How to write an Abstract of a research? - Step by step guide

Author: Robert Walt

An abstract of a research is a text that presents the most important information of research in a short and concise way. Therefore, it is relevantly important to carefully select the important aspects of the researched content to be addressed in the crafting of a research abstract. The abstract is an important part of the final presentation of a thesis or a dissertation. It’s best to write the abstract after finishing your dissertation, before submitting it.

The purpose of the dissertation abstract is to provide the reader with a brief overview of the research. As a result, readers will receive an overview of your research and know which direction the thesis will go. Since the research has been completed, the summary can be written easily. It is best to write only after the entire research is completed. Basically, the summary follows the structure of abstract. Therefore, the following points should be included in the summary (in this order)

  • The subject of the thesis, along with the main questions
  • Causes and purpose of the investigation
  • Type of research conducted
  • Research method conducted
  • Results of the investigation
  • Conclusions of the study (it should be short and concise)

How to Write an Abstract

For those who are wondering to prepare writing abstract for a dissertation should know that a good abstract reflects the relevance of the content of the document. The summary (also called an abstract) is, in fact, a short text with which the reader can fully understand the content of the dissertation. This describes very briefly the interests of the subject, possible problems, methods and consequences of the conclusions. Abstract is not only written for a research but it is also written for the literature review chapter to highlight findings. This can help readers to understand the content of the dissertation at a glance, encouraging them to become interested in the content of the dissertation.

Preparation of Writing Abstract for Thesis

The best way to prepare for writing abstract for a research paper is to re-read the abstract of the research paper that you have used as part of your secondary research and/or literature review. When writing your abstract, consider the following questions;

  1. Why would anyone read this dissertation?
  2. What is it relevant for?
  3. What questions does it answer?
  4. How can my dissertation help others in their research?
  5. What are the most important concepts or key concepts that it uses?

After you have done this, you should write around 50 words for each of the 5 questions above. Finalize writing an introduction and conclusion, and the results should be an abstract that states the relevant purpose of the work.

Tips for Writing Abstract for Literature Review

Summarizing your entire dissertation within two-hundred words may be a real problem, but abstracts are the first (and sometimes the only) part people will read, so it's important to do it right. The following strategies can help you get started easily.

1. Reverse outline

All abstracts don’t contain the same elements. If your research has a different structure (for example, a dissertation on the humanities is demonstrated through thematic chapters), you can use the reverse outline method to write an abstract. List down the keywords and write 1-2 sentences to summarize the focus of your points or arguments. This gives you a framework of abstract structure. The summary should describe a short version of the whole story and should only contain information that can be found in the main body. Revise your abstract to make sure it gives a clear summary of the arguments discussed in the dissertation.

2. Read other examples

One of the best ways to learn the rules for writing an abstract is to read someone else's work. You may have read many journal summaries during your literature review and tried to use them as a basis for structure and style. The professional essay writers at British Essay Writers Empire suggest to use another research with the similar research design as an example. You will find many examples on the internet, you can take help from them.

3. Write in a short and concise manner

A good summary is short and concise, so make sure every word you write serves a purpose. Each sentence must clearly state the point. Avoid using unnecessary introductory words and avoid jargons. The readers who do not know your topic should understand the summary. Make sure the abstract follows the desired length.

4. Focus on your research

The purpose of an abstract is to report on the source material of your research, so even if you do a lot of discussion in the body, avoid discussing the work of others. You can use one or two sentences to summarize the foundation in order to prepare your research and prove that it is relevant to the broader discussion, but it is not necessary to mention specific publications. Unless absolutely necessary (for example, if your research is directly related to other research or related to important theorists), do not include citations in the abstract.

5. Check format

If you write a thesis or dissertation abstract and want to send it to a journal, there are usually special requirements for writing an abstract, make sure you read the guideline and format your work properly. Don’t cross the word limit. If you have not received any instructions on the length of the abstract, write double spaced no more than one page.

We hope you find this article very useful when writing a research or a dissertation abstract. Make sure to avoid discussions or personal arguments in your abstract. You need to focus on the findings and how you conclude the research. Some researches are longitudinal studies or exploratory researches that cannot be concluded; so the researchers suggest to conduct more research in the context.