What Is a Abstract Paper Spell the Word Again

How to Write an Abstract | four Steps & Examples

Published on February 28, 2022 by Shona McCombes. Revised on May 4, 2022.

An abstract is a brusk summary of a longer work (such as a dissertation or research paper). The abstract concisely reports the aims and outcomes of your research so that readers know exactly what the newspaper is about.

Write the abstract at the very end, when you've completed the residuum of the text. There are four things you need to include:

Your research problem and objectives
Your methods
Your central results or arguments
Your determination

An abstruse is usually around 150–300 words, merely at that place'southward oftentimes a strict word limit, so make sure to cheque the requirements of the university or journal.

In a dissertation or thesis, include the abstract on a separate page, later the title page and acknowledgements only before the table of contents.

Abstruse example

Hover over the different parts of the abstract to meet how it is constructed.

Example of an abstract

UK ecology organizations currently face a pregnant funding gap. It is well-established that representations of individual victims are more constructive than abstract concepts like climate alter when designing fundraising campaigns. This study aims to determine how such representations can be improve targeted in order to increment donations. Specifically, information technology investigates whether the perceived social distance between victims and potential donors has an impact on donation intention. In this context, social distance is divers as the extent to which people feel they are in the same social grouping (in-grouping) or another social grouping (out-group) in relation to climate change victims.

To test the hypothesis that smaller social distance leads to higher donation intention, an online survey was distributed to potential donors based across the UK. Respondents were randomly divided into ii conditions (large and modest social distance) and asked to reply to 1 of 2 sets of fundraising material. Responses were analyzed using a ii-sample t-test. The results showed a small-scale upshot in the opposite direction than hypothesized: big social distance was associated with higher donation intention than small social distance.

These results suggest that potential donors are more likely to answer to campaigns depicting victims that they perceive as socially afar from themselves. On this basis, the concept of social distance should be taken into account when designing environmental fundraising campaigns.

When to write an abstruse

You will virtually always have to include an abstruse when writing a thesis, dissertation, research newspaper, or submitting an article to an academic periodical.

In all cases, the abstract is the very terminal thing you write. It should exist a completely independent, cocky-independent text, not an excerpt copied from your paper or dissertation. An abstract should be fully understandable on its ain to someone who hasn't read your full paper or related sources.

The easiest approach to writing an abstract is to imitate the construction of the larger work—call up of it as a miniature version of your dissertation or research newspaper. In most cases, this means the abstract should comprise four key elements.

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Aims

Start by clearly defining the purpose of your research. What applied or theoretical trouble does the research respond to, or what research question did y'all aim to respond?

You lot can include some brief context on the social or academic relevance of your topic, just don't go into detailed groundwork information.

After identifying the problem, state the objective of your research. Use verbs like investigate,test, analyze orevaluate to describe exactly what yous set up out to do.

This part of the abstract tin can be written in the present or past simple tense, but should never refer to the future, every bit the research is already complete.

This study volition investigate the relationship betwixt coffee consumption and productivity.
This study investigates the relationship between coffee consumption and productivity.

Methods

Next, indicate the enquiry methods that you used to answer your question. This part should be a straightforward description of what you did in one or ii sentences. It is usually written in the past uncomplicated tense as it refers to completed actions.

Structured interviews will be conducted with 25 participants.
Structured interviews were conducted with 25 participants.

Don't evaluate validity or obstacles here—the goal is non to give an business relationship of the methodology'due south strengths and weaknesses, but to give the reader a quick insight into the overall approach and procedures you lot used.

Results

Next, summarize the chief research results. This part of the abstract can be in the present or past uncomplicated tense.

Our analysis has shown a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.
Our assay shows a strong correlation between java consumption and productivity.
Our assay showed a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.

Depending on how long and complex your enquiry is, you lot may not be able to include all results here. Effort to highlight simply the most important findings that volition allow the reader to understand your conclusions.

Determination

Finally, country the main conclusions of your research: what is your answer to the trouble or question? The reader should end with a clear understanding of the cardinal point that your research has proved or argued. Conclusions are unremarkably written in the present simple tense.

We concluded that coffee consumption increases productivity.
We conclude that coffee consumption increases productivity.

