I was trained to write the Abstract last when preparing an academic paper: finish up the paper first and then summarize it. Over the years I've reversed this: I now write the Abstract as early as possible. This forces me to focus on a few key points, and gives structure to the rest of the writing process.
Discussion
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On collaborative projects it's also a great way for co-authors to discuss and reach agreement on what we're trying to achieve with the paper.
@satrevik how can you know what the points will be before finishing the analyses? Or do you mean writing the abstract once you've finished all analyses and drafted all figures?
@elduvelle Yes, I mean when the analyses are done. But now I also sometimes write #RegisteredReport abstracts, where i write "The hypothesis was [supported / not supported] with a [mediocre / small / medium / large] effect size."
@satrevik nice, yes definitely when it's for a preregistered study (if that's what you meant) it's easier to plan!
@elduvelle Almost, registered reports are a new model which are one step beyond preregistered studies: You write the first half of the paper and get that peer-reviewed before you collect the data. Then the full paper is only peer-reviewed for whether you follow the plan. Very cool: https://www.cos.io/initiatives/registered-reports
