of your research.

If your aim was to solve a practical problem, your discussion might include recommendations for implementation. If relevant, you can briefly make suggestions for further research.

If your paper will be published, you might have to add a list of keywords at the end of the abstract. These keywords should reference the most important elements of the research to help potential readers find your paper during their own literature searches.

Be aware that some publication manuals, such as APA Style , have specific formatting requirements for these keywords.

It can be a real challenge to condense your whole work into just a couple of hundred words, but the abstract will be the first (and sometimes only) part that people read, so it’s important to get it right. These strategies can help you get started.

Read other abstracts

The best way to learn the conventions of writing an abstract in your discipline is to read other people’s. You probably already read lots of journal article abstracts while conducting your literature review —try using them as a framework for structure and style.

You can also find lots of dissertation abstract examples in thesis and dissertation databases .

Reverse outline

Not all abstracts will contain precisely the same elements. For longer works, you can write your abstract through a process of reverse outlining.

For each chapter or section, list keywords and draft one to two sentences that summarise the central point or argument. This will give you a framework of your abstract’s structure. Next, revise the sentences to make connections and show how the argument develops.

Write clearly and concisely

A good abstract is short but impactful, so make sure every word counts. Each sentence should clearly communicate one main point.

To keep your abstract or summary short and clear:

• Avoid passive sentences: Passive constructions are often unnecessarily long. You can easily make them shorter and clearer by using the active voice.
• Avoid long sentences: Substitute longer expressions for concise expressions or single words (e.g., “In order to” for “To”).
• Avoid obscure jargon: The abstract should be understandable to readers who are not familiar with your topic.
• Avoid repetition and filler words: Replace nouns with pronouns when possible and eliminate unnecessary words.
• Avoid detailed descriptions: An abstract is not expected to provide detailed definitions, background information, or discussions of other scholars’ work. Instead, include this information in the body of your thesis or paper.

If you’re struggling to edit down to the required length, you can get help from expert editors with Scribbr’s professional proofreading services .

Check your formatting

If you are writing a thesis or dissertation or submitting to a journal, there are often specific formatting requirements for the abstract—make sure to check the guidelines and format your work correctly. For APA research papers you can follow the APA abstract format .

Checklist: Abstract

The word count is within the required length, or a maximum of one page.

The abstract appears after the title page and acknowledgements and before the table of contents .

I have clearly stated my research problem and objectives.

I have briefly described my methodology .

I have summarized the most important results .

I have stated my main conclusions .

I have mentioned any important limitations and recommendations.

The abstract can be understood by someone without prior knowledge of the topic.

You've written a great abstract! Use the other checklists to continue improving your thesis or dissertation.

An abstract is a concise summary of an academic text (such as a journal article or dissertation ). It serves two main purposes:

• To help potential readers determine the relevance of your paper for their own research.
• To communicate your key findings to those who don’t have time to read the whole paper.

Abstracts are often indexed along with keywords on academic databases, so they make your work more easily findable. Since the abstract is the first thing any reader sees, it’s important that it clearly and accurately summarises the contents of your paper.

An abstract for a thesis or dissertation is usually around 150–300 words. There’s often a strict word limit, so make sure to check your university’s requirements.

The abstract is the very last thing you write. You should only write it after your research is complete, so that you can accurately summarize the entirety of your thesis or paper.

Avoid citing sources in your abstract . There are two reasons for this:

• The abstract should focus on your original research, not on the work of others.
• The abstract should be self-contained and fully understandable without reference to other sources.

There are some circumstances where you might need to mention other sources in an abstract: for example, if your research responds directly to another study or focuses on the work of a single theorist. In general, though, don’t include citations unless absolutely necessary.

The abstract appears on its own page, after the title page and acknowledgements but before the table of contents .

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. (2022, October 10). How to Write an Abstract | Steps & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 3 June 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/abstract/

Is this article helpful?

Shona McCombes

Other students also liked, how to write a thesis or dissertation introduction, thesis & dissertation acknowledgements | tips & examples, dissertation title page.

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Writing a Literature Review

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis ). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays). When we say “literature review” or refer to “the literature,” we are talking about the research ( scholarship ) in a given field. You will often see the terms “the research,” “the scholarship,” and “the literature” used mostly interchangeably.

Where, when, and why would I write a lit review?

There are a number of different situations where you might write a literature review, each with slightly different expectations; different disciplines, too, have field-specific expectations for what a literature review is and does. For instance, in the humanities, authors might include more overt argumentation and interpretation of source material in their literature reviews, whereas in the sciences, authors are more likely to report study designs and results in their literature reviews; these differences reflect these disciplines’ purposes and conventions in scholarship. You should always look at examples from your own discipline and talk to professors or mentors in your field to be sure you understand your discipline’s conventions, for literature reviews as well as for any other genre.

A literature review can be a part of a research paper or scholarly article, usually falling after the introduction and before the research methods sections. In these cases, the lit review just needs to cover scholarship that is important to the issue you are writing about; sometimes it will also cover key sources that informed your research methodology.

Lit reviews can also be standalone pieces, either as assignments in a class or as publications. In a class, a lit review may be assigned to help students familiarize themselves with a topic and with scholarship in their field, get an idea of the other researchers working on the topic they’re interested in, find gaps in existing research in order to propose new projects, and/or develop a theoretical framework and methodology for later research. As a publication, a lit review usually is meant to help make other scholars’ lives easier by collecting and summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing existing research on a topic. This can be especially helpful for students or scholars getting into a new research area, or for directing an entire community of scholars toward questions that have not yet been answered.

What are the parts of a lit review?

Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. If your lit review is a standalone piece, the introduction and conclusion take up more space and give you a place to discuss your goals, research methods, and conclusions separately from where you discuss the literature itself.

Introduction:

• An introductory paragraph that explains what your working topic and thesis is
• A forecast of key topics or texts that will appear in the review
• Potentially, a description of how you found sources and how you analyzed them for inclusion and discussion in the review (more often found in published, standalone literature reviews than in lit review sections in an article or research paper)
• Summarize and synthesize: Give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: Don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
• Critically Evaluate: Mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: Use transition words and topic sentence to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.

Conclusion:

• Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance
• Connect it back to your primary research question

How should I organize my lit review?

Lit reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to accomplish with the review. Here are some examples:

• Chronological : The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline — check with a teacher or mentor if you’re unsure).
• Thematic : If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.
• Qualitative versus quantitative research
• Empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources
• Theoretical : In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theorical concepts to create a framework for your research.

What are some strategies or tips I can use while writing my lit review?

Any lit review is only as good as the research it discusses; make sure your sources are well-chosen and your research is thorough. Don’t be afraid to do more research if you discover a new thread as you’re writing. More info on the research process is available in our "Conducting Research" resources .

As you’re doing your research, create an annotated bibliography ( see our page on the this type of document ). Much of the information used in an annotated bibliography can be used also in a literature review, so you’ll be not only partially drafting your lit review as you research, but also developing your sense of the larger conversation going on among scholars, professionals, and any other stakeholders in your topic.

Usually you will need to synthesize research rather than just summarizing it. This means drawing connections between sources to create a picture of the scholarly conversation on a topic over time. Many student writers struggle to synthesize because they feel they don’t have anything to add to the scholars they are citing; here are some strategies to help you:

• It often helps to remember that the point of these kinds of syntheses is to show your readers how you understand your research, to help them read the rest of your paper.
• Writing teachers often say synthesis is like hosting a dinner party: imagine all your sources are together in a room, discussing your topic. What are they saying to each other?
• Look at the in-text citations in each paragraph. Are you citing just one source for each paragraph? This usually indicates summary only. When you have multiple sources cited in a paragraph, you are more likely to be synthesizing them (not always, but often
• Read more about synthesis here.

The most interesting literature reviews are often written as arguments (again, as mentioned at the beginning of the page, this is discipline-specific and doesn’t work for all situations). Often, the literature review is where you can establish your research as filling a particular gap or as relevant in a particular way. You have some chance to do this in your introduction in an article, but the literature review section gives a more extended opportunity to establish the conversation in the way you would like your readers to see it. You can choose the intellectual lineage you would like to be part of and whose definitions matter most to your thinking (mostly humanities-specific, but this goes for sciences as well). In addressing these points, you argue for your place in the conversation, which tends to make the lit review more compelling than a simple reporting of other sources.

11.8  Writing an abstract

All full reviews must include an abstract of not more than 400 words. The abstract should be kept as brief as possible without sacrificing important content. Abstracts to Cochrane reviews are published in MEDLINE and the Science Citation Index, and are made freely available on the internet. It is therefore important that they can be read as stand-alone documents.

The abstract should summarize the key methods, results and conclusions of the review and should not contain any information that is not in the review. Links to other parts of the review (such as references, studies, tables and figures) may not be included in the abstract. A hypothetical example of an abstract is included in Box 11.8.a .

Abstracts should be targeted primarily at healthcare decision makers (clinicians, informed consumers and policy makers) rather than just to researchers. Terminology should be reasonably comprehensible to a general rather than a specialist healthcare audience. Abbreviations should be avoided, except where they are widely understood (for example, HIV). Where essential, other abbreviations should be spelt out (with the abbreviations in brackets) on first use. Names of drugs and interventions that can be understood internationally should be used wherever possible. Trade names should not be used.

The content under each heading in the abstract should be as follows:

Background: This should be one or two sentences to explain the context or elaborate on the purpose and rationale of the review. If this version of the review is an update of an earlier one, it is helpful to include a sentence such as “This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in YEAR, and previously updated in YEAR”.

Objectives:  This should be a precise statement of the primary objective of the review, ideally in a single sentence, matching the Objectives in the main text of the review. Where possible the style should be of the form “To assess the effects of   [intervention or comparison] for [health problem] for/in [types of people, disease or problem and setting if specified]”.

Search methods: This should list the sources and the dates of the last search, for each source, using the active form ‘We searched….’ or, if there is only one author, the passive form can be used, for example, ‘Database X, Y, Z were searched’. Search terms should not be listed here. If the CRG’s Specialized Register was used, this should be listed first in the form ‘Cochrane X Group Specialized Register’. The order for listing other databases should be the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, other databases. The date range of the search for each database should be given. For the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials this should be in the form ‘Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials ( The Cochrane Library 2007, Issue 1)’. For most other databases, such as MEDLINE, it should be in the form ‘MEDLINE (January 1966 to December 2006)’. Searching of bibliographies for relevant citations can be covered in a generic phrase ‘reference lists of articles’. If there were any constraints based on language or publication status, these should be listed. If individuals or organizations were contacted to locate studies this should be noted and it is preferable to use ‘We contacted pharmaceutical companies’ rather than a listing of all the pharmaceutical companies contacted. If journals were specifically handsearched for the review, this should be noted but handsearching to help build the Specialized Register of the CRG should not be listed.

