Writing An Abstract: Understanding and Developing Abstracts
Writing An Abstract: Understanding and Developing Abstracts
Writing an abstract
Understanding and developing abstracts
What is an abstract? What to include in an abstract
An abstract is a concise summary of a The format of your abstract will depend on the discipline
in which you are working. However, all abstracts
research paper or entire thesis. generally cover the following five sections:
It is an original work, not an excerpted passage. An 1. Reason for writing:
abstract must be fully self-contained and make sense by
itself, without further reference to outside sources or to What is the importance of the research? Why would a
the actual paper. It highlights key content areas, your reader be interested in the larger work?
research purpose, the relevance or importance of your 2. Problem:
work, and the main outcomes.
What problem does this work attempt to solve? What is
It is a well-developed single paragraph of approximately the scope of the project? What is the main argument,
250 words in length, which is indented and single thesis or claim?
spaced. The function of the abstract is to outline briefly
all parts of the paper. 3. Methodology:
Although it is placed at the beginning of your paper, An abstract of a scientific work may include specific
immediately following the title page, the abstract should models or approaches used in the larger study. Other
be the last thing that you write, once you are sure of the abstracts may describe the types of evidence used in
conclusions you will reach. the research.
4. Results:
Why write an abstract?
An abstract of a scientific work may include specific data
Abstracts are important for both selection and indexing that indicates the results of the project. Other abstracts
purposes. may discuss the findings in a more general way.
Selection: Abstracts allow readers who may be 5. Implications:
interested in the paper to quickly decide whether it is
relevant to their purposes and whether they need to How does this work add to the body of knowledge on
read the whole paper. the topic? Are there any practical or theoretical
applications from your findings or implications for future
Indexing: Most academic journal databases accessed research?
through the library enable you to search abstracts. This
allows for quick retrieval by users. Abstracts must (This list of elements is adapted from:
incorporate the key terms that a potential researcher http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/abstr
would use to search. acts.html )
The importance given to the different components can
When is it necessary to write vary between disciplines. You should look at abstracts of
abstracts? research that are similar to your own work as models.
Academic Skills
www.services.unimelb.edu.au/academicskills • 13 MELB • academic-skills@unimelb.edu.au
Go for excellence
Academic Skills
www.services.unimelb.edu.au/academicskills • 13 MELB • academic-skills@unimelb.edu.au
Go for excellence
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