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Background: most of the recent research into abstracts conducted by the information science (IS) community has had little practical implication in terms of improvement and quality. A possible explanation of this is the lack of connection with the real problems that the poor quality of abstracts may pose in the ‘real’ context of researchers accessing information. Purpose: the types of problem abstracts may pose for potential users have been studied, and then classified and compared with current IS research into the quality of abstracts. Method: 62 interviews were held with researchers from six European universities to ascertain the opinions of potential users. These participants commented on a set of database abstracts in the areas of Education and Agriculture. Results: the participants pointed out different types of problem which were classified under the following headings: terminology, over-condensation, lack and excess of information, expectations and coherence, structure, register and layout. Conclusion: the problems described were at variance with those commonly dealt with in the literature on the subject, thus suggesting new areas of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]