Selection criteria: These should be given as ‘ [type of study] of [type of intervention or comparison] in [disease, problem or type of people]‘ . Outcomes should only be listed here if the review was restricted to specific outcomes.

Data collection and analysis: This should be restricted to how data were extracted and assessed, and not include details of what data were extracted. This section should cover whether data extraction and assessments of risk of bias were done by more than one person. If the authors contacted investigators to obtain missing information, this should be noted here. What steps, if any, were taken to identify adverse effects should be noted.

Main results: This section should begin with the total number of studies and participants included in the review, and brief details pertinent to the interpretation of the results (for example, the risk of bias in the studies overall or a comment on the comparability of the studies, if appropriate). It should address the primary objective and be restricted to the main qualitative and quantitative results (generally including not more than six key results). The outcomes included should be selected on the basis of which are most likely to help someone making a decision about whether or not to use a particular intervention. Adverse effects should be included if these are covered in the review. If necessary, the number of studies and participants contributing to the separate outcomes should be noted, along with concerns over quality of evidence specific to these outcomes. The results should be expressed narratively as well as quantitatively if the numerical results are not clear or intuitive (such as those from a standardized mean differences analysis). The summary statistics in the abstract should be the same as those selected as the defaults for the review, and should be presented in a standard way, such as ‘odds ratio 2.31 (95% confidence interval 1.13 to 3.45)’. Ideally, risks of events (percentage) or averages (for continuous data) should be reported for both comparison groups. If overall results are not calculated in the review, a qualitative assessment or a description of the range and pattern of the results can be given. However, ‘vote counts’ in which the numbers of ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ studies are reported should be avoided.

Authors’ conclusions: The primary purpose of the review should be to present information, rather than to offer advice or recommendations. The Authors’ conclusions should be succinct and drawn directly from the findings of the review so that they directly and obviously reflect the main results. Assumptions should generally not be made about practice circumstances, values, preferences, tradeoffs; and the giving of advice or recommendations should generally be avoided. Any important limitations of data and analyses should be noted. Important conclusions about the implications for research should be included if these are not obvious.

Write Abstracts, Literature Reviews, and Annotated Bibliographies: Home

• Abstract Guides & Examples
• Literature Reviews
• Annotated Bibliographies & Examples
• Student Research

What is an Abstract?

An abstract is a summary of points (as of a writing) usually presented in skeletal form ; also : something that summarizes or concentrates the essentials of a larger thing or several things. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online)  

An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline, and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript, acting as the point-of-entry for any given scientific paper or patent application. Abstraction and indexing services are available for a number of academic disciplines, aimed at compiling a body of literature for that particular subject. (Wikipedia)

An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of an article. It allows readers to survey the contents of an article quickly. Readers often decide on the basis of the abstract whether to read the entire article. A good abstract should be: ACCURATE --it should reflect the purpose and content of the manuscript. COHERENT --write in clear and concise language. Use the active rather than the passive voice (e.g., investigated instead of investigation of). CONCISE --be brief but make each sentence maximally informative, especially the lead sentence. Begin the abstract with the most important points. The abstract should be dense with information. ( Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association)

Abstract Guidelines

An abstract of a report of an empirical study should describe: (1) the problem under investigation (2) the participants with specific characteristics such as age, sex, ethnic group (3) essential features of the study method (4) basic findings (5) conclusions and implications or applications. An abstract for a literature review or meta-analysis should describe: (1) the problem or relations under investigation (2) study eligibility criteria (3) types of participants (4) main results, including the most important effect sizes, and any important moderators of these effect sizes (5) conclusions, including limitations (6) implications for theory, policy, and practice. An abstract for a theory-oriented paper should describe (1) how the theory or model works and the principles on which it is based and (2) what phenomena the theory or model accounts for and linkages to empirical results. An abstract for a methodological paper should describe (1) the general class of methods being discussed (2) the essential features of the proposed method (3) the range of application of the proposed method (4) in the case of statistical procedures, some of its essential features such as robustness or power efficiency. An abstract for a case study should describe (1) the subject and relevant characteristics of the individual, group, community, or organization presented (2) the nature of or solution to a problem illustrated by the case example (3) questions raised for additional research or theory.

• What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge including substantive findings as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic. Literature reviews are secondary sources, and as such, do not report any new or original experimental work.Most often associated with academic-oriented literature, such as a thesis, a literature review usually precedes a research proposal and results section. Its ultimate goal is to bring the reader up to date with current literature on a topic and forms the basis for another goal, such as future research that may be needed in the area.A well-structured literature review is characterized by a logical flow of ideas; current and relevant references with consistent, appropriate referencing style; proper use of terminology; and an unbiased and comprehensive view of the previous research on the topic. (Wikipedia)

Literature Review: An extensive search of the information available on a topic which results in a list of references to books, periodicals, and other materials on the topic. ( Online Library Learning Center Glossary )

"... a literature review uses as its database reports of primary or original scholarship, and does not report new primary scholarship itself. The primary reports used in the literature may be verbal, but in the vast majority of cases reports are written documents. The types of scholarship may be empirical, theoretical, critical/analytic, or methodological in nature. Second a literature review seeks to describe, summarize, evaluate, clarify and/or integrate the content of primary reports."

Cooper, H. M. (1988), "The structure of knowledge synthesis", Knowledge in Society , Vol. 1, pp. 104-126

• Literature Review Guide
• Literature Review Defined

Subject Guide

• Next: Abstract Guides & Examples >>
• Last Updated: Feb 15, 2024 4:00 PM
• URL: https://library.geneseo.edu/abstracts

Fraser Hall Library | SUNY Geneseo

Fraser Hall 203

Milne Building Renovation Updates

Connect With Us!

Geneseo Authors Hall preserves over 90 years of scholarly works.

KnightScholar Services facilitates creation of works by the SUNY Geneseo community.

IDS Project is a resource-sharing cooperative.

CIT HelpDesk

Writing learning center (wlc).

Fraser Hall 208

• How it works
• Pay for essays
• Do my homework
• Term Paper Writing Service
• Do my assignment
• Coursework help
• Our Writers

How to Write an Abstract for a Research Paper

A professional writer with ten years of experience and a Ph.D. in Modern History, Catharine Tawil writes engaging and insightful papers for academic exchange. With deep insight into the impact of historical events on the present, she provides a unique perspective in giving students a feel for the past. Her writing educates and stimulates critical thinking, making her a treasure to those wading through the complexities of history.

Do you want to know how to write an abstract like a pro? Composing an abstract for a research paper is a very important stage of your research work. It is a compact and precise description of the main body of your paper, which is intended to help the readers understand the paper quickly. An abstract should be concise, well-organized, and contain all the important issues of your research paper. It enables readers to filter out and choose the rest of the document according to their interests. So, let us explain the details.

What Is an Abstract for a Research Paper?

An abstract is a short, concise summary of a research paper that provides a clear understanding of the paper. It is placed at the beginning of the paper and ranges from 150 to 300 words. It gives a synopsis of the major findings of your study, comprising the research aim, methods used, the most important findings, and the main conclusions.

The abstract gives readers a brief understanding of your paper, and they do not need to read the entire document. It is a complete text that shows why your work is important and summarizes your study's main findings. The quality of the abstract is important because it allows your paper to be picked out in academic databases and, thus, other researchers to read your full paper.

When to Write an Abstract

You should write the abstract and the remaining paper after you have completed your research. This is because the summary is essentially a collation of all the key points of your research, such as the results and conclusions, which are not known until you have conducted the research. An abstract should be written at the end to ensure that it adequately reflects your paper and that no important points are missed.

According to the University of Southern California, your abstract should reflect your research, be clear and concise, and show the main goal of your study and its outcome. Through the final stage of your writing cycle, you can be confident that your abstract has covered all aspects of your article and is consistent with its content.

Types of Abstract

Abstracts can be generally divided into two types, each distinct by purpose. Recognizing the gap in these categories from a researcher's perspective enables the design of an abstract that fits the study's aim and the reader's anticipations. Here is what you need to know about the main abstract types as a student.

Descriptive Abstract

Such an abstract introduces the research's information without giving a detailed account. It explains what the methods and the scope of the research are but won't include the results and conclusions. A descriptive abstract, which is usually very short, less than 100 words, and is often used for short papers or articles, is commonly used for brief papers or articles. Here is its purpose:

• Provides the research's purpose and scope.
• Highlights the methods used.
• Does not include results or conclusions.

Following a descriptive abstract, the reader should have a decent comprehension of the research's purpose and a general idea of the topics covered. However, they should read the full paper to discover the findings and conclusions. It's often not used as much as its informative counterpart, but it can be useful for complex studies that don't require a detailed explanation in the abstract.

Informative Abstract

An informative abstract is a mini-version of the paper. It is a synopsis. It contains not only the study goals and research methods but also the results and conclusions. This type of abstract is more detailed and longer than a descriptive abstract, often going up to 200 to 300 words. The author presents an outline of the study's findings or proofs, the thesis or main arguments, and a brief argument of the implications. Besides, you can always say, "Write my paper." Do not hesitate to ask us for help!

An informative abstract provides enough detail about the content to help the reader decide whether to read the whole paper. We mostly use this type, which is especially convenient for technical or research-intensive documents where the reader does not necessarily need to read the whole paper to get the idea.

Descriptive & Informative Abstracts: Common Differences

The structure of the abstract: step-by-step instructions.

A well-organized abstract provides a concise and summarized overview of your research paper. Each component should be correctly written to provide the key points of your research. The structure typically follows the natural order of the research flow to present the motivation, problem, methods, results, and conclusion in an integrated and consistent manner.

Purpose and Motivation

In your abstract's introduction and purpose section, you explain why you commenced the research and your goals. This part should clearly and unambiguously explain the fact that the research question is crucial and justify the rationale for the study. It should start with giving the context by discussing the wider research field or a particular issue that is the focus of your paper.

