what to write in a thesis abstract page

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Writing an Abstract

What is an abstract.

An abstract is a 150- to 250-word paragraph that provides readers with a quick overview of your essay or report and its organization. It should express your thesis (or central idea) and your key points; it should also suggest any implications or applications of the research you discuss in the paper.

According to Carole Slade, an abstract is “a concise summary of the entire paper.”

The function of an abstract is to describe, not to evaluate or defend, the paper.

The abstract should begin with a brief but precise statement of the problem or issue, followed by a description of the research method and design, the major findings, and the conclusions reached.

The abstract should contain the most important key words referring to method and content: these facilitate access to the abstract by computer search and enable a reader to decide whether to read the entire dissertation.

Note: Your abstract should read like an overview of your paper, not a proposal for what you intended to study or accomplish. Avoid beginning your sentences with phrases like, “This essay will examine...” or “In this research paper I will attempt to prove...”

(The examples above are taken from Form and Style (10th ed.), by Carole Slade; The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers (5th ed.); and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.).)

Note: The following are specifications for an abstract in APA style, used in the social sciences, such as psychology or anthropology. If you are in another discipline, check with your professor about the format for the abstract.

Writing an Abstract for an IMRaD Paper

Many papers in the social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering sciences follow IMRaD structure: their main sections are entitled Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. People use the abstract to decide whether to read the rest of the paper, so the abstract for such a paper is important.

Because the abstract provides the highlights of the paper, you should draft your abstract after you have written a full draft of the paper. Doing so, you can summarize what you’ve already written in the paper as you compose the abstract.

Typically, an abstract for an IMRaD paper or presentation is one or two paragraphs long (120 – 500 words). Abstracts usually spend

25% of their space on the purpose and importance of the research (Introduction)

25% of their space on what you did (Methods)

35% of their space on what you found (Results)

15% of their space on the implications of the research

Try to avoid these common problems in IMRaD abstracts:

1. The abstract provides a statement of what the paper will ask or explore rather than what it found:

X This report examines the causes of oversleeping. (What did it find out about these causes?) √ Individuals oversleep because they go to bed too late, forget to set their alarms, and keep their rooms dark.

2. The abstract provides general categories rather than specific details in the findings:

X The study draws conclusions about which variables are most important in choosing a movie theater. (What, specifically, are these variables?)

√ The study concludes that the most important variables in choosing a movie theater are comfortable seats and high-quality popcorn.

The Dissertation Abstract: 101

How to write a clear & concise abstract (with examples).

By: Madeline Fink (MSc) Reviewed By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | June 2020

So, you’ve (finally) finished your thesis or dissertation or thesis. Now it’s time to write up your abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary). If you’re here, chances are you’re not quite sure what you need to cover in this section, or how to go about writing it. Fear not – we’ll explain it all in plain language , step by step , with clear examples .

Overview: The Dissertation/Thesis Abstract

What is an abstract?

Simply put, the abstract in a dissertation or thesis is a short (but well structured) summary that outlines the most important points of your research (i.e. the key takeaways). The abstract is usually 1 paragraph or about 300-500 words long (about one page), but but this can vary between universities.

A quick note regarding terminology – strictly speaking, an abstract and an executive summary are two different things when it comes to academic publications. Typically, an abstract only states what the research will be about, but doesn’t explore the findings – whereas an executive summary covers both . However, in the context of a dissertation or thesis, the abstract usually covers both, providing a summary of the full project.

In terms of content, a good dissertation abstract usually covers the following points:

We’ll explain each of these in more detail a little later in this post. Buckle up.

A good abstract should detail the purpose, the methodology, the key findings and the limitations of the research study.

What’s the purpose of the abstract?

A dissertation abstract has two main functions:

The first purpose is to inform potential readers of the main idea of your research without them having to read your entire piece of work. Specifically, it needs to communicate what your research is about (what were you trying to find out) and what your findings were . When readers are deciding whether to read your dissertation or thesis, the abstract is the first part they’ll consider.

The second purpose of the abstract is to inform search engines and dissertation databases as they index your dissertation or thesis. The keywords and phrases in your abstract (as well as your keyword list) will often be used by these search engines to categorize your work and make it accessible to users.

Simply put, your abstract is your shopfront display window – it’s what passers-by (both human and digital) will look at before deciding to step inside.

The abstract serves to inform both potential readers (people) and search engine bots of the contents of your research.

Why’s it so important?

The short answer – because most people don’t have time to read your full dissertation or thesis! Time is money, after all…

If you think back to when you undertook your literature review , you’ll quickly realise just how important abstracts are! Researchers reviewing the literature on any given topic face a mountain of reading, so they need to optimise their approach. A good dissertation abstract gives the reader a “TLDR” version of your work – it helps them decide whether to continue to read it in its entirety. So, your abstract, as your shopfront display window, needs to “sell” your research to time-poor readers.

You might be thinking, “but I don’t plan to publish my dissertation”. Even so, you still need to provide an impactful abstract for your markers. Your ability to concisely summarise your work is one of the things they’re assessing, so it’s vital to invest time and effort into crafting an enticing shop window.

A good abstract also has an added purpose for grad students . As a freshly minted graduate, your dissertation or thesis is often your most significant professional accomplishment and highlights where your unique expertise lies. Potential employers who want to know about this expertise are likely to only read the abstract (as opposed to reading your entire document) – so it needs to be good!

Think about it this way – if your thesis or dissertation were a book, then the abstract would be the blurb on the back cover. For better or worse, readers will absolutely judge your book by its cover .

Even if you have no intentions to publish your work, you still need to provide an impactful abstract for your markers.

How to write your abstract

As we touched on earlier, your abstract should cover four important aspects of your research: the purpose , methodology , findings , and implications . Therefore, the structure of your dissertation or thesis abstract needs to reflect these four essentials, in the same order. Let’s take a closer look at each of them, step by step:

Step 1: Describe the purpose and value of your research

Here you need to concisely explain the purpose and value of your research. In other words, you need to explain what your research set out to discover and why that’s important. When stating the purpose of research, you need to clearly discuss the following:

It’s essential to make this section extremely clear, concise and convincing . As the opening section, this is where you’ll “hook” your reader (marker) in and get them interested in your project. If you don’t put in the effort here, you’ll likely lose their interest.

Step 2: Briefly outline your study’s methodology

In this part of your abstract, you need to very briefly explain how you went about answering your research questions. In other words, what research design and methodology you adopted in your research. Some important questions to address here include:

Simply put, this section needs to address the “ how ” of your research. It doesn’t need to be lengthy (this is just a summary, after all), but it should clearly address the four questions above.

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Step 3: Present your key findings

Next, you need to briefly highlight the key findings . Your research likely produced a wealth of data and findings, so there may be a temptation to ramble here. However, this section is just about the key findings – in other words, the answers to the original questions that you set out to address.

Again, brevity and clarity are important here. You need to concisely present the most important findings for your reader.

Step 4: Describe the implications of your research

Have you ever found yourself reading through a large report, struggling to figure out what all the findings mean in terms of the bigger picture? Well, that’s the purpose of the implications section – to highlight the “so what?” of your research.

In this part of your abstract, you should address the following questions:

If you include these four essential ingredients in your dissertation abstract, you’ll be on headed in a good direction.

The purpose of the implications section is to highlight the "so what?" of your research. In other words, to highlight its value.

Example: Dissertation/thesis abstract

Here is an example of an abstract from a master’s thesis, with the purpose , methods , findings , and implications colour coded.

The U.S. citizenship application process is a legal and symbolic journey shaped by many cultural processes. This research project aims to bring to light the experiences of immigrants and citizenship applicants living in Dallas, Texas, to promote a better understanding of Dallas’ increasingly diverse population. Additionally, the purpose of this project is to provide insights to a specific client, the office of Dallas Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs, about Dallas’ lawful permanent residents who are eligible for citizenship and their reasons for pursuing citizenship status . The data for this project was collected through observation at various citizenship workshops and community events, as well as through semi-structured interviews with 14 U.S. citizenship applicants . Reasons for applying for U.S. citizenship discussed in this project include a desire for membership in U.S. society, access to better educational and economic opportunities, improved ease of travel and the desire to vote. Barriers to the citizenship process discussed in this project include the amount of time one must dedicate to the application, lack of clear knowledge about the process and the financial cost of the application. Other themes include the effects of capital on applicant’s experience with the citizenship process, symbolic meanings of citizenship, transnationalism and ideas of deserving and undeserving surrounding the issues of residency and U.S. citizenship. These findings indicate the need for educational resources and mentorship for Dallas-area residents applying for U.S. citizenship, as well as a need for local government programs that foster a sense of community among citizenship applicants and their neighbours.

Practical tips for writing your abstract

When crafting the abstract for your dissertation or thesis, the most powerful technique you can use is to try and put yourself in the shoes of a potential reader. Assume the reader is not an expert in the field, but is interested in the research area. In other words, write for the intelligent layman, not for the seasoned topic expert.

Start by trying to answer the question “why should I read this dissertation?”

Remember the WWHS.

Make sure you include the what , why , how , and so what of your research in your abstract:

Keep it simple.

Use terminology appropriate to your field of study, but don’t overload your abstract with big words and jargon that cloud the meaning and make your writing difficult to digest. A good abstract should appeal to all levels of potential readers and should be a (relatively) easy read. Remember, you need to write for the intelligent layman.

Be specific.

When writing your abstract, clearly outline your most important findings and insights and don’t worry about “giving away” too much about your research – there’s no need to withhold information. This is the one way your abstract is not like a blurb on the back of a book – the reader should be able to clearly understand the key takeaways of your thesis or dissertation after reading the abstract. Of course, if they then want more detail, they need to step into the restaurant and try out the menu.

Psst… there’s more (for free)

This post is part of our research writing mini-course, which covers everything you need to get started with your dissertation, thesis or research project.

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The Dissertation Abstract: 5 Costly Mistakes To Avoid

10 Comments

This was so very useful, thank you Caroline.

Much appreciated.

This was so useful. Thank you very much.

This was really useful in writing the abstract for my dissertation. Thank you Caroline.

Very clear and helpful information. Thanks so much!

Fabulous information – succinct, simple information which made my life easier after the most stressful and rewarding 21 months of completing this Masters Degree.

Very clear, specific and to the point guidance. Thanks a lot. Keep helping people 🙂

Thanks for this nice and helping document.

Waw!!, this is a master piece to say the least.

Very helpful and enjoyable

Thank you for sharing the very important and usful information. Best Bahar

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What is a Thesis or Dissertation Abstract?

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines an abstract in academic writing as being “ a few sentences that give the main ideas in an article or a scientific paper ” and the Collins English Dictionary says “ an abstract of an article, document, or speech is a short piece of writing that gives the main points of it ”.

Whether you’re writing up your Master’s dissertation or PhD thesis, the abstract will be a key element of this document that you’ll want to make sure you give proper attention to.

What is the Purpose of an Abstract?

The aim of a thesis abstract is to give the reader a broad overview of what your research project was about and what you found that was novel, before he or she decides to read the entire thesis. The reality here though is that very few people will read the entire thesis, and not because they’re necessarily disinterested but because practically it’s too large a document for most people to have the time to read. The exception to this is your PhD examiner, however know that even they may not read the entire length of the document.

Some people may still skip to and read specific sections throughout your thesis such as the methodology, but the fact is that the abstract will be all that most read and will therefore be the section they base their opinions about your research on. In short, make sure you write a good, well-structured abstract.

How Long Should an Abstract Be?

If you’re a PhD student, having written your 100,000-word thesis, the abstract will be the 300 word summary included at the start of the thesis that succinctly explains the motivation for your study (i.e. why this research was needed), the main work you did (i.e. the focus of each chapter), what you found (the results) and concluding with how your research study contributed to new knowledge within your field.

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States of America, once famously said:

The point here is that it’s easier to talk open-endedly about a subject that you know a lot about than it is to condense the key points into a 10-minute speech; the same applies for an abstract. Three hundred words is not a lot of words which makes it even more difficult to condense three (or more) years of research into a coherent, interesting story.

What Makes a Good PhD Thesis Abstract?

Whilst the abstract is one of the first sections in your PhD thesis, practically it’s probably the last aspect that you’ll ending up writing before sending the document to print. The reason being that you can’t write a summary about what you did, what you found and what it means until you’ve done the work.

A good abstract is one that can clearly explain to the reader in 300 words:

Another way to think of this structure is:

Following this ‘formulaic’ approach to writing the abstract should hopefully make it a little easier to write but you can already see here that there’s a lot of information to convey in a very limited number of words.

How Do You Write a Good PhD Thesis Abstract?

The biggest challenge you’ll have is getting all the 6 points mentioned above across in your abstract within the limit of 300 words . Your particular university may give some leeway in going a few words over this but it’s good practice to keep within this; the art of succinctly getting your information across is an important skill for a researcher to have and one that you’ll be called on to use regularly as you write papers for peer review.

Keep It Concise

Every word in the abstract is important so make sure you focus on only the key elements of your research and the main outcomes and significance of your project that you want the reader to know about. You may have come across incidental findings during your research which could be interesting to discuss but this should not happen in the abstract as you simply don’t have enough words. Furthermore, make sure everything you talk about in your thesis is actually described in the main thesis.

Make a Unique Point Each Sentence

Keep the sentences short and to the point. Each sentence should give the reader new, useful information about your research so there’s no need to write out your project title again. Give yourself one or two sentences to introduce your subject area and set the context for your project. Then another sentence or two to explain the gap in the knowledge; there’s no need or expectation for you to include references in the abstract.

Explain Your Research

Some people prefer to write their overarching aim whilst others set out their research questions as they correspond to the structure of their thesis chapters; the approach you use is up to you, as long as the reader can understand what your dissertation or thesis had set out to achieve. Knowing this will help the reader better understand if your results help to answer the research questions or if further work is needed.

