LIS 512: Information Analysis

Prepared by: Ailyn Rhose Bautista

Introduction
The print and electronic materials are vital and delicate. The way they are handled can
affect the life span of the records contained in them. Records must be preserved and conserved
for future use. The process of encoding and recording information has evolved over a thousand
years. Every generation desire to leave a mark of documented issues, concerns, ideas, discourse
and events and the only way to do this was by leaving a legacy in the form of documented
matter. One of the earliest forms of recording human experiences on earth has been through rock
paintings found in most parts of the world (National Research Council, 1987)

I. ABSTRACTING
A brief summary of the work which is capable of being read independently of it. The
abstract as is important as it is the first thing that your reader will see and they are likely to start
forming an opinion of your research project based on your abstract. An abstract is written after
you have finished writing up your research project as it summarizes what your project contains.
Due to information explosions, average patron is usually unable to keep abreast of, or
sometimes even kept track of publication or information in this field. Hence, the need for
abstracting services to keep him/her informed. Abstracts help bring information to the notice of
those who need it rather quickly. (Opara, 2006) and (Reitz, 2004) defined abstracting as the
“preparation of a brief objective statement (abstract) of the content of a written work to enable
the researcher to quickly determine whether reading the entire text might satisfy the specific
information need”. Similarly, (Nwadozie, 2007) describes abstracting as the process of
producing a brief summary (precise or synopsis) of a document showing salient issues like the
objective, scope, procedure or methodology, findings, discussions and recommendations”.
An abstract is the end product of abstracting services and is defined by Opara (2006) as a
“terse representation in (as far as possible) the author’s own language, of all the points made in
the same order as in the original piece of primary documentary information that can be a book, a
research report, a periodical article, a speech the proceedings of a conference, an interview, etc.”
They further stated that abstracts represent the contents of a document in a concise and
accurate form and are intended to stand as a readable and complete item in its own right. The
abstract is a surrogate of the original document. Opara (2006) concludes that an abstract is a
separate work of scholarship that can be indexed and exploited for the benefit of users of the
retrieval system.
II. TYPES OF ABSTRACTING
By type of Information/ Purpose
1. Indicative abstract- only described briefly what will be found if you read the original
document. It merely indicates the content of an article and contains general statements
about it.
2. Informative abstract- Present qualitative and quantitative information contained in a
document. Presents all the main arguments and important results of work. The objectives
are:
a. To help in assessing the relevance of a document to enable the customer to decide
whether to consult or not to consult the document;
b. To serve as a substitute for the original document especially if the knowledge
contained in a document satisfies the information needs of the customer.
3. Critical abstract- is really a condensed critical review that when applied to reports
journals articles, other relatively brief items, serves much the same purpose as a critical
book review. A critical abstract is subjective and evaluative.
4. Slanted or special purpose abstract- often published as in-house abstracting bulletins
because this type of abstract is chiefly used for the domestic needs of an organization.

By whom written
1. Author-prepared abstract- various works of individuals, including books proposals,
dissertations and journal articles
2. Subject expert-prepared abstract- overview by the specific subject information of books
or materials.
3. Professional abstractor-prepared abstract- a written document that describes the
ownership history of the property, including any transfer of information.

By form
1. Modular abstract- is rare because it is somewhat customized based on the request of the
customer. In this particular abstract, the document is abstracted using the following
methods:
a. First, the citation will be given
b. Second, the annotation will be given
c. Third, the indicative will be provided
d. Fourth, the informative abstract will be presented
e. Fifth, the critical abstract
The primary purpose of this form of abstract is to give the customer the opportunity
to grasped the content of the document by showing the four types of abstracts without
attempting to force standardized abstracts.
2. Telegraphic abstract- is written in a telegram style and therefore imprecise. It is written
in incomplete sentences and really resembles a telegram. It contains a string of keywords
which serves as rude indicator of subject scope of the document.
 III. WRITING ABSTRACTS
The process of writing an abstract requires the skill of comprehension and organization. It
involves:
the ability to read efficiently,
the ability to understand,
the skills to judgement and selection,
the technique of interpretation and re-presentation.

The abstract appears at the beginning of the report, but it should be written last of all. The
writing of the abstract should not be an occasion to make points, which were not made in the
report or the paper itself. Nor should the abstract provide information that is not described in the
report or the paper. To write and abstract you should read through the draft report, Underscore
the major key issues and pieces of information while reading it. Then you should go back,
looking at these keys issues, trying to number roughly in the order you think they will be useful
to the users.