The Problem of Research

The purpose statement of the abstract defines the specific problem or gap in understanding your research studies. To be effective, you have to be concise but make sure your message gets the idea across and is clear enough to convey the problem or question you are handling. Here is what you should do:

• Clearly state the research problem.
• Identify the gap in the literature.
• Mention the implications of the problem.

After explaining the problem, you should identify the benefit of solving it for your discipline or the intended group. This defines the importance of your research and shows how your work relates to the ongoing academic debate in the field. By thoroughly identifying the problem, you help your readers comprehend the context and magnitude of the problem being investigated. So, check our research paper abstract guidelines to master your writing.

Researching Approach

The methodology section of your abstract elaborates on the techniques you applied to resolve the research question. A description of the research design, data collection techniques, and analysis methods should be carried out. It is important to summarize why these methods are appropriate for your analysis and how, by using them, you can accomplish your research goals.

Research Results

In the research results section of your abstract, highlight the main conclusions of your investigation. This section is supposed to be straight and concise, indicating major results without getting into an in-depth discussion of the analysis. State whether the results confirm or disprove your hypothesis or answer the research question.

Highlight any commonly occurring trends, relationships, or patterns you have discovered are a must. However, including concrete numbers to clarify the results and impact is important. This brief part should help the reader understand what your research unveiled and how these findings boost the scientific community. Besides, check our latest article on how to polish your reasearch paper format!

The final part of your abstract should stress the practical implications and importance of the findings. The second section of the report summarizes the research findings and describes the broader significance of the results obtained. Outline the study you intend to address, the gap you found in the research question, and what it means for the field. Besides, you need a research paper abstract example.

Tips for Writing an Abstract

A well-written abstract is imperative to stimulate interest in your research and explain it lucidly to readers. It will be your paper's window; it provides the reader with all the necessary information in an easy-to-understand way. Below are some simple tricks to guide you through writing a short abstract that will convey your research and be interesting to read.

Read Other Abstracts

Do you know all the components of a research paper abstract? If not, remember them ASAP! There's nothing wrong with reading abstracts written by other students. Think of it as an opportunity to analyze their thinking processes and approaches to crafting this section of the research paper. Here's what you should pay attention to:

• Observe the language and terminology used.
• Note the balance between conciseness and detail.
• Identify common structures that seem effective.

After familiarizing yourself with each abstract example, write as clearly and concisely as possible. This will help you understand the abstract's nature and how to organize the information.

Reverse Outline

Here is how to craft a research paper abstract like a pro. Try reverse outlining. This technique involves outlining your completed paper and noting the key points from each section: introduction, methods, results, and conclusion. This makes it easier to detect if anything is missing from your abstract and if the content of your abstract accurately reflects the content of your paper.

Cech research paper abstract examples. Begin with the main goal and what you'll be studying, then continue with the methodology, the main findings, and the importance of these findings. The paper is broken down into essential sections so that you can rebuild them into a concise and informative abstract.

Write Clearly and Concisely

Clarity and shortness are vital when writing an abstract. It is the opener, the only part readers will read, so it must briefly tell your research story. Use simple sentences and don't use complex sentence structures to make reading easy for people, especially those outside of English-speaking countries.

Every sentence must accomplish a task, be it articulating the study, summarizing the methods, exhibiting the results, or discussing implications. Avoid telling details and concentrate on what is only important to study your research's range, importance, and consequences. This rigid but essential writing technique will make the abstract for research paper assignments clean and informative.

Check Your Formatting

Writing an abstract for a research paper may seem daunting. Finalizing correctly and adhering to your professor's key instructions is crucial. Ensure that you follow all formatting guidelines and avoid making any careless mistakes. Here's a typical checklist for students:

• Confirm word count limits.
• Check for specific structural requirements.
• Verify if certain sections require bolding or subheadings.

Before submission, cross-check your abstract for consistency in style, like font and spacing, and make sure it meets all submission requirements. Proper formatting not only gives an excellent impression but also makes your work fit into the expected norms of your audience. And check at least one abstract example beforehand!

Things to Avoid in Your Abstract

The abstract is where you need to be as clear and to the point as possible. Do not bother adding unnecessary information or intricate details that will be included in the main body of the paper. So, here is how to write an abstract for a research paper without making mistakes.

Using Jargon

So, research paper abstract writing is not an easy task. Inserting jargon and super technical vocabulary in your abstract will prevent you from reaching readers who are not specialists in your specific area of research. Abstractions should be understandable to a wider audience, including laypersons who may not be literate. Clarify the meaning of the words that are not commonly known and replace the complicated words with those that are easier to understand whenever necessary.

Just check one abstract example! If ambiguous terminology should be avoided, define it as shortly and precisely as possible. Recollect that the main role of an abstract is to convey the main idea of the research briefly and understandably; wordiness can be an obstacle in this way and prevent readers from understanding the significance of your work.

Providing Too Much Detail

When writing an abstract, you should not lose sight of the fact that it is not the main body of the paper but introduces the research. As a summary, the abstract should state the main points and findings without being so detailed as to list all the data or the analysis. The main purpose of the abstract is to give the reader a brief and clear overview of your research and its main points.

Therefore, the abstract should not contain details that confuse readers and prevent them from understanding what you are trying to say. Your research paper abstract structure should be solid. Emphasize concisely addressing the research question, design, key findings, and conclusion. The way of writing this proposal is intended to help the reader keep their interest and motivate them to read the paper.

Introducing New Concepts

Writing an abstract is not an easy task. Here's another red flag you should avoid: introducing new concepts that may not yield the desired results or align with the typical approach to creating research papers. Here is your list of actions as a student:

• Avoid mentioning studies or data not discussed in the paper.
• Do not introduce new frameworks or theories.
• Refrain from including references to literature not cited in the main body.

Ensuring the abstract contains details from the paper will keep it coherent and prevent confusing readers. An abstract summarizes your research, highlighting the major points and providing short and precise information about the research. Now, you know how to write an abstract for a research paper correctly.

Vague or Ambiguous Language

Do you need tips for writing a research paper abstract? Here you go. Being imprecise or ambiguous in an abstract can cause your research to be misinterpreted regarding its relevance and focus. It is significant to utilize accurate and understandable language to specifically convey your research's purpose, methodology, results, and implications. It is advisable not to use general statements that do not provide concrete information.

So, what is an abstract? It is a part of your paper where every sentence should effectively show the importance of your research. Having a clear and concise abstract not only improves readability but also ensures that the audience understands the aim and conclusion of your study without confusion.

Making Unsupported Claims

The argument or claim in an abstract should be supported by evidence presented in the abstract research paper. The lack of evidence backing unsupported claims may lead to the credibility loss of your research and the creation of false perceptions about its validity. It is essential to ensure that all the major paragraphs of the abstract are based on the data you obtained and the findings of your study.

This includes corroborating the results and only drawing conclusions related to them. Don't stretch the implications of your research or suggest a broader application unbacked by evidence. A trustworthy research paper abstract summarizes the research and its outcomes and is integral to the whole assignment and the research process.

Exceeding the Recommended Word Count

So, what is an abstract in a research paper? It is a crucial paper assignment! Sticking to the recommended word count for an abstract is significant. On the other hand, if the text is beyond this limit, it may be overly detailed and too much for your reader to handle. Also, being accepted for print or at conferences can be problematic since most of them have set word count requirements.

Writing an effective research paper abstract can be a game changer. A boxed summary compresses your research into its most important aspects, focusing on the problem, methodology, results, and implications without unnecessary details. Limiting the number of words ensures that your abstract remains clear and concise.

What should be included in a research paper abstract?

The research paper abstract should include a short introduction, the main research question, the methodology applied, the main findings, and finally, the concluding remarks.

How long should a research paper abstract take?

In most cases, a research paper abstract should be 150 words or more and up to 300 words.

What is the difference between a descriptive and informative abstract?

A descriptive abstract describes the paper's topic, providing only general information. On the contrary, an informative abstract describes the research topic in detail, including the purpose, methodology, and other aspects.

How can I make my abstract stand out to readers?

Your abstract should be clear, concise, and direct, focusing on the importance and uniqueness of your research.

Related posts

How to Write an Exemplification Essay | A Guide from WritePaperFor.Me

Marketing topics to write about: key ideas to take advantage of

How to Write a Thesis - Thesis Structure 2024. Basics and Tips

What are you waiting for?

You are a couple of clicks away from tranquility at an affordable price!

A Meta-analysis of Effects of Automated Writing Evaluation on Anxiety, Motivation, and Second Language Writing Skills

• Regular Article
• Published: 29 May 2024

Cite this article

• Xiaoli Huang   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0006-4782-0446 1 ,
• Wei Xu   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7224-1116 2 ,
• Fan Li   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0008-6733-6795 3 &
• Zhonggen Yu   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3873-980X 4  

47 Accesses

Explore all metrics

With the rapid advancement of information technologies, automated writing evaluation technologies have developed so fast that they can be applied to writing assessments. However, scanty studies have pooled the effects of automated writing evaluation on writing performance. Through a PRISMA protocol-based meta-analysis, this study concludes that automated writing evaluation technologies can significantly reduce anxiety such as writing anxiety and computer anxiety compared with those without the assistance of automated writing evaluation. Automated writing evaluation can also significantly improve writing motivation and second language (L2) writing skills. Educators and designers should highlight how to combine automated writing evaluation with human rating methods and maximize the improvements in L2 writing skills. In the future, artificial intelligence may be integrated into automated writing evaluation to develop advanced automated writing evaluation to address higher-level issues in writing practice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

The use of cronbach’s alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Writing Scientific Review Articles

An automated essay scoring systems: a systematic literature review

Data availability.

We make sure that all data and materials support our published claims and comply with field standards.