Keep It Factual

Keep the content of the abstract factual; that is to say that you should avoid bringing too much or any opinion into it, which inevitably can make the writing seem vague in the points you’re trying to get across and even lacking in structure.

Write, Edit and Then Rewrite

Spend suitable time editing your text, and if necessary, completely re-writing it. Show the abstract to others and ask them to explain what they understand about your research – are they able to explain back to you each of the 6 structure points, including why your project was needed, the research questions and results, and the impact it had on your research field? It’s important that you’re able to convey what new knowledge you contributed to your field but be mindful when writing your abstract that you don’t inadvertently overstate the conclusions, impact and significance of your work.

Thesis and Dissertation Abstract Examples

Perhaps the best way to understand how to write a thesis abstract is to look at examples of what makes a good and bad abstract.

Example of A Bad Abstract

Let’s start with an example of a bad thesis abstract:

In this project on “The Analysis of the Structural Integrity of 3D Printed Polymers for use in Aircraft”, my research looked at how 3D printing of materials can help the aviation industry in the manufacture of planes. Plane parts can be made at a lower cost using 3D printing and made lighter than traditional components. This project investigated the structural integrity of EBM manufactured components, which could revolutionise the aviation industry.

What Makes This a Bad Abstract

Hopefully you’ll have spotted some of the reasons this would be considered a poor abstract, not least because the author used up valuable words by repeating the lengthy title of the project in the abstract.

Working through our checklist of the 6 key points you want to convey to the reader:

This is an extreme example but is a good way to illustrate just how unhelpful a poorly written abstract can be. At only 71 words long, it definitely hasn’t maximised the amount of information that could be presented and the what they have presented has lacked clarity and structure.

A final point to note is the use of the EBM acronym, which stands for Electron Beam Melting in the context of 3D printing; this is a niche acronym for the author to assume that the reader would know the meaning of. It’s best to avoid acronyms in your abstract all together even if it’s something that you might expect most people to know about, unless you specifically define the meaning first.

Example of A Good Abstract

Having seen an example of a bad thesis abstract, now lets look at an example of a good PhD thesis abstract written about the same (fictional) project:

Additive manufacturing (AM) of titanium alloys has the potential to enable cheaper and lighter components to be produced with customised designs for use in aircraft engines. Whilst the proof-of-concept of these have been promising, the structural integrity of AM engine parts in response to full thrust and temperature variations is not clear.

The primary aim of this project was to determine the fracture modes and mechanisms of AM components designed for use in Boeing 747 engines. To achieve this an explicit finite element (FE) model was developed to simulate the environment and parameters that the engine is exposed to during flight. The FE model was validated using experimental data replicating the environmental parameters in a laboratory setting using ten AM engine components provided by the industry sponsor. The validated FE model was then used to investigate the extent of crack initiation and propagation as the environment parameters were adjusted.

This project was the first to investigate fracture patterns in AM titanium components used in aircraft engines; the key finding was that the presence of cavities within the structures due to errors in the printing process, significantly increased the risk of fracture. Secondly, the simulations showed that cracks formed within AM parts were more likely to worsen and lead to component failure at subzero temperatures when compared to conventionally manufactured parts. This has demonstrated an important safety concern which needs to be addressed before AM parts can be used in commercial aircraft.

What Makes This a Good Abstract

Having read this ‘good abstract’ you should have a much better understand about what the subject area is about, where the gap in the knowledge was, the aim of the project, the methods that were used, key results and finally the significance of these results. To break these points down further, from this good abstract we now know that:

The abstract text has a much clearer flow through these different points in how it’s written and has made much better use of the available word count. Acronyms have even been used twice in this good abstract but they were clearly defined the first time they were introduced in the text so that there was no confusion about their meaning.

The abstract you write for your dissertation or thesis should succinctly explain to the reader why the work of your research was needed, what you did, what you found and what it means. Most people that come across your thesis, including any future employers, are likely to read only your abstract. Even just for this reason alone, it’s so important that you write the best abstract you can; this will not only convey your research effectively but also put you in the best light possible as a researcher.

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How to Write an Abstract in APA Format: Steps and Examples

Place the abstract on a separate page, after the title page but before the introduction section .

APA Formatting Style for Abstracts

Include the running head aligned to the left at the top of the page (professional papers only) and page number. Note, student papers do not require a running head. On the first line, center the heading “Abstract” and bold (do not underlined or italicize). Do not indent the single abstract paragraph (which begins one line below the section title). Double-space the text. Use Times New Roman font in 12 pt. Set one-inch (or 2.54 cm) margins. If you include a “keywords” section at the end of the abstract, indent the first line and italicize the word “Keywords” while leaving the keywords themselves without any formatting.

APA Format Abstract Example

When to write an abstract, structure of the abstract.

[*NOTE: DO NOT separate the components of the abstract – it should be written as a single paragraph. This section is separated to illustrate the abstract’s structure.]

1) The Rationale if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'simplypsychology_org-banner-1','ezslot_11',611,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-simplypsychology_org-banner-1-0');

2) the method, 3) the results, 4) the conclusion / implications, the above examples of abstracts are from the following papers:.

Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Sochalski, J. A., Busse, R., Clarke, H., ... & Shamian, J. (2001). Nurses’ reports on hospital care in five countries . Health affairs, 20(3) , 43-53.

The Abstract SHOULD NOT contain:

How to reference this article:.

How to Write an Abstract for Your Paper

An abstract is a self-contained summary of a larger work, such as research and scientific papers or general academic papers . Usually situated at the beginning of such works, the abstract is meant to “preview” the bigger document. This helps readers and other researchers find what they’re looking for and understand the magnitude of what’s discussed.

Like the trailer for a movie, an abstract can determine whether or not someone becomes interested in your work. Aside from enticing readers, abstracts are also useful organizational tools that help other researchers and academics find papers relevant to their work.

Because of their specific requirements, it’s best to know a little about how to write an abstract before doing it. This guide explains the basics of writing an abstract for beginners, including what to put in them and some expert tips on writing them.

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What’s the purpose of an abstract?

The main purpose of an abstract is to help people decide whether or not to read the entire academic paper. After all, titles can be misleading and don’t get into specifics like methodology or results. Imagine paying for and downloading a hundred-page dissertation on what you believe is relevant to your research on the Caucasus region—only to find out it’s about the other Georgia.

Likewise, abstracts can encourage financial support for grant proposals and fundraising. If you lack the funding for your research, your proposal abstract would outline the costs and benefits of your project. This way, potential investors could make an informed decision, or jump to the relevant section of your proposal to see the details.

Abstracts are also incredibly useful for indexing. They make it easier for researchers to find precisely what they need without wasting time skimming actual papers. And because abstracts sometimes touch on the results of a paper, researchers and students can see right away if the paper can be used as evidence or a citation to support their own theses.

Nowadays, abstracts are also important for search engine optimization (SEO)—namely, for getting digital copies of your paper to appear in search engine results. If someone Googles the words used in your abstract, the link to your paper will appear higher in the search results, making it more likely to get clicks.

How long should an abstract be?

Abstracts are typically 100–250 words and comprise one or two paragraphs . However, more complex papers require more complex abstracts, so you may need to stretch it out to cover everything. It’s not uncommon to see abstracts that fill an entire page, especially in advanced scientific works.

When do you need to write an abstract?

Abstracts are only for lengthy, often complicated texts, as with scientific and research papers. Similar academic papers—including doctorate dissertations, master’s theses, or elaborate literary criticisms—may also demand them as well. If you’re learning how to write a thesis paper for college , you’ll want to know how to write an abstract, too.

Specifically, most scientific journals and grant proposals require an abstract for submissions. Conference papers often involve them as well, as do book proposals and other fundraising endeavors.

However, most writing, in particular casual and creative writing, doesn’t need an abstract.

Types of abstracts

There are two main types of abstracts: informative and descriptive. Most abstracts fall into the informative category, with descriptive abstracts reserved for less formal papers.

Informative abstracts

Informative abstracts discuss all the need-to-know details of your paper: purpose, method, scope, results, and conclusion. They’re the go-to format for scientific and research papers.

Informative abstracts attempt to outline the entire paper without going into specifics. They’re written for quick reference, favor efficiency over style, and tend to lack personality.

Descriptive abstracts

Descriptive abstracts are a little more personable and focus more on enticing readers. They don’t care as much for data and details, and instead read more like overviews that don’t give too much away. Think of descriptive abstracts like synopses on the back of a book.

Because they don’t delve too deep, descriptive abstracts are shorter than informative abstracts, closer to 100 words, and in a single paragraph. In particular, they don’t cover areas like results or conclusions — you have to read the paper to satisfy your curiosity.

Since they’re so informal, descriptive abstracts are more at home in artistic criticisms and entertaining papers than in scientific articles.

What to include in an abstract

As part of a formal document, informative abstracts adhere to more scientific and data-based structures. Like the paper itself, abstracts should include all of the IMRaD elements: Introduction , Methods , Results , and Discussion .

This handy acronym is a great way to remember what parts to include in your abstract. There are some other areas you might need as well, which we also explain at the end.

Introduction

The beginning of your abstract should provide a broad overview of the entire project, just like the thesis statement. You can also use this section of your abstract to write out your hypothesis or research question.

In the one or two sentences at the top, you want to disclose the purpose of your paper, such as what problem it attempts to solve and why the reader should be interested. You’ll also need to explain the context around it, including any historical references.

This section covers the methodology of your research, or how you collected the data. This is crucial for verifying the credibility of your paper — abstracts with no methodology or suspicious methods won’t be taken seriously by the scientific community.

If you’re using original research, you should disclose which analytical methods you used to collect your data, including descriptions of instruments, software, or participants. If you’re expounding on previous data, this is a good place to cite which data and from where to avoid plagiarism .

For informative abstracts, it’s okay to “give away the ending.” In one or two sentences, summarize the results of your paper and the conclusive outcome. Remember that the goal of most abstracts is to inform, not entice, so mentioning your results here can help others better classify and categorize your paper.

This is often the biggest section of your abstract. It involves most of the concrete details surrounding your paper, so don’t be afraid to give it an extra sentence or two compared to the others.

The discussion section explains the ultimate conclusion and its ramifications. Based on the data and examination, what can we take away from this paper? The discussion section often goes beyond the scope of the project itself, including the implications of the research or what it adds to its field as a whole.

Other inclusions

Aside from the IMRaD aspects, your abstract may require some of the following areas:

If you’re ever in doubt about what to include in your abstract, just remember that it should act as a succinct summary of your entire paper. Include all the relevant points, but only the highlights.

Abstract formats

In general, abstracts are pretty uniform since they’re exclusive to formal documents. That said, there are a couple of technical formats you should be aware of.

APA format

The American Psychological Association (APA) has specific guidelines for their papers in the interest of consistency. Here’s what the 7th edition Publication Manual has to say about formatting abstracts:

Abstract keywords have their own particular guidelines as well:

Structured abstracts

Structured abstracts are a relatively new format for scientific papers, originating in the late 1980s. Basically, you just separate your abstract into smaller subsections — typically based on the IMRaD categories — and label them accordingly.

The idea is to enhance scannability; for example, if readers are only interested in the methodology, they can skip right to the methodology. The actual writing of structured abstracts, though, is more-or-less the same as traditional ones.

Unstructured abstracts are still the convention, though, so double-check beforehand to see which one is preferred.

3 expert tips for writing abstracts

1 autonomous works.

Abstracts are meant to be self-contained, autonomous works. They should act as standalone documents, often with a beginning, middle, and end. The thinking is that, even if you never read the actual paper, you’ll still understand the entire scope of the project just from the abstract.

Keep that in mind when you write your abstract: it should be a microcosm of the entire piece, with all the key points, but none of the details.

2 Write the abstract last

Because the abstract comes first, it’s tempting to write it first. However, writing the abstract at the end is more effective since you have a better understanding of what is actually in your paper. You’ll also discover new implications as you write, and perhaps even shift the structure a bit. In any event, you’re better prepared to write the abstract once the main paper is completed.

3 Abstracts are not introductions

A common misconception is to write your abstract like an introduction — after all, it’s the first section of your paper. However, abstracts follow a different set of guidelines, so don’t make this mistake.

Abstracts are summaries, designed to encapsulate the findings of your paper and assist with organization and searchability. A good abstract includes background information and context, not to mention results and conclusions. Abstracts are also self-contained, and can be read independently of the rest of the paper.

Introductions, by contrast, serve to gradually bring the reader up to speed on the topic. Their goals are less clinical and more personable, with room to elaborate and build anticipation. Introductions are also an integral part of the paper, and feel incomplete if read independently.

Give your formal writing the My Fair Lady treatment

Formal papers — the kind that requires abstracts — need formal language. But for most of us, that means changing the way we communicate or even think. You may want to consider the My Fair Lady treatment, which is to say, having a skilled mentor coach what you say.

Grammarly Premium now offers a new Set Goals feature that helps you tailor your language to your audience or intention. All you have to do is set the goals of a particular piece of writing and Grammarly will customize your feedback accordingly. For example, you can select the knowledge level of your readers, the formality of the tone, and the domain or field you’re writing for (i.e., academic, creative, business, etc.). You can even set a tone to sound more analytical or respectful!

Here’s a tip: Grammarly’s Citation Generator ensures your essays have flawless citations and no plagiarism. Try it for citing abstracts in Chicago , MLA , and APA styles.

Planning to Write

Q: How to write an abstract for my thesis?

Asked by ismail boudine on 20 Apr, 2019

The abstract of a thesis or dissertation is a summary of the entire thesis and presents in a highly condensed form, the different sections or elements of your thesis. The abstract is a crucial part of your thesis as anyone who comes across your work will likely read the abstract first to decide whether your work will be worth reading. The examiner will also most likely read your abstract to form an idea about your thesis. Therefore, it is important that you spend time and effort to write a good abstract.

