In this article, we will be looking at the world of abstracts. What they are, the different types and how to successfully write them.
Abstracts are the all-important overview of your paper's work.
They provide the reader with a summary of your paper, yet most people can fear this all-important section of their work.
Why? Well, it can be the make or break of a paper.
Want to speak at a conference? Chances are you have to apply with your abstract, and it has to grip the attention of the reviewers.
Your abstract needs to be the best it can be when you hand in your paper for grading or providing the field you work in with your latest research.
So, although it can seem daunting, especially if it's your first time, we've provided you with information on what abstracts are; and core tips on how to write an abstract for all occasions.
Whatever you do, do not overlook your abstract - it's often the key decision maker!
What is an abstract?
Before delving into the abstract world, let's first look at what an abstract is.
An abstract is a short and clear summary containing your hypothesis, key background information to your paper, a sentence or two about your methodology, and your conclusion.
It is an insight into your work and helps people decide whether to read your paper. Think of it as a more detailed blurb of a book or a movie trailer!
Adding all this crucial information enables others (fellow researchers and professors within your field) to gain the information they need for their work quickly.
Most importantly, your abstract needs to be brief; you should look to write no less than 100 words and no more than 500. For a precise word count, try to aim for around 300 words.
Your abstract is not an expansion or evaluation of your research paper, a commentary or a proposal. Its purpose is to describe your paper.
Usually, you will be required to write an abstract for your paper when submitting it to be graded, added to a journal, submitted to a governing body or to enable you to speak at a conference.
Your abstract therefore, needs to cover a lot of ground. Do not be fooled into thinking that one abstract will suffice for all of these scenarios.
When do you need an abstract?
Abstracts are needed for texts that are long and complicated, such as:
- Research papers
- Scientific texts
- Doctorate dissertations
- Master's thesis
- Grant proposals
- Conference papers
- Book proposals
What are the different types of abstracts?
Commonly there are four types of abstracts you can write, with two of them being the most requested (as indicated with an *):
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*Descriptive abstracts
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These abstracts focus more on enticing a reader.
- There isn't as much in-depth detail about the paper, but read more as an overview; they will, however, include the outcome of the research.
- It provides the purpose, method and scope of research.
- Results and conclusions are not included.
- These abstracts usually are shorter in length and sit around 100 words.
- This type of abstract is better suited for those in the creative realm.
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*Informative abstracts
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Informative abstracts are designed to provide an overview of the entire project and include all the detailed information required for an abstract.
- These kinds of abstracts are adhered to by research and science-based fields and are typically used when applying for a conference.
- They provide an outline of the paper and include essential information such as results and conclusions, as well as explaining the main arguments and evidence found.
- These abstracts tend to be around 300 words long.
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Critical abstracts
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Critical abstracts concentrate on not only adding the main findings and information of a paper but also comments on the reliability, completeness and validity of one's work.
- It can often include a comparison to other studies and work in their field.
- The length of these abstracts is usually 400-500 words due to the inclusion of analysis.
- Critical abstracts are rarely used.
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Highlight abstracts
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The sole purpose of a highlight abstract is to attract the reader's attention.
- There is no solid evidence from the research paper included.
- Often leading remarks with true or false are used.
- Highlight abstracts aren't viewed as a proper abstract type.
- Therefore it is rarely used for academic purposes.
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Abstracts can differ slightly between disciplines, such as scientific and humanities abstracts. Humanities typically fall under descriptive abstracts, and science-based abstracts fall under informative abstracts.
Tips on creating the right abstract for your paper
Write your paper first!
Technically the abstract is the first and sometimes only section read of your paper. However, it should be the last part you write, as you are writing the summary of your research paper - not explaining the idea behind your research.
You cannot summarise something that does not exist, and no doubt your paper will change throughout your research.
Plus, writing it last will be much easier when you have all the information you require.
What to include in your abstract?
Now you have an idea of what an abstract is, what do you need to include in it?
Typically there isn't a large word count, so you'll have to be precise when writing the following information.
You will need to include:
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A precise statement of the issue you've investigated
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- This will help the readers that are less knowledgeable about your topic to gain key background information they should be aware of or any details that informed your study. This should be no more than a sentence.
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Include the central question you wish to explore or answer and prior research into the topic
- Whilst you do not have room or space to write a full literature review, providing this information or discussed points can help demonstrate why your paper is important and where it might stand in relation to the existing corpus.
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Describe your research methodology/design
- Once you've covered prior research or justification for your study, you should describe in a sentence or two your research methodology/design.
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Describe your findings
- As with the final paper, your mentioning of prior literature and your methodology will feed into your description of your findings.
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Add the significance of your findings
- To conclude, mention as briefly as possible the significance of your findings. This is what potentially could persuade the reader to include your final paper in their journal or conference.
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Add keywords
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Do not forget to include your paper/research keywords in your abstract.
- This is how future researchers will find your paper.
- It will also help those reviewing submissions for a conference (for example) hone in on your submission and collectively understand your research.
- Choose keywords that meticulously reflect the content of your paper.
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You may think writing one abstract will suffice, but it is often better to have several versions, depending on what you want to do with your paper.
But don't worry about writing a few versions in the first instance; you can alter them as and when you submit your work for various submission requests.
One abstract is fine if you only want to submit your paper for grading. However, suppose you want to use your paper/work to enable you to speak at conferences, to be entered into a journal or for you to be accepted onto a panel discussion.
In that case, some tweaking may be necessary.
What tense do I use when writing my academic abstract?
It’s a little tricky to provide a solid one-way answer, because it may vary between different submission scenarios and academic fields.