Abas, A., Arifin, K., Ali, M. A. M., & Khairil, M. (2023). A systematic literature review on public participation in decision-making for local authority planning: A decade of progress and challenges. Environmental Development, 46 , 100853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2023.100853

Article   Google Scholar  

Abbas, M., van Rosmalen, P., & Kalz, M. (2023). A data-driven approach for the identification of features for automated feedback on academic essays. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 16 (6), 914–925. https://doi.org/10.1109/TLT.2023.3320877

Abdullah, A. T. H., Alsohbo, K. S. I., & Hassan, I. (2022). Gender differences in written communication anxiety among Libyan Postgraduates in Malaysia. Arab World English Journal, 13 (3), 285–295. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no3.18

Akbarzadeh, M., Tajadini, M., & Narafshan, M. H. (2020). Metacognitive awareness instruction: A mixed method study on high school EFL learners’ writing development and intrinsic motivation. Apuntes Universitarios, 10 (4), 189–202. https://doi.org/10.17162/au.v10i4.504

Alberto Benitez, R. (2019). Perceptions on the automated assessment of written discourse. Enunciacion, 24 (2), 227–240. https://doi.org/10.14483/22486798.14311

Aldosemani, T., Assalahi, H., Lhothali, A., & Albsisi, M. (2023). Automated writing evaluation in EFL contexts: A review of effectiveness, impact, and pedagogical implications. International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching . https://doi.org/10.4018/IJCALLT.329962

Al-nakhle, H. (2022). The effectiveness of scenario-based virtual laboratory simulations to improve learning outcomes and scientific report writing skills. PLoS ONE, 17 (11), e0277359. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277359

Azmi, A. M., Al-Jouie, M. F., & Hussain, M. (2019). AAEE – Automated evaluation of students’ essays in Arabic language. Information Processing & Management, 56 (5), 1736–1752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2019.05.008

Beach, R. (1979). The effects of between-draft teacher evaluation versus student selfevaluation on high school students’ revising of rough drafts. Research in the Teaching of English, 13 (2), 111–119.

Begg, C. B., & Mazumdar, M. (1994). Operating characteristics of a rank correlation test for publication bias. Biometrics, 50 , 1088–1101. https://doi.org/10.2307/2533446

Benavides-Varela, S., Zandonella Callegher, C., Fagiolini, B., Leo, I., AltoÃ, G., & Lucangeli, D. (2020). Effectiveness of digital-based interventions for children with mathematical learning difficulties: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 157 , 103953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103953

Biglari, A., Izadpanah, S., & Namaziandost, E. (2021). The effect of portfolio assessment on Iranian EFL learners’ autonomy and writing skills. Education Research International, 2021 , 4106882. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/4106882

Bitchener, J., & Ferris, D. R. (2012). Written corrective feedback in second language acquisition and writing . Routledge.

Book   Google Scholar  

Cao, W., & Yu, Z. (2023). Exploring learning outcomes, communication, anxiety, and motivation in learning communities: A systematic review. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 10 (1), 866. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02325-2

Chen, L., Leong, C. W., Feng, G., Lee, C. M., & Somasundaran, S. (2015). Utilizing Multimodal Cues to Automatically Evaluate Public Speaking Performance. 2015 International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ACII) , 394–400. Xi’an, China, 2015, pp. 394–400, https://doi.org/10.1109/ACII.2015.7344601

Chen, M.-R.A., & Hwang, G.-J. (2022). Effects of experiencing authentic contexts on English speaking performances, anxiety and motivation of EFL students with different cognitive styles. Interactive Learning Environments, 30 (9), 1619–1639. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1734626

Cheng, J. (2001). Writing for communication: A proposal for reform in teaching English writing in China (PQDT:65454716). Doctoral Dissertation of Xiamen University (People’s Republic of China).

Cheng, G., Law, E., & Wong, T. L. (2016).  Investigating effects of automated feedback on EFL students’ reflective learning skills. 2016 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE). 7–9 December 2016, Dusit Thani Bangkok Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand. https://doi.org/10.1109/tale.2016.7851798

Conijn, R., Martinez-Maldonado, R., Knight, S., Buckingham Shum, S., Van Waes, L., & van Zaanen, M. (2022). How to provide automated feedback on the writing process? A participatory approach to design writing analytics tools. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35 (8), 1838–1868. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1839503

Crosthwaite, P., Ningrum, S., & Lee, I. (2022). Research trends in L2 written corrective feedback: A bibliometric analysis of three decades of Scopus-indexed research on L2 WCF. Journal of Second Language Writing, 58 , 100934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2022.100934

Derakhshan, A., Setiawan, S., & Ghafouri, M. (2024a). Modeling the interplay of Indonesian and Iranian EFL teachers’ apprehension, resilience, organizational mattering, and psychological well-being. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 12 (1), 21–43. https://doi.org/10.30466/ijltr.2024.121416

Derakhshan, A., Karimpour, S., & Nazari, M. (2024b). Exploring the professional role identities of English for academic purposes practitioners: A qualitative study. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching (IRAL) . https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2023-0126

Derakhshan, A., Molana, K., & Nazari, M. (2024c). I wonder who I am when my assessment ideas are not respected”: A case-study inquiry into the role of institutional policies in English language teachers’ assessment identity. Asia Pacific Journal of Education . https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2024.2328237

Derakhshan, A., Moradi, F., & Nazari, M. (2024). Conceptualising the role of practice level in language teacher identity construction: An identities-in-practice study. International Journal of Applied Linguistics . https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12533

Ebadi, S., Gholami, M., & Vakili, S. (2023). Investigating the effects of using Grammarly in EFL writing: The case of articles. Computers in the Schools, 40 (1), 85–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2022.2150067

Egger, M., Smith, G. D., Schneider, M., & Minder, C. (1997). Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test. British Medical Journal, 315 , 629–634.

Franzke, M., Kintsch, E., Caccamise, D., Johnson, N., & Dooley, S. (2005). Summary Street®: Computer support for comprehension and writing. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 33 (1), 53–80. https://doi.org/10.2190/DH8F-QJWM-J457-FQVB

Gee, T. C. (1972). Students’ responses to teacher comments. Research in the Teaching of English, 6 (2), 212–221.

Gibbons, J., & Li, M. (2021). Doctoral dissertations on second language writing and technology in the USA (2010–2019). Language Teaching, 54 (2), 273–291. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444820000403

Gollnitz, D.L. (2010). Improvement of writing at Grades 10 and 11: Does automated essay scoring software help students improve their writing skills? Oakland University Doctiral Dissertation.

Guo, K., & Wang, D. (2023). To resist it or to embrace it? Examining ChatGPT’s potential to support teacher feedback in EFL writing. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12146-0

Han, T., & Sari, E. (2022). An investigation on the use of automated feedback in Turkish EFL students’ writing classes. Computer Assisted Language Learning . https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.2067179

Han, Y. X., Zhao, S., & Ng, L. L. (2021). How technology tools impact writing performance, lexical complexity, and perceived self-regulated learning strategies in EFL academic writing: A comparative study. Frontiers in Psychology, 12 , 752793. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.752793

Hassanzadeh, M., & Fotoohnejad, S. (2021). Implementing an automated feedback program for a foreign language writing course: A learner-centric study Implementing an AWE tool in a L2 class. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 37 (5), 1494–1507. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12587

Higgins, J.P.T., & Green, S. (2021). Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration 2011. 2021 Available from https://handbook-5-1.cochrane.org/

Hoffman, B. (2019). The influence of peer assessment training on assessment knowledge and reflective writing skill. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 11 (4), 863–875. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-01-2019-0004

Huang, S., & Renandya, W. A. (2020). Exploring the integration of automated feedback among lower-proficiency EFL learners. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 14 (1), 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2018.1471083

Hyland, K. (1990). A genre description of the argumentative essay. RELC Journal, 21 (1), 66-78. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368829002100105

Ibishi, A., Xhaferri, G., & Ivanovska, B. (2023). Error analysis by using the prepositive complement-a study with Albanian-speaking German learners in North Macedonia. Folia Linsguistica Et Litteraria, 44 , 103–130. https://doi.org/10.31902/fll.44.2023.6

Jansen, T., Meyer, J., Fleckenstein, J., Horbach, A., Keller, S., & Moeller, J. (2024). Individualizing goal-setting interventions using automated writing evaluation to support secondary school students’ text revisions. Learning and Instruction, 89 , 101847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101847

Kaya, B., Ates, S., Yildirim, K., & Rasinski, T. (2020). Effect of feedback on Turkish fourth-grade elementary school students’ fluent writing skills. Education and Science, 45 (201), 189–205. https://doi.org/10.15390/EB.2019.8413

Kepes, S., McDaniel, M. A., Brannick, M. T., & Banks, G. C. (2013). Meta-analytic reviews in the organizational sciences: Two meta-analytic schools on the way to MARS (the Meta-Analytic Reporting Standards). Journal of Business and Psychology, 28 (2), 123–143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-013-9300-2

Khoii, R., & Doroudian, A. (2014). Automated Scoring of EFL Learners’ Written Performance: A Torture of a Blessing? EDULEARN14. In: 6th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies. 7–9 July, 2014. Barcelona, Spain

Li, R. (2023). Still a fallible tool? Revisiting effects of automated writing evaluation from activity theory perspective. British Journal of Educational Technology, 54 (3), 773–789. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13294

Li, W.-Y., Kau, K., & Shiung, Y.-J. (2023). Pedagogic exploration into adapting automated writing evaluation and peer review integrated feedback into large-sized university writing classes. SAGE Open, 13 (4), 21582440231209090. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231209087

Li, W., Lu, Z., & Liu, Q. (2020). Syntactic complexity development in college students’ essay writing based on AWE. In K.-M. Frederiksen, S. Larsen, L. Bradley, & S. Thouësny (Eds.), CALL for widening participation: short papers from EUROCALL 2020 (pp. 190–194). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2020.48.1187

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Liao Calvin, C. Y., Li, Y., & Cheng Hercy, N. H. (2019). Examining the Effects of Automatic Comment Classification on Comment Types in Peer Review for Graduate Students’ Academic Writing. In: Proceedings - 2019 8th International Congress on Advanced Applied Informatics, IIAI-AAI 2019, p. 215-220. https://doi.org/10.1109/IIAI-AAI.2019.00050

Lin, Y. P., & Yu, Z. G. (2023). Extending technology acceptance model to higher-education students’ use of digital academic reading tools on computers. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education . https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00403-8

Link, S., Mehrzad, M., & Rahimi, M. (2022). Impact of automated writing evaluation on teacher feedback, student revision, and writing improvement. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35 (4), 605–634. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1743323

Liu, M., Zhang, L. J., & Biebricher, C. (2024). Investigating students’ cognitive processes in generative AI-assisted digital multimodal composing and traditional writing. Computers & Education, 211 , 104977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104977

Matsumura, S., & Hann, G. (2004). Computer anxiety and students’ preferred feedback methods in EFL writing. The Modern Language Journal, 88 (3), 403–415. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0026-7902.2004.00237.x

Mohsen, M. A. (2022). Computer-mediated corrective feedback to improve L2 writing skills: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 60 (5), 1253–1276. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331211064066

Morris, S. B., & DeShon, R. P. (2002). Combining effect size estimates in meta-analysis with repeated measures and independent-groups designs. Psychological Methods, 7 (1), 105–125. https://doi.org/10.1037//1082-989X.7.1.105

Nazar, R., & Renau, I. (2023). ESTILECTOR: An automatic evaluation system for academic writing in Spanish. Perspectiva Educacional, 62 (2), 37–59. https://doi.org/10.4151/07189729-Vol.62-Iss.2-Art.1427

Ngo, T. T. N., Chen, H. H. J., & Lai, K. K. W. (2022). The effectiveness of automated writing evaluation in EFL/ESL writing: A three-level meta-analysis. Interactive Learning Environments . https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2096642

Nunes, A., Cordeiro, C., Limpo, T., & Castro, S. (2022). Effectiveness of automated writing evaluation systems in school settings: A systematic review of studies from 2000 to 2020. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 38 (2), 599–620. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12635

Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ-British Medical Journal, 372 , n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71

Parra, G. L., & Calero, S. X. (2019). Automated writing evaluation tools in the improvement of the writing skill. International Journal of Instruction, 12 (2), 209–226. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12214a

Passonneau, R. (2018). EAGER: Collaborative Research: Automated Instruction Assistant for Argumentative Essays . National Science Foundation, Cyberlearn & Future Learn Tech (Grant NUMBER: 1847853).