Since an abstract is essentially the summary of your entire thesis, it is best to write the abstract at the end, once you are done with the entire thesis. That way, you will have a clear idea of what each chapter of your thesis is about. The abstract of a thesis or dissertation is usually around 300-350 words long and is written in a separate page after the title page of the thesis.

The abstract of a thesis should include the following elements:

1. Motivation and problem statement: You should begin your abstract by explaining the problem you are studying, the purpose behind your study, and the study objectives.

2. Methodology: You should then explain the approach you have used in your investigation, the methods used to collect data, and the nature of evidence expected.

3. Results: The abstract of a scientific work should include specific data that indicates the results of your research. Non-scientific studies generally discuss the results in a more generic way.

4. Conclusions/implications: Explain the larger implications of your findings, especially with regard to the problem you have stated at the beginning. Also mention how your work adds to the existing body of knowledge on the topic and how it provides direction for future research.

You will also find this course useful: A simple guide on how to write a thesis

Recent Searches

How to Write an Abstract

An abstract of a work, usually of an essay, is a concise summary of its main points. It is meant to concentrate the argument of a work, presenting it as clearly as possible.

The abstract often appears after the title and before the main body of an essay. If you are writing an abstract as part of an assignment, you should check with your instructor about where to place it.

Here are a few guidelines to follow when composing an abstract:

In what follows, the authors have written an effective abstract that adheres to the basic principles above:

Literary critics have long imagined that T. S. Eliot’s The Sacred Wood (1920) shaped the canon and methods of countless twentieth-century classrooms. This essay turns instead to the classroom that made The Sacred Wood : the Modern English Literature extension school tutorial that Eliot taught to working-class adults between 1916 and 1919. Contextualizing Eliot’s tutorial within the extension school movement shows how the ethos and practices of the Workers’ Educational Association shaped his teaching. Over the course of three years, Eliot and his students reimagined canonical literature as writing by working poets for working people—a model of literary history that fully informed his canon reformation in The Sacred Wood . This example demonstrates how attention to teaching changes the history of English literary study. It further reveals how all kinds of institutions, not just elite universities, have shaped the discipline’s methods and canons. (Buurma and Heffernan)

This abstract uses the first two sentences to establish the essay’s place in its field of study and to suggest how it intervenes in existing scholarship. The syntax is direct and simple. The third sentence begins to outline how the authors will support their argument. They aim to demonstrate the relevance of Eliot’s teaching to his ideas about literature, and so they move next to discuss some of the details of that teaching. Finally, the abstract concludes by telling us about the consequences of this argument. The conclusion both points to new directions for research and tells us why we should read the essay.

Buurma, Rachel Sagner, and Laura Heffernan. Abstract of “The Classroom in the Canon: T. S. Eliot’s Modern English Literature Extension Course for Working People and The Sacred Wood. ” PMLA , vol. 133, no. 2, Mar. 2018, p. 463.

Estate Best 18 July 2021 AT 05:07 AM

Please how will I write an abstract for my own poem collections?

Your e-mail address will not be published

Marc Simoes 01 April 2022 AT 04:04 PM

I am teaching students how to format and write an abstract, but I find no precise guidelines in the MLA Handbook. Should the first word of the abstract body text begin with the word "Abstract" followed by a period or colon and then the abstract content? Should the word "Abstract" be underlined? Over the years, I was taught both of these ways by different instructors, but I haven't found any definitive instructions, and now my students are asking me the correct format. Please help! Thank you!

Joseph Wallace 12 April 2022 AT 01:04 PM

Although publishers like the MLA will use their own house style guidelines for abstracts in published material, there is no one correct way for students to format their abstracts. Instructors should decide what works best for their classes and assignments.

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If you have a question for the MLA's editors, submit it to Ask the MLA!

Preparing for a binge writing session

It’s been a busy month here at Thesis Whisperer HQ… I am doing #LazyPost this month by recycling a bit of my teaching content.

This post is about organising yourself for a ‘binge writing’ session.

While ‘snack writing’ (writing small amounts, consistently) is good practice, there comes a time when deadlines require the strict application of bottom to seat. These binge writing sessions are much better if you prepare well in advance.

As I write this, I’m running a thesis bootcamp weekend at ANU , where we challenge people to write 20,000 words of their thesis. Long time readers may recall Liam Connall’s post about the general concept of bootcamps (Drop and give me 20,000 (words)!) I encourage you to read that post if you want to learn more about what a bootcamp is and how to run one.

I want to acknowledge Liam, along with Peta Freestone and Katherine Firth for their excellent work in developing the bootcamp concept, particularly their idea of generating a ‘thesis map’. At ANU, we will not let people come to bootcamp until we have received and reviewed their map.

The rest of this post is the text from my Thesis Map handout. I hope this post will be useful to others who are planning bootcamps. Or maybe you want to bootcamp yourself! This planning activity can help you make the best of an uninterrupted stretch of time to really progress your writing.

If you like, you can skip the post and go straight to the formatted version of this hand out, which might be easier to read (WordPress does crappy tables)

————————-

Why are we asking you to do this activity?

We want you to make a plan to write at least 20,000 words. These words can all be in a couple of specific chapters, or they can be parts of all the chapters. A thesis map helps you organise the writing as a list of actionable things to do, rather than a bunch of thoughts and ideas swirling around in your head.

The Thesis Road map document is for you, but we will be reviewing your map to assess your support needs. If we think your map is not complete enough, we will be in touch. You can make this document in MS word or your preferred program, but you’ll need to use one that handles tables.

Making a useful thesis road map will take you at least a couple of days. Some people find it can take longer than a week.

As tempted as you will be, please don’t rush through this step. People tell us the thesis road map is a total game changer and continues to be valuable as they finish their thesis. Inger has used this method of organising herself (and others) through eight published books: it works.

Step One: produce some summary statements

Start with some overall direction statements at the top of the page – this helps us understand your overall topic and match you with people with similar interests.

Complete the following sentences and include them as bullet points at the top of the document:

Step Two: prepare a writing table.

Pull out your latest thesis annual progress report – it should contain a chapter outline. If it doesn’t, or it’s out of date, you’ll need to draft a new one. We want you to turn this chapter list into an actionable writing plan using the table format below.

We find this format works for most people, but feel free to modify it if you want to add more information.

You can attempt to map out all the chapters in detail (highly recommended), or you can just concentrate on a few where you want to add the most words.

Remember, you just need to plan out about 20,000 words of work. Here’s what to include in your table:

Thesis Title:

Proposed Thesis Length: (be as specific as you can – don’t just say ‘100,000’ because that’s the maximum.)

Due date: (this should be the date that you plan to submit to the university – it may be before or after the date that is currently in the system as your maximum completion time)

List of chapters: (include your current chapter list here, with proposed word counts if possible)

Chapter to work on at Bootcamp – Title and Synopsis

(No more than 200 words.)

Briefly describe the content in this chapter and what it contributes to the overall thesis. How does it progress the argument, answer your research questions and/or inform the reader about the topic?

State of the subsections of my chapter

Every chapter will have subsections. Most thesis subsections are 500 – 2000 words, but they can be longer or shorter, depending on the topic. (i f you don’t yet have subsections, look at the guidance below about how to outline.)

Now colour your subsection headings:

Blue – needs editing, but generally ok. Brown – I see the ‘through line’ here. It needs some thinking work, but I generally know what it’s about and where my argument/explanation needs to go. Red – I have no idea what goes in here. Gah!

Next Actions / Notes

Assess what you have in your subsections. Write some notes about the writing that needs to be done. These notes are for you – they don’t have to make sense to us.

Here’s a formatted version of this hand out with some sample text so you can see how it all looks in a table.

The Brown parts are the best bits to tackle in Bootcamp!

Brown bits are the areas of your thesis ripe for adding words – especially with the ‘first draft’ mentality we will be pushing at Bootcamp. Use these bits as a basis for planning where you want to add words.

The blue bits are very tempting, but you might find yourself editing and not progressing the word count. It’s good to know where they are so you don’t get drawn in too much.

The red bits can be a bit daunting when you are under pressure, but you might be surprised what comes out when you start writing in the way we encourage you to at bootcamp. Our philosophy is ‘make a mess, then clean it up’. Your thesis road map table can act as a way to capture thoughts and ideas about what might be in the red bits as you write.

Depending on how long you have before boot camp starts, you might be able to do work on the red bits and move more of them into brown. Go for it!

Help please! My thesis is too much of a mess to make a map!

Relax, this is normal. We find a surprising number of people have not thought about their thesis as a whole for a while (or ever). If you found your materials and chapters are not planned enough to put in the table, here’s two techniques to create a bit more order:

Technique one: The Snowflake method when the chapter is still really formless

The snowflake method enables you to plan the ‘story spines’ of your writing, while keeping your plan flexible and responsive to change.

Begin expanding your chapter outline by including a short synopsis of around 300 – 400 words. This is essentially an abstract for the chapter. Ask yourself:

When you have the synopsis ready, make a list of provisional subheadings under the chapters. This is the second level of organisation. These subheadings should show the order in which you plan to arrange material you are writing. Add a provisional word count for each subheading (ideally you should have no more than 2 pages between each subheading).

Under each subheading, try to put in a third level of detail to your plan. This should be a series of sentences that act as a ‘storyline’: they capture what each paragraph under the subheading will cover.

You can start this third level with a messy list of whatever you think should go under the subheading. This can be notes to yourself, reminders, bits of data and analysis, lists of literature – whatever you like. Remember, as a general rule academic writing should contain some or all of the following elements:

Now have a go at putting this detail into the map format above. Make sure you chase up as much of this detail as you can before you come to Bootcamp.

Technique Two: The reverse outline method when you have a bunch of messy stuff that doesn’t look like a chapter yet.

This exercise is adapted from materials published on the Explorations in Style blog by Rachel Cayley and on various writings by Dr Claire Aitchinson on the ‘story line’ technique.

A reverse outline is a plan made from an existing draft. The idea of the reverse outline is to diagnose any potential problems with your arguments and identify ways forward without mucking around too much with the existing text and potentially destroying good work.

Here is a step-by-step approach:

When you are happy with your story line, have another go at filling in the table. Before the bootcamp, make some time to cut and paste anything useful from your existing writing back into a new document and put comments over it about where you want to add words.

I’m a historian / Lawyer / Mathematician: none of this will work for me.

Hello lovely people! I have heard this complaint consistently over the last 10 years.

First of all – I hear you, but some of it will work. Give it a go at least. Send us whatever you manage to do with a note at the top about your circumstances.

Mathematicians: it’s usually the stopping to format equations that gets in the way of ‘flow’. We recommend just drawing it on a piece of paper, snapping a photo and inserting that into your document as a placeholder. However, sometimes the work IS the creation/formatting of the equations – if that’s the case for you, chat to us. We can ‘count’ equations as words so you still get the rewards and a sense of how much progress you have made. Identify which ones you need to make before you come to bootcamp.

Historians / Lawyers: your biggest problem seems to be marshalling sources with a high degree of precision. I know doing this at bootcamp, without all your physical stuff, can be a source of anxiety. Also, the nature of the work means you feel the need to check stuff all the time, breaking writing flow.

To get the most out of Bootcamp, you need to find ways to minimize this ‘churn’ by treating the writing like a stir-fry: cut up your ingredients as much as you can in advance. We recommend you look at the notes for ‘Building a second brain for writing’ , particularly slide 18, for some ideas about managing your information down into digestible ‘chunks’. If you are excited about Obsidian and want some tips, email Inger (she can nerd for Australia about it. Hey, if you want to do all your bootcamp writing in Obsidian after watching that video, we witness you!)

Drop and give me 20,000 (words)!

The feedback loop of shit

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Harvard University - The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Formatting Your Dissertation

On this page:

Language of the Dissertation

Page and text requirements, body of text, tables, figures, and captions, dissertation acceptance certificate, copyright statement.

Table of Contents

Front and Back Matter

Supplemental material, dissertations comprising previously published works, top ten formatting errors, further questions.

Related Contacts and Forms

When preparing the dissertation for submission, students must follow strict formatting requirements. Any deviation from these requirements may lead to rejection of the dissertation and delay in the conferral of the degree.

The language of the dissertation is ordinarily English, although some departments whose subject matter involves foreign languages may accept a dissertation written in a language other than English.

Most dissertations are 100 to 300 pages in length. All dissertations should be divided into appropriate sections, and long dissertations may need chapters, main divisions, and subdivisions.

8½ x 11 inches, unless a musical score is included

At least 1 inch for all margins

Body of text: double spacing

Block quotations, footnotes, and bibliographies: single spacing within each entry but double spacing between each entry

Table of contents, list of tables, list of figures or illustrations, and lengthy tables: single spacing may be used

FONTS AND POINT SIZE

Use 10-12 point size. Fonts must be embedded in the PDF file to ensure all characters display correctly.

Recommended Fonts

If you are unsure whether your chosen font will display correctly, use one of the following fonts:

If fonts are not embedded, non-English characters may not appear as intended. Fonts embedded improperly will be published to DASH as-is. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that fonts are embedded properly prior to submission.

Instructions for Embedding Fonts

To embed your fonts in recent versions of word, follow these instructions from microsoft:.

Click the File tab and then click Options .

In the left column, select the Save tab.

At the bottom, under Preserve fidelity when sharing this document , select the Embed fonts in the file check box.

Clear the Do not embed common system fonts check box.

For reference, below are some instructions from ProQuest UMI for embedding fonts in older file formats:

To embed your fonts in Microsoft Word 2010:

In the File pull-down menu click on Options .

Choose Save on the left sidebar.

Note that when saving as a PDF, make sure to go to “more options” and save as “PDF/A compliant”

To embed your fonts in Microsoft Word 2007:

Using Microsoft Word on a Mac:

Microsoft Word 2008 on a Mac OS X computer will automatically embed your fonts while converting your document to a PDF file.

If you are converting to PDF using Acrobat Professional (instructions courtesy of the Graduate Thesis Office at Iowa State University):

The font used in the body of the text must also be used in headers, page numbers, and footnotes. Exceptions are made only for tables and figures created with different software and inserted into the document.

