NIST Administrative Manual, Subchapter 4.09
Transmittal Date - 12/21/93

1. Abstracts
 
 

For NIST series publications, the abstract is an integral part of a manuscript and is published with the paper. Abstracts must also accompany all other NIST manuscripts submitted to the Editorial Review Board, including those for non-NIST publications; they must be suitable for separate publication in NIST publication catalogs and in various outside abstract journals. Even though an outside journal may not require an abstract, it is important that a publishable abstract be prepared and included on Form NIST-114, Manuscript Review and Approval. The abstract also assists the Editorial Review Board in choosing sponsors and readers for the paper.
 
 

The abstract should be a summary of the paper, showing, in microcosmic form, the whole purpose, nature, and results of the study. Usually about 200 words long for NIST publications, the abstract should address the following questions:
 
 

--What problem was examined or what procedure was carried out?
--What was the objective of the activity being documented?
--What was the scope of the activity?
--What were the principal conclusions and recommendations?
 
 

Abstracts must consist of complete sentences and should avoid unnecessary contractions or abbreviations that are not appropriate for the main text. Acronyms should be avoided. Sections, illustrations, and references should not be cited by the numerical identifiers used in the text, and equations and tables should be avoided.
 
 

For additional guidance, authors are encouraged to follow the American National Standard for Writing Abstracts, ANSI Z39.14-1979 (R1987), American National Standards Institute, New York, NY.
 
 

2. Key Words
 
 

Like abstracts, key words are an integral part of a manuscript and will be published with the paper if it is intended to be a NIST series publication. Key words must also accompany all other NIST manuscripts submitted to the Editorial Review Board for approval before publication in non-NIST media; they must be suitable for separate publication with the abstract.
 
 

Key words should be words, terms, or phrases that give a clear and precise indication to the general reader of pertinent subjects covered in a specific paper. Between six and nine key words should be used to indicate contents of NIST papers. They are usually best selected by the author. These words will be used as entries in the NIST publications catalog subject index; they should be cited exactly as they will appear in this index. The author should provide an entry for every logical route that a potentially interested reader might follow in trying to find a paper. If a key word is omitted, it will not be listed in the index, thus eliminating that search route. Semicolons should be used to separate the index terms since commas may be necessary within some entries. Key words must be included on Form NIST-114 in alphabetic order.
 
 

The following suggestions for generating the list of key words are offered to authors:
 
 

--list key words in alphabetic order;
--include the obvious;
--search the title and abstract for possible entries;
--list the research areas, general type of study, or general class of processes examined;
--identify the specific problem studied and the method used;
--indicate the type of results reported; and
--use synonyms freely or suggest cross references.
 
 

Remember that the potential reader may not be an expert in thefield.
 
 

Example: Key words: aqueous solution; equilibrium; humidity; relative humidity; salt; saturated salt solution; vapor pressure; water vapor.
 
 

For further assistance, contact the Publications Production Program, Office of Information Services at Gaithersburg or the Publications Group at Boulder.