brycewang-stanford Abstract (pnasnexus-abstract)
When to trigger
- Fit, open access, structure, figures, stats, and data are settled (do this late).
- The abstract reads like a methods recap with no result.
- The abstract is being confused with, or duplicated from, the Significance Statement.
- The abstract is over 250 words, has subheadings, or is jargon-dense.
The PNAS Nexus abstract: ≤250 words, single paragraph, no headings
- Length: up to 250 words (PNAS Nexus states a 250-word maximum — confirm in current guidelines).
- A single paragraph with no headings, no reference citations, no figure/table callouts. (PNAS Nexus's wording: "They should appear as a single paragraph with no headings.")
- Self-contained: a reader who sees only the abstract should understand the question, what was done, what was found (quantified), and what it means.
- Accessible to the broad PNAS Nexus readership spanning biological/health/medical, physical sciences & engineering, and social & political sciences — define or avoid acronyms.
The short, plain artifact PNAS Nexus requires is the Significance Statement (
pnasnexus-significance, 50–120 words) — it is separate from the abstract. Do not merge them.
Abstract vs Significance Statement (keep them distinct)
| Abstract | Significance Statement (pnasnexus-significance) |
|---|---|
| What/how/found, for scientists | Why it matters, for everyone |
| ≤250 words, quantified, technical-but-clear | 50–120 words, plain language |
| Stands in for the paper | Stands in for the "so what" |
If the two read the same, the Significance Statement is wrong — fix it in pnasnexus-significance.
Recommended five-move structure (no labels in the text)
- Context / stakes (1–2 sentences) — the broad problem.
- Gap / question (1 sentence) — what was unknown.
- What we did (1–2 sentences) — approach, in plain terms.
- Key results, quantified (2–3 sentences) — the advance, with numbers and uncertainty.
- Conclusion / implication (1 sentence) — what it means for the field, ideally across fields.
Hard constraints
- ≤ 250 words (confirm the current cap).
- Single paragraph, no subheadings, no citations, no figure/table references.
- Define any acronym on first use, or avoid it.
- At least one quantified result — magnitude + unit + uncertainty (CI/P), not "significantly increased".
- First sentence comprehensible to a scientist outside the field.
- Distinct in content and register from the Significance Statement.
Jargon blacklist (rewrite on sight)
- "Herein we report…", "Importantly,", "Interestingly,", "Notably,"
- Strings of ≥2 undefined acronyms in one sentence.
- "elucidate", "delineate", "interrogate", "leverage" as filler verbs.
- Hedging stacks: "may potentially suggest that it could…".
Output format
【Abstract】 single paragraph (word count: N ≤ 250)
【Single paragraph, no headings?】 yes/no
【Five moves present?】 context / gap / approach / quantified result / implication
【Quantified headline result?】 yes/no + the number
【Distinct from Significance Statement?】 yes/no
【Jargon hits removed】 [...]
【Next】 pnasnexus-citation
Anti-patterns
- Do not reuse the 50–120-word Significance Statement as the abstract (or vice versa).
- Do not add subheadings — PNAS Nexus abstracts are single unstructured paragraphs.
- Do not open with method or organism; open with the stake.
- Do not end on "further work is needed" — end on the implication.
- Do not exceed 250 words "to be thorough".