Breaking research down: writing tips for abstracts

Part 3

Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) is proud to introduce the newest series published in Pharmacy GRIT, the Technicians and Assistants Research Series. This engaging series aims to make research approachable, guiding pharmacy technicians and assistants getting started on their research journeys.

The third instalment of the series is authored by Natasha Lemuelu (Qld) and Julia Tisdall (Qld) and building on the work done in Parts 1 and 2 provides guidance for writing your own abstract.

Endorsed and supported by the AdPhaSpecialty Practice Technicians and Assistants Leadership Committee, Pharmacy Technician and AdPha Board of Directors Technician Observer Tara Clayson-Fisher states “Julia’s experiences and enthusiasm speaks to the value of finding new ways to engage with and enjoy the work that you do”.

Natasha Lemuelu

CertIVHospPharm | Advanced Pharmacy Technician, Redcliffe Hospital | natasha.lemuelu@health.qld.gov.au

Julia Tisdall

CertIVHospPharm, DipMgt, Accredited Technician Checker | Acting Senior — Pharmacy Administration Officer, Redcliffe Hospital | Julia.tisdall@health.qld.gov.au |https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-tisdall-99a1838b

[Pharmacy GRIT article no: 20241405]

Welcome to the third and final instalment of the Technicians and Assistants Research Series. Natasha and Julia will be your authors in this part.

In Part 1, ‘Pharmacy assistants and technicians wanting to get involved in research, this is for you!’ Julia discussed the importance of technician led research by challenging some common myths and explaining why technicians can (and should) absolutely do research! The homework given after Part 1 was to think about a process or workflow in your workplace that could be improved and think about who you could work with to investigate this.

In Part 2, ‘Breaking research down: your research plan to help you stay on topic’ Natasha discussed the importance of properly planning your research project and how to use a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle to set yourself up for success. The PDSA cycle showed a clear plan of action and accountabilities which should deliver an outcome. The homework was to fill out the blank PDSA template that was provided and to seek feedback from your colleagues.

Now, in Part 3, Natasha and Julia will help you build on the work done in Parts 1 and 2 and provide some guidance for writing an abstract to show your results from the issue you investigated and the PDSA cycle. Writing an abstract or a journal article can be done after you have completed your study, however if you have a particular publication or conference in mind, it is important to review submission requirements before undertaking your research. This information can usually be found in the Author Guidelines. For example, submission requirements for all article types published in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research are available here. An abstract or journal article are great ways to showcase your work and share your knowledge and experiences.

SHPA’s annual conference Medicines Management is a great place to share your research with the broader community and will be held in Adelaide, 14–16 November 2024. While the deadline for abstract submissions for Medicines Management 2024 is approaching, the good news is that most of the work and planning has already been done. This work was done when you thought of something in your workplace that could be improved, and you outlined your ideas and the plan in the PDSA cycle. Before you submit an abstract, please ensure you check your local institutional line management approval and governance processes. 

As mentioned above, different publications and conferences have different requirements for their submissions so make sure you check first. For our example here, we are going to use a standard template that can be adapted for other purposes and guide you through each aspect.

Example abstract format

Background: In this section, provide a brief (2–3 sentences) of your research problem. Explain to your reader what the research problem is and how it why addressing it is important or beneficial.

Aim: State clearly and concisely (1–2 sentences) what you hope to achieve with your project. Your aim should be obtainable (i.e. can realistically be achieved through your project).

Method: This section is best thought about as the ‘recipe’. For example, how did you bake that cake? What research methodologies did you use and how did you collect your data. The PDSA cycle is very important here as it should outline the steps you have taken. Include as much detail as you can as a good method should be able to be replicated by readers unfamiliar with your research project. Ethics approval or exemption information should also be included in your method.

Results: In this section, you report all the results of your research project. Remember ‘negative’ results can be as important as ‘positive’ results. Remember not to start your analysis of the results in this section though, try to be unbiased.

Conclusion: In this section, you can analyse your results: where they what you expected? What was the overall outcome? What would you do differently. Are you going to look into some other ideas that came up at the beginning? Are you going to expand the research even more?

While these components can be adapted to meet specific requirements for different research contexts, they form the basic building blocks for an abstract. When writing you own abstracts, try to think carefully about the purpose each section of the abstract is serving in the broader research story of your project.

Another tip, using photos or pictures in your abstract can be good if the submission requirements allow it; be creative and keep your writing clear and concise, so it’s easy for viewers to get the message.

This brings us to the end of the Technicians and Assistants Research Series. Thank you for joining us on this journey and we hope it has encouraged you to undertake research in your own workplaces. We look forward to reading your abstracts and articles.

For those of you who have taken this journey with us, we’d love to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out using the email address above. We’d love to talk with you. Please be honest — all feedback is appreciated.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the following for their contributions to this work:  The AdPha Specialty Practice Technicians and Assistants Leadership Committee, Ann Whitaker (Director of Pharmacy, Redcliffe), Liz Hayward (Assistant Director of Pharmacy, Redcliffe Hospital) and Edwin Cheung (Assistant Director of Pharmacy, Redcliffe Hospital).