The general rule of thumb is:
- When making a statement of general facts - Present tense
- If the sentence surrounds your study/your article - Present tense
- If stating a conclusion/interpretation - Present tense
- When discussing prior research - Past tense
- If writing about the result or observation of your work - Past tense
But please, check with your faculty or event organisers how they would like it presented if unsure.
How to write an abstract for a conference or panel discussion?
When wanting to speak at a conference/panel discussion, the abstract you submit for this event needs to be written in an informative format we discussed earlier.
This enables the reviewer to have all details about your paper right before them.
Remember, reviewers will potentially have hundreds of abstracts to read, so making an impact is crucial at this point.
- Follow any abstract guidelines the event organisers have provided
Normally, it is pretty standardised; however, it is always a good idea to read each conference abstract submission guideline in case there are different formatting preferences such as spacing and abstract styles that you need to follow.
- Use previously submitted abstracts as a template
If you can, try and research any abstracts successfully submitted by previous speakers of the conference/panel discussion you are submitting to.
Look at how they were written and use them as a template for your abstract.
- Be precise
There is no option for jargon when submitting your abstract. You have to include quite a lot of information in as few words as possible. So don't add anything unnecessary or add any irrelevant words.
- Submit as early as possible
Reviewers of the abstracts will tend to start reviewing submissions a long time before the submission deadline. Plus, by submitting early, if reviewers have left any comments on your submission asking for any amendments, you'll be able to do so with plenty of time to spare. So make that early, good impression for a better chance of acceptance.
How to write an abstract for an academic paper
This is dependent upon the area of study. Whether scientific, literature, art, creative, engineering or one of the many other fields.
For example, literature and the creative arts can write a more descriptive abstract. In contrast, the other areas are required to write an informative abstract.
These academic paper abstracts still only allow for a few hundred words for you to summarise your paper. So, they must be concise and direct with all the necessary information within them - see what to include in an abstract earlier in the article.
How to write an abstract for APA (American Psychological Association)
As you've probably realised, one abstract sadly does not fit all.
Some institutions, such as the American Psychological Association, have a certain way they would like the abstracts you write submitted to them.
The American Psychological Association have their official format to follow, specifically used for social science and psychology papers, which includes the specific ways you are to structure and format your abstract. These include:
- Specific fonts and size
- Correct margins on all sides of the paper
- How the section should be labelled
- How the text should be structured - double-spaced and not indented.
- How to format the keywords
An APA abstract, like most, requires your abstract to be crammed with crucial information in the briefest form.
Each word and sentence must pack a punch to gain maximum impact upon the reader, so they can fully understand everything about your paper.
The APA Publication manual even states that the abstract is the "single most important paragraph in your entire paper".
For a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to write an APA abstract, please take a look at their Abstract and Keywords Guide 7th Edition.
What to avoid when writing an abstract
- Do not copy entire sentences from your paper
In theory, it may seem a good idea, but all it will do is give you a headache.
Using sentences from your paper will not help you write your abstract clearly, precisely and in a summarised manner.
It will result in your abstract falling short of being an actual abstract and will likely become non-sensical.
- Missing out key information
Not adding all the required information into your abstract can be the reason why it does not get chosen.
- Adding too much information
To caveat the above point, adding too much to your abstract is also a big no-no.
Finding that right balance can be tricky, so ensure your abstract is direct and precise. Leave out sentences and words that "fluff up" your research and are unnecessary.
- Not explaining the meaning of your results
Your abstract is what grabs the attention of the reader.
Sadly, they do not have hours to read every inch of your paper (especially in the case of submissions for a conference).
The readers want to know whether your paper is what they need to help with their research or is the right paper for their conference.
Give them everything they need, don't leave them on a cliffhanger!
- Not following instructions on formatting your abstract
If you have been told of the format and style the institution you are submitting your abstract to wants, then follow it step by step.
Do not leave anything out, and do not assume that if you miss one small aspect, it won't matter… it will!
- Forgetting to add keywords
You need to add keywords to enable your abstract/paper to be correctly indexed so it is easily discoverable.
After all, you don't want the paper you've spent a lot of hard work on to lay dormant, do you?
- The reader/reviewer/marker knows everything about my subject
Wrong!
Often readers and reviewers are not entirely familiar with the field you are researching, so always write to accommodate everyone, and presume they are novices within your area of research.
- Not producing a complete summary of your paper.
You must include a sentence or two about each section of your paper. For example, you've included your results, but if you have an introduction, method, results/outcome and analysis/discussion, these also need to be summed up in your abstract.
Do not leave any section of your paper out of your abstract.
Abstract checklist
Once you have finished your abstract, here are a few little tips on what to do before you submit it:
- Check and recheck
Go back to your abstract a few hours later or even the next day to ensure it is grammatically and factually correct.
- Is my abstract clear?
It should be easy to read and understand.
- Is my abstract short and sweet?
Does your abstract get straight to the point? Is it concise and only contains the correct, relevant information?
By reading, checking your abstract with fresh eyes, and following the above three steps, you'll be able to ensure you have written your abstract correctly.
Another tip is to read your abstract as if you were another researcher performing a similar study.
From this perspective, is there all the information within your abstract that another researcher would need? If yes, you're good to go; if not, some work is required.
If submitting to a conference, read through the eyes of the conference committee member/reviewer. Why? Well, they don't have time to carefully examine each paper in detail, so their decision to include or reject your paper is based entirely on the quality of your abstract.
We’ve covered a lot in this article, and we hope that it is beneficial to you.
Writing an abstract at first can seem impossible, but if you follow the tips above, you should find writing your abstract an easier and more enjoyable process.
Finally... Good luck!