Prichard, J. R. (2005). Writing to learn: An evaluation of the calibrated peer review program in two neuroscience courses. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education: JUNE: A Publication of FUN, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, 4 (1), A34–A39.

Google Scholar  

Reynolds, B. L., Kao, C. W., & Huang, Y. Y. (2021). Investigating the effects of perceived feedback source on second language writing performance: A quasi-experimental study. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 30 (6), 585–595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00597-3

Rudner, L. M., Garcia, V., & Welch, C. (2006). An evaluation of IntelliMetricTM essay scoring system. The Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment, 4 (4), 1–21.

Sahin, I., & Yagiz, O. (2024). An exploratory investigation into the graduate supervisors’ cognitions of academic writing in English (AWE). Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, 14 (1), 66–84.

Sawilowsky, S. S. (2009). New effect size rules of thumb. Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods, 8 (2), 597–599. https://doi.org/10.22237/jmasm/1257035100

Sedgwick, P.M., & Marston, L. (2013). Meta-analyses: standardised mean differences. BMJ : British Medical Journal, 347 . https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f7257

Shadiev, R., Feng, Y., Zhussupova, R., & Huang, Y.-M. (2023). Intercultural competence development through a tele-collaborative project supported by speech-enabled corrective feedback technology. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning . https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12906

Shehab, A., Elhoseny, M., & Hassanien, A. E. (2016). A hybrid scheme for automated essay grading based on LVQ and NLP techniques. ICENCO 2016 12th International Computer Engineering Conference (ICENCO), Cairo, Egypt, 2016, pp. 65-70, https://doi.org/10.1109/ICENCO.2016.7856447

Shermis, M. D., & Hamner, B. (2012). Contrasting state-of-the-art automated scoring of essays: Analysis . Presented at the National Council of Measurement in Education, Vancouver, BC, Canada. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203122761.CH19Corpus

Shermis, M. D., & Hamner, B. (2013). Contrasting state-of-the-art in machine scoring of essays. In M. D. Shermis & J. Burstein (Eds.), Handbook of automated essay evaluation (pp. 313–346). Routledge.

Smith, B., & Caputi, P. (2001). Cognitive interference in computer anxiety. Behaviour & Information Technology, 20 , 265–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290110069392

Solhi, M., Derakhshan, A., Pawlak, M., & Ünsal, B. (2024). Exploring the interplay between EFL learners’ L2 writing boredom, writing motivation, and boredom coping strategies. Language Teaching Research . https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241239178

Sun, B., & Fan, T. (2022). The effects of an AWE-aided assessment approach on business English writing performance and writing anxiety: A contextual consideration. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 72 , 101123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.101123

Türkben, T. (2019). The effect of self-regulation based strategic reading education on comprehension, motivation, and self-regulation skills. International Journal of Progressive Education, 15 (4), 27-46. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2019.203.3

Tashu, T. M., & Horváth, T. (2019). A layered approach to automatic essay evaluation using word-embedding. Communications in computer and information science (pp. 77–94). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21151-6_5

Taskiran, A., Yazici, M., & Erdem Aydin, I. (2024). Contribution of automated feedback to the English writing competence of distance foreign language learners. E-Learning and Digital Media, 21 (1), 24–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530221139579

Waer, H. (2021). The effect of integrating automated writing evaluation on EFL writing apprehension and grammatical knowledge. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching . https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2021.1914062

Waer, H. (2023). The effect of integrating automated writing evaluation on EFL writing apprehension and grammatical knowledge. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 17 (1), 47–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2021.1914062

Wang, H., & Troia, G. A. A. (2023). Writing quality predictive modeling: Integrating register-related factors. Written Communication, 40 (4), 1070–1112. https://doi.org/10.1177/07410883231185287

Wang, Y. J., Shang, H. F., & Briody, P. (2013). Exploring the impact of using automated writing evaluation in English as a foreign language university students’ writing. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 26 (3), 234–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2012.655300

Wang, Z. (2022). Computer-assisted EFL writing and evaluations based on artificial intelligence: A case from a college reading and writing course. Library Hi Tech, 40 (1), 80–97. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-05-2020-0113

Wei, P., Wang, X., & Dong, H. (2023). The impact of automated writing evaluation on second language writing skills of Chinese EFL learners: A randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 14 , 1249991. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1249991

Weigle, S. C. (2010). Validation of automated scores of TOEFL iBT tasks against non-test indicators of writing ability. Language Testing, 27 , 335–353. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532210364406

Wilson, J., & Czik, A. (2016). Automated essay evaluation software in English Language Arts classrooms: Effects on teacher feedback, student motivation, and writing quality. Computers & Education, 100 , 94–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.05.004

Wilson, J., Huang, Y., Palermo, C., Beard, G., & MacArthur, C. A. (2021). Automated feedback and automated scoring in the elementary grades: Usage, attitudes, and associations with writing outcomes in a districtwide implementation of MI Write. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 31 (2), 234–276. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-020-00236-w

Woodworth, J., & Barkaoui, K. (2020). Perspectives on using automated writing evaluation systems to provide written corrective feedback in the ESL classroom. TESL Canada Journal, 37 (2), 234–247. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v37i2.1340

Yaghi, H. M., & Abu-Saba, M. B. (1998). Teachers’ computer anxiety: An international perspective. Computers in Human Behavior, 14 , 321–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(98)00010-7

Yao, Y., Wang, W. J., & Yang, X. P. (2021). Perceptions of the inclusion of Automatic Writing Evaluation in peer assessment on EFL writers’ language mindsets and motivation: A short-term longitudinal study. Assessing Writing, 50 , 100568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100568

Yu, M. (2019). The Effectiveness of Online Automatic Evaluation on College English Writing. In Y. Zhang, X. Zang, & T. Volodina (Eds.), Proceedings of the 6 th International Conference on Education, Language, Art, and Inter-Cultural Communication (ICELAIC 2019) (Vol. 378, pp. 109–111). https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.191217.024

Yu, Z. (2019b). Identifying student satisfaction in the flipped English class enhanced with clickers. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 15 (4), 4. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJICTE.2019100103

Yu, Z. (2023). Learning outcomes, motivation, and satisfaction in gamified English vocabulary learning. SAGE Open . https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231158332

Zhai, N., & Ma, X. (2022). Automated writing evaluation (AWE) feedback: A systematic investigation of college students’ acceptance. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35 (9), 2817–2842. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1897019

Zhang, M., & Chen, W. (2022). Assessing collaborative writing in the digital age: An exploratory study. Journal of Second Language Writing . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2022.100868

Download references

This work is supported by Key Research and Application Project of the Key Laboratory of Key Technologies for Localization Language Services of the State Administration of Press and Publication, “Research on Localization and Intelligent Language Education Technology for the ‘Belt and Road Initiative” (Project Number: CSLS 20230012), and Special fund of Beijing Co-construction Project-Research and reform of the “Undergraduate Teaching Reform and Innovation Project” of Beijing higher education in 2020-innovative “multilingual + ” excellent talent training system (202010032003).

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

College of English, Zhejiang Yuexiu University, 428 Kuaiji Road, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing, 312000, Zhejiang, China

Xiaoli Huang

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, City University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau, China

Foreign Languages School, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, China

Faculty of Foreign Studies, Academy of International Language Services, National Base for Language Service Export, Beijing Language and Culture University, Haidian District, 15 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100083, China

Zhonggen Yu

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

Xiaoli Huang: Methodology, Writing-Original Draft, Revising and Editing, Xu Wei: Data Curation and Revising, Fan Li: Investigation and Editing; Zhonggen Yu: Conceptualization.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Wei Xu or Zhonggen Yu .

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest.

We have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Ethical Approval

The study was approved by the institutional review board of Beijing Language and Culture University. All researchers can provide written informed consents.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (XLSX 14 KB)

Rights and permissions.

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Huang, X., Xu, W., Li, F. et al. A Meta-analysis of Effects of Automated Writing Evaluation on Anxiety, Motivation, and Second Language Writing Skills. Asia-Pacific Edu Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-024-00865-y

Download citation

Accepted : 13 May 2024

Published : 29 May 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-024-00865-y

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Automated writing evaluation
• L2 writing skills
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

• Open access
• Published: 03 June 2024

Continue nursing education: an action research study on the implementation of a nursing training program using the Holton Learning Transfer System Inventory

• MingYan Shen 1 , 2 &
• ZhiXian Feng 1 , 2  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  610 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

To address the gap in effective nursing training for quality management, this study aims to implement and assess a nursing training program based on the Holton Learning Transfer System Inventory, utilizing action research to enhance the practicality and effectiveness of training outcomes.

The study involved the formation of a dedicated training team, with program development informed by an extensive situation analysis and literature review. Key focus areas included motivation to transfer, learning environment, and transfer design. The program was implemented in a structured four-step process: plan, action, observation, reflection.

