abstract thesis schreiben

Abstract einer Arbeit schreiben

Marcus fiebig, schreibwerkstatt der uni lüneburg.

Hier erfahren Sie, wie Sie einfach und Schritt für Schritt Ihren Abstract entwickeln. Ein Abstract ist ein kurzer Abriss und eine knappe Inhaltsangabe. Gerade ungeduldige Leser lesen gerne den Abstract, um zu entscheiden, ob sich ein tiefer gehendes Lesen wirklich lohnt.

Wichtig beim Abstract ist …

Der Abstract soll den Leser informieren und möglichst neugierig darauf machen, was in der Bachelorarbeit, Masterarbeit, dem Konferenzvortrag oder in dem Beitrag zum Sammelband zu erwarten ist. Sinnvoll ist es dabei, explizit die Lesergruppen anzusprechen, für die der Text besonders geeignet ist. Der Abstract ist v. a. bei Master- und Bachelorarbeiten sprachlich nüchtern und sachlich zu halten. Den Leser interessieren v. a. folgende Fragen:

Was sind die wichtigsten Ergebnisse? Welche Methodik wurde wie angewendet? Was sind die wichtigsten Schlussfolgerungen usw.?

So können Sie beim Schreiben starten

Wenn Sie mit den Zielen der Arbeit starten und danach etwas zur Theorie oder Untersuchungsmethode schreiben, ergibt sich meist ein guter Start. Zwei Beispiele dazu:

Abstract Beispiel 1:

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Bachelorarbeit war es, die wichtigsten theoretischen Konzepte (Müller 2007; Meyer 2012; Schulz 2015) zum kreativen Schreiben theoretisch zu vergleichen und empirisch zu überprüfen. Dazu wurden zehn Studierende in qualitativen Interviews befragt. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen zum großen Teil die Annahmen bei Müller, Meyer und Schulz. Folgende Schlussfolgerungen gehen jedoch nach der Auswertung der Interviews über die theoretischen Annahmen hinaus: A, B, C … Die Bachelorarbeit ist sowohl für Studierende im Lehramt Deutsch als auch für Lehrende im Bereich Schreibdidaktik interessant.  

Abstract Beispiel 2:

Die vorliegende Masterarbeit gibt einen Überblick über die Bedingungen und Auswirkungen von Produktionsketten am Beispiel der Firma Apple. Dabei wurde die Funktionsweise der Produktionsstätten in Südostasien organisationspsychologisch untersucht. Danach wurden diese Erkenntnisse mit anderen Smartphone-Herstellern verglichen und Handlungsempfehlungen aus Arbeitnehmer- und Arbeitgebersicht entwickelt. Die Basis der Masterarbeit sind Experteninterviews in Deutschland sowie die Studien von Beyer (2014), Johnson (2012) und Wenig-Li (2015) zu den Arbeitsbedingungen in Shanghai. Der Autor erhofft sich dadurch einen interdisziplinären Erkenntnisgewinn.

Der Abstract – häufig gibt es Vorgaben

Bevor Sie mit dem Schreiben loslegen, vergewissern Sie sich, ob es Vorgaben gibt. So darf bei Bachelorarbeiten und Masterarbeiten der Abstract üblicherweise höchstens eine halbe DIN-A4-Seite lang sein, also maximal 150 bis 250 Wörter umfassen. Einige Prüfer machen genaue Vorgaben, andere lassen mehr Freiheit und akzeptieren auch längere Abstracts. Bei Fachzeitschriften und Konferenzbeiträgen gibt es fast immer sehr genaue Vorgaben.

Definieren Sie die Adressaten des Abstracts: Soll nur das Fachpublikum angesprochen werden? Oder soll er für jeden Leser selbsterklärend sein? Vergleichen Sie Abstracts in Sammelbänden und wissenschaftlichen Zeitschriften, und Sie werden große Unterschiede feststellen.

Ihr Abstract sollte genau, vollständig, kurz, knapp, objektiv und vor allem verständlich sein.

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Ein pragmatischer Ansatz beim Schreiben des Abstracts

Überlegen Sie sich die verschiedensten Stationen Ihrer Arbeit. Wie bei einer Reiseroute müssen Sie nur die wichtigsten Orte nennen, die Sie bereist haben, und nicht jeden Baum am Weg. Schreiben Sie dazu bspw. zu jedem der folgenden Punkte eigene Stichpunkte bzw. Sätze. Mit sogenannten W-Fragen (Was? Wie? Wo?) identifizieren Sie mögliche Inhalte Ihres Abstracts.

Sie können bewusst und sinnvoll aus dieser Kriterienliste auswählen. Die Liste soll nur der grundsätzlichen Orientierung dienen. Benennen Sie gerne auch Leerstellen, weisen Sie also darauf hin, wenn Sie bei einem wichtigen Punkt keine Antwort gefunden haben bzw. zu keiner klaren Erkenntnis gelangt sind.  

Nach dem Entwurf: systematisches Vervollständigen

Bravo, Sie haben bereits einen Rohentwurf des Abstracts zusammengestellt! Einige von Ihnen schreiben schon sehr früh einen Abstract, für andere ist das erst am Ende des Arbeitsprozesses möglich. Egal, wann Sie die erste Fassung Ihres Abstracts zu Papier gebracht haben – wie geht es jetzt weiter? Vervollständigen Sie Ihren Abstract entsprechend der besagten Leerstellen in der oben angeführten Checkliste. Nun können Sie den Abstract überarbeiten.  

Wie überarbeite ich einen Abstract?

Gerade weil es sich um eine sehr kleine Textmenge handelt, ist die inhaltliche und sprachliche Qualität sehr wichtig. Seien Sie ehrlich: Sie wollen selbst auch keine Abstracts lesen, in denen wesentliche Informationen fehlen oder die den Leser verwirren. Der sprachliche Spielraum ist beim Abstract nicht groß: Er sollte nüchtern, sachlich und leserfreundlich sein.

Je nach Publikation kann jedoch differenziert werden: Bei einer Masterarbeit ist der Spielraum eventuell geringer als bei einem Sammelband mit studentischen Einzelbeiträgen. Nutzen Sie den Spielraum, der Ihnen zur Verfügung steht, und ziehen Sie den Leser mit dem Abstract in Ihren Text – wie ein freundlicher Fährmann, der eine kleine Reiseroute von Hamburg nach Dresden anbietet. 