Tables and figures must be placed as close as possible to their first mention in the text. They may be placed on a page with no text above or below, or they may be placed directly into the text. If a table or a figure is alone on a page (with no narrative), it should be centered within the margins on the page. Tables may take up more than one page as long as they obey all rules about margins. Tables and figures referred to in the text may not be placed at the end of the chapter or at the end of the dissertation.

Given the standards of the discipline, dissertations in the Department of History of Art and Architecture and the Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning often place illustrations at the end of the dissertation.

Figure and table numbering must be continuous throughout the dissertation or by chapter (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, etc.). Two figures or tables cannot be designated with the same number. If you have repeating images that you need to cite more than once, label them with their number and A, B, etc.

Headings should be placed at the top of tables. While no specific rules for the format of table headings and figure captions are required, a consistent format must be used throughout the dissertation (contact your department for style manuals appropriate to the field).

Captions should appear at the bottom of any figures. If the figure takes up the entire page, the caption should be placed alone on the preceding page, centered vertically and horizontally within the margins.

Each page receives a separate page number. When a figure or table title is on a preceding page, the second and subsequent pages of the figure or table should say, for example, “Figure 5 (Continued).” In such an instance, the list of figures or tables will list the page number containing the title. The word “figure” should be written in full (not abbreviated), and the “F” should be capitalized (e.g., Figure 5). In instances where the caption continues on a second page, the “(Continued)” notation should appear on the second and any subsequent page. The figure/table and the caption are viewed as one entity and the numbering should show correlation between all pages. Each page must include a header.

Landscape orientation figures and tables must be positioned correctly and bound at the top so that the top of the figure or table will be at the left margin. Figure and table headings/captions are placed with the same orientation as the figure or table when on the same page. When on a separate page, headings/captions are always placed in portrait orientation, regardless of the orientation of the figure or table. Page numbers are always placed as if the figure were vertical on the page.

If a graphic artist does the figures, GSAS will accept lettering done by the artist only within the figure. Figures done with software are acceptable if the figures are clear and legible. Legends and titles done by the same process as the figures will be accepted if they too are clear, legible, and run at least 10 or 12 characters per inch. Otherwise, legends and captions should be printed with the same font used in the text.

Original illustrations, photographs, and fine arts prints may be scanned and included, centered between the margins on a page with no text above or below.

Use of Third-Party Content

In addition to the student's own writing, dissertations often contain third-party content or in-copyright content owned by parties other than you, the student who authored the dissertation. The Office for Scholarly Communication recommends consulting the information below about fair use, which allows individuals to use in-copyright content, on a limited basis and for specific purposes, without seeking permission from copyright holders.

Because your dissertation will be made available for online distribution through DASH , Harvard's open-access repository, it is important that any third-party content in it may be made available in this way.

Fair Use and Copyright

What is fair use?

Fair use is a provision in copyright law that allows the use of a certain amount of copyrighted material without seeking permission. Fair use is format- and media-agnostic. This means fair use may apply to images (including photographs, illustrations, and paintings), quoting at length from literature, videos, and music regardless of the format.

How do I determine whether my use of an image or other third-party content in my dissertation is fair use?

There are four factors you will need to consider when making a fair use claim.

1) For what purpose is your work going to be used?

Nonprofit, educational, scholarly, or research use favors fair use. Commercial, non-educational uses, often do not favor fair use.

A transformative use (repurposing or recontextualizing the in-copyright material) favors fair use. Examining, analyzing, and explicating the material in a meaningful way, so as to enhance a reader's understanding, strengthens your fair use argument. In other words, can you make the point in the thesis without using, for instance, an in-copyright image? Is that image necessary to your dissertation? If not, perhaps, for copyright reasons, you should not include the image.

2) What is the nature of the work to be used?

Published, fact-based content favors fair use and includes scholarly analysis in published academic venues.

Creative works, including artistic images, are afforded more protection under copyright, and depending on your use in light of the other factors, may be less likely to favor fair use; however, this does not preclude considerations of fair use for creative content altogether.

3) How much of the work is going to be used?

Small, or less significant, amounts favor fair use. A good rule of thumb is to use only as much of the in-copyright content as necessary to serve your purpose. Can you use a thumbnail rather than a full-resolution image? Can you use a black-and-white photo instead of color? Can you quote select passages instead of including several pages of the content? These simple changes bolster your fair use of the material.

4) What potential effect on the market for that work may your use have?

If there is a market for licensing this exact use or type of educational material, then this weighs against fair use. If however, there would likely be no effect on the potential commercial market, or if it is not possible to obtain permission to use the work, then this favors fair use.

For further assistance with fair use, consult the Office for Scholarly Communication's guide, Fair Use: Made for the Harvard Community and the Office of the General Counsel's Copyright and Fair Use: A Guide for the Harvard Community .

What are my options if I don’t have a strong fair use claim?

Consider the following options if you find you cannot reasonably make a fair use claim for the content you wish to incorporate:

Seek permission from the copyright holder.

Use openly licensed content as an alternative to the original third-party content you intended to use. Openly-licensed content grants permission up-front for reuse of in-copyright content, provided your use meets the terms of the open license.

Use content in the public domain, as this content is not in-copyright and is therefore free of all copyright restrictions. Whereas third-party content is owned by parties other than you, no one owns content in the public domain; everyone, therefore, has the right to use it.

For use of images in your dissertation, please consult this guide to Finding Public Domain & Creative Commons Media , which is a great resource for finding images without copyright restrictions.

Who can help me with questions about copyright and fair use?

Contact your Copyright First Responder . Please note, Copyright First Responders assist with questions concerning copyright and fair use, but do not assist with the process of obtaining permission from copyright holders.

Pages should be assigned a number except for the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate . Preliminary pages (abstract, table of contents, list of tables, graphs, illustrations, and preface) should use small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, v, etc.). All pages must contain text or images.

Count the title page as page i and the copyright page as page ii, but do not print page numbers on either page .

For the body of text, use Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.) starting with page 1 on the first page of text. Page numbers must be centered throughout the manuscript at the top or bottom. Every numbered page must be consecutively ordered, including tables, graphs, illustrations, and bibliography/index (if included); letter suffixes (such as 10a, 10b, etc.) are not allowed. It is customary not to have a page number on the page containing a chapter heading.

Check pagination carefully. Account for all pages.

A copy of the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate (DAC) should appear as the first page. This page should not be counted or numbered. The DAC will appear in the online version of the published dissertation.

The dissertation begins with the title page; the title should be as concise as possible and should provide an accurate description of the dissertation.

Do not print a page number on the title page: It is understood to be page i for counting purposes only.

A copyright notice should appear on a separate page immediately following the title page and include the copyright symbol ©, the year of first publication of the work, and the name of the author:

Alternatively, students may choose to license their work openly under a Creative Commons license. The author remains the copyright holder while at the same time granting up-front permission to others to read, share, and (depending on the license) adapt the work, so long as proper attribution is given. (By default, under copyright law, the author reserves all rights; under a Creative Commons license, the author reserves some rights.)

Do not print a page number on the copyright page. It is understood to be page ii for counting purposes only.

An abstract, numbered as page iii , should immediately follow the copyright page and should state the problem, describe the methods and procedures used, and give the main results or conclusions of the research. The abstract will appear in the online and bound versions of the dissertation and will be published by ProQuest. There is no maximum word count for the abstract.

Dissertations divided into sections must contain a table of contents that lists, at minimum, the major headings in the following order:

Front matter includes (if applicable):

acknowledgements of help or encouragement from individuals or institutions

a dedication

a list of illustrations or tables

a glossary of terms

one or more epigraphs.

Back matter includes (if applicable):

bibliography

supplemental materials, including figures and tables

an index (in rare instances).

Supplemental figures and tables must be placed at the end of the dissertation in an appendix, not within or at the end of a chapter. If additional digital information (including audio, video, image, or datasets) will accompany the main body of the dissertation, it should be uploaded as a supplemental file through ProQuest ETD . Supplemental material will be available in DASH and ProQuest and preserved digitally in the Harvard University Archives.

As a matter of copyright, dissertations comprising the student's previously published works must be authorized for distribution from DASH. The guidelines in this section pertain to any previously published material that requires permission from publishers or other rightsholders before it may be distributed from DASH. Please note:

Authors whose publishing agreements grant the publisher exclusive rights to display, distribute, and create derivative works will need to seek the publisher's permission for nonexclusive use of the underlying works before the dissertation may be distributed from DASH.

Authors whose publishing agreements indicate the authors have retained the relevant nonexclusive rights to the original materials for display, distribution, and the creation of derivative works may distribute the dissertation as a whole from DASH without need for further permissions.

Missing Dissertation Acceptance Certificate. The first page of the PDF dissertation file should be a scanned copy of the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate (DAC). This page should not be counted or numbered as a part of the dissertation pagination.

Conflicts Between the DAC and the Title Page. The DAC and the dissertation title page must match exactly, meaning that the author name and the title on the title page must match that on the DAC. If you use your full middle name or just an initial on one document, it must be the same on the other document.

Abstract Formatting Errors. The advisor name should be left-justified, and the author's name should be right-justified. Up to two advisor names are allowed. The Abstract should be double spaced and include the page title “Abstract,” as well as the page number “iii.” There is no maximum word count for the abstract.

Pagination

The front matter should be numbered using Roman numerals (iii, iv, v, …). The title page and the copyright page should be counted but not numbered. The first printed page number should appear on the Abstract page (iii).

The body of the dissertation should be numbered using Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, …). The first page of the body of the text should begin with page 1. Pagination may not continue from the front matter.

All page numbers should be centered either at the top or the bottom of the page.

Figures and tables Figures and tables must be placed within the text, as close to their first mention as possible. Figures and tables that span more than one page must be labeled on each page. Any second and subsequent page of the figure/table must include the “(Continued)” notation. This applies to figure captions as well as images. Each page of a figure/table must be accounted for and appropriately labeled. All figures/tables must have a unique number. They may not repeat within the dissertation.

Horizontal Figures and Tables

Any figures/tables placed in a horizontal orientation must be placed with the top of the figure/ table on the left-hand side. The top of the figure/table should be aligned with the spine of the dissertation when it is bound.

Page numbers must be placed in the same location on all pages of the dissertation, centered, at the bottom or top of the page. Page numbers may not appear under the table/ figure.

Supplemental Figures and Tables. Supplemental figures and tables must be placed at the back of the dissertation in an appendix. They should not be placed at the back of the chapter.

Permission Letters Copyright. permission letters must be uploaded as a supplemental file, titled ‘do_not_publish_permission_letters,” within the dissertation submission tool.

DAC Attachment. The signed Dissertation Acceptance Certificate must additionally be uploaded as a document in the "Administrative Documents" section when submitting in Proquest ETD . Dissertation submission is not complete until all documents have been received and accepted.

Overall Formatting. The entire document should be checked after all revisions, and before submitting online, to spot any inconsistencies or PDF conversion glitches.

You can view dissertations successfully published from your department in DASH . This is a great place to check for specific formatting and area-specific conventions.

Contact the Office of Student Affairs with further questions.

CONTACT INFO

Office of Student Affairs

Undergraduate Research Center

How to write an abstract for the undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activities conference.

The following instructions are for the Undergraduate Research Center's Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference, however the general concepts will apply to abstracts for similar conferences. In the video to the right, Kendon Kurzer, PhD presents guidance from the University Writing Program. To see abstracts from previous URC Conferences, visit our Abstract Books Page .

What is an abstract?

An abstract is a one-paragraph summary of a research project. Abstracts precede papers in research journals and appear in programs of scholarly conferences. In journals, the abstract allows readers to quickly grasp the purpose and major ideas of a paper and lets other researchers know whether reading the entire paper will be worthwhile. In conferences, the abstract is the advertisement that the paper/presentation deserves the audience's attention.

Why write an abstract?

The abstract allows readers to make decisions about your project. Your sponsoring professor can use the abstract to decide if your research is proceeding smoothly. The conference organizer uses it to decide if your project fits the conference criteria. The conference audience (faculty, administrators, peers, and presenters' families) uses your abstract to decide whether or not to attend your presentation. Your abstract needs to take all these readers into consideration.

How does an abstract appeal to such a broad audience?

The audience for this abstract covers the broadest possible scope--from expert to lay person. You need to find a comfortable balance between writing an abstract that both shows your knowledge and yet is still comprehensible--with some effort--by lay members of the audience. Limit the amount of technical language you use and explain it where possible. Always use the full term before you refer to it by acronym [DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs), for example]. Remember that you are yourself an expert in the field that you are writing about--don't take for granted that the reader will share your insider knowledge.

What should the abstract include?

Think of your abstract as a condensed version of your whole project. By reading it, the reader should understand the nature of your research question.

Like abstracts that researchers prepare for scholarly conferences, the abstract you submit for the Undergraduate Research Conference will most likely reflect work still in progress at the time you write it. Although the content will vary according to field and specific project, all abstracts, whether in the sciences or the humanities, convey the following information:

Whatever kind of research you are doing, your abstract should provide the reader with answers to the following questions: What are you asking? Why is it important? How will you study it? What will you use to demonstrate your conclusions? What are those conclusions? What do they mean?

