An abstract is a short and stand-alone summary of the paper or work that readers can use as an overview. It briefly summarizes what is entailed in your research paper. An abstract should help the reader understand the paper and help other people who are searching for your paper to decide whether the research work suits their purposes before reading it.
Writing an Abstract
The format of your abstract for a research paper depends on the subject or topic you are writing on. However, nearly all abstracts feature the following 5 sections.
Reason for the research
Why are you writing this research paper? Why would an audience be interested in your piece of text?
Problem
What problem are you trying to solve with your research work? Describe the scope of your work and state the main argument, point or idea also referred to as claim or thesis.
Methodology
A scientific research abstract may feature specific approaches or models that are inclusive of in the larger text. Other summaries describe the types of evidence that the researcher has used in his/her work.
Results
An abstract discusses findings in a more general way. For a scientific research paper, the abstract include specific information that indicates the outcomes of the research.
Implications
How does your research add to the existing body of knowledge on that particular topic? Are there theoretical or practical applications from the results or impacts for future research?
Abstract Writing
Write the paper first-Even though an abstract usually comes at the beginning of a research paper, it acts a summary of the whole paper. Considering that the review is an overview of the entire paper, research writing services will always prefer to write it last after you’re done compiling the research. Note that the abstract and thesis statement are entirely different things. While a thesis statement introduces the main point or question, an abstract serves to review the whole text. Even if you think you know what the research is going to discuss, always write the abstract section as last. This enables you to write a more accurate summary of what you’ve already compiled.
Decide on the type of abstract for the paper- All abstracts are written with one primary objective that is to provide a summary of the content. However, there are two main styles of abstract, informative and descriptive.
• Informative Abstract-This is the most common type of abstract used in academic research writing. The researcher is usually asked to provide results for the research study and the findings. Also include the answer you reached from your study or research, supported argument or hypothesis and the general outcome. Usually, Informative abstracts are written in a paragraph to one page in length
• Descriptive Abstract-Ranges from 100 to 200 words in length, and provide a brief description of the information type in the text. It explains the objective, purpose, and methods of the research paper but omits the results section and conclusion.
Don’t be too specific
An abstract is just a summary of the content in your paper. Therefore, you should avoid referring to specific ideas or points in your research, apart from possible locations and names. You need not define or explain any term in your abstract. All you need is a reference. Don’t be too explicit in your summary maintain a comprehensive overview of your research work.
Use simple words
Avoid using complex or jargon words in your abstract that may not be understood by understood by the general audience, hence misleading your readers.
Include only relevant information
Your abstract should cover as many ideas in just a few sentences or paragraph. Ensure your paper accomplish this task in the limited space provided, but only include the relevant information required. To achieve this, avoid using ambiguous phrases or references that may lead to confusion for your audience.
Avoid abbreviations and acronyms
These will need further explanation to make them understandable by the reader, which will only make the abstract unnecessarily larger. You can explain these in the introduction part, instead.
Only reference what is in the research
Your abstract should not include a reference that is not in the text.
Just like the other sections of your research paper, abstract plays a significant role. Always ensure that it is well written and revised together with the rest of the paper check omissions or errors.
