Abstract writing

By Sadaf Naz
 M.Phil, Department of Education 
University of Karachi

What is an abstract?

An abstract should be viewed as a mini-version of the paper. The Abstract should provide a brief summary of the paper. Introduction, material and methods, results and discussion are the main sections of the abstract. As Houghton (1975) put it, “An abstract can be defined as a summary of the information in a document.”

“A well prepared abstract enables readers to identify the basic content of a document quickly and accurately, to determine its relevance to their interests and thus to decide whether they need to read the document in it’s entirely.” (American national standards institute, 1979)

An abstract should not exceed 250 words and should be designed to define clearly what is dealt with in the paper. The abstract should be typed in a single paragraph.

Most of the abstracts should be written in the past tense, because it refers to that work which is done. Abstract is complete but concise description of your work therefore it should be brief overview of: introduction, methods & results, discussion, conclusion. References to the literature must not be cited in the Abstract. (Robert A. Day, 1996)

Format of Research Abstract

As per APA style manuscript, Abstract should cover following parts.

n      Introduction

1.      Topic

2.      Purpose/objectives

3.      Scope

4.      Literature view

n      Methodology

n      Results

n      Conclusions

In Introduction, Title of research work with 10-12 words in length should be included. Aims, Scope and significance should also be included but it should not exceed more then two lines.

While describing the Methodology, population, tools for data collection and type of applied test should be written clearly. But remember! It should only be of one or two sentences, which describes that how did you go about solving the problem?

Results should be summarized in one or two sentences, which describe the answers of questions without providing the details.

Last 1 or 2 lines should describe the Conclusion. Is should focus on the findings and implication as well as the recommendation by the researcher.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

When writing the Abstract, examine every word carefully. Of you can tell whole story just in 100 words, don not use 200. Scientifically, it doesn’t make sense to waste words.  It gives more importance to your abstract, to use clear words and easy to understand terms, whereas the use of abstruse and typical and technical terms likely to provoke to send in the box.

Intel ISEF Sample Research Project Prospectus

Title:  Name:  Institution:

Purpose of research  In a sentence of 25 words or fewer, explain the reason for your research project or a    hypothesis you have selected to test.

Methods of research  Explain in a sentence or two how you plan to research your topic.  What methods will you use?  What resources will you need?

Data/Observations  Determine what data you need to collect and what difficulties you may encounter as you research.

Conclusions/Applications  Explain in a sentence or two what results you anticipate your research will produce.   What conclusions or applications do you hope to be able to explain?

Sample Abstract

Purpose – This study is one in a series which aims to examine the theories of actions developed and internalized by school principals that help them serve as successful leaders in the tumultuous accountability climate. The dearth of recent empirical research focusing on best practices of successful school principals in a post-NCLB nation sets the tone for and drives the study.

Methodology – An inductive exploratory study was designed to provide insight into how successful elementary school principals facilitate high levels of student achievement. The research was grounded by allowing principals to talk about what their actual practices as leaders.

Results – The principals provided a wealth of information that helped to identify common themes of practice across all 12 participants. The following categories represent the central themes: leadership with data; honesty and relationships; fostering ownership and collaboration; recognizing and developing leadership; and instructional awareness and involvement.

Conclusion – This study identified vital practices of successful elementary leaders that enabled them to facilitate high levels of student achievement and to dispel any notions that success is not possible in a high stakes environment. Interviews with the principals identified common themes of practice that, when collectively utilized, have led to high student achievement.

Qualities of a Good Abstract

Ø      It uses one or more well developed paragraphs. These paragraphs are unified, coherent, concise, and able to stand alone.

Ø      It uses an introduction, body and conclusion, which presents the article or report's purpose, results, conclusions and recommendations in that order.

Ø      It follows strictly the chronology of the article, paper, or report.

Ø      It provides logical connections between the information included.

Ø      It adds no new information, but simply summarizes the report.

Ø      It is understandable to a wide audience.

Ø      It often uses passive verbs to downplay the author but to emphasize the information.

Steps for Writing Effective Abstracts

To write an effective abstract, follow these steps:

1. Reread the article, paper, or report with the goal of abstracting in mind.
2. Look specifically for these main parts of the article, paper, or report:

Ø     Purpose

Ø     Methods

Ø     Scope

Ø     Results

Ø     Conclusions

Ø     Recommendation.

3. Use the headings, outline heads and table of contents as a guide to writing your abstract.

4. If you're writing an abstract about another person's article, paper, or report, the introduction and the summary are good places to begin.

5. After finished rereading the article, paper, or report, write a rough draft without looking back at the material (what you're abstracting).

6. Don't merely copy key sentences from the article, paper, or report: you'll put in too much or too little information.

7. Don't rely on the way material was phrased in the article, paper, or report: summarize information in a new way.

 Reference

• Robert A. Day, How to write and publish a scientific paper, Fourth edition, 1996, Cambridge University Press
• Creswell Johan W., Educational Research, Third Edition, New Jercy
• Adams John, Khan Hafiz, Raeside Robert, White David, Research Methods for social science students, 2007, Response books, New Delhi
• Barry W. Hamilton, Tips for writing a good Abstract  http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/bizwrite/abstracts.html
• LEO: Literacy Education Online, Writing Abstracts

       http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/bizwrite/abstracts.html