Over a 11-month period, 22 nurses completed 14 h of theoretical training and 18 h of practical training with a 100% attendance rate and 97.75% satisfaction rate. The nursing team successfully led and completed 22 quality improvement projects, attaining a practical level of application. Quality management implementation difficulties, literature review, current situation analysis, cause analysis, formulation of plans, implementation plans, and report writing showed significant improvement and statistical significance after training.

The study confirms the efficacy of action research guided by Holton’s model in significantly enhancing the capabilities of nursing staff in executing quality improvement projects, thereby improving the overall quality of nursing training. Future research should focus on refining the training program through long-term observation, developing a multidimensional evaluation index system, exploring training experiences qualitatively, and investigating the personality characteristics of nurses to enhance training transfer effects.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

The “Medical Quality Management Measures“ [ 1 ] and “Accreditation Standards for Tertiary Hospitals (2020 Edition)” [ 2 ] both emphasize the importance of using quality management tools in medical institutions to carry out effective quality management [ 3 ]. However, there is a notable gap in translating theoretical training into effective, practical application in clinical settings [ 4 ]. This gap is further highlighted in the context of healthcare quality management, as evidenced in studies [ 5 ] which demonstrate the universality of these challenges across healthcare systems worldwide.

Addressing this issue, contemporary literature calls for innovative and effective training methods that transition from passive knowledge acquisition to active skill application [ 6 ]. The Holton Learning Transfer System Inventory [ 7 ] provides a framework focusing on key factors such as motivation, learning environment, and transfer design [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. This study aims to implement a nursing training program based on the Holton model, using an action research methodology to bridge the theoretical-practical gap in nursing education.

Quality management training for clinical nurses has predominantly been characterized by short-term theoretical lectures, a format that often fails to foster deep engagement and lasting awareness among nursing personnel [ 10 ]. The Quality Indicator Project in Taiwan’s nursing sector, operational for over a decade, demonstrates the effective use of collective intelligence and scientific methodologies to address these challenges [ 11 ]. The proposed study responds to the need for training programs that not only impart knowledge but also ensure the practical application of skills in real-world nursing settings, thereby contributing to transformative changes within the healthcare system [ 12 ].

In April 2021, the Nursing Education Department of our hospital launched a quality improvement project training program for nurses. The initiation of this study is underpinned by the evident disconnect between theoretical training and the practical challenges nurses face in implementing quality management initiatives, a gap also identified in the work [ 13 ]. By exploring the efficacy of the Holton Learning Transfer System Inventory, this study seeks to enhance the practical application of training and significantly contribute to the field of nursing education and quality management in healthcare.

Developing a nursing training program with the Holton Learning Transfer System Inventory

Establishing a research team and assigning roles.

There are 10 members in the group who serve as both researchers and participants, aiming to investigate training process issues and solutions. The roles within the group are as follows: the deputy dean in charge of nursing is responsible for program review and organizational support, integrating learning transfer principles in different settings [ 14 ]; the deputy director of the Nursing Education Department handles the design and implementation of the training program, utilizing double-loop learning for training transfer [ 15 ]; the deputy director of the Nursing Department oversees quality control and project evaluation, ensuring integration of evidence-based practices and technology [ 16 ] and the deputy director of the Quality Management Office provides methodological guidance. The remaining members consist of 4 faculty members possessing significant university teaching experience and practical expertise in quality control projects, and 2 additional members who are jointly responsible for educational affairs, data collection, and analysis. Additionally, to ensure comprehensive pedagogical guidance in this training, professors specializing in nursing pedagogy have been specifically invited to provide expertise on educational methodology.

Current situation survey

Based on the Holton Learning Transfer System Inventory (refer to Fig.  1 ), the appropriate levels of Motivation to Improve Work Through Learning (MTIWL), learning environment, and transfer design are crucial in facilitating changes in individual performance, thereby influencing organizational outcomes [ 17 , 18 ]. Motivation to Improve Work Through Learning (MTIWL) is closely linked to expectation theory, fairness theory, and goal-setting theory, significantly impacting the positive transfer of training [ 19 ]. Learning environment encompasses environmental factors that either hinder or promote the application of learned knowledge in actual work settings [ 20 ]. Transfer design, as a pivotal component, includes training program design and organizational planning.

To conduct the survey, the research team retrieved 26 quality improvement reports from the nursing quality information management system, which were generated by nursing units in 2020. A checklist was formulated, and a retrospective evaluation was conducted across eight aspects, namely, team participation, topic selection feasibility, method accuracy, indicator scientificity, program implementation rate, effect maintenance, and promotion and application. Methods employed in the evaluation process included report analysis, on-site tracking, personnel interviews, and data review within the quality information management system [ 21 ]. From the perspective of motivation [ 22 ], learning environment [ 23 ], and transfer design, a total of 14 influencing factors were identified. These factors serve as a reference for designing the training plan and encompass the following aspects: lack of awareness regarding importance, low willingness to participate in training, unclear understanding of individual career development, absence of incentive mechanisms, absence of a scientific training organization model, lack of a training quality management model, inadequate literature retrieval skills and support, insufficient availability of practical training materials and resources, incomplete mastery of post-training methods, lack of cultural construction plans, suboptimal communication methods and venues, weak internal organizational atmosphere, inadequate leadership support, and absence of platforms and mechanisms for promoting and applying learned knowledge.

Learning Transfer System Inventory

Development of the training program using the 4W1H approach

Drawing upon Holton’s Learning Transfer System Inventory and the hospital training transfer model diagram, a comprehensive training outline was formulated for the training program [ 24 , 25 ]. The following components were considered:

(1) Training Participants (Who): The training is open for voluntary registration to individuals with an undergraduate degree or above, specifically targeting head nurses, responsible team leaders, and core members of the hospital-level nursing quality control team. Former members who have participated in quality improvement projects such as Plan-Do-Check-Act Circle (PDCA) or Quality control circle (QCC) are also eligible.

(2) Training Objectives (Why): At the individual level, the objectives include enhancing the understanding of quality management concepts, improving the cognitive level and application abilities of project improvement methods, and acquiring the necessary skills for nursing quality improvement project. At the team level, the aim is to enhance effective communication among team members and elevate the overall quality of communication. Moreover, the training seeks to facilitate collaborative efforts in improving the existing nursing quality management system and processes. At the operational level, participants are expected to gain the competence to design, implement, and manage nursing quality improvement project initiatives. Following the training, participants will lead and successfully complete a nursing quality improvement project, which will undergo a rigorous audit.

(3) Training Duration (When): The training program spans a duration of 11 months.

(4) Training Content (What): The program consists of 14 h of theoretical courses and 18 h of practical training sessions, as detailed in Table  1 .

(5) Quality Management Approach (How): To ensure quality throughout the training process, two team members are assigned to monitor the entire training journey. This encompasses evaluating whether quality awareness education, quality management knowledge, and professional skills training are adequately covered. Additionally, attention is given to participants’ learning motivation, the emphasis placed on active participation in training methods, support from hospital management and relevant departments, as well as participants’ satisfaction and assessment results. Please refer to Fig.  2 for a visual representation.

In-house training model from Holton Learning Transfer

Implementation of the nursing project training program using the action research method

The first cycle (april 2021).

In the initial cycle, a total of 22 nurses were included as training participants after a self-registration process and qualification review. The criteria used to select these participants, elaborated in Section Development of the training program using the 4W1H approach, ‘Development of the Training Program,’ were meticulously crafted to capture a broad spectrum of experience, expertise, and functional roles within our hospital’s nursing staff. The primary focus was to investigate their learning motivation. The cycle comprised the following key activities:

(1) Training Objectives: The focus was on understanding the learning motivation of the participating nurses.

(2) Theoretical Training Sessions: A total of 7 theoretical training sessions, spanning 14 class hours, were completed. The contents covered various aspects, including an overview of nursing quality improvement projects, methods for selecting project topics, common tools used in nursing quality improvement projects, effective leadership strategies to promote project practices, literature retrieval and evaluation methods, formulation and promotion of project plans, and writing project reports. Detailed course information, including the title, content, and class hours, is listed in Table  1 . At the end of each training session, a course satisfaction survey was conducted.

(3) Assessment and Reporting: Following the completion of the 7 training sessions, a theoretical assessment on quality management knowledge was conducted. Additionally, nurses were organized to present their plans for special projects to be carried out during the training. Several issues were identified during this cycle:

Incomplete Literature Review Skills: Compared to other quality control tools, nursing quality improvement project places more emphasis on the scientific construction of project plans. The theoretical evaluation and interviews with nurses highlighted the incomplete and challenging nature of their literature review skills.

Insufficient Leadership: Among the participants, 6 individuals were not head nurses, which resulted in a lack of adequate leadership for their respective projects.

Learning environment and Support: The learning environment, as well as the support from hospital management and relevant departments, needed to be strengthened.

Second cycle (may-october 2021)

In response to the issues identified during the first cycle, our approach in the second cycle was both corrective and adaptive, focusing on immediate issues while also setting the stage for addressing any emerging challenges. The team members actively implemented improvements during the second cycle. The key actions taken were as follows:

(1) Establishing an Enabling Organizational Environment: The quality management department took the lead, and multiple departments collaborated in conducting the “Hospital Safety and Quality Red May” activity. This initiative aimed to enhance the overall quality improvement atmosphere within the hospital. Themed articles were also shared through the hospital’s WeChat public account.

(2) Salon-style Training Format: The training sessions were conducted in the form of salons, held in a meeting room specifically prepared for this purpose. The room was arranged with a round table, warm yellow lighting, green plants, and a coffee bar, creating a conducive environment for free, democratic, and equal communication among the participants. The salon topics included revising project topic selection, conducting current situation investigations, facilitating communication and guidance for literature reviews, formulating improvement plans, implementing those plans, and writing project reports. After the projects were presented, quality management experts provided comments and analysis, promoting the transformation of training outcomes from mere memory and understanding to higher-level abilities such as application, analysis, and creativity.

(3) Continuous Support Services: Various support services were provided to ensure ongoing assistance. This included assigning nursing postgraduates to aid in literature retrieval and evaluation. Project team members also provided on-site guidance and support, actively engaging in the project improvement process to facilitate training transfer.

(4) Emphasis on Spiritual Encouragement: The Vice President of Nursing Department actively participated in the salons and provided feedback on each occasion. Moreover, the President of the hospital consistently commended the training efforts during the weekly hospital meetings.

