From the Theory of Information to the Genre of the Abstract.

The article discusses the interdisciplinary study of information, relying heavily on the work of author Janusz Bańczerowski. Particular focus is given to the abstract's role in generating knowledge. An overview of the disciplines which study information, including communications theory, library and information science and linguistics, is provided. An overview of the abstracting process, including its highlighting of key information from a text, is also provided. The role that linguistic, communicative and cultural competencies play in processing abstracts is discussed.