If in that location are important limitations to your research (for example, related to your sample size or methods), you should mention them briefly in the abstract. This allows the reader to accurately assess the credibility and generalizability of your research.

If your aim was to solve a practical problem, the conclusions might include recommendations for implementation. If relevant, y'all tin can briefly make suggestions for farther inquiry.

Keywords

If your paper will exist published, yous might have to add a list of keywords at the cease of the abstract. These keywords should reference the almost important elements of the research to assist potential readers find your paper during their own literature searches.

Be aware that some publication manuals, such equally APA Manner, have specific formatting requirements for these keywords.

Tips for writing an abstruse

It can be a real claiming to condense your whole dissertation into just a couple of hundred words, but the abstract will be the first (and sometimes only) part that people read, and so information technology's of import to go it right. These strategies tin can help you lot go started.

Opposite outline

Non all abstracts will comprise precisely the same elements. If your research has a dissimilar structure (for case, a humanities dissertation that builds an argument through thematic chapters), yous tin write your abstruse through a procedure of reverse outlining.

For each chapter or section, list keywords and draft 1-two sentences that summarize the primal point or argument. This will give you a framework of your abstract's structure. Adjacent, revise the sentences to brand connections and show how the argument develops.

The abstract should tell a condensed version of the whole story, and it should simply include data that can be found in the main text. Reread your abstract to make sure information technology gives a clear summary of your overall argument.

Read other abstracts

The best fashion to acquire the conventions of writing an abstract in your subject field is to read other people's. You probably already read lots of journal article abstracts while conducting your literature review—try using them equally a framework for construction and fashion.

You can likewise find lots of dissertation abstruse examples in thesis and dissertation databases.

Write clearly and concisely

A good abstract is short simply impactful, and then make sure every word counts. Each sentence should conspicuously communicate one main point.

Avert unnecessary filler words, and avoid obscure jargon—the abstract should be understandable to readers who are non familiar with your topic.

If you're struggling to edit down to the required length, read our guide to shortening an abstract or get aid from expert editors with Scribbr'southward professional proofreading services.

Focus on your own research

The purpose of the abstract is to report the original contributions of your research, and so avert discussion of others' work, even if you address information technology at length in the master text.

You might include a judgement or two summarizing the scholarly background to situate your research and prove its relevance to a broader debate, only in that location'southward no need to mention specific publications. Don't include citations in an abstract unless admittedly necessary (for instance, if your research responds direct to some other study or revolves around one central theorist).

Cheque your formatting

If you lot are writing a thesis or dissertation or submitting to a journal, there are often specific formatting requirements for the abstract—makecertain to check the guidelines and format your work correctly. For APA research papers you can follow the APA abstract format.

Always stick to the word limit. If you have not been given any guidelines on the length of the abstract, write no more ane double-spaced folio.

The word count is inside the required length, or a maximum of 1 page.
The abstruse appears afterwards the title page and acknowledgements and before the tabular array of contents.
I take conspicuously stated my research trouble and objectives.
I take briefly described my methodology.
I take summarized the most important results.
I have stated my main conclusions.
I have mentioned any important limitations and recommendations.
The abstract tin can be understood past someone without prior knowledge of the topic.

Oft asked questions nigh abstracts

What is the purpose of an abstruse?: An abstract is a curtailed summary of an academic text (such equally a journal article or dissertation). It serves 2 main purposes:

To help potential readers determine the relevance of your paper for their ain research.

To communicate your fundamental findings to those who don't have time to read the whole paper.

Abstracts are often indexed along with keywords on academic databases, and then they make your piece of work more than hands findable. Since the abstract is the beginning thing any reader sees, information technology'due south of import that it conspicuously and accurately summarizes the contents of your newspaper.
Can you cite sources in an abstract?: Avoid citing sources in your abstruse. There are two reasons for this:

The abstract should focus on your original inquiry, not on the work of others.

The abstract should be self-contained and fully understandable without reference to other sources.

There are some circumstances where you might need to mention other sources in an abstract: for example, if your enquiry responds directly to another written report or focuses on the work of a single theorist. In general, though, don't include citations unless admittedly necessary.

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