Sie können folgendermaßen vorgehen:

• Sind die wichtigsten Ergebnisse der Master /Bachelorarbeit enthalten?
• Müssen Ergebnisse gestrichen werden, die weniger wichtig sind?
• Ist der Abstract selbsterklärend, kann der Leser ihn verstehen, ohne die ganze Master /Bachelorarbeit kennen zu müssen?
• Gibt es logische oder sprachliche Brüche im Textfluss?
• Korrektur: Rechtschreibung, Schriftart und die maximale Wortanzahl überprüfen.
• Bonus: Macht der Abstract inhaltlich und sprachlich neugierig?

Was unser Lektorat für Sie leisten kann

Lektorat einer Bachelorarbeit

Weitere Informationen: Bachelorarbeit-Lektorat

Erweiterte Hinweise zum Überarbeiten: Feedbackpartner / critical friends

Wenn Sie alleine nicht mehr weiterkommen und/oder wenn der Abstract sehr gut werden soll (z. B. für ein call for papers), dann bietet sich folgende Checkliste an:

• Sehen Sie sich andere Abstracts in Fachzeitschriften und Sammelbänden an, die thematisch nahe an Ihrer Master /Bachelorarbeit liegen. Was ist dort konkret gut, was ist weniger gelungen?  
• Geben Sie einen konkreten Feedbackauftrag an Kommilitonen und/oder Freunde. Dabei soll es um folgende Fragen gehen: Inwieweit ist der Abstract selbsterklärend? Wo gibt es sprachliche Brüche? Welche Informationen fehlen?  
• Wenn Sie einen Abstract schreiben, um an einer Konferenz teilzunehmen, so folgt auf eine vorläufige Annahme meist eine Überarbeitungsphase. Dabei melden sich oft zwei sogenannte Reviewer bei Ihnen. Versuchen Sie jetzt, die Hinweise der Reviewer sorgfältig zu berücksichtigen, und nutzen Sie ggf. wieder die Hilfe Ihrer Kommilitonen und/oder Freunde.  
• Nehmen Sie professionelle Hilfe in Anspruch. Ein Coaching hilft beim Schreiben einer Abschlussarbeit. Es wird sich lohnen.  

Weiterlesen:  Bachelor-Thesis schreiben

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Abstract Beispiel für eine Bachelorarbeit oder Masterarbeit

Veröffentlicht am 6. April 2017 von Lea Genau . Aktualisiert am 17. Januar 2022.

Der Abstract ist eine kurze und aussagekräftige Darstellung deiner Forschung.

Der Abstract fasst für die Lesenden deine Bachelorarbeit bzw. Masterarbeit so zusammen, dass sie einen klaren Überblick darüber erhalten, was du untersucht und was du herausgefunden hast.

• Einen Abstract kannst du im Präsens oder im Perfekt schreiben.
• Verwende keine komplizierten Begriffe – auch Fachfremde sollten den kurzen Text verstehen können.
• Der Abstract sollte dabei nicht länger als eine A4-Seite sein.

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Erfahre mehr über den Inhalt und die Besonderheiten des Abstracts deiner Abschlussarbeit.

Abstract Bachelorarbeit | Abstract Masterarbeit

Unternehmen verfolgen zunehmend das Ziel, Marketingkampagnen zur Vermarktung ihrer Produkte einzusetzen. Um online einen wachsenden Umsatz zu generieren, greifen sie insbesondere auf Social-Media-Kanäle zurück. Daher ist es notwendig zu verstehen, wie solche Marketingkampagnen konzipiert sind und wie sie funktionieren.

Das Ziel in der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es zu beantworten, durch welche Kriterien eine Marketingkampagne in Social Media erfolgreich verläuft. Dazu wird die folgende Forschungsfrage gestellt: Wie kann eine erfolgreiche Marketingkampagne für Onlinefotodruckunternehmen auf Social Media geplant werden?[/scribbr-annotation]

Um die Forschungsfrage zu beantworten, wurde eine quantitative Studie zu aktuellen Druckgeschäftsanzeigen und deren Wirkung durchgeführt. Spezifisch wurde in der Studie auf Anzeigen aus den Social-Media-Kanälen Twitter, Facebook und Instagram Bezug genommen. Es wurde untersucht, welche Kriterien bei einer Anzeige erfüllt sein müssen, damit diese bei den Nutzern erfolgreich ist. In der quantitativen Studie waren den Teilnehmenden geschlossene Fragen auf einer Skala von 1 bis 10 gestellt worden, die im Anschluss ausgewertet wurden. Dabei wurden drei Altersklassen berücksichtigt: 15–29-Jährige, 30–45-Jährige und alle Teilnehmenden ab 45 Jahren wurden in je eine Gruppe unterteilt.

Die Antworten auf die Fragebogen zeigen, dass die Altersgruppe von 30–45 Jahren und jene darüber im Durchschnitt am häufigsten auf die Anzeigen von Onlinefotodruckunternehmen reagieren. Diese Anzeigen sind in erster Linie auf Twitter und Facebook erfolgreich, weil diese Plattformen von Personen in dieser Altersklasse am häufigsten genutzt werden. Jüngere Menschen hingegen, die vorwiegend Instagram verwenden, reagieren seltener auf die Anzeigen von Online-Fotodruckunternehmen. Eine Social-Media-Kampagne bietet sich für Online-Fotodruckunternehmen also insbesondere auf Twitter und Facebook mit der Fokussierung auf die Altersgruppe ab 30 Jahren an.

Weiterführende Forschung im Bereich des Marketings für den Onlinefotodruck könnte auf Anzeigenwerbung von Suchmaschinen ausgerichtet sein.

Das gehört in den Abstract

Dein Abstract sollte die folgenden Elemente enthalten:

• die Relevanz deines Themas
• deine Forschungsfrage
• ggf. von dir aufgestellte Hypothesen
• die Methodik
• deine zentralen Forschungsergebnisse
• Formulierungen im Präsens oder Perfekt
• keine Zitate
• keine Abkürzungen
• keine subjektive Meinungsäußerungen

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Der Abstract ist ein Text, in dem deine Abschlussarbeit kurz zusammengefasst wird. Er sollte maximal eine Seite lang sein.