A. Organization
- In writing an abstract, the important facts should come first; but what is important
may vary from user to user. So, you should think of all the major facts and ideas
contained the report and grade them in order of importance keeping in view its
readership. Write the facts, which is very advantageous to its readers in the beginning
and then go down the scale of importance towards less important details.
- This requires the skill of comprehension: you should be able to understand not only
the general theme of a piece of writing, but also the pattern of development of
particular points. The order of information in an abstract may differ from that of the
report or paper. Readers of most abstracts need conclusions from reports, not the
detailed arguments, So, the bulk of an abstract is devoted mainly to conclusions.

B. Structure
As a general rule, you should write the abstract round these structures:
Reports for records
- Write one or two sentences to summarize the instruction part,
- Write a few sentences only to summarize the methods and results,
- Write last half of the abstract to point out the main conclusions.
 Reports for action
In reports for action, you should plan your abstract on the following lines:
- First, state the recommended action.
- Second, given the main reasons for such recommendations
- Finally, give the statement of costs, savings and timing.

C. Style
The abstract should be clear and unambiguous. It should be written in a style that
communicates effectively. A good abstract can often improve the clarity of the original
document.

An abstract should avoid using verbose and redundant expressions. So do not write:
As can be seen from formula I,
The fact that the reaction did not succeed was due to,
The reaction of A and B, which is an exothermic process, is modified,
In a similar manner
Write instead:
Formula I show,
The reaction failed because of,
The exothermic reaction of A and B is modified,
Similarly.

Because the length of an abstract is short, you should use short and simple sentences of
facts. It should be direct and active statements of facts. So, do not write
The failure of the system was due to two facts, of which the first was the increase
in pressure, and the second the high temperature.
Write instead:
The system failed due to two fats. The pressure was increased and the temperature
was too high.
Do not write an abstract in telegraphic style; otherwise it would look lie a telegram.

IV. PARTS OF AN ABSTRACT

1. The Bibliographic Reference Portion – directs the customers to the original
document. Data must be accurate, complete and adhere to some set of rules or
standards.

Parts of the reference portion of the Abstract

 a. Document identification number- This number is an accession number that
is sequentially assigned to a document as it arrived and is processed. The
number serves to identify the particular abstract within the abstracting
periodical for easy retrieval.
b. Author (s)- Prominence is given to the author’s name if it is placed before the
title of the document. By putting the names of the authors first provides a
means of selecting all works by the same author while scanning an issue of
abstracts Usually author’s name is written in the inverted order; surname, first
name, middle initial. Some abstracting services give all names when there are
three authors, while other services write only the name of the first author and
use the word [et.al] as substitute for the names of the authors.
c. Author Affiliation- The authors affiliation is given in parenthesis following
the name. Where there are two or more authors working for different
organizations, their respective affiliations are written after each name. This
portion helps the customer identify the place where the author is connected
and where the document originated. It also helps the customer know where
and how to contact the author for future consultation.
d. Title of document- The title serves as the guide to the subject content of the
document. For the purpose of accuracy, the actual title is normally lifted and
written verbatim in the bibliography reference portion of the abstract. For
scanning of the abstracts is usually facilitated if the translated title appears
before the original title. The original title is retained for identification of the
original document.
e. Source of the document- volume and or issue number, date of publication
and specific pages- This is very important because it enables the customer to
locate the original document. The source of the document is described in the
bibliographic reference portion this way.
f. Original language (other than English)- If the article for which the abstract
is being prepared is in a language other than English, this should be stated
after the source, e.g. (text in Filipino).

2. The body of an Abstract- It contains a complete idea of the basic content of the
original document. It is the portion where the customer is given a complete idea
of the basic content of the original document to help him/her assess the feasibility
of going through it. It is a representation of the entirely of the contents of the
document to serve as a guide to the customer in evaluating the applicability of the
said document to his/her subject of interest.

To achieve the desired degree of brevity, many parts of the documents are
omitted, and these are:
1. History; 2. Introduction; 3. Old Information; 4. Summaries; 5. Details
of procedures
 The abstract proper contains the following parts:
1. Purpose; 2. Methodology; 3. Results; 4. Conclusion
Length of the Abstract Proper
When abstracts are prepared for an internal library bulletin from materials
owned by the library and the access to the original documents is quite easy, a short
abstract is sufficient. The arithmetical average of an abstract is calculated to be about one
tenth of the length of the original or approximately 150-200 words. A suggested normal
length for an indicative abstract is 50 words, while for informative abstract is 150 words.
Signature Section of the Abstract
The signature signifies the abstractor to give him/her credit, and place
responsibility upon his/her and also to indicate authority.
Signatures may be full names or initial only. Full names are written as
means of positively identifying the abstractor and also means of rewarding him/her.

