I need to write an abstract in order to submit to a conference. The time I can allocate to this task is quite short and I thought I could write it according to Brown's 8 questions. It seems to work but I also worry that I am actually letting my future paper to get adapted to a set of rules. Do you recommend this method?

Hi 404

I'd never heard of Brown and his/her 8 questions! I did a bit of Googling and (in case others are similarly in the dark) here they are:

Brown’s 8 Questions

Who are the intended readers? List 3-5 names
What did you do? (50 words)
Why did you do it? (50 words)
What happened? (50 words)
What do the results mean in theory? (50 words)
What do the results mean in practice? (50 words)
What is the key benefit for readers? (50 words)
What remains unresolved? (no word limit)

I've always just use the guidelines or template provided by the conference organisers to draft an abstract but I can see how the questions might be useful. Good luck with your conference submission!

Thank you Ann. I have seen the questions in a book, and I started writing with them this afternoon. It seems to work on paper but it feels a bit mechanical. I normally write with the flow and edit according to guidelines. This conference does not have guidelines apart from word-limit and because I have so little time, I can't get myself inspired (some sort of writers' block i guess). Hence, I've decided to use the questions but I am not sure if it's any good. Thank you very much for your good wishes.

I think they'd be very helpful for when a person is feeling a bit stuck. I'm not entirely sure that I agree with the order - I'd want to say why I'd done something (introduction/background) before I said what I did (methods) but as you say, the questions are useful to follow to make sure you've covered everything in a draft, and then re-format as per conference guidelines. Hope you can get the abstract sorted soon then you can relax and enjoy your bank holiday weekend!

Thank you Ann.
Have a lovely bank-holiday weekend...