Writing Abstracts

How do I write an abstract?

The format of your abstract will depend on the work being abstracted. An abstract of a scientific research paper will contain elements not found in an abstract of a literature article, and vice versa. However, all abstracts share several mandatory components, and there are also some optional parts that you can decide to include or not. When preparing to draft your abstract, keep the following key process elements in mind:

Key process elements:

1. Reason for writing:
What is the importance of the research? Why would a reader be interested in the larger work?

2. Problem:
What problem does this work attempt to solve? What is the scope of the project? What is the main argument/thesis/claim?

3. Methodology:
An abstract of a scientific work may include specific models or approaches used in the larger study. Other abstracts may describe the types of evidence used in the research.

4. Results:
Again, an abstract of a scientific work may include specific data that indicates the results of the project. Other abstracts may discuss the findings in a more general way.

5. Implications:
What changes should be implemented as a result of the findings of the work? How does this work add to the body of knowledge on the topic?

(This list of element is adapted with permission from Phil Koopman, "How to Write an Abstract," http://www.ece.cmu.edu/~koopman/essays/abstract.html.)

All abstracts include:

1. A full citation of the source, preceding the abstract.

2. The most important information first.

3. The same type and style of language found in the original, including technical language.

4. Key words and phrases that quickly identify the content and focus of the work.

5. Clear, concise, and powerful language.

Abstracts may include:

1. The thesis of the work, usually in the first sentence.

2. Background information that places the work in the larger body of literature.

3. The same chronological structure as the original work.

How not to write a abstract:

1. Do not refer extensively to other works.

2. Do not add information not contained in the original work.

3. Do not define terms.

If you are abstracting your own writing

When abstracting your own work, it may be difficult to condense a piece of writing that you have agonized over for weeks (or months, or even years) into a 250-word statement. There are some tricks that you could use to make it easier, however.

Reverse outlining:

This technique is commonly used when you are having trouble organizing your own writing. The process involves writing down the main idea of each paragraph on a separate piece of paper. For the purposes of writing an abstract, try grouping the main ideas of each section of the paper into a single sentence. For a scientific paper, you may have sections titled Purpose, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Each one of these sections will be longer than one paragraph, but each is grouped around a central idea. Use reverse outlining to discover the central idea in each section and then distill these ideas into one statement.

Cut and paste:

To create a first draft of an abstract of your own work, you can read through the entire paper and cut and paste sentences that capture key passages. This technique is useful for social science research with findings that cannot be encapsulated by neat numbers or concrete results. A well-written humanities draft will have a clear and direct thesis statement and informative topic sentences for paragraphs or sections. Isolate these sentences in a separate document and work on revising them into a unified paragraph.