Historically, an abstract was mostly associated with a journal article or other scholarly endeavor and an executive summary was part of a completed report or management document. While that distinction does not always hold true, the abstract is a short précis or summary of the document it precedes. Often, an abstract for a scholarly article is about one paragraph, rarely but sometimes two, and provides the reader with a sense of what the article or document contains. It helps the potential reader recognize the scope and range of the article and its applicability to his or her situation. Will this article add to my knowledge? Is it directly on topic or associated with the topic, but not central? How can I use the findings?

On the other hand, an executive summary is more comprehensive and detailed; it is designed to provide a busy person with a sense of what to do with the document. Should I read it all? Should I give it to someone else to consider? And who is the most appropriate person to read it and carefully analyze it?

These goals make the documents very different; however, both of them are useful assignments’ for students.

Using Executive Summaries and Abstracts as Learning Devices
Asking students to prepare abstracts or executive summaries of documents they have read makes them review and digest it into a short summary. It is a task that encourages separating an article into its relevant parts, synthesizing information from various sections, and describing it in a clear and well-organized manner. It requires critical thinking and decent writing that focuses on a particular audience.

Assigning students to prepare abstracts or executive summaries of their own papers typically requires them to clarify the major and minor points so they can include the major points in the abstract or executive summary. It also encourages them to think of the implications and potential usefulness of what they have written so they can provide that information in the executive summary. It makes them more aware of the papers they write as whole documents written for particular audiences and not just papers written for a course assignment.

Criteria to Use in Evaluating Executive Summaries and Abstracts
When making the assignments, I do two things to make it easier on students. First, I indicate how these documents will be evaluated; that way students can focus their efforts on these elements:

• Accuracy
• Clarity
• Focus
• Logic
• Level of insights
• Sense of audience
• Lack of grammatical and spelling errors

Second, I provide an extra explanation with examples. Since it is not an easy assignment and many students have never seen executive summaries or abstracts, they have no role models. To solve this problem, I have created a handout explaining an executive summary, and I post it on our electronic communication system (which used to be Blackboard but is now NYU Classes) so that it is always available to students in any course I teach.

I have not provided abstracts because they are commonly found in front of most scholarly journal article. You might want to consider the same idea if you want to assign writing an abstract or executive summary. At least try using these assignments to promote students’ critical thinking and add some variety to the work that you ask students to complete.

Summary
Thank you for reading this column about assigning abstracts and executive summaries. Next month, we will revisit ways to promote diversity in our classrooms.

If you have suggestions for other topics, send them to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I will include them in future Mayo’s Clinics.

Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT, is a clinical professor at New York University and a frequent presenter at CAFÉ events nationwide.