2000 SC/MLA Annual Meeting Presentations


SC/MLA Suggested Formats for Structured Abstracts

RESEARCH STUDIES
Effectiveness Study:

Question: In one sentence, clearly state the precise objective(s) or question(s) addressed in the study.
Design: Give a short description of the design used for the study.
Setting: Include information on where the study took place, such as the type of institution, e.g. hospital, academic library, and its geographical setting.
Participants: Describe characteristics of the participants such as medical students, nurses, members of the Medical Library Association, including ethnic or other social characteristics when appropriate. Include number of participants and how they were selected.
Intervention(s): Describe the process or intervention used to effect change.
Main Outcome Measure(s): Describe the indicators in terms of characteristics or changes chosen to measure outcomes.
Main Results: Give a precise statement of the major findings of the study; outcomes of the study should be provided and quantified.
Conclusion: All major conclusions supported by data should be given. Note if additional research is recommended.

Review:

Question: as above
Data Sources: Provide source of data/studies, including years.
Study Selection: Explain inclusion or exclusion criteria used to select the data sources.
Data Extraction: Describe method used to extract data from the sources selected.
Main Results: as above
Conclusion: as above

Qualitative Study:

Question: as above
Setting: as above
Participants: as above
Methods: Describe the data collection methods.
Main Findings: Describe the themes/patterns found in the analysis of the data.
Conclusions: as above

OTHER TYPES OF REPORTS (not research based)
The following abstract formats are adapted from the Bibliotheca Medica Canadiana (BMC) (http://www.med.mun.ca/chla/english/help.html) and Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) to cover articles and presentations which are not research-based but are still valuable for our members.

Program Description:
See also: Huston P, Elmslie T. Program descriptions: information for authors and peer reviewers. CMAJ. 1996 Oct 15;155(8):1069-74.

Program Objective: State the objective of the program in a single sentence. Include the rationale for the program and its main components.
Setting: as above
Participants: as above
Program: Specify what was offered and how.
Main Results: Describe use of preliminary or final evaluation of the program.
Conclusion: Suggest implication(s) of the program for others.

Case Report:
See also: Huston P, Squires BP. Case reports: information for authors and peer reviewers. CMAJ. 1996 Jan 1;154(1):43-44.

The goal of a case report is to provide a message, raise awareness, show how one strategy was more effective or suitable than another, help the reader recognize and deal with a similar problem, and most of all, should be of interest to the health library audience. A case report of between 250 to 500 words in length should take the form of a structured abstract, using the headings provided below.

Question: In one sentence, describe the question, problem, dilemma, situation, event, objective, or challenge being described by the case report.
Setting: as above.
Method: Provide an outline of your strategy and why these tactics were chosen. Include any sources of data.
Main results: Discuss the outcome or result. Provide examples of your findings.
Conclusion: Conclude with a summary of your accomplishment, what lesson can be learned from this case, how you would tackle a similar problem again, potential applications, and recommendations for continuing or future work.

Drawn from MLA - Evidence-based Librarianship Implementation Committee Research Results Dissemination Task Force Recommendations. HYPOTHESIS 2002, Spring; 16(1):6-8.