Steps in Writing the Body of the Abstract

In the event that the document does not contain author-prepared, the following steps
should be followed in writing the abstract proper;
1. Read the document- The purpose of reading the document is to gain an
understanding of its content and an appreciation of its scope. The introductory
paragraph of the document should be carefully read because the introduction usually
depicts the objective of the author in writing the paper. The summary and conclusion
should be noted because the reveal author’s findings which form part of the abstract.
2. Note down key information- The purpose or objectives of the study; the
methodology and techniques of the study; test applied, and measurements used; the
main findings and the conclusions of the study. Describe the findings as concisely and
informatively as possible.
3. Organize the key information- Having extracted the key information from the
document, organize them by making a rough draft of an abstract from notes recorded
in STEP 2, using a standard format and in keeping with the sequencing of the
components and word length of original draft.
4. Follow standard abstract format- Abstract have three major parts, namely: the
reference, body, and the signature. The reference portion directs the customers to the
original document; hence it should be accurate and complete. The body contains the
abstract itself, the signature indicates the abstractor (either the name or initials may be
given) and usually comes at the end of the abstract proper.
5. Check the draft abstract-Check the punctuation, spelling, accuracy, omissions, and
conciseness. Accuracy is particular essential. Apart from the errors due to
 carelessness, proper names and chemical; and mathematical formulas are particularly
susceptible to mistakes.
6. Edit and Polish the draft- When all necessary amendments have been spotted, edit
the draft abstract and make any improvement to the style that are possible.
7. Write the final Abstract- The abstract of a research document will typically contain
each of the following elements with suggested allotted percentage:
SCOPE=3% (State the what of the study and its boundaries and limitations; for
example, 18 words)
OBJECTIVE= 7% (State the why of the study: for example, 42 words)
METHODOLOGY= 15% (State the techniques used, apparatus, equipment,
tools, materials and respondents studied and test and measurements employed,
e.g. chi-square, t-test, etc.; for example, 90 words)
FINDINGS= 15% (This portion concisely presents the results obtained in the
study, for example 420 words)
CONCLUSION= 5% (States the conclusion and suggested course of action to be
taken, for example, 30 words)

V. The MARC Format Applied to Abstracts

One of the basic elements of cataloging is knowing the meaning and functions of
the cataloging fields. Now for many new catalogers this can be particularly daunting, and
there are a great many fields. The Summary Note (520 tag) of the MARC 21
bibliographic record contains an unformatted note that describes the scope and general
contents of a book or library holding.
This could be a summary, abstract, annotation, review or only a phrase describing
the material. Title and subject headings are often not descriptive enough for the library
searcher to determine if they want to read or consult the title. The summary note can
provide a description of the plot, give the names of characters or mention that
photographs are present.
It can also point out special features of the item, describe the way in which
information is presented, provide a more detailed list of topics covered, or tell the user
about the topic for which adequate subject headings have not been established.

Tags- the tags (3 digit number) are followed by the names of the fields they
represent. In this summary, and in the MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data,
if a tag can appear more than once in one bibliographic record, it is labeled
repeatable (R). If it can only be used once, it is labeled non-repeatable (NR). For
example, a catalog record can have several subjects, so the tags for subject added
entries (6XX) are labeled repeatable (R).
Indicators- The use of indicators is explained in fields where they are used.
Indicators are one-digit numbers. Beginning with the 010 field, in every field --
following the tag -- are two character positions, one for Indicator 1 and one for
Indicator 2. The indicators are not actually defined in all fields, however. And it is
possible that a 2nd indicator will be used, while the 1st indicator remains
undefined (or vice versa). When an indicator is undefined, the character position
will be represented by the character # (for blank space).

Subfield codes- All the data in each field (beginning with the 010 field) is divided
into subfields, each of which is preceded by a delimiter-subfield code
combination. The most common subfield codes used with each tag are shown.
Each subfield code is preceded by the character $, signifying a delimiter. The
name of the subfield follows the code.
References:
Writing Abstract. [?]. Retrieved from June 17, 2023
https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/27307/1/Unit-18.pdf
Library of Congress. 2002. Retrieved from June 17, 2023
https://www.loc.gov/marc/bibliographic/bd520.html
Buenostro, Juan C. Jr. (2002). Abstracting and Indexing Made easy. Quezon City: Great Books
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