Du gehst im Abstract nicht nur auf das Thema deiner Arbeit ein, sondern auch auf die Forschungsfrage, deine Methode und die zentralen Ergebnisse. So bekommen Lesende einen Eindruck davon, was sie in deiner Arbeit erwartet.

Beim Schreiben deines Abstracts solltest du darauf achten, eine kompakte Zusammenfassung deiner Bachelorarbeit zu liefern. Dies gelingt am besten, wenn du den Abstract ganz am Schluss verfasst.

In deinem Abstract solltest du folgende Fragen beantworten:

• Worum geht es?
• Wie wurde vorgegangen?
• Was sind die wichtigsten Ergebnisse?
• Was bedeuten deine Ergebnisse?

Der Abstract sollte maximal eine Seite bzw. 150–250 Wörter lang sein.

Der Abstract steht in einer Bachelorarbeit meist zwischen dem Deckblatt und dem Inhaltsverzeichnis. Wenn deine Arbeit ein Vorwort enthält, steht es nach dem Abstract.

Je nach Vorgabe der jeweiligen Hochschule kann der Abstract aber auch manchmal hinter dem Inhaltsverzeichnis platziert werden.

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Genau, L. (2022, 17. Januar). Abstract Beispiel für eine Bachelorarbeit oder Masterarbeit. Scribbr. Abgerufen am 9. September 2024, von https://www.scribbr.de/aufbau-und-gliederung/abstract-beispiel/

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• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation
• How to Write an Abstract | Steps & Examples

How to Write an Abstract | Steps & Examples

Published on 1 March 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 10 October 2022 by Eoghan Ryan.

An abstract is a short summary of a longer work (such as a dissertation or research paper ). The abstract concisely reports the aims and outcomes of your research, so that readers know exactly what your paper is about.

Although the structure may vary slightly depending on your discipline, your abstract should describe the purpose of your work, the methods you’ve used, and the conclusions you’ve drawn.

One common way to structure your abstract is to use the IMRaD structure. This stands for:

• Introduction

Abstracts are usually around 100–300 words, but there’s often a strict word limit, so make sure to check the relevant requirements.

In a dissertation or thesis , include the abstract on a separate page, after the title page and acknowledgements but before the table of contents .

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Table of contents

Abstract example, when to write an abstract, step 1: introduction, step 2: methods, step 3: results, step 4: discussion, tips for writing an abstract, frequently asked questions about abstracts.

Hover over the different parts of the abstract to see how it is constructed.

This paper examines the role of silent movies as a mode of shared experience in the UK during the early twentieth century. At this time, high immigration rates resulted in a significant percentage of non-English-speaking citizens. These immigrants faced numerous economic and social obstacles, including exclusion from public entertainment and modes of discourse (newspapers, theater, radio).

Incorporating evidence from reviews, personal correspondence, and diaries, this study demonstrates that silent films were an affordable and inclusive source of entertainment. It argues for the accessible economic and representational nature of early cinema. These concerns are particularly evident in the low price of admission and in the democratic nature of the actors’ exaggerated gestures, which allowed the plots and action to be easily grasped by a diverse audience despite language barriers.

Keywords: silent movies, immigration, public discourse, entertainment, early cinema, language barriers.

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You will almost always have to include an abstract when:

• Completing a thesis or dissertation
• Submitting a research paper to an academic journal
• Writing a book proposal
• Applying for research grants

It’s easiest to write your abstract last, because it’s a summary of the work you’ve already done. Your abstract should:

• Be a self-contained text, not an excerpt from your paper
• Be fully understandable on its own
• Reflect the structure of your larger work

Start by clearly defining the purpose of your research. What practical or theoretical problem does the research respond to, or what research question did you aim to answer?

You can include some brief context on the social or academic relevance of your topic, but don’t go into detailed background information. If your abstract uses specialised terms that would be unfamiliar to the average academic reader or that have various different meanings, give a concise definition.

After identifying the problem, state the objective of your research. Use verbs like “investigate,” “test,” “analyse,” or “evaluate” to describe exactly what you set out to do.

This part of the abstract can be written in the present or past simple tense  but should never refer to the future, as the research is already complete.

• This study will investigate the relationship between coffee consumption and productivity.
• This study investigates the relationship between coffee consumption and productivity.

Next, indicate the research methods that you used to answer your question. This part should be a straightforward description of what you did in one or two sentences. It is usually written in the past simple tense, as it refers to completed actions.

• Structured interviews will be conducted with 25 participants.
• Structured interviews were conducted with 25 participants.

Don’t evaluate validity or obstacles here — the goal is not to give an account of the methodology’s strengths and weaknesses, but to give the reader a quick insight into the overall approach and procedures you used.

Next, summarise the main research results . This part of the abstract can be in the present or past simple tense.

• Our analysis has shown a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.
• Our analysis shows a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.
• Our analysis showed a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.

Depending on how long and complex your research is, you may not be able to include all results here. Try to highlight only the most important findings that will allow the reader to understand your conclusions.

Finally, you should discuss the main conclusions of your research : what is your answer to the problem or question? The reader should finish with a clear understanding of the central point that your research has proved or argued. Conclusions are usually written in the present simple tense.

• We concluded that coffee consumption increases productivity.
• We conclude that coffee consumption increases productivity.

If there are important limitations to your research (for example, related to your sample size or methods), you should mention them briefly in the abstract. This allows the reader to accurately assess the credibility and generalisability of your research.

If your aim was to solve a practical problem, your discussion might include recommendations for implementation. If relevant, you can briefly make suggestions for further research.

If your paper will be published, you might have to add a list of keywords at the end of the abstract. These keywords should reference the most important elements of the research to help potential readers find your paper during their own literature searches.

Be aware that some publication manuals, such as APA Style , have specific formatting requirements for these keywords.

It can be a real challenge to condense your whole work into just a couple of hundred words, but the abstract will be the first (and sometimes only) part that people read, so it’s important to get it right. These strategies can help you get started.

Read other abstracts

The best way to learn the conventions of writing an abstract in your discipline is to read other people’s. You probably already read lots of journal article abstracts while conducting your literature review —try using them as a framework for structure and style.

You can also find lots of dissertation abstract examples in thesis and dissertation databases .