Issues identified in this cycle

(1) Inconsistent Ability to Write Project Documents: The proficiency in writing project documents for project improvement varied among participants, and there was a lack of standardized evaluation criteria. This issue had the potential to impact the quality of project dissemination.

(2) Lack of Clarity Regarding the Platform and Mechanism for Training Result Transfer: The platform and mechanisms for transferring training results were not clearly defined, posing a challenge in effectively sharing and disseminating the outcomes of the training.

The third cycle (November 2021-march 2022)

During the third cycle, the following initiatives were undertaken.

(1) Utilizing the “Reporting Standards for Quality Improvement Research (SQUIRE)”, as issued by the US Health Care Promotion Research, to provide guidance for students in writing nursing project improvement reports.

(2) Organizing a hospital-level nursing quality improvement project report meeting to acknowledge and commend outstanding projects.

(3) Compiling the “Compilation of Nursing Quality Improvement Projects” for dissemination and exchange among nurses both within and outside the hospital.

(4) Addressing the issue of inadequate management of indicator monitoring data, a hospital-level quality index management platform was developed. The main evaluation data from the 22 projects were entered into this platform, allowing for continuous monitoring and timely intervention.

Effect evaluation

To assess the efficacy of the training, a diverse set of evaluation metrics, encompassing both outcome and process measures [ 26 ]. These measures can be structured around the four-level training evaluation framework proposed by Donald Kirkpatrick [ 27 ].

Process evaluation

Evaluation method.

To assess the commitment and support within the organization, the process evaluation involved recording the proportion of nurses’ classroom participation time and the presence of leaders during each training session. Additionally, a satisfaction survey was conducted after the training to assess various aspects such as venue layout, time arrangement, training methods, lecturer professionalism, content practicality, and interaction. On-site recycling statistics were also collected for project evaluation purposes.

Evaluation results the results of the process evaluation are as follows

Nurse training participation rate: 100%.

Training satisfaction rate (average): 97.75%.

Proportion of nurses’ participation time in theoretical training sessions (average): 36.88%.

Proportion of nurses’ participation time in salon training sessions (average): 74.23%.

Attendance rate of school-level leaders: 100%.

Results evaluation

Assessment of theoretical knowledge of quality management.

To evaluate the effectiveness in enhancing the trainees’ theoretical knowledge of quality management, the research team conducted assessments before the training, after the first round of implementation, and after the third round of implementation. Assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program were conducted immediately following the first round of implementation, and after the third round of implementation. This dual-timing approach was designed to evaluate both the immediate impact of the training and its sustained effects over time, addressing potential influences of memory decay on the study results. The assessment consisted of a 60-minute examination with different question types, including 30 multiple-choice questions (2 points each), 2 short-answer questions (10 points each), and 1 comprehensive analysis question (20 points). The maximum score achievable was 100 points.

The assessment results are as follows:

Before training (average): 75.05 points.

After the first round of implementation (average): 82.18 points.

After the third round of implementation (average): 90.82 points.

Assessment of difficulty in quality management project implementation

To assess the difficulty of implementing quality management projects, the trainees completed the “Quality Management Project Implementation Difficulty Assessment Form” before and after the training. They self-evaluated 10 aspects using a 5-point scale, with 5 indicating the most difficult and 1 indicating no difficulty. The evaluation results before and after implementation are presented in Table  2 .

Statistically significant differences were found in the following items: literature review, current situation analysis, cause analysis, plan formulation, implementation plan, and report writing. This indicates that the training significantly enhanced the nurses’ confidence and ability to tackle practical challenges.

Evaluation of transfer effect

To assess how effectively the training translated into practical applications. The implementation of the 22 quality improvement projects was evaluated using the application hierarchy analysis table. The specific results are presented in Table  3 .

In addition, the “Nursing Project Guidance Manual” and “Compilation of Nursing Project Improvement Projects” were compiled and distributed to the hospital’s management staff, nurses, and four collaborating hospitals, receiving positive feedback. The lecture titled “Improving Nurses’ Project Improvement Ability Based on the Training Transfer Theory Model” shared experiences with colleagues both within and outside the province in national and provincial teaching sessions in 2022. Furthermore, four papers were published on the subject.

The effectiveness of the training program based on the Holton Learning transfer System Inventory

The level of refined management in hospitals is closely tied to the quality management awareness and skills of frontline medical staff. Quality management training plays a crucial role in improving patient safety management and fostering a culture of quality and safety. Continuous quality improvement is an integral part of nursing management, ensuring that patients receive high-quality and safe nursing care. Compared to the focus of existing literature on the individual performance improvements following nursing training programs [ 28 , 29 , 30 ], our study expands the evaluation framework to include organizational performance metrics. Our research underscores a significantly higher level of organizational engagement as evidenced by the 100% attendance rate of school-level leaders. The publication of four papers related to this study highlights not only individual performance achievements but also significantly broadens the hospital organization’s impact on quality management, leading to meaningful organizational outcomes.

Moreover, our initiative to incorporate indicators of quality projects into a hospital-level evaluation index system post-training signifies a pivotal move towards integrating quality improvement practices into the very fabric of organizational operations. In training programs, it is essential not only to achieve near-transfer, but also to ensure that nurses continuously apply the acquired management skills to their clinical work, thereby enhancing quality, developing their professional value, and improving organizational performance. The Holton learning Transfer System Inventory provides valuable guidance on how to implement training programs and evaluate their training effect.

This study adopts the training transfer model as a framework to explore the mechanisms of “how training works” rather than simply assessing “whether training works [ 31 ].” By examining factors such as Motivation to Improve Work Through Learning (MTIWL), learning environment, and transfer design, the current situation is analyzed, underlying reasons are identified, and relevant literature is reviewed to develop and implement training programs based on the results of a needs survey. While individual transfer motivation originates from within the individual, it is influenced by the transfer atmosphere and design. By revising the nurse promotion system and performance management system and aligning them with career development, nurses’ motivation to participate and engage in active learning has significantly increased [ 32 ]. At the learning environment level, enhancing the training effect involves improving factors such as stimulation and response that correspond to the actual work environment [ 33 ]. This project has garnered attention and support from hospital-level leaders, particularly the nursing dean who regularly visits the training site to provide guidance, which serves as invaluable recognition. Timely publicity and recognition of exemplary project improvement initiatives have also increased awareness and understanding of project knowledge among doctors and nurses, fostering a stronger quality improvement atmosphere within the team.

Transfer design, the most critical component for systematic learning and mastery of quality management tools, is achieved through theoretical lectures, salon exchanges, and project-based training. These approaches allow nurses to gain hands-on experience in project improvement under the guidance of instructors. Throughout the project, nurses connect project management knowledge and skills with practical application, enabling personal growth and organizational development through problem-solving in real work scenarios. Finally, a comprehensive evaluation of the training program was conducted, including assessments of theoretical knowledge, perception of management challenges, and project quality. The results showed high satisfaction among nurses, with a satisfaction rate of 97.75%. The proportion of nurses’ participation time in theoretical and practical training classes was 36.88% and 74.23%, respectively. The average score for theoretical knowledge of quality management increased from 75.05 to 90.82. There was also a significant improvement in the evaluation of the implementation difficulties of quality management projects. Moreover, 22 nurses successfully led the completion of one project improvement project, with six projects focusing on preventing the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating valuable crisis response practices.

Action research helps to ensure the quality of organizational management of training

Well-organized training is the basis for ensuring the scientific and standardized development of nursing project improvement activities. According to the survey results of the current situation, there is a lot of room for improvement in the training quality; since it is the first time to apply the Holton training transfer model to the improvement training process of nurses in the hospital, in order to allow the nurses to have sufficient time to implement and evaluate the improvement project, the total training time Set at 11 months, a strong methodology is required to ensure training management during this period. Action research is a research method that closely combines research with solving practical problems in work. It is a research method aimed at solving practical problems through self-reflective exploration in realistic situations, emphasizing the participation of researchers and researchees. Practice, find problems in practice, and adjust the plan in a timely manner. According to the implementation of the first round, it was found that nurses had insufficient literature review skills, insufficient leadership, and lack of support from hospital management and related departments [ 32 ]. In the second round, the training courses were carried out in the form of salons. The project team members went deep into the project to improve on-site guidance, arranged graduate students to assist in document retrieval and evaluation, and promoted the transfer of training; the “Hospital Safety and Quality Red May” activity was carried out, and the vice president of nursing Regularly participate in the salon and make comments. The problems exposed after this round of implementation are the low quality of the project improvement project document, and the unclear platform and mechanism for the transfer of training results. In the third round, the “Reporting Standards for Quality Improvement Research (SQUIRE)” was used to standardize the writing of the report [ 33 ], and the “Compilation of Nursing Project Improvement Projects” was completed, and the main evaluation data of 22 projects were entered into the hospital-level quality index management platform for continuous monitoring and intervention. As of May 2022, the effect maintenance data of each project has reached the target value. It can not only produce useful improvement projects, but also help to promote the dissemination and penetration of quality awareness.

Future research directions

Drawing on the Holton training evaluation model, this study implemented nurse quality improvement project training using action research methodology, resulting in a successful exploration practice, and achieving positive transfer effects. To further advance this research area, the following future research directions are recommended:

Summarize the experiences gained from this action research training and continue to refine and enhance the training program. Through ongoing practice, reflection, and refinement in subsequent training sessions, long-term observation of the transfer effects can be conducted to establish an effective experiential model that can serve as a reference for future initiatives.

Develop a multidimensional evaluation index system for assessing transfer effects. A comprehensive framework that captures various dimensions of transfer, such as knowledge application, skill utilization, and behavior change, should be established. This will enable a more holistic and accurate assessment of the training program’s impact on the participants and the organization.

Conduct qualitative research to explore the training experiences of nurses. By gathering in-depth insights through interviews or focus group discussions, a deeper understanding of the nurses’ perceptions, challenges, and facilitators of training transfer can be obtained. This qualitative exploration will provide valuable information to further refine and tailor the training program to meet the specific needs and preferences of the nurses.

Investigate the personality characteristics of nurses who actively engage in training transfer and consider developing them as internal trainers. By identifying and cultivating nurses with a proactive attitude and a strong inclination towards knowledge application and skill development, the organization can enhance employee participation and initiative. These internal trainers can play a crucial role in motivating their colleagues and driving the transfer of training outcomes into daily practice.

