Lay Abstract Advice
Preparation of lay abstracts for NIAA coordinated grant applications
These notes are based on advice provided by the NIAA lay representative and the excellent information on the NIHR and Asthma UK websites. All applications to the NIAA require a 500-word structured lay abstract in addition to a scientific abstract of 200-words, and the guidance below has been prepared to help grant applicants.
What are the purposes of lay involvement?
To provide an input, independent of professional researchers’ views, for the assessment of grant applications.
To encourage applicants to explain their proposals in relatively non-technical terms to the wider non-scientific audience.
Where appropriate to assess the research plan from the point of view of a ‘subject’ in the research.
Preparation of your abstract
Writing in non-scientific language is difficult but you need to be able to describe your work to the wider audience.
Write your abstract as though it was for a broadsheet newspaper
We are aware that not all projects fit easily into the same structure (e.g. a clinical study compared to a lab study), but a suggested structure is:
Background: disease burden (if appropriate), current state of the evidence. In essence describe the bigger picture.
Aims: what do you want to do and why is it important?
Methodology:
describe the research context and study design, e.g. this is a randomised controlled trial of patients undergoing total hip replacement; this is a lab study using blood cells taken from critically ill patients, etc;
describe any interventions and control/comparator treatments;
explain in simple terms what you will measure and how the data will be used
Expected outcomes
Implications: what are the practical implications of your results likely to be?
When complete we suggest that you ask someone not involved in the work, preferably non-clinical and non-scientific, to look over the abstract.
Additional guidance from NIAA lay reviewer
The lay reviewer’s focus when reading applications is patient centred, in particular focusing on patient recruitment, patient safety, patient information and patient applicability/relevance.
The lay abstract should be written in a different style to the scientific abstract, i.e. use plain English and avoid too much jargon/scientific phrases/abbreviations. They may be obvious to you, but not necessarily to the lay reviewer.
Set out the abstract using the suggested structure (see above), and using an easy-to-read font size is preferable.
If the pre-assessment clinic is an opportunity for meaningful and detailed discussion with a patient then please emphasise this. The phrase, taking informed consent can vary tremendously in reality from unit to unit as to how exactly it is done.
Make reference in your application to any questionnaires, leaflets, written/visual information given to patients where relevant. Are they standard NHS literature or created solely for your NHS Trust/Unit? If you have created your own questionnaires/patient information, please emphasise this in your application.
If there is a patient follow-up after a period of time please specify in your application how (i.e. written/postal, telephone, online, in-person return visit), where and when this will be done.
Give an expected level of patient recruitment and how this figure has been reached/what this figure is based on.
State precisely how your project will in reality benefit the NHS. Don’t always assume this is obvious.