Stylistic considerations

The abstract should be one paragraph and should not exceed the word limit. Edit it closely to be sure it meets the Four C's of abstract writing:

The importance of understandable language

Because all researchers hope their work will be useful to others, and because good scholarship is increasingly used across disciplines, it is crucial to make the language of your abstracts accessible to a non-specialist. Simplify your language. Friends in another major will spot instantly what needs to be more understandable. Some problem areas to look for:

Before submitting your abstract

Multimedia Risk Assessment of Biodiesel - Tier II Antfarm Project

Significant knowledge gaps exist in the fate, transport, biodegradation, and toxicity properties of biodiesel when it is leaked into the environment. In order to fill these gaps, a combination of experiments has been developed in a Multimedia Risk Assessment of Biodiesel for the State of California. Currently, in the Tier II experimental phase of this assessment, I am investigating underground plume mobility of 20% and 100% additized and unadditized Soy and Animal Fat based biodiesel blends and comparing them to Ultra Low-Sulfer Diesel #2 (USLD) by filming these fuels as they seep through unsaturated sand, encounter a simulated underground water table, and form a floating lens on top of the water. Thus far, initial findings in analyzing the digital images created during the filming process have indicated that all fuels tested have similar travel times. SoyB20 behaves most like USLD in that they both have a similar lateral dispersion lens on top of the water table. In contrast, Animal Fat B100 appears to be most different from ULSD in that it has a narrower residual plume in the unsaturated sand, as well as a narrower and deeper lens formation on top of the water table.

Narrative Representation of Grief

In William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go how can grief, an incomprehensible and incommunicable emotion, be represented in fiction? Is it paradoxical, or futile, to do so? I look at two novels that struggle with representing intense combinations of individual and communal grief: William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go . At first glance, the novels appear to have nothing in common: Faulkner's is a notoriously bleak odyssey told in emotionally heavy stream-of-consciousness narrative, while Ishiguro's is a near-kitschy blend of a coming-of-age tale and a sci-fi dystopia. But they share a rare common thread. They do not try to convey a story, a character, an argument, or a realization, so much as they try to convey an emotion. The novels' common struggle is visible through their formal elements, down to the most basic technical aspects of how the stories are told. Each text, in its own way, enacts the trauma felt by its characters because of their grief, and also the frustration felt by its narrator (or narrators) because of the complex and guilty task of witnessing for grief and loss.

This webpage was based on articles written by Professor Diana Strazdes, Art History and Dr. Amy Clarke, University Writing Program, UC Davis. Thanks to both for their contributions.

How to Write a Thesis Abstract?

A thesis abstract is a broad outline of the whole essay or dissertation consisting of important information and crucial points at the beginning of the dissertati on within a few hundred words.

PhD thesis is one among the many important criteria to award the degree and so it needs precise, concise, professional and academic writing . You can’t get a PhD until you publish your thesis. And… trust me the process is lengthy, frustrating and time-consuming.

The ideal thesis has an introduction, Review of Literature, Materials & Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion and References. These chapters must be there in every dissertation.

Besides, other elements of the thesis are the Table of Contents , Acknowledgment page, Abstract of the thesis and other important pages. A thesis must have every part and that must be written correctly.

In the present blog article, I will explain to you the importance of one of the thesis elements that is “abstract” or dissertation/thesis abstract. I will also let you know how to write it and how to make it more effective.

8 Criteria To Select The Best PhD Coaching

Definition:

The abstract page, thesis abstract tense:, examples of abstract:, how to write thesis abstract, wrapping up: , faqs: , what is a thesis abstract .

Every thesis should have an abstract page, even research papers too, consist it at the beginning of the article. So probably it is important, isn’t it!

First, understand, suppose you are organizing a party and ordering food. What if the chef offers testing each food item before ordering? That makes sense, right!

A dissertation abstract is a summarized piece of content that serves important points and information of your thesis at the beginning. Meaning, readers or evaluators may understand what information they will get from this assay.

Remember! A bad ‘abstract’ can spoil your reputation from starting while a strong thesis abstract convinces readers to go through the assay and therefore precise writing is a must.

An abstract has summarised information of what, how and why should the research be conducted. Every thesis, dissertation, project report or research paper ideally has an abstract.

The abstract explains

And most importantly, all must be within a few hundred words!

By definition, an abstract is a summary of the thesis including key research findings and important information in approx. 300 words.

“ A few sentences that give the main ideas in an article or a scientific paper ” Definition of Abstract by Cambridge English Dictionary,

An abstract of an article, document, or speech is a short piece of writing that gives the main points of it ”. Definition of Abstract by Collins English Dictionary

Abstract format:

You have to rewrite your entire 60,000 words thesis in just a few hundred words, that’s a pretty tough task, right! Don’t worry at the end of this article, it’ll become easier for you.

One or two pages long abstract isn’t acceptable. You need to write an abstract in a well-defined format. An ideal abstract has 150 to 200 words for a master’s project or dissertation while 250 to 350 words for a PhD thesis.

It should not exceed more than 500 words, note it down, though it shouldn’t have an impact on thesis acceptance or rejection. The examiner would estimate the number of words by its length.

The ideal summary/ abstract has information like,

Write everything in short sentences, you have several sentences to justify your work. Avoid citation & references, long paragraphs and sentences in this section.

Now after observing the format, you may wonder that citation and references are the key elements of the thesis, why avoid this here?

See, an abstract is just an outlook of your work, that creates curiosity in readers and hence keep it short and concise. In order to avoid the complexing and length, unnecessary thighs are excluded.

The location of the abstract page is also as important as other things. A separate ‘ abstract page ’ is included before the Table of Contents and after the Title and acknowledgments page. The chronological order is like this,

Note that you should write the abstract after the end of all writing but do not copy some random paragraphs or sentences from all the chapters. It’s an independent, short, succinct and accurate segment.

Use two types of tenses to write the abstract; Simple Present Tense and Simple Past Tense.

Understand that this section has two types of information: first- background, introduction, statistics, objectives and findings (results and interpretation) and second- methodology and findings.

So to write background, introduction, statistics, explanation or objective and interpretation use the Simple Present Tense . While explaining your methodology and technique use Simple Past Tense .

Let us see some examples,

❌ The present study will find if the DNA is a nucleic acid or not (False). ✔️ The present study finds if the DNA is a nucleic acid or not (True).

❌ DNA was a type of nucleic acid present in a cell (False). ✔️ DNA is a type of nucleic acid present in a cell (True).

❌ 100 patients will be selected for the present study (False). ✔️ 100 patients were selected for the present study (True).

❌ Our results have concluded that the DNA is helical in structure (False). ✔️ Our results conclude that the DNA is helical in structure (True).

❌ The present study concluded that the DNA has four bases joined by hydrogen bonds (False). ✔️ The present study concludes that the DNA has four bases joined by hydrogen bonds (True).

Thesis abstract sample:

The Beta- Globin gene has many mutations including SNPs, deletions, duplications or translocations, however, not all are associated with Beta-Thalassemia. Beta-Thalassemia is a condition of blood anemia, symptoms are seen in Beta-Thalassemia major but not in the Beta-Thalassemia carrier. Per 1,00,000 live births, 111.91 are Beta-Thalassemia major/minor. The present study shows the relationship of IVS (1-5) mutation with Beta-Thalassemia.

100 patients were selected for the present study. The PCR RFLP technique was used to investigate the mutation along with the agarose gel electrophoresis. The final results and statistical analysis were performed using the computational tools. Our findings show that out of 100 patients, the IVS(1-5) mutation is detected in 18 patients of which 3 are Beta-Thalassemia major and the rest are Beta-Thalassemia minor. It also indicates that other mutations may be involved but ain’t included in the present study.

From our study, we conclude that the IVS(1-5) mutation has an 18% prevalence in Beta-Thalassemia. Further studies are required to find more mutations associated.

Keywords- Beta-Thalassemia, IVS(1-5) mutation and PCR-RFLP.

At the end of the abstract do not forget to add keywords so that other researchers can find your article. Note that some publications have their own style to write the abstract. In that case, we have to follow a specific format given by the journal or publishing house.

Here we have given several examples of abstracts:

Example 2

Example 3

Write error-free:

While executing such a long project (the thesis) students usually ignore common English errors and forget to correct them. So the first thing you have to do is correct all your grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure errors.

I know it’s a bit of a difficult task, but don’t worry.

You can use Grammarly premium to autocorrect all the things! You can also use the free version but Premium will help you even more, so I personally recommend it.

It underlines and autocorrects all the grammatical and spelling mistakes. Download Grammarly from here:

Or you can read our previous article to explore more features. Read it here: Grammarly: Your PhD writing assistant .

We can earn some commission if you signup for free or Buy a Premium version of Grammarly by our affiliate link. That helps us a bit to write quality content.

Do not copy:

As I said earlier, do not copy your own sentences from your thesis. It doesn’t make sense! You should have to write the abstract at the end of your writing. If you have performed things well, you can easily write 300 words from your entire work.

That’s indeed easy. However, go through the checklist (somewhere given in the article) of what to include and what not to include.

Use concise sentences and appropriate words:

As it’s 300 words powerpack, every word you use is certainly important. Avoid repetitive words, write to the point and use the correct ‘Tense’ (go to the above section of this article and read which Tense to use when). Write short sentences.

Keep in mind that whatever you write here must be there in your thesis. Even though you have some other findings, if you haven’t included it in your thesis, do not write it in the abstract to attract readers.

Formal writing style:

Use a proper, scientific or academic writing style. Do not write like you are writing a blog post. Use passive voice correctly, if required. Avoid unnecessary lines and words.

Use a clean style and avoid using numbers, bullet underlines or bold text even if you think it is required. Use the font style you used for the rest of the assay. Use the same text type, font size and color.

Use some information not all:

I know the results and outcomes are way more than what you want to include in the abstract. But do not use all information, write only some important findings in a few lines. Use only a few statists and avoid tables or whole lists.

For example, our findings suggest that IVS(1-5) mutation is present in 18% of the Beta-thalassemia patients, that’s it.

Do not give special attention to the abstract, though write effectively. In summary, avoid a citation, referencing, author names, bullets, numbering, underlines etc. Use a bit of every chapter.

Remember, your first impression is your last impression. I hope this article will help you in creating an excellent abstract page for your thesis.

Where is the abstract located?

The abstract is present after the Table of Contents and before the acknowledgment and title page.

How long is the thesis or paper abstract?

The abstract of the thesis is usually 250 to 300 words long, however, some also prefer 500 words.

Are references and citations included in the abstract?

No. The abstract is the only piece of information in our thesis or paper that lacks citation and references.

Why is the abstract required?

The abstract is the short summary, placed at the beginning of the thesis that provides brief information on the dissertation.

What is included in the abstract?

Motivation, Problem of the research, approach, outcomes and interpretation which is background information, objective, technique or methods, results and conclusion, respectively.

What is not included in the abstract?

Dr. Tushar Chauhan is a Scientist, Blogger and Scientific-writer. He has completed PhD in Genetics. Dr. Chauhan is a PhD coach and tutor.

What is PhD?- History, Definition, Origin, Requirement, Fees, Duration and Process

How to write a PhD thesis?

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The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

What this handout is about

This handout provides definitions and examples of the two main types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. It also provides guidelines for constructing an abstract and general tips for you to keep in mind when drafting. Finally, it includes a few examples of abstracts broken down into their component parts.

What is an abstract?

An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a larger work. Components vary according to discipline. An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work. An abstract of a humanities work may contain the thesis, background, and conclusion of the larger work. An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted. While it contains key words found in the larger work, the abstract is an original document rather than an excerpted passage.

Why write an abstract?

You may write an abstract for various reasons. The two most important are selection and indexing. Abstracts allow readers who may be interested in a longer work to quickly decide whether it is worth their time to read it. Also, many online databases use abstracts to index larger works. Therefore, abstracts should contain keywords and phrases that allow for easy searching.

Say you are beginning a research project on how Brazilian newspapers helped Brazil’s ultra-liberal president Luiz Ignácio da Silva wrest power from the traditional, conservative power base. A good first place to start your research is to search Dissertation Abstracts International for all dissertations that deal with the interaction between newspapers and politics. “Newspapers and politics” returned 569 hits. A more selective search of “newspapers and Brazil” returned 22 hits. That is still a fair number of dissertations. Titles can sometimes help winnow the field, but many titles are not very descriptive. For example, one dissertation is titled “Rhetoric and Riot in Rio de Janeiro.” It is unclear from the title what this dissertation has to do with newspapers in Brazil. One option would be to download or order the entire dissertation on the chance that it might speak specifically to the topic. A better option is to read the abstract. In this case, the abstract reveals the main focus of the dissertation:

This dissertation examines the role of newspaper editors in the political turmoil and strife that characterized late First Empire Rio de Janeiro (1827-1831). Newspaper editors and their journals helped change the political culture of late First Empire Rio de Janeiro by involving the people in the discussion of state. This change in political culture is apparent in Emperor Pedro I’s gradual loss of control over the mechanisms of power. As the newspapers became more numerous and powerful, the Emperor lost his legitimacy in the eyes of the people. To explore the role of the newspapers in the political events of the late First Empire, this dissertation analyzes all available newspapers published in Rio de Janeiro from 1827 to 1831. Newspapers and their editors were leading forces in the effort to remove power from the hands of the ruling elite and place it under the control of the people. In the process, newspapers helped change how politics operated in the constitutional monarchy of Brazil.

From this abstract you now know that although the dissertation has nothing to do with modern Brazilian politics, it does cover the role of newspapers in changing traditional mechanisms of power. After reading the abstract, you can make an informed judgment about whether the dissertation would be worthwhile to read.

Besides selection, the other main purpose of the abstract is for indexing. Most article databases in the online catalog of the library enable you to search abstracts. This allows for quick retrieval by users and limits the extraneous items recalled by a “full-text” search. However, for an abstract to be useful in an online retrieval system, it must incorporate the key terms that a potential researcher would use to search. For example, if you search Dissertation Abstracts International using the keywords “France” “revolution” and “politics,” the search engine would search through all the abstracts in the database that included those three words. Without an abstract, the search engine would be forced to search titles, which, as we have seen, may not be fruitful, or else search the full text. It’s likely that a lot more than 60 dissertations have been written with those three words somewhere in the body of the entire work. By incorporating keywords into the abstract, the author emphasizes the central topics of the work and gives prospective readers enough information to make an informed judgment about the applicability of the work.

When do people write abstracts?

Most often, the author of the entire work (or prospective work) writes the abstract. However, there are professional abstracting services that hire writers to draft abstracts of other people’s work. In a work with multiple authors, the first author usually writes the abstract. Undergraduates are sometimes asked to draft abstracts of books/articles for classmates who have not read the larger work.

Types of abstracts

There are two types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. They have different aims, so as a consequence they have different components and styles. There is also a third type called critical, but it is rarely used. If you want to find out more about writing a critique or a review of a work, see the UNC Writing Center handout on writing a literature review . If you are unsure which type of abstract you should write, ask your instructor (if the abstract is for a class) or read other abstracts in your field or in the journal where you are submitting your article.

Descriptive abstracts

A descriptive abstract indicates the type of information found in the work. It makes no judgments about the work, nor does it provide results or conclusions of the research. It does incorporate key words found in the text and may include the purpose, methods, and scope of the research. Essentially, the descriptive abstract describes the work being abstracted. Some people consider it an outline of the work, rather than a summary. Descriptive abstracts are usually very short—100 words or less.

Informative abstracts

The majority of abstracts are informative. While they still do not critique or evaluate a work, they do more than describe it. A good informative abstract acts as a surrogate for the work itself. That is, the writer presents and explains all the main arguments and the important results and evidence in the complete article/paper/book. An informative abstract includes the information that can be found in a descriptive abstract (purpose, methods, scope) but also includes the results and conclusions of the research and the recommendations of the author. The length varies according to discipline, but an informative abstract is rarely more than 10% of the length of the entire work. In the case of a longer work, it may be much less.

Here are examples of a descriptive and an informative abstract of this handout on abstracts . Descriptive abstract:

The two most common abstract types—descriptive and informative—are described and examples of each are provided.

Informative abstract:

Abstracts present the essential elements of a longer work in a short and powerful statement. The purpose of an abstract is to provide prospective readers the opportunity to judge the relevance of the longer work to their projects. Abstracts also include the key terms found in the longer work and the purpose and methods of the research. Authors abstract various longer works, including book proposals, dissertations, and online journal articles. There are two main types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. A descriptive abstract briefly describes the longer work, while an informative abstract presents all the main arguments and important results. This handout provides examples of various types of abstracts and instructions on how to construct one.

Which type should I use?

Your best bet in this case is to ask your instructor or refer to the instructions provided by the publisher. You can also make a guess based on the length allowed; i.e., 100-120 words = descriptive; 250+ words = informative.

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:

(This list of elements is adapted with permission from Philip Koopman, “How to Write an Abstract.” )

All abstracts include:

Abstracts may include:

How not to write an abstract:

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– see our short video . For the purposes of writing an abstract, try grouping the main ideas of each section of the paper into a single sentence. Practice grouping ideas using webbing or color coding .

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.

If you are abstracting someone else’s writing

When abstracting something you have not written, you cannot summarize key ideas just by cutting and pasting. Instead, you must determine what a prospective reader would want to know about the work. There are a few techniques that will help you in this process:

Identify key terms:

Search through the entire document for key terms that identify the purpose, scope, and methods of the work. Pay close attention to the Introduction (or Purpose) and the Conclusion (or Discussion). These sections should contain all the main ideas and key terms in the paper. When writing the abstract, be sure to incorporate the key terms.

Highlight key phrases and sentences:

Instead of cutting and pasting the actual words, try highlighting sentences or phrases that appear to be central to the work. Then, in a separate document, rewrite the sentences and phrases in your own words.

Don’t look back:

After reading the entire work, put it aside and write a paragraph about the work without referring to it. In the first draft, you may not remember all the key terms or the results, but you will remember what the main point of the work was. Remember not to include any information you did not get from the work being abstracted.

Revise, revise, revise

No matter what type of abstract you are writing, or whether you are abstracting your own work or someone else’s, the most important step in writing an abstract is to revise early and often. When revising, delete all extraneous words and incorporate meaningful and powerful words. The idea is to be as clear and complete as possible in the shortest possible amount of space. The Word Count feature of Microsoft Word can help you keep track of how long your abstract is and help you hit your target length.

Example 1: Humanities abstract

Kenneth Tait Andrews, “‘Freedom is a constant struggle’: The dynamics and consequences of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, 1960-1984” Ph.D. State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1997 DAI-A 59/02, p. 620, Aug 1998

This dissertation examines the impacts of social movements through a multi-layered study of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement from its peak in the early 1960s through the early 1980s. By examining this historically important case, I clarify the process by which movements transform social structures and the constraints movements face when they try to do so. The time period studied includes the expansion of voting rights and gains in black political power, the desegregation of public schools and the emergence of white-flight academies, and the rise and fall of federal anti-poverty programs. I use two major research strategies: (1) a quantitative analysis of county-level data and (2) three case studies. Data have been collected from archives, interviews, newspapers, and published reports. This dissertation challenges the argument that movements are inconsequential. Some view federal agencies, courts, political parties, or economic elites as the agents driving institutional change, but typically these groups acted in response to the leverage brought to bear by the civil rights movement. The Mississippi movement attempted to forge independent structures for sustaining challenges to local inequities and injustices. By propelling change in an array of local institutions, movement infrastructures had an enduring legacy in Mississippi.

Now let’s break down this abstract into its component parts to see how the author has distilled his entire dissertation into a ~200 word abstract.

What the dissertation does This dissertation examines the impacts of social movements through a multi-layered study of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement from its peak in the early 1960s through the early 1980s. By examining this historically important case, I clarify the process by which movements transform social structures and the constraints movements face when they try to do so.

How the dissertation does it The time period studied in this dissertation includes the expansion of voting rights and gains in black political power, the desegregation of public schools and the emergence of white-flight academies, and the rise and fall of federal anti-poverty programs. I use two major research strategies: (1) a quantitative analysis of county-level data and (2) three case studies.

What materials are used Data have been collected from archives, interviews, newspapers, and published reports.

Conclusion This dissertation challenges the argument that movements are inconsequential. Some view federal agencies, courts, political parties, or economic elites as the agents driving institutional change, but typically these groups acted in response to movement demands and the leverage brought to bear by the civil rights movement. The Mississippi movement attempted to forge independent structures for sustaining challenges to local inequities and injustices. By propelling change in an array of local institutions, movement infrastructures had an enduring legacy in Mississippi.

Keywords social movements Civil Rights Movement Mississippi voting rights desegregation

Example 2: Science Abstract

Luis Lehner, “Gravitational radiation from black hole spacetimes” Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, 1998 DAI-B 59/06, p. 2797, Dec 1998

The problem of detecting gravitational radiation is receiving considerable attention with the construction of new detectors in the United States, Europe, and Japan. The theoretical modeling of the wave forms that would be produced in particular systems will expedite the search for and analysis of detected signals. The characteristic formulation of GR is implemented to obtain an algorithm capable of evolving black holes in 3D asymptotically flat spacetimes. Using compactification techniques, future null infinity is included in the evolved region, which enables the unambiguous calculation of the radiation produced by some compact source. A module to calculate the waveforms is constructed and included in the evolution algorithm. This code is shown to be second-order convergent and to handle highly non-linear spacetimes. In particular, we have shown that the code can handle spacetimes whose radiation is equivalent to a galaxy converting its whole mass into gravitational radiation in one second. We further use the characteristic formulation to treat the region close to the singularity in black hole spacetimes. The code carefully excises a region surrounding the singularity and accurately evolves generic black hole spacetimes with apparently unlimited stability.

This science abstract covers much of the same ground as the humanities one, but it asks slightly different questions.

Why do this study The problem of detecting gravitational radiation is receiving considerable attention with the construction of new detectors in the United States, Europe, and Japan. The theoretical modeling of the wave forms that would be produced in particular systems will expedite the search and analysis of the detected signals.

What the study does The characteristic formulation of GR is implemented to obtain an algorithm capable of evolving black holes in 3D asymptotically flat spacetimes. Using compactification techniques, future null infinity is included in the evolved region, which enables the unambiguous calculation of the radiation produced by some compact source. A module to calculate the waveforms is constructed and included in the evolution algorithm.

Results This code is shown to be second-order convergent and to handle highly non-linear spacetimes. In particular, we have shown that the code can handle spacetimes whose radiation is equivalent to a galaxy converting its whole mass into gravitational radiation in one second. We further use the characteristic formulation to treat the region close to the singularity in black hole spacetimes. The code carefully excises a region surrounding the singularity and accurately evolves generic black hole spacetimes with apparently unlimited stability.

Keywords gravitational radiation (GR) spacetimes black holes

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2009. Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Press.

Kilborn, Judith. 1998. “Writing Abstracts.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. Last updated October 20, 1998. https://leo.stcloudstate.edu/bizwrite/abstracts.html .

Koopman, Philip. 1997. “How to Write an Abstract.” Carnegie Mellon University. October 1997. http://users.ece.cmu.edu/~koopman/essays/abstract.html .

Lancaster, F.W. 2003. Indexing And Abstracting in Theory and Practice , 3rd ed. London: Facet Publishing.

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Research Hypothesis: The Essential Requirements and Guidelines

27 Feb 2023

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❔ What is a Hypothesis in Research?

Research Question vs Hypothesis

Null hypothesis.

📔 Hypothesis Essential Requirements

🎓 How to Formulate an Effective Research Hypothesis

📋 Research Hypothesis Example

Writing research requires students to have a deep knowledge not only of the subject but also of the requirements for the project. There are a lot of structural units that form an integral part of research writing.

Knowing the right methods and carrying out background research will get you to new discoveries. In this article, we will talk about such a technique as a research hypothesis. We will analyze in detail the features of using a good research hypothesis, its types, and meanings, the peculiarities of independent and dependent variables as well as the connection with the research topic.

This article will guide you as you write your paper and give you the key techniques to follow all the requirements.

What is a Hypothesis in Research?

Let's start by clarifying the term "research hypothesis". This is a kind of assumption or idea that the author of the study puts forward for further investigation. A hypothesis requires proof and is not true until confirmatory experiments have been carried out.

In the context of the research project, a hypothesis is necessary for the presentation of the expected directions and results of the work. This idea must be clearly stated to follow a logical chain and help to write your research and do further experiments. The ultimate goal of your research is to confirm or disprove the hypothesis. Not to be confused with the research question.

Let's list the main types of hypotheses and find out the differences they may present for an academic research:

Null hypothesis

Alternative hypothesis

Simple hypothesis

Complex hypothesis

Statistical hypothesis

Empirical hypothesis

Causal hypothesis

Directional hypothesis

Associative hypothesis

Logical hypothesis

Being aware that there are different kinds of research hypotheses will help you build your own with less effort. Many researchers adhere to the approach that there are only two varieties: Null hypothesis and Alternative hypothesis. However, we will consider what is the essence of the most used methods.

The Null hypotheses is a statement with two or more variables. The Null hypothesis proposes there is no connection between those variables. This type of inference is very often used in the course of scientific research in the field of statistics, medicine, biology and many other sciences. The Alternative hypothesis states the opposite information to the Null Hypothesis, and aims to prove that there is a relationship between two variables.

A Simple hypothesis presents a correlation between only two variables, single dependent variable and single independent variable. While Complex hypothesis states the presence of connection between several dependent variables and independent variables.

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The differences between these two critical techniques in writing a scientific paper should be explained so that you have no doubts. A research question is a question that is raised in the course of observations and to which the researcher seeks to answer.

While a hypothesis is an assumption that must be proven or refuted in the course of the study. These two concepts are different by nature, the research question has an inquisitive function, while a research hypothesis predicts the outcome of the experiment.

Now we will take a closer look at the most used, basic scientific method. Null hypothesis states that there is no interconnection between two variables that are being studied. To formulate the Null Hypothesis, you need to present your testable prediction about relevant variables as a negative statement.

The original hypothesis might state that the variables do not have differences, there is no influence of factors, there is no effect, the characteristics of which are equal to zero, with no statistical significance.

The purpose of scientific experiments is to disprove the Null Hypothesis, that is, to prove the positive relationship between independent and dependent variables. For example, you are a scientist in the field of mental health, and you face with the necessity of writing a psychology research paper .

Alternative Hypothesis

Let's now talk about the opposite of the Null Hypothesis, which is the Alternative Hypothesis. This kind of inference is an opposite idea to the one supported by the Null Hypothesis. It is also sometimes called an experimental hypothesis, as it reveals the subject of future scientific research.

The essence of this hypothesis involves proposing the relationship between two variables, more precisely that one variable influences the independent variable. The experimental hypothesis predicts how exactly the outcome may be affected during experimental manipulations.

At the same time the Alternative hypothesis can be divided into two groups: Directional hypothesis and Nondirectional hypothesis. Directional hypothesis states that the researchers expect a positive or negative outcome. While non directional hypothesis does not make predictions on the possible influence on the dependent variable.

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Hypothesis Essential Requirements

A good research hypothesis sets the direction for your further research study. If you manage to formulate it correctly, then this will give a significant impetus to experiments.

However, if the basis of your scientific research paper is not specifically, or vaguely explained, then your experiments may go into a dead corner. To avoid such problems, let's look at what an effective research hypothesis should look like.

By following these guidelines, you will be able to accurately formulate a compelling hypothesis that will serve as a reliable core and help you write a research paper fundamentally. It will also be very helpful to study few examples of good research hypotheses in order to have a better understanding of the issue.

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How to Formulate an Effective Research Hypothesis

A hypothesis is an effective methodological tool that helps us structure our work. That is why it is very important to pay attention to the correct formulation and designation of a strong hypothesis.

Preliminary research is also required before formulating your assumptions. General knowledge of the field of study will help you accurately identify problems in the subject of study. Namely, this is the basis for the construction of supporting assumptions.

A hypothesis itself is a scientific method in a form of assumption that is formed based on a theory. Therefore, the key to successful research is the choice of a reliable experimental and theoretical base. Brilliant research is based on previous, and no less brilliant research. Therefore, your assumptions must come from evidence-based sources, otherwise, they may lead to false results.

