@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?
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@satrevik I would still write the abstract later in the process, but start with key messages/themes, almost in the highlights format some journals use; which possibly achieves a similar result
@satrevik draft abstract as guide to full writing but review and rewrite after some serious thinking, exploring and writing work has been done
@satrevik (Title last, if possible:)
@SusiArnott Yes, the title typically takes a lot of rewrites. But I try to add a tentative title early, and keep drafting different versions until submission.
@satrevik @alehik I’ve been in the “abstract last” camp but this makes a lot of sense. Now in one coauthored paper, my coauthor is spending an annoying amount of time on writing the abstract before revising the paper. I think it’ll pay off because then we can always go back and see what the core argument should be.
@satrevik I was too but we had to write by hand then and get it typed by someone else, so rework was expensive. It isn't now, so development of ideas can be incremental.
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
