Abstract Guidelines for an effective abstract

A scientific abstract summarizes your research paper or article in a clear way. Its aim is to inform the readers about the content.

It is typically 200-250 words, consisting of five key parts: title and author information, background, methods, results, and conclusions.

Every abstract summarizes the major aspects of the entire paper in a prescribed sequence that includes: 1) the overall purpose of the study and the research problem(s) you investigated; 2) the basic design of the study; 3) major findings or trends found as a result of your analysis; and, 4) a brief summary of your interpretations and conclusions.

Below are the steps to follow to write an effective abstract.

STEP 1 Complete your research paper

As the abstract contains the major points of the article/paper, the authors should

write it when the paper is completely finished.

STEP 2 Identify keywords

Choose the words that can help the researchers find your paper.

STER 3 Reread your research paper and underline the important points and copy them into a separate document. Review the сopied material and select sentences that help you to explain the research topic, the research question, its methods, results, and conclusion. Retain this material for your abstract.

STEP 4 Structure the abstract

1. Explain the background of your study: write 1-3 introduction sentences that explain the research topic, purpose of the study, and research question(s).

Remember that the first sentence should be interesting, eye-catching, and draw the reader into your piece. As the shortest part of the abstract, your background should convey what already is known about the subject and how it relates to your paper. The background also explains what we do not know yet about the subject and thus what the study examined and/or what your paper presents.

This section of the abstract should answer the questions:

What did I study? Why is my research question important? What did my field of study know about my research question before I did this study? How will this study advance knowledge in our field?

2. Share the research methods. This section of the abstract should explain in 2-3 sentences how you conducted your study and what exactly you did.

This section of the abstract should answer the questions: What was the research design? Did you use qualitative and/or quantitative methods? Did you include experiments, fieldwork, interviews, surveys, and/or data analysis. If any, how long did the study last? What was the research setting? How did you recruit the interviewed?

3. Demonstrate its results. Write 1-2 sentences describing the results/findings of your study. It is the most important part of your abstract because it explains what you discovered and the relevance of your work to other people's research.

4. The main point and impact of your research. In 1-2 sentences, iterate the summary of the study and its theoretical and/or practical impact on the field(s) of study. The conclusion should be data-based and very factual.

End your conclusion with a strong final sentence.

5. Choose a title for the abstract. Your title should summarize the abstract and convince reviewers or potential readers that the topic is important, relevant, and innovative. Include your name, institutional affiliation (if applicable), and contact information under the title. Some organizations, journals, or conferences require a special format for the title, which could be all uppercase letters, bolded, or italics.

STEP 5 Checking and proofreading.

1. Read your abstract aloud and check content accuracy and flow. Reread the abstract as if you were another researcher.

This section of the abstract should answer the questions:

Is it short and concise? Does it have adequate transition words e.g. "additionally" or "thus." Does it give the right information to help you decide whether to read it?

2. Proofread for correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Print out your abstract and edit it with a pencil or a pen. The printed version can help you catch additional mistakes and envision the abstract in printed media. Complete a word count. Aim to have as close to the word count limit as possible.

3. Share with a colleague. Having another person review your abstract will ensure that your abstract makes sense to potential readers.

Answer the questions:

What is the main aim of an abstract?

Which step do you find the most important?

Have you ever written an abstract? What was the difficulty?

Some hints on how to start the Abstract: