To put it simply, an abstract is a short summary of the paper. Very often they appear in the research papers or dissertations. Based on the longer paper, the author creates a short review of the initial goals and the results of the research. One of the goals of writing an abstract is to focus on your research instead of discussing others’ contributions to the discussion. Today, we’ll go over some important elements of writing an abstract.
Four elements of a good abstract:
- The problem and objectives of the research.
- The methods you plan on using.
- Key results or arguments.
- Your conclusion.
Useful tips you’d better know
As a rule, an abstract is 15-300 words long. However, there are no strict limits. This number is a generally accepted one. It covers the main idea of the paper using the goals and results.
When writing an abstract for your academic paper, remember to put it on a separate page. It goes after the title page and before the table of content.
Sometimes an instructor asks for the list of keywords at the end of the abstract. It’s a common practice for those who publish their papers. Otherwise, this element is not obligatory.
To write a good abstract, it might not be enough to know about it in theory. Read some examples or look through some published works to learn more about the structure and style used in the present day.
One of the ways to get a good abstract is to write clearly. This is not the case when the more the better. Be consistent and straightforward expressing the point of view, the outcome of the paper, etc. To learn more rules concerning writing an abstract, read the detailed tutorial at https://wr1ter.com/how-to-write-an-abstract.