Reverse outline

Not all abstracts will contain precisely the same elements. For longer works, you can write your abstract through a process of reverse outlining.

For each chapter or section, list keywords and draft one to two sentences that summarise the central point or argument. This will give you a framework of your abstract’s structure. Next, revise the sentences to make connections and show how the argument develops.

Write clearly and concisely

A good abstract is short but impactful, so make sure every word counts. Each sentence should clearly communicate one main point.

To keep your abstract or summary short and clear:

• Avoid passive sentences: Passive constructions are often unnecessarily long. You can easily make them shorter and clearer by using the active voice.
• Avoid long sentences: Substitute longer expressions for concise expressions or single words (e.g., “In order to” for “To”).
• Avoid obscure jargon: The abstract should be understandable to readers who are not familiar with your topic.
• Avoid repetition and filler words: Replace nouns with pronouns when possible and eliminate unnecessary words.
• Avoid detailed descriptions: An abstract is not expected to provide detailed definitions, background information, or discussions of other scholars’ work. Instead, include this information in the body of your thesis or paper.

If you’re struggling to edit down to the required length, you can get help from expert editors with Scribbr’s professional proofreading services .

Check your formatting

If you are writing a thesis or dissertation or submitting to a journal, there are often specific formatting requirements for the abstract—make sure to check the guidelines and format your work correctly. For APA research papers you can follow the APA abstract format .

Checklist: Abstract

The word count is within the required length, or a maximum of one page.

The abstract appears after the title page and acknowledgements and before the table of contents .

I have clearly stated my research problem and objectives.

I have briefly described my methodology .

I have summarized the most important results .

I have stated my main conclusions .

I have mentioned any important limitations and recommendations.

The abstract can be understood by someone without prior knowledge of the topic.

You've written a great abstract! Use the other checklists to continue improving your thesis or dissertation.

An abstract is a concise summary of an academic text (such as a journal article or dissertation ). It serves two main purposes:

• To help potential readers determine the relevance of your paper for their own research.
• To communicate your key findings to those who don’t have time to read the whole paper.

Abstracts are often indexed along with keywords on academic databases, so they make your work more easily findable. Since the abstract is the first thing any reader sees, it’s important that it clearly and accurately summarises the contents of your paper.

An abstract for a thesis or dissertation is usually around 150–300 words. There’s often a strict word limit, so make sure to check your university’s requirements.

The abstract is the very last thing you write. You should only write it after your research is complete, so that you can accurately summarize the entirety of your thesis or paper.

Avoid citing sources in your abstract . There are two reasons for this:

• The abstract should focus on your original research, not on the work of others.
• The abstract should be self-contained and fully understandable without reference to other sources.

There are some circumstances where you might need to mention other sources in an abstract: for example, if your research responds directly to another study or focuses on the work of a single theorist. In general, though, don’t include citations unless absolutely necessary.

The abstract appears on its own page, after the title page and acknowledgements but before the table of contents .

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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 exactly is a dissertation (or thesis) abstract
• What’s the purpose and function of the abstract
• Why is the abstract so important
• How to write a high-quality dissertation abstract
• Example/sample of a quality abstract
• Quick tips to write a high-quality dissertation 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:

• The purpose of the research (what’s it about and why’s that important)
• The methodology (how you carried out the research)
• The key research findings (what answers you found)
• The implications of these findings (what these answers mean)

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

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. 

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 .

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:

• What were your research aims and research questions ?
• Why were these aims and questions important?

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:

• Did you take a qualitative or quantitative approach ?
• Who/what did your sample consist of?
• How did you collect your data?
• How did you analyse your data?

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:

• What is the impact of your research findings on the industry /field investigated? In other words, what’s the impact on the “real world”. 
• What is the impact of your findings on the existing body of knowledge ? For example, do they support the existing research?
• What might your findings mean for future research conducted on your topic?

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

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:

• What you studied (who and where are included in this part)
• Why the topic was important
• How you designed your study (i.e. your research methodology)
• So what were the big findings and implications of your research

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!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

21 Comments

This was so very useful, thank you Caroline.

Much appreciated.

This information on Abstract for writing a Dissertation was very helpful to me!

Write an abstract on the impact of monetary policy on banks profitability in Nigeria

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 🙂

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Thanks for this! Very concise and helpful for my ADHD brain.

I am so grateful for the tips. I am very optimistic in coming up with a winning abstract for my dessertation, thanks to you.

Thank you! First time writing anything this long!

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How to Write an Abstract (With Examples)

By Sarah Oakley

Table of Contents

What is an abstract in a paper, how long should an abstract be, 5 steps for writing an abstract, examples of an abstract, how prowritingaid can help you write an abstract.

If you are writing a scientific research paper or a book proposal, you need to know how to write an abstract, which summarizes the contents of the paper or book.

When researchers are looking for peer-reviewed papers to use in their studies, the first place they will check is the abstract to see if it applies to their work. Therefore, your abstract is one of the most important parts of your entire paper.

In this article, we’ll explain what an abstract is, what it should include, and how to write one.

An abstract is a concise summary of the details within a report. Some abstracts give more details than others, but the main things you’ll be talking about are why you conducted the research, what you did, and what the results show.

When a reader is deciding whether to read your paper completely, they will first look at the abstract. You need to be concise in your abstract and give the reader the most important information so they can determine if they want to read the whole paper.

Remember that an abstract is the last thing you’ll want to write for the research paper because it directly references parts of the report. If you haven’t written the report, you won’t know what to include in your abstract.

If you are writing a paper for a journal or an assignment, the publication or academic institution might have specific formatting rules for how long your abstract should be. However, if they don’t, most abstracts are between 150 and 300 words long.

A short word count means your writing has to be precise and without filler words or phrases. Once you’ve written a first draft, you can always use an editing tool, such as ProWritingAid, to identify areas where you can reduce words and increase readability.

If your abstract is over the word limit, and you’ve edited it but still can’t figure out how to reduce it further, your abstract might include some things that aren’t needed. Here’s a list of three elements you can remove from your abstract:

Discussion : You don’t need to go into detail about the findings of your research because your reader will find your discussion within the paper.

Definition of terms : Your readers are interested the field you are writing about, so they are likely to understand the terms you are using. If not, they can always look them up. Your readers do not expect you to give a definition of terms in your abstract.

