Writing the title, abstract, and keywords for a medical article: to be concise and accurate

Abstract

The title and abstract are the first contact of a reader with a given article. Therefore, drafting these parts should be done carefully. The final version of the title and abstract is only made at the end of the process of manuscript writing.

The title must be catchy for the reader so that he wants to read the whole article. It must also be simple, clear and informative. It can be descriptive, affirmative or interrogative. The title’s length is 10 to 12 words reflecting the main information the article contains. If more information is needed, the author can add a subtitle. Articles with short titles are the most likely to be read and cited.

The abstract is a condensed version of a scientific research and must be understood independently of the rest of the article. It gives to the reader an overall idea of the article, and conditions his decision to continue reading. The abstract can be structured or unstructured.

Keywords are expressions reflecting the main aspects of the study. They allow the indexation of articles, and must be checked in the Medical subject headings. The main keywords should appear in the title.