To formulate a hypothesis, you need to study the research problem. This means that preliminary research is indispensable, and it is precisely what a hypothesis begins with. If you find it challenging to manage the study on your own you can opt for research paper help from professional writers.

It is necessary that your predictions correspond to the object of study, do not create contradictions between existing and received knowledge, and are also testable. Be careful not to use banal facts as a basis for building a hypothesis, otherwise you will severely limit the field for experiments.

In the course of conducting previous research, you will be able to highlight certain factors in the theory that need additional observation. Perhaps these phenomena deviate from the general vector of the functioning of the theory.

Talking about variables, they should be well elaborated, to avoid any misconceptions. Find out what your independent variable would be, it is the one you are about to substitute to get new research data. Then figure out what you’d dependent variable stands for, which is what the research measures. Subsequently you have to determine what kind of relationship exists between them.

Once you have identified the necessary factors, you are ready to begin formulating your hypothesis. Or if you still struggle to start the research, then it may be useful for you resort to writing service professional help. This should be done in such a way that the hypothesis explains the cause of the problem. Then you have to test your assumptions by conducting an experiment, or by looking for correlations between the dependent variable and independent variable.

As difficult as it may be to formulate a good hypothesis, this is a key step to successful, structured work. Any knowledge comes through a long process of learning theory and then reconciling skills in practice. That is why we are confident in your abilities, and we wish you success in creating a research hypothesis. We hope this article has become informative for you and clarified the key concepts necessary for a good scientific hypothesis.

Research Hypothesis Examples

Increased exposure to sunlight will result in higher rates of photosynthesis in spinach plants. Individuals with a higher level of emotional intelligence will have more successful personal relationships. Access to higher education will decrease income inequality within a society. An increase in temperature will result in an increase in the average kinetic energy of gas molecules. Increasing the concentration of a reactant in a chemical reaction will increase the rate of reaction. The presence of a black hole at the center of a galaxy will affect the motion of stars within the galaxy. Changes in the Earth's magnetic field will result in changes in the frequency and intensity of earthquakes. The introduction of non-native species to an ecosystem will disrupt the food chain and result in decreased biodiversity. The use of written language will result in the development of more complex societies. An increase in the minimum wage will result in decreased unemployment rates within a society.

Why must a hypothesis be testable?

What is a directional and non-directional research hypothesis, why do we need an alternative hypothesis, what is an empirical hypothesis, was this article helpful, thanks for your feedback.

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How To Write A Dissertation Abstract?

Dissertation-Services.com » Blog » How To Write A Dissertation Abstract?

When writing any kind of paper, be it a thesis, a dissertation, or a research paper, a student always needs to involve an abstract. If you are going to start creating it, but don’t know how to, you will find lots of useful information on this page. First, let’s start with the definition of this term.

What Is a Dissertation Abstract?

A dissertation abstract is a short overview of larger research. It is a brief outline of the whole work, which allows the reader to discover what the paper is about. It is usually written at the very end after completing the whole research. There are 4 essential pieces of information it should contain:

Generally, the text should consist of 150-300 words, but usually, there is an exact word number, so mention your university’s requirements. It should be written on a separate page, placed after the title, but before the contents. To write an abstract, it will be beneficial for you to read a few examples of abstracts. The abstract should be placed after the citation, so start writing a citation first. A citation should consist of:

How to Start an Abstract?

For students, who have no idea what to start with, we developed a universal instruction. These pieces of advice will help you write it easily and without wasting much time and effort. Let’s get started with creating your perfect abstract.

Step 1. Start Writing a Dissertation Summary

If you haven’t done it yet, it’s a perfect time to start. Creating a summary will make your abstract look well-organized. Here are some pieces of advice for that:

Step 2. Review the Text

Look through your text and make some adjustments to make it look coherent and readable by anyone. Bear in mind that you are not only summing up your thoughts but also writing the justifications you give in your custom dissertation in other words.

Step 3. Make Sure It Contains All the Necessary Points

To do this, you should understand what points should be included according to your field of study. Of course, there are universal ones, but it doesn’t always work out. Each discipline has some specific pieces of information to be involved. Let’s get acquainted with the most popular ones:

Step 4. Revise

Maximally shorten your text to make it look brief and well-readable. Cut it down up to the required word count. But the word count depends on a certain university, so check it out on the Internet or ask your advisor. It should be laconic, as the reader is going to just get acquainted with the key points of your dissertation, not the whole research. Note! Don’t include any new ideas in the abstract. Make sure it contains only the ideas, which are present in your dissertation.

Step 5. Double-Check

Double-check the abstract for containing all the necessary information from your dissertation. Check it twice to be confident you haven’t missed any crucial points. Remember, they are specified according to the field of study. Your abstract needs to include dissertation aims, how you conducted the investigation, final accomplishments, the perspectives for the further scientific investigations on this topic.

Step 6. Imagine You Are a Reader

Imagine you are not acquainted with the topic at all. Does your abstract provide enough information to understand it? Does it cover all the key points and ideas? Include all the necessary information so that the readers got acquainted with your issue. But it’s unnecessary to overwhelm the reader with the information you provided. Let it be laconic but well-readable for everyone.

Step 7. Format Your Text

Be certain the text you wrote corresponds to the specifications of your dissertation writing format. Use only plain text; it is not allowed to use bullets, footnotes, graphics, etc. in your abstract.

Don’t Use KW

The use of keywords is not allowed in the text. The list of keywords should be placed after it. However, check these requirements on your university’s or journal’s website. Keywords are words, which help people to find your dissertation with the search tools. While choosing the KW for your dissertation, take into account that they should represent the content. They should be easily recognizable and refer to the issue.

Don’t use single adjectives as keywords, it’s not recommended. It is desirable to also write one keyword not mentioned in the dissertation title or abstract. Some publication formatting styles, such as ASA style, provide special requirements for keyword use.

We developed this full guide for students who are seeking professional help in writing an excellent dissertation abstract. We hope with the help of our tips, and each student will be able to write a great one. If you want to read more useful articles, visit our blog page, or you make buy a dissertation today with a discount!

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Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

An abstract summarizes, usually in one paragraph of 300 words or less, 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.

Writing an Abstract. The Writing Center. Clarion University, 2009; Writing an Abstract for Your Research Paper. The Writing Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Importance of a Good Abstract

Sometimes your professor will ask you to include an abstract, or general summary of your work, with your research paper. The abstract allows you to elaborate upon each major aspect of the paper and helps readers decide whether they want to read the rest of the paper. Therefore, enough key information [e.g., summary results, observations, trends, etc.] must be included to make the abstract useful to someone who may want to examine your work.

How do you know when you have enough information in your abstract? A simple rule-of-thumb is to imagine that you are another researcher doing a similar study. Then ask yourself: if your abstract was the only part of the paper you could access, would you be happy with the amount of information presented there? Does it tell the whole story about your study? If the answer is "no" then the abstract likely needs to be revised.

How to Write a Research Abstract. Office of Undergraduate Research. University of Kentucky; Staiger, David L. “What Today’s Students Need to Know about Writing Abstracts.” International Journal of Business Communication January 3 (1966): 29-33; Swales, John M. and Christine B. Feak. Abstracts and the Writing of Abstracts . Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2009.

Structure and Writing Style

I. Types of Abstracts

To begin, you need to determine which type of abstract you should include with your paper. There are four general types.

Critical Abstract A critical abstract provides, in addition to describing main findings and information, a judgment or comment about the study’s validity, reliability, or completeness. The researcher evaluates the paper and often compares it with other works on the same subject. Critical abstracts are generally 400-500 words in length due to the additional interpretive commentary. These types of abstracts are used infrequently.

Descriptive Abstract A descriptive abstract indicates the type of information found in the work. It makes no judgments about the work, nor does it provide results or conclusions of the research. It does incorporate key words found in the text and may include the purpose, methods, and scope of the research. Essentially, the descriptive abstract only describes the work being summarized. Some researchers consider it an outline of the work, rather than a summary. Descriptive abstracts are usually very short, 100 words or less. Informative Abstract The majority of abstracts are informative. While they still do not critique or evaluate a work, they do more than describe it. A good informative abstract acts as a surrogate for the work itself. That is, the researcher presents and explains all the main arguments and the important results and evidence in the paper. An informative abstract includes the information that can be found in a descriptive abstract [purpose, methods, scope] but it also includes the results and conclusions of the research and the recommendations of the author. The length varies according to discipline, but an informative abstract is usually no more than 300 words in length.

Highlight Abstract A highlight abstract is specifically written to attract the reader’s attention to the study. No pretense is made of there being either a balanced or complete picture of the paper and, in fact, incomplete and leading remarks may be used to spark the reader’s interest. In that a highlight abstract cannot stand independent of its associated article, it is not a true abstract and, therefore, rarely used in academic writing.

II. Writing Style

Use the active voice when possible , but note that much of your abstract may require passive sentence constructions. Regardless, write your abstract using concise, but complete, sentences. Get to the point quickly and always use the past tense because you are reporting on a study that has been completed.

Abstracts should be formatted as a single paragraph in a block format and with no paragraph indentations. In most cases, the abstract page immediately follows the title page. Do not number the page. Rules set forth in writing manual vary but, in general, you should center the word "Abstract" at the top of the page with double spacing between the heading and the abstract. The final sentences of an abstract concisely summarize your study’s conclusions, implications, or applications to practice and, if appropriate, can be followed by a statement about the need for additional research revealed from the findings.

Composing Your Abstract

Although it is the first section of your paper, the abstract should be written last since it will summarize the contents of your entire paper. A good strategy to begin composing your abstract is to take whole sentences or key phrases from each section of the paper and put them in a sequence that summarizes the contents. Then revise or add connecting phrases or words to make the narrative flow clearly and smoothly. Note that statistical findings should be reported parenthetically [i.e., written in parentheses].

Before handing in your final paper, check to make sure that the information in the abstract completely agrees with what you have written in the paper. Think of the abstract as a sequential set of complete sentences describing the most crucial information using the fewest necessary words. The abstract SHOULD NOT contain:

Abstract. Writing Center. University of Kansas; Abstract. The Structure, Format, Content, and Style of a Journal-Style Scientific Paper. Department of Biology. Bates College; Abstracts. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Borko, Harold and Seymour Chatman. "Criteria for Acceptable Abstracts: A Survey of Abstracters' Instructions." American Documentation 14 (April 1963): 149-160; Abstracts. The Writer’s Handbook. Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison; Hartley, James and Lucy Betts. "Common Weaknesses in Traditional Abstracts in hte Social Sciences." Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 60 (October 2009): 2010-2018; Procter, Margaret. The Abstract. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Riordan, Laura. “Mastering the Art of Abstracts.” The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 115 (January 2015 ): 41-47; Writing Report Abstracts. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Writing Abstracts. Writing Tutorial Services, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Indiana University; Koltay, Tibor. Abstracts and Abstracting: A Genre and Set of Skills for the Twenty-First Century . Oxford, UK: 2010; Writing an Abstract for Your Research Paper. The Writing Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Writing Tip

Never Cite Just the Abstract!

Citing to just a journal article's abstract does not confirm for the reader that you have conducted a thorough or reliable review of the literature. If the full-text is not available, go to the USC Libraries main page and enter the title of the article [NOT the title of the journal]. If the Libraries have a subscription to the journal, the article should appear with a link to the full-text or to the journal publisher page where you can get the article. If the article does not appear, try searching Google Scholar using the link on the USC Libraries main page. If you still can't find the article after doing this, contact a librarian or you can request it from our free i nterlibrary loan and document delivery service .

Writing an abstract for a thesis

Abstract: “W.J.T. Office of Undergraduate Research. Students often do not recognise the importance of the. Thesis Supervisor: Roger Petersen. This thesis focused on cultivating independent learning skills in a Third Year. Format requirements for University of Northern Iowa theses and dissertations. Consult thesis writing guides, previous theses in your discipline, and. Learn how to write your introduction and method sections in the following. Acknowledgements. Thesis abstracts. Phd thesis on concrete - Custom personal writing. Neither is the Finnish nor Swedish version of the abstract or thesis checked. A thesis proposal indicates that you are ready to work at a professional level, as you will be writing many proposals, abstracts and summaries. Scientists often make these 6 common mistakes while learning how to write an abstract for a meeting, or a manuscript for a scientific paper. This study describes the writing processes of Ph. In writing a thesis, you must conform to accepted standards of organizing and. As is true for most majors at Bates, all psychology seniors must complete a senior thesis. How to write a good abstract for a scientific paper or conference - NCBI. Writing dissertation abstracts with our dissertation company is the right way to academic success. All abstract phd thesis. One example is: Thesis. Deaf community about reading and writing ASL, [abstract]. This dissertation summarizes an experimental investigation of flow and. Writing Abstracts for Bachelor's and Master's Theses. Page, Abstract and Table of Contents of your science thesis in order to focus your. • Abstract. Informative abstracts may be viewed. Your thesis or dissertation must be converted to a PDF file and then submitted. If you are not sure what an abstract is or how to write one, here is the place. It then goes on to give a summary of your major results, preferably couched in numbers. While reflecting on the experience of writing a thesis, I came to the realization that I truly enjoyed this process, at least most of it. An abstract is a brief and concise descriptive summary of statement of. 525 Forms of address, 104, 374 Forms of writing, Abstract, 441, 485 Analysis. THESIS AND DISSERTATION FORMAT AND SUBMISSION HANDBOOK. Once the research is over, the question of exactly how to write each chapter of a thesis or dissertation remains. Aims – why do you write a thesis/why do scientistst publish? • THE ABSTRACT COMES FIRST IN YOUR.

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How To Write A Great Dissertation Abstract

Definition Of A Dissertation Abstract

A dissertation abstract is a crucial part of this complex type of academic paper. Coming at the start of the dissertation, an abstract is a short description (call it summary) of your work that helps to get the reader up to speed on the aim and outcome of the study.

Although the abstract is located at the beginning of the dissertation, you should write it at the very end so that you have the entire report to summarize. So, here are the main things that you need to include in an abstract.