References and citations : You can mention there have been studies that support or have inspired your research, but you do not need to give details as the reader will find them in your bibliography.

Good writing = better grades

ProWritingAid will help you improve the style, strength, and clarity of all your assignments.

If you’ve never written an abstract before, and you’re wondering how to write an abstract, we’ve got some steps for you to follow. It’s best to start with planning your abstract, so we’ve outlined the details you need to include in your plan before you write.

Remember to consider your audience when you’re planning and writing your abstract. They are likely to skim read your abstract, so you want to be sure your abstract delivers all the information they’re expecting to see at key points.

1. What Should an Abstract Include?

Abstracts have a lot of information to cover in a short number of words, so it’s important to know what to include. There are three elements that need to be present in your abstract:

Your context is the background for where your research sits within your field of study. You should briefly mention any previous scientific papers or experiments that have led to your hypothesis and how research develops in those studies.

Your hypothesis is your prediction of what your study will show. As you are writing your abstract after you have conducted your research, you should still include your hypothesis in your abstract because it shows the motivation for your paper.

Throughout your abstract, you also need to include keywords and phrases that will help researchers to find your article in the databases they’re searching. Make sure the keywords are specific to your field of study and the subject you’re reporting on, otherwise your article might not reach the relevant audience.

2. Can You Use First Person in an Abstract?

You might think that first person is too informal for a research paper, but it’s not. Historically, writers of academic reports avoided writing in first person to uphold the formality standards of the time. However, first person is more accepted in research papers in modern times.

If you’re still unsure whether to write in first person for your abstract, refer to any style guide rules imposed by the journal you’re writing for or your teachers if you are writing an assignment.

3. Abstract Structure

Some scientific journals have strict rules on how to structure an abstract, so it’s best to check those first. If you don’t have any style rules to follow, try using the IMRaD structure, which stands for Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion.

Following the IMRaD structure, start with an introduction. The amount of background information you should include depends on your specific research area. Adding a broad overview gives you less room to include other details. Remember to include your hypothesis in this section.

The next part of your abstract should cover your methodology. Try to include the following details if they apply to your study:

What type of research was conducted?

How were the test subjects sampled?

What were the sample sizes?

What was done to each group?

How long was the experiment?

How was data recorded and interpreted?

Following the methodology, include a sentence or two about the results, which is where your reader will determine if your research supports or contradicts their own investigations.

The results are also where most people will want to find out what your outcomes were, even if they are just mildly interested in your research area. You should be specific about all the details but as concise as possible.

The last few sentences are your conclusion. It needs to explain how your findings affect the context and whether your hypothesis was correct. Include the primary take-home message, additional findings of importance, and perspective. Also explain whether there is scope for further research into the subject of your report.

Your conclusion should be honest and give the reader the ultimate message that your research shows. Readers trust the conclusion, so make sure you’re not fabricating the results of your research. Some readers won’t read your entire paper, but this section will tell them if it’s worth them referencing it in their own study.

4. How to Start an Abstract

The first line of your abstract should give your reader the context of your report by providing background information. You can use this sentence to imply the motivation for your research.

You don’t need to use a hook phrase or device in your first sentence to grab the reader’s attention. Your reader will look to establish relevance quickly, so readability and clarity are more important than trying to persuade the reader to read on.

5. How to Format an Abstract

Most abstracts use the same formatting rules, which help the reader identify the abstract so they know where to look for it.

Here’s a list of formatting guidelines for writing an abstract:

Stick to one paragraph

Use block formatting with no indentation at the beginning

Put your abstract straight after the title and acknowledgements pages

Use present or past tense, not future tense

There are two primary types of abstract you could write for your paper—descriptive and informative.

An informative abstract is the most common, and they follow the structure mentioned previously. They are longer than descriptive abstracts because they cover more details.

Descriptive abstracts differ from informative abstracts, as they don’t include as much discussion or detail. The word count for a descriptive abstract is between 50 and 150 words.

Here is an example of an informative abstract:

A growing trend exists for authors to employ a more informal writing style that uses “we” in academic writing to acknowledge one’s stance and engagement. However, few studies have compared the ways in which the first-person pronoun “we” is used in the abstracts and conclusions of empirical papers. To address this lacuna in the literature, this study conducted a systematic corpus analysis of the use of “we” in the abstracts and conclusions of 400 articles collected from eight leading electrical and electronic (EE) engineering journals. The abstracts and conclusions were extracted to form two subcorpora, and an integrated framework was applied to analyze and seek to explain how we-clusters and we-collocations were employed. Results revealed whether authors’ use of first-person pronouns partially depends on a journal policy. The trend of using “we” showed that a yearly increase occurred in the frequency of “we” in EE journal papers, as well as the existence of three “we-use” types in the article conclusions and abstracts: exclusive, inclusive, and ambiguous. Other possible “we-use” alternatives such as “I” and other personal pronouns were used very rarely—if at all—in either section. These findings also suggest that the present tense was used more in article abstracts, but the present perfect tense was the most preferred tense in article conclusions. Both research and pedagogical implications are proffered and critically discussed.

Wang, S., Tseng, W.-T., & Johanson, R. (2021). To We or Not to We: Corpus-Based Research on First-Person Pronoun Use in Abstracts and Conclusions. SAGE Open, 11(2).

Here is an example of a descriptive abstract:

From the 1850s to the present, considerable criminological attention has focused on the development of theoretically-significant systems for classifying crime. This article reviews and attempts to evaluate a number of these efforts, and we conclude that further work on this basic task is needed. The latter part of the article explicates a conceptual foundation for a crime pattern classification system, and offers a preliminary taxonomy of crime.

Farr, K. A., & Gibbons, D. C. (1990). Observations on the Development of Crime Categories. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 34(3), 223–237.

If you want to ensure your abstract is grammatically correct and easy to read, you can use ProWritingAid to edit it. The software integrates with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and most web browsers, so you can make the most of it wherever you’re writing your paper.

Before you edit with ProWritingAid, make sure the suggestions you are seeing are relevant for your document by changing the document type to “Abstract” within the Academic writing style section.

You can use the Readability report to check your abstract for places to improve the clarity of your writing. Some suggestions might show you where to remove words, which is great if you’re over your word count.

We hope the five steps and examples we’ve provided help you write a great abstract for your research paper.