By pursuing these future research directions, the field of healthcare and nursing care can continue to advance in optimizing training programs, enhancing transfer effects, and ultimately improving the quality of care and patient outcomes.

Limitations

The research was conducted with a cohort of 22 nurses and a 10-member research team from Grade 3, Class A hospitals in China Southeast. This specific composition and the relatively small sample size may affect the generalizability of our findings. The experiences and outcomes observed in this study might not fully encapsulate the diverse challenges and environments encountered by nursing professionals in varying healthcare settings. The significant improvements noted in the capabilities of the participating nursing staff underscore the potential impact of the training program. However, the study’s focus on a specific demographic—nurses from high-grade hospitals in a developed urban center—may limit the external validity of the findings.

Conclusions

This study affirms the efficacy of the Holton Learning Transfer System Inventory-based training program, coupled with action research, in significantly advancing nursing quality management practices. The strategic incorporation of motivation to improve work through learning, an enriched learning environment, and thoughtful transfer design significantly boosted the nurses’ engagement, knowledge acquisition, and practical application of quality management tools in their clinical work.

It highlights the importance of continuous learning, organizational support, and methodological flexibility in achieving sustainable improvements in healthcare quality and safety. Future endeavors should aim to expand the scope of this training model to diverse nursing contexts and evaluate its long-term impact on organizational performance and patient care outcomes.

Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to hospital policy but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

National Health and Family Planning Commission. Medical Quality Management Measures. Published 2016. Accessed September 19, 2018. http://www.nhc.gov.cn/fzs/s3576/201610/ae125f28eef24ca7aac57c8ec530c6d2.shtml .

National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Notice of the National Health Commission on Printing and Distributing the Standards for the Review of Third-level Hospitals (2020 Edition) [EB/OL]. (2021-10-21) [2022-07-17].

Grossu-Leibovica D, Kalkis H. Total quality management tools and techniques for improving service quality and client satisfaction in the healthcare environment: a qualitative systematic review. Manage Sci Lett. 2023;13(2):118–23. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202213102009 .

Article   Google Scholar  

Shade L, Reeves K, Rees J, Hendrickson L, Halladay J, Dolor RJ, Bray P, Tapp H. Research nurses as practice facilitators to disseminate an asthma shared decision making intervention. BMC Nurs. 2020;19:40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-00414-0 .

Ali J, Jusoh A, Abbas A, Nor K. Global trends of Service Quality in Healthcare: a bibliometric analysis of Scopus Database. J Contemp Issues Bus Government. 2021;27:2917.

Google Scholar  

Ahmed FA, Choudhary RA, Khan H, Ayub F, Hassan SSU, Munir T, Asif F, Ajani K, Jaffer M, Tharani Z, Aboumatar HJ, Haider A, Latif A. Incorporating Patient Safety and Quality Course into the nursing curriculum: an Assessment of Student gains. J Patient Saf. 2023;19(6):408–14. https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000001146 .

Holton EF. Holton’s evaluation model: new evidence and construct elaborations. Adv Developing Hum Resour. 2005;7(1):37–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422304272080 .

Rigot SK, DiGiovine KM, Boninger ML, Hibbs R, Smith I, Worobey LA, Connerton C, Mason J, Bonhotal S. (2023). Peer-Led Functional Mobility and Transfer Training. Nurse Educator, 48(5), 286.

Wang C, Liu A, Xu J, et al. Work Method and Effect of Hospital Quality Management Circle Stage Management model [J]. Chin Hosp. 2016;20(12):23–5.

Elshama S. Quality Management in Medical Education between Theory and Application: paradigm shift or falsification of. J Clin Case Rep Stud. 2022;3:1–5. https://doi.org/10.31579/2690-8808/109 .

Chang S-J, Huang HH-C, Li-Hua, Chang H. Taiwan quality indicator project and hospital productivity growth. Omega. 2011;39(1):14–22.

Arnold AP, Laurene Finley [email protected], Roberta G, Sands, Joretha Bourjolly & Victoria Stanhope. (2012) Training Mental Health Providers in Cultural Competence: A Transformative Learning Process, American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 15:4, 334–356, https://doi.org/10.1080/15487768.2012.733287 .

Chang S-J, Hsiao H-C, Huang L-H, Chang H. 2011. Taiwan quality indicator project and hospital productivity growth, Omega, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 14–22, January. 2010.01.006.

Finn F, Chesser-Smyth P. Promoting learning transfer in Preceptor Preparation. J Nurses Prof Dev. 2013;29:309–15. https://doi.org/10.1097/NND.0000000000000014 .

Guzman G, Fitzgerald J, Fulop L, Hayes K, Poropat A, Avery M, Campbell S, Fisher R, Gapp R, Herington C, McPhail R, Vecchio N. How best practices are copied, transferred, or translated between health care facilities: a conceptual framework. Health Care Manage Rev. 2015;40:193–202. https://doi.org/10.1097/HMR.0000000000000023 .

Billings D, Connors H, Skiba D. Benchmarking Best practices in web-based nursing courses. Adv Nurs Sci. 2001;23:41–52. https://doi.org/10.1097/00012272-200103000-00005 .

Devos C, Dumay X, Bonami M, Bates R, Holton E. The learning transfer system inventory (LTSI) translated into French: Internal structure and predictive validity. Eur Economics: Labor Social Conditions eJournal. 2007. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2419.2007.00280.x .

Mongkolsirikiet K, Akaraborworn C, Research Model. (2019). A Revisit of Holton’s HRD Evaluation and (2005) for Learning Transfer., 12, 15–34. https://doi.org/10.14456/JCDR-HS.2019.12 .

Yaqub Y, Singh A. Impact of training design on trainees’ motivation: an empirical study. Industrial Commercial Train. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict-05-2021-0038 .

Dewettinck K, Dijk H. Linking Belgian employee performance management system characteristics with performance management system effectiveness: exploring the mediating role of fairness. Int J Hum Resource Manage. 2013;24:806–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2012.700169 .

Duprez V, Vandecasteele T, Verhaeghe S, Beeckman D, Hecke A. The effectiveness of interventions to enhance self-management support competencies in the nursing profession: a systematic review. J Adv Nurs. 2017;73:1807–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13249 .

Norouzi S, Mogadam F. Experiences of nursing Student\‘s clinical evaluation: a qualitative content analysis. J Med Educ Dev. 2016;11:134–45.

Niskala J, Kanste O, Tomietto M, Miettunen J, Tuomikoski A, Kyngäs H, Mikkonen K. Interventions to improve nurses’ job satisfaction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Adv Nurs. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14342 .

Gkioka M, Schneider J, Kruse A, Tsolaki M, Moraitou D, Teichmann B. Evaluation and Effectiveness of Dementia Staff Training Programs in General Hospital settings: a narrative synthesis with Holton’s three-level Model Applied. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;78:1089–108. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-200741 .

Ghazvini A, Shukur Z. Awareness training transfer and Information Security Content Development for Healthcare Industry. Int J Adv Comput Sci Appl. 2016. https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2016.070549 . 7.

Ragsdale J, Berry A, Gibson J, Herber-Valdez C, Germain L, Engle D. Evaluating the effectiveness of undergraduate clinical education programs. Med Educ Online. 2020;25. https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2020.1757883 .

Kirkpatrick DL. Techniques for evaluation training programs. J Am Soc Train Dir. 1959;13:21–6.

Kirkman TR. High Fidelity Simulation Effectiveness in Nursing Students’ Transfer of Learning International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, vol. 10, no. 1, 2013, pp. 171–176. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2012-0009 .

Chen SL, Huang TW, Liao IC, Liu C. Development and validation of the simulation learning effectiveness inventory. J Adv Nurs. 2015;71(10):2444–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12707 .

Ayed A, Khalaf I, Fashafsheh I, Saleh A, Bawadi H, Abuidhail J, Thultheen I, Joudallah H. Effect of High-Fidelity Simulation on Clinical Judgment among nursing students. Inquiry: J Med Care Organ Provis Financing. 2022;59. https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580221081997 .

Yun J, Kim D, Park Y. The influence of informal learning and learning transfer on nurses’ clinical performance: a descriptive cross-sectional study. Nurse Educ Today. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NEDT.2019.05.027 .

Bhatti M, Ali S, Isa M, Battour M. Training transfer and transfer motivation: the influence of individual, environmental, situational, Training Design, and affective reaction factors. Perform Improv Q. 2014;27:51–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/PIQ.21165 .

Kontoghiorghes C. Factors affecting training effectiveness in the context of the introduction of a New Technology–A U.S. Case Study. Int J Train Dev. 2001;5:248–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2419.00137 .

Download references

This study was funded by Department of Education of Zhejiang Province, Grant Number jg20220475.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

School of Nursing, Zhejiang Shuren University, 8 Shuren Road, 310015, Hangzhou, ZheJiang, China

MingYan Shen & ZhiXian Feng

Department of Nursing, Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital, Shulan International Medical College, Zhejiang Shuren University, 310022, Hangzhou, China

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

The following statements specify the individual contributions of each author to the manuscript titled “Continue Nursing Education: An Action Research Study on the Implementation of a Nursing Training Program Using the Holton Learning Transfer System Inventory”:ZhiXian Feng conceived and designed the analysis; led the research team and coordinated the project; critically reviewed and revised the manuscript for important intellectual content; oversaw the implementation of the training program; MingYan Shen conducted the research; collected and organized the data; analyzed and interpreted the data; contributed to the statistical analysis; wrote the initial draft of the manuscript; managed logistics and operational aspects of the study.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to ZhiXian Feng .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate.

Approval of this study was granted by the Research Ethics Committee of Shulan Hospital (Approval no. KY2021042).

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Prior to participation, all subjects (or their legal guardians) were informed about the nature, objectives, potential benefits, and risks of the study. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects and/or their legal guardians. All data were collected and processed maintaining strict confidentiality and anonymity, safeguarding the privacy and rights of all participants.

Additional information

Publisher’s note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ ) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Shen, M., Feng, Z. Continue nursing education: an action research study on the implementation of a nursing training program using the Holton Learning Transfer System Inventory. BMC Med Educ 24 , 610 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05552-6

Download citation

Received : 16 December 2023

Accepted : 13 May 2024

Published : 03 June 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05552-6

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Nursing education
• Quality improvement
• Action research
• Holton Learning Transfer System Inventory

BMC Medical Education

ISSN: 1472-6920

• Submission enquiries: [email protected]
• General enquiries: [email protected]