In most cases, the abstract in dissertation is pretty short, about 150-300 words. However, different universities have varying limitations on length, so check the guideline from your department.

Dissertation Abstract Sample

Osho, also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, was a significant spiritual leader of the late 20th century. His teachings relied heavily on Buddhism, but were an amalgam of belief systems, philosophy, and spiritual practice. Osho wrote prolifically and focused on assisting his followers in attaining enlightenment through various means, including meditation and physical movement such as spontaneous dance.

Introduction

When writing an abstract, you start by providing a clear purpose of your study. Here, you need to be as precise as possible and answer the questions: What exact practical and or theoretical problem does your study address? What research questions did you want to answer?

Although he died in 1990, his teachings live on, and his followers can be found world-wide, and at his ashram or university located at Pune, India. Osho endured some negative publicity concerning his ashram in the United States, but was never shown to be complicit in any wrong-doing.

Research problem

When working on the research problem, it is prudent to appreciate that the research problem comes in Chapter One of the dissertation, right? Therefore, you should craft the abstract as the last item on your dissertation. This means that you will have already formulated the questions, answered them, and made realignments where necessary. With the problem clear, you also need to use the right tenses. Think of the reader as a person you are guiding in the journey through the dissertation. As such, you should ensure that the abstract is done in past or simple tenses. Because the study is already completed, you should not refer to the future.

His teachings have endured, and in addition to providing spiritual uplifting, can be used in the context of encouraging emotional and mental stability. This study will review original writings of Osho, using Chaudhuri’s writings about depression, suffering and death as a framework. Its intent is to provide both academic information and practical guidance.

Once you have presented the aims of the study, you should move on to highlight the methods briefly. The goal is to show the reader what research methods were used to answer the study questions. Try to make this part straightforward because most of the details will be provided in the Methods Chapter. Again, the part is also written in the simple past tense. • Wrong: Observations will be conducted on …. • Right: Observations were done on the …. Note that at this point, you should not start analyzing the validity of the study. Simply offer a quick view of the approach and procedures that were used. After the methods, you should also briefly outline the results that you got during the study. This implies that by the time a reader is through with the abstract, he should be able to know the objectives, study methods, and results. Again, the results should be presented in the past simple or present tense. Note that it might not be possible to capture all the results if your study was very complex or long. So, what should you do in such a situation? Make sure to highlight the most important parts of the results.

Data will be collected using qualitative methods of transcendental phenomenology, combined with content analysis, and subjectively reviewed through participatory epistemology.

Use of tenses

Your abstract, as shown here, should tell the reader what study methods were used during the study. Remember that the study has already been done, therefore, you are reporting, so, you should use past or present tenses.

This study will add to the literature concerning Osho’s many works, with the practical application regarding depression and other emotional issues underlying the review.

Because the abstract is an independent part, it should be complete, which means that it should also have a concluding part. In this part, you should highlight what the conclusion of your – research was. Simply put – what was the answer to the study question of the study? Make sure to present the conclusion in the present simple tense. If there were important limitations that impacted the study findings, ensure to include them here too.

Keywords: Osho, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Meditation, Enlightenment, Depression, Spirituality

Finally, list the major keywords to be addressed in the further study.

How to Write a Dissertation Abstract

Once done with the dissertation, the abstract should be on its own page, immediately after the dissertation title page, and acknowledgements, but prior to the table of content. So, how do you write an abstract?

To craft a winning abstract, you should start by defining the study purpose. So, tell the reader about the theoretical or practical problem that the study is responding to. Also, indicate the research questions that the study seeks to answer.

Note that when writing the abstract, you can either use past or present tense. See the two examples below, showing two things: how not to write it, and how to write it.

The next item on writing an abstract for a dissertation is indicating the research methods that you used. Indeed, you should make this as straightforward as possible. Note that you should not go into details of analyzing the validity of the study or obstacles. See the examples below:

When it comes to the results, you need to summarize them. You can do this part in the past simple tense or present tense. See the example below:

This is the last section of your dissertation abstract. Here, you need to provide a direct answer to the research question in your study. The goal is to ensure that the reader will clearly understand the core argument in the study. Note that conclusions in abstracts are done in past participle.

If your dissertation will be published, your department might require that you provide a list of keywords at the bottom of the abstract. The keywords reference the most crucial elements of the study to help readers to easily navigate through your paper to search for specific details.

You might want to check other top dissertations to understand how to write a winning dissertation abstract.

Pro Tips for Writing Abstract for Dissertation

At this point, we must indicate that summarizing a whole dissertation using a few paragraphs is not a simple task. But because the abstract is the first thing that readers get when reading your dissertations, it is very important that you get it right. So, here are some useful tips to guide you.

Dissertation Abstract Checklist

In addition to the above tips and guide, use the checklist below to ensure your dissertation abstract has all the required components. You might also want to check how a different dissertation abstract example brought out the components in the checklist.

Abstract Checklist

Seek help from professional dissertation writers.

The abstract is one of the most important parts of a dissertation because it helps to introduce the whole argument in the dissertation to the reader. Therefore, you have to get it right. Using our guide and expert tips, you can now get started with crafting a winning dissertation abstract. But even with the guide and a good dissertation abstract example, many students still find it a challenge. Well, do not get stuck or stressed about writing a dissertation abstract because help is only a click away. Seek help from professional dissertation writers.

Expert thesis writers have a deep understanding of what is an abstract in a dissertation, and vast experience in similar works. Whether it is your dissertation which was complicated, time is limited, or feel worn out after the lengthy writing process, professional help is all that you need. Well, why risk getting it wrong when expert writing help is easily available?

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Spring 2023【中】論文寫作入門：研究動機／摘要／文獻回顧(B) An Introduction to Writing a Thesis: Research Motivation, Abstract, and Literature Review(B)

Spring 2023【中】論文寫作入門：研究動機／摘要／文獻回顧(B) An Introduction to Writing a Thesis: Research Motivation, Abstract, and Literature Review (B)

講述「論文寫作」最基本而重要的觀念，著重於以下三項：（ 1 ）為什麼論文一開始要有「研究動機」？該怎麼寫？（ 2 ）摘要：「研究動機 + 研究成果」的扼要呈現。（ 3 ）文獻回顧：組織多篇「摘要」而呈現既有的研究成果。＊本課程另有一配套課程：「論文寫作實作：撰寫研究計畫」。同學們如果有意選修配套課程，最好事先修過「論文寫作入門：研究動機／摘要／文獻回顧」（不限哪一梯次）。 The course will introduce three important ideas about writing a thesis or a dissertation. (A)What research motivation is and how to construct it; (B) Abstract: a succinct presentation of research motivation and research production; (C) L iterature review: presentation of previous research production through organizing some summaries. ＊ After this course, t here will be “Writing a Thesis Proposal: Research Motivation and Literature Review”, which will support students’ practical writing. For students who are interested in the supporting course, it would be better to take in advance “An Introduction to Writing a Thesis”. ＊華語授課，包含講授與案例討論。數次小型習作。 Taught in Mandarin; giving lecture and discussion of cases; Minor exercises. ＊若疫情惡化，將改用 google meet 上課。（ May taught via Google Meet, depending on the situation of COVID-19 development. ）

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COMMENTS

How to Write an Abstract
In a dissertation or thesis, include the abstract on a separate page, after the title page and acknowledgements but before the table of contents. Table of contents Abstract example When to write an abstract Step 1: Introduction Step 2: Methods Step 3: Results Step 4: Discussion Keywords Tips for writing an abstract
Writing an Abstract for Your Research Paper
An abstract is a short summary of your (published or unpublished) research paper, usually about a paragraph (c. 6-7 sentences, 150-250 words) long. A well-written abstract serves multiple purposes: an abstract lets readers get the gist or essence of your paper or article quickly, in order to decide whether to read the full paper;
APA Abstract (2020)
Follow these five steps to format your abstract in APA Style: Insert a running head (for a professional paper—not needed for a student paper) and page number. Set page margins to 1 inch (2.54 cm). Write "Abstract" (bold and centered) at the top of the page. Place the contents of your abstract on the next line. Do not indent the first line.
The Writing Center
Typically, an abstract for an IMRaD paper or presentation is one or two paragraphs long (120 - 500 words). Abstracts usually spend 25% of their space on the purpose and importance of the research (Introduction) 25% of their space on what you did (Methods) 35% of their space on what you found (Results)
How To Write A Dissertation Abstract (With Examples)
Simply put, the abstract in a dissertation or thesis is a short (but well structured) summary that outlines the most important points of your research (i.e. the key takeaways). The abstract is usually 1 paragraph or about 300-500 words long (about one page), but but this can vary between universities.
How To Write an Abstract in 7 Steps (With an Example)
An abstract is a concise summary of a longer work, such as a dissertation or research paper, and allows readers to decide whether to read the full paper. Abstracts should be written after the full paper is written, and are usually about 150-250 words and one to two paragraphs long.
How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation or Thesis
The abstract you write for your dissertation or thesis should succinctly explain to the reader why the work of your research was needed, what you did, what you found and what it means. Most people that come across your thesis, including any future employers, are likely to read only your abstract.
APA Abstract Steps & Examples
An APA abstract must be formatted as follows: Include the running head aligned to the left at the top of the page (professional papers only) and page number. Note, student papers do not require a running head. On the first line, center the heading "Abstract" and bold (do not underlined or italicize).
How to Write an Abstract for Your Paper
Write the word "Abstract" at the top of the page, centered and in a bold font. Don't indent the first line. Keep your abstract under 250 words. Include a running header and page numbers on all pages, including the abstract. Abstract keywords have their own particular guidelines as well: Label the section as "Keywords:" with italics.
PDF Abstract and Keywords Guide, APA Style 7th Edition
Abstract " ° centered and in . bold ° written on the first line of the page text: ° one line below the section label ° not indented and written as a single paragraph ° double-spaced. 1. Unless requested otherwise; consult your instructor for appropriate formatting guidelines. In academic journals, abstracts typically are limited to no ...
How to write an abstract for my thesis?
The abstract of a thesis should include the following elements: 1. Motivation and problem statement: You should begin your abstract by explaining the problem you are studying, the purpose behind your study, and the study objectives. 2. Methodology: You should then explain the approach you have used in your investigation, the methods used to ...
PDF WrITINg CeNTer BrIeF gUIde SerIeS A Brief Guide to Writing the
• Abstract The abstract is a summary (usually 150 words or fewer) that provides the reader a framework for what is to come. The abstract should appear on a separate page and should summarize each of the paper's sections in a sentence or two. The abstract should be comprehensible even if the reader never actually reads the full paper.
How to Write an Abstract
An abstract should be a mini essay, so it should begin with a clear statement of your argument. This should be the first sentence or two. Abstracts vary in length. But a good rule is to aim for five to seven sentences. The bulk of the abstract will review the evidence for your claim and summarize your findings. Avoid complicated syntax.
Preparing for a binge writing session
Step Two: prepare a writing table. Pull out your latest thesis annual progress report - it should contain a chapter outline. If it doesn't, or it's out of date, you'll need to draft a new one. We want you to turn this chapter list into an actionable writing plan using the table format below.
Formatting Your Dissertation
The first printed page number should appear on the Abstract page (iii). The body of the dissertation should be numbered using Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, …). The first page of the body of the text should begin with page 1. Pagination may not continue from the front matter. All page numbers should be centered either at the top or the bottom of ...
Undergraduate Research Center
The following instructions are for the Undergraduate Research Center's Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference, however the general concepts will apply to abstracts for similar conferences. In the video to the right, Kendon Kurzer, PhD presents guidance from the University Writing Program. To see abstracts from previous URC Conferences, visit our Abstract Books Page.
How to Write a Thesis Abstract?
You need to write an abstract in a well-defined format. An ideal abstract has 150 to 200 words for a master's project or dissertation while 250 to 350 words for a PhD thesis. It should not exceed more than 500 words, note it down, though it shouldn't have an impact on thesis acceptance or rejection.
Abstracts
Authors abstract various longer works, including book proposals, dissertations, and online journal articles. There are two main types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. A descriptive abstract briefly describes the longer work, while an informative abstract presents all the main arguments and important results.
How to Write a Research Hypothesis?
In the context of the research project, a hypothesis is necessary for the presentation of the expected directions and results of the work. This idea must be clearly stated to follow a logical chain and help to write your research and do further experiments. The ultimate goal of your research is to confirm or disprove the hypothesis.
Tips and tricks to write research paper abstract
An abstract should briefly and concisely summarize the main points of a paper. It should include all the essential components, including the purpose, methods, results, and conclusions. The length of an abstract can vary depending on the journal or publication; however, most are between 150-250 words in length.
How to Write an Abstract for Dissertation or Thesis
It should be written on a separate page, placed after the title, but before the contents. To write an abstract, it will be beneficial for you to read a few examples of abstracts. The abstract should be placed after the citation, so start writing a citation first. A citation should consist of: author's name; dissertation title;
3. The Abstract
An abstract summarizes, usually in one paragraph of 300 words or less, 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.
Writing an abstract for a thesis
An example of a thesis abstract is shown in the Appendix. In other cases, an applicant is expected to provide a preliminary title which will be further elaborated in the process of thesis writing. Step 1: Look at examples of. The Abstract summarizes the Thesis' main points: No word limit applies.
Dissertation Abstract: Example And Writing Tips
Although the abstract is located at the beginning of the dissertation, you should write it at the very end so that you have the entire report to summarize. So, here are the main things that you need to include in an abstract. In most cases, the abstract in dissertation is pretty short, about 150-300 words.
Spring 2023【中】論文寫作入門：研究動機／摘要／文獻回顧(B) An Introduction to Writing a
The course will introduce three important ideas about writing a thesis or a dissertation. (A)What research motivation is and how to construct it; (B) Abstract: a succinct presentation of research motivation and research production; (C) L iterature review: presentation of previous research production through organizing some summaries.