Sarah Oakley

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Abstract Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide With Tips & Examples

Table of Contents

Introduction

Abstracts of research papers have always played an essential role in describing your research concisely and clearly to researchers and editors of journals, enticing them to continue reading. However, with the widespread availability of scientific databases, the need to write a convincing abstract is more crucial now than during the time of paper-bound manuscripts.

Abstracts serve to "sell" your research and can be compared with your "executive outline" of a resume or, rather, a formal summary of the critical aspects of your work. Also, it can be the "gist" of your study. Since most educational research is done online, it's a sign that you have a shorter time for impressing your readers, and have more competition from other abstracts that are available to be read.

The APCI (Academic Publishing and Conferences International) articulates 12 issues or points considered during the final approval process for conferences & journals and emphasises the importance of writing an abstract that checks all these boxes (12 points). Since it's the only opportunity you have to captivate your readers, you must invest time and effort in creating an abstract that accurately reflects the critical points of your research.

With that in mind, let’s head over to understand and discover the core concept and guidelines to create a substantial abstract. Also, learn how to organise the ideas or plots into an effective abstract that will be awe-inspiring to the readers you want to reach.

What is Abstract? Definition and Overview

The word "Abstract' is derived from Latin abstractus meaning "drawn off." This etymological meaning also applies to art movements as well as music, like abstract expressionism. In this context, it refers to the revealing of the artist's intention.

Based on this, you can determine the meaning of an abstract: A condensed research summary. It must be self-contained and independent of the body of the research. However, it should outline the subject, the strategies used to study the problem, and the methods implemented to attain the outcomes. The specific elements of the study differ based on the area of study; however, together, it must be a succinct summary of the entire research paper.

Abstracts are typically written at the end of the paper, even though it serves as a prologue. In general, the abstract must be in a position to:

• Describe the paper.
• Identify the problem or the issue at hand.
• Explain to the reader the research process, the results you came up with, and what conclusion you've reached using these results.
• Include keywords to guide your strategy and the content.

Furthermore, the abstract you submit should not reflect upon any of  the following elements:

• Examine, analyse or defend the paper or your opinion.
• What you want to study, achieve or discover.
• Be redundant or irrelevant.

After reading an abstract, your audience should understand the reason - what the research was about in the first place, what the study has revealed and how it can be utilised or can be used to benefit others. You can understand the importance of abstract by knowing the fact that the abstract is the most frequently read portion of any research paper. In simpler terms, it should contain all the main points of the research paper.

What is the Purpose of an Abstract?

Abstracts are typically an essential requirement for research papers; however, it's not an obligation to preserve traditional reasons without any purpose. Abstracts allow readers to scan the text to determine whether it is relevant to their research or studies. The abstract allows other researchers to decide if your research paper can provide them with some additional information. A good abstract paves the interest of the audience to pore through your entire paper to find the content or context they're searching for.

Abstract writing is essential for indexing, as well. The Digital Repository of academic papers makes use of abstracts to index the entire content of academic research papers. Like meta descriptions in the regular Google outcomes, abstracts must include keywords that help researchers locate what they seek.

Types of Abstract

Informative and Descriptive are two kinds of abstracts often used in scientific writing.

A descriptive abstract gives readers an outline of the author's main points in their study. The reader can determine if they want to stick to the research work, based on their interest in the topic. An abstract that is descriptive is similar to the contents table of books, however, the format of an abstract depicts complete sentences encapsulated in one paragraph. It is unfortunate that the abstract can't be used as a substitute for reading a piece of writing because it's just an overview, which omits readers from getting an entire view. Also, it cannot be a way to fill in the gaps the reader may have after reading this kind of abstract since it does not contain crucial information needed to evaluate the article.

To conclude, a descriptive abstract is:

• A simple summary of the task, just summarises the work, but some researchers think it is much more of an outline
• Typically, the length is approximately 100 words. It is too short when compared to an informative abstract.
• A brief explanation but doesn't provide the reader with the complete information they need;
• An overview that omits conclusions and results

An informative abstract is a comprehensive outline of the research. There are times when people rely on the abstract as an information source. And the reason is why it is crucial to provide entire data of particular research. A well-written, informative abstract could be a good substitute for the remainder of the paper on its own.

A well-written abstract typically follows a particular style. The author begins by providing the identifying information, backed by citations and other identifiers of the papers. Then, the major elements are summarised to make the reader aware of the study. It is followed by the methodology and all-important findings from the study. The conclusion then presents study results and ends the abstract with a comprehensive summary.

In a nutshell, an informative abstract:

• Has a length that can vary, based on the subject, but is not longer than 300 words.
• Contains all the content-like methods and intentions
• Offers evidence and possible recommendations.

Informative Abstracts are more frequent than descriptive abstracts because of their extensive content and linkage to the topic specifically. You should select different types of abstracts to papers based on their length: informative abstracts for extended and more complex abstracts and descriptive ones for simpler and shorter research papers.

What are the Characteristics of a Good Abstract?

• A good abstract clearly defines the goals and purposes of the study.
• It should clearly describe the research methodology with a primary focus on data gathering, processing, and subsequent analysis.
• A good abstract should provide specific research findings.
• It presents the principal conclusions of the systematic study.
• It should be concise, clear, and relevant to the field of study.
• A well-designed abstract should be unifying and coherent.
• It is easy to grasp and free of technical jargon.
• It is written impartially and objectively.

You can have a thorough understanding of abstracts using SciSpace ChatPDF which makes your abstract analysis part easier.

What are the various sections of an ideal Abstract?

By now, you must have gained some concrete idea of the essential elements that your abstract needs to convey . Accordingly, the information is broken down into six key sections of the abstract, which include:

An Introduction or Background

Research methodology, objectives and goals, limitations.

Let's go over them in detail.

The introduction, also known as background, is the most concise part of your abstract. Ideally, it comprises a couple of sentences. Some researchers only write one sentence to introduce their abstract. The idea behind this is to guide readers through the key factors that led to your study.

It's understandable that this information might seem difficult to explain in a couple of sentences. For example, think about the following two questions like the background of your study:

• What is currently available about the subject with respect to the paper being discussed?
• What isn't understood about this issue? (This is the subject of your research)

While writing the abstract’s introduction, make sure that it is not lengthy. Because if it crosses the word limit, it may eat up the words meant to be used for providing other key information.

Research methodology is where you describe the theories and techniques you used in your research. It is recommended that you describe what you have done and the method you used to get your thorough investigation results. Certainly, it is the second-longest paragraph in the abstract.

In the research methodology section, it is essential to mention the kind of research you conducted; for instance, qualitative research or quantitative research (this will guide your research methodology too) . If you've conducted quantitative research, your abstract should contain information like the sample size, data collection method, sampling techniques, and duration of the study. Likewise, your abstract should reflect observational data, opinions, questionnaires (especially the non-numerical data) if you work on qualitative research.

The research objectives and goals speak about what you intend to accomplish with your research. The majority of research projects focus on the long-term effects of a project, and the goals focus on the immediate, short-term outcomes of the research. It is possible to summarise both in just multiple sentences.

In stating your objectives and goals, you give readers a picture of the scope of the study, its depth and the direction your research ultimately follows. Your readers can evaluate the results of your research against the goals and stated objectives to determine if you have achieved the goal of your research.

In the end, your readers are more attracted by the results you've obtained through your study. Therefore, you must take the time to explain each relevant result and explain how they impact your research. The results section exists as the longest in your abstract, and nothing should diminish its reach or quality.

One of the most important things you should adhere to is to spell out details and figures on the results of your research.

Instead of making a vague assertion such as, "We noticed that response rates varied greatly between respondents with high incomes and those with low incomes", Try these: "The response rate was higher for high-income respondents than those with lower incomes (59 30 percent vs. 30 percent in both cases; P<0.01)."

You're likely to encounter certain obstacles during your research. It could have been during data collection or even during conducting the sample . Whatever the issue, it's essential to inform your readers about them and their effects on the research.

Research limitations offer an opportunity to suggest further and deep research. If, for instance, you were forced to change for convenient sampling and snowball samples because of difficulties in reaching well-suited research participants, then you should mention this reason when you write your research abstract. In addition, a lack of prior studies on the subject could hinder your research.

Your conclusion should include the same number of sentences to wrap the abstract as the introduction. The majority of researchers offer an idea of the consequences of their research in this case.

Your conclusion should include three essential components:

• A significant take-home message.
• Corresponding important findings.
• The Interpretation.

Even though the conclusion of your abstract needs to be brief, it can have an enormous influence on the way that readers view your research. Therefore, make use of this section to reinforce the central message from your research. Be sure that your statements reflect the actual results and the methods you used to conduct your research.

Good Abstract Examples

Abstract example #1.

Children’s consumption behavior in response to food product placements in movies.

The abstract:

"Almost all research into the effects of brand placements on children has focused on the brand's attitudes or behavior intentions. Based on the significant differences between attitudes and behavioral intentions on one hand and actual behavior on the other hand, this study examines the impact of placements by brands on children's eating habits. Children aged 6-14 years old were shown an excerpt from the popular film Alvin and the Chipmunks and were shown places for the item Cheese Balls. Three different versions were developed with no placements, one with moderately frequent placements and the third with the highest frequency of placement. The results revealed that exposure to high-frequency places had a profound effect on snack consumption, however, there was no impact on consumer attitudes towards brands or products. The effects were not dependent on the age of the children. These findings are of major importance to researchers studying consumer behavior as well as nutrition experts as well as policy regulators."

Abstract Example #2

Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women’s body image concerns and mood. The abstract:

"The research conducted in this study investigated the effects of Facebook use on women's moods and body image if the effects are different from an internet-based fashion journal and if the appearance comparison tendencies moderate one or more of these effects. Participants who were female ( N = 112) were randomly allocated to spend 10 minutes exploring their Facebook account or a magazine's website or an appearance neutral control website prior to completing state assessments of body dissatisfaction, mood, and differences in appearance (weight-related and facial hair, face, and skin). Participants also completed a test of the tendency to compare appearances. The participants who used Facebook were reported to be more depressed than those who stayed on the control site. In addition, women who have the tendency to compare appearances reported more facial, hair and skin-related issues following Facebook exposure than when they were exposed to the control site. Due to its popularity it is imperative to conduct more research to understand the effect that Facebook affects the way people view themselves."

Abstract Example #3

The Relationship Between Cell Phone Use and Academic Performance in a Sample of U.S. College Students

"The cellphone is always present on campuses of colleges and is often utilised in situations in which learning takes place. The study examined the connection between the use of cell phones and the actual grades point average (GPA) after adjusting for predictors that are known to be a factor. In the end 536 students in the undergraduate program from 82 self-reported majors of an enormous, public institution were studied. Hierarchical analysis ( R 2 = .449) showed that use of mobile phones is significantly ( p < .001) and negative (b equal to -.164) connected to the actual college GPA, after taking into account factors such as demographics, self-efficacy in self-regulated learning, self-efficacy to improve academic performance, and the actual high school GPA that were all important predictors ( p < .05). Therefore, after adjusting for other known predictors increasing cell phone usage was associated with lower academic performance. While more research is required to determine the mechanisms behind these results, they suggest the need to educate teachers and students to the possible academic risks that are associated with high-frequency mobile phone usage."

Quick tips on writing a good abstract

There exists a common dilemma among early age researchers whether to write the abstract at first or last? However, it's recommended to compose your abstract when you've completed the research since you'll have all the information to give to your readers. You can, however, write a draft at the beginning of your research and add in any gaps later.

If you find abstract writing a herculean task, here are the few tips to help you with it:

1. Always develop a framework to support your abstract

Before writing, ensure you create a clear outline for your abstract. Divide it into sections and draw the primary and supporting elements in each one. You can include keywords and a few sentences that convey the essence of your message.

2. Review Other Abstracts

Abstracts are among the most frequently used research documents, and thousands of them were written in the past. Therefore, prior to writing yours, take a look at some examples from other abstracts. There are plenty of examples of abstracts for dissertations in the dissertation and thesis databases.

3. Avoid Jargon To the Maximum

When you write your abstract, focus on simplicity over formality. You should  write in simple language, and avoid excessive filler words or ambiguous sentences. Keep in mind that your abstract must be readable to those who aren't acquainted with your subject.

4. Focus on Your Research

It's a given fact that the abstract you write should be about your research and the findings you've made. It is not the right time to mention secondary and primary data sources unless it's absolutely required.

Conclusion: How to Structure an Interesting Abstract?

Abstracts are a short outline of your essay. However, it's among the most important, if not the most important. The process of writing an abstract is not straightforward. A few early-age researchers tend to begin by writing it, thinking they are doing it to "tease" the next step (the document itself). However, it is better to treat it as a spoiler.

The simple, concise style of the abstract lends itself to a well-written and well-investigated study. If your research paper doesn't provide definitive results, or the goal of your research is questioned, so will the abstract. Thus, only write your abstract after witnessing your findings and put your findings in the context of a larger scenario.

The process of writing an abstract can be daunting, but with these guidelines, you will succeed. The most efficient method of writing an excellent abstract is to centre the primary points of your abstract, including the research question and goals methods, as well as key results.

Interested in learning more about dedicated research solutions? Go to the SciSpace product page to find out how our suite of products can help you simplify your research workflows so you can focus on advancing science.

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APA Abstract (2020) | Formatting, Length, and Keywords

Published on November 6, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on January 17, 2024.

An APA abstract is a comprehensive summary of your paper in which you briefly address the research problem , hypotheses , methods , results , and implications of your research. It’s placed on a separate page right after the title page and is usually no longer than 250 words.

Most professional papers that are submitted for publication require an abstract. Student papers typically don’t need an abstract, unless instructed otherwise.

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Table of contents

How to format the abstract, how to write an apa abstract, which keywords to use, frequently asked questions, apa abstract example.

Formatting instructions

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.
• Do not indent the first line.
• Double-space the text.
• Use a legible font like Times New Roman (12 pt.).
• Limit the length to 250 words.
• Indent the first line 0.5 inches.
• Write the label “Keywords:” (italicized).
• Write keywords in lowercase letters.
• Separate keywords with commas.
• Do not use a period after the keywords.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

The abstract is a self-contained piece of text that informs the reader what your research is about. It’s best to write the abstract after you’re finished with the rest of your paper.

The questions below may help structure your abstract. Try answering them in one to three sentences each.

• What is the problem? Outline the objective, research questions , and/or hypotheses .
• What has been done? Explain your research methods .
• What did you discover? Summarize the key findings and conclusions .
• What do the findings mean? Summarize the discussion and recommendations .

Check out our guide on how to write an abstract for more guidance and an annotated example.

Guide: writing an abstract

At the end of the abstract, you may include a few keywords that will be used for indexing if your paper is published on a database. Listing your keywords will help other researchers find your work.

Choosing relevant keywords is essential. Try to identify keywords that address your topic, method, or population. APA recommends including three to five keywords.

An abstract is a concise summary of an academic text (such as a journal article or dissertation ). It serves two main purposes:

• To help potential readers determine the relevance of your paper for their own research.
• To communicate your key findings to those who don’t have time to read the whole paper.

Abstracts are often indexed along with keywords on academic databases, so they make your work more easily findable. Since the abstract is the first thing any reader sees, it’s important that it clearly and accurately summarizes the contents of your paper.

An APA abstract is around 150–250 words long. However, always check your target journal’s guidelines and don’t exceed the specified word count.

In an APA Style paper , the abstract is placed on a separate page after the title page (page 2).

Avoid citing sources in your abstract . There are two reasons for this:

• The abstract should focus on your original research, not on the work of others.
• The abstract should be self-contained and fully understandable without reference to other sources.

There are some circumstances where you might need to mention other sources in an abstract: for example, if your research responds directly to another study or focuses on the work of a single theorist. In general, though, don’t include citations unless absolutely necessary.

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Streefkerk, R. (2024, January 17). APA Abstract (2020) | Formatting, Length, and Keywords. Scribbr. Retrieved September 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/apa-abstract/

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Abstract schreiben

Du musst ein Abstract schreiben, weißt aber nicht, wo du anfangen sollst? Alles Wichtige dazu erfährst du in diesem Beitrag und in unserem Video.

Was ist ein Abstract?

Abstract schreiben — format, abstract — aufbau, wie schreibt man einen abstract, was ist im abstract wichtig, abstract schreiben — häufigste fragen, exposé schreiben.

Ein Abstract ist ein kurzer Text, der die wichtigsten Punkte und Erkenntnisse deiner wissenschaftlichen Arbeit zusammenfasst. Er befindet sich am Anfang deiner Arbeit noch vor der Einleitung. So können Lesende mithilfe des Abstracts schnell den Inhalt und die Relevanz deiner Arbeit erkennen und einschätzen.

Dabei werden besonders folgende Fragen beantwortet:

• Worum geht es in der wissenschaftlichen Arbeit?
• Welche Methodik wurde angewendet?
• Was sind die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse?
• Welche Schlussfolgerungen werden gezogen?

In der Regel ist ein Abstract zwischen 150 und 250 Wörtern lang.   Ziel ist es, mit dem kurzen Text das Interesse der Leserschaft zu wecken und zum Weiterlesen anzuregen. 

Die vorliegende Abschlussarbeit untersucht, ob Frauen und Männer in Shakespeares Theaterstücken in den stereotypischen Geschlechterrollen dargestellt werden. Um die Forschungsfrage zu beantworten, wurden die Hauptfiguren aus den Werken „A Midsummer Night’s Dream“ und „Macbeth“ miteinander verglichen. Als theoretischer Hintergrund wurden die Theorien von […] herangezogen. Die Analyse zeigt, dass […]. Anhand der vorliegenden Ergebnisse wird Shakespeares progressive Sichtweise auf das Konzept von Gender erkennbar.

Wenn du ein Abstract schreibst, gibt es bestimmte Vorgaben bezüglich Format, Länge und Position. 

Der Abstract ist üblicherweise nicht länger als eine halbe DIN A4 Seite . Die Länge kann aber auch variieren. Dabei kommt es auch darauf an, ob du eine Abschlussarbeit schreibst oder ein wissenschaftliches Paper für eine Fachzeitschrift. Professionelle Zeitschriften haben sehr genaue Vorgabe mit wenig Spielraum. Einige Prüfer der Universität akzeptieren aber auch längere Abstracts. Prüfe deshalb unbedingt deine Vorgaben!

Hinterfrage auch die Zielgruppe des Abstracts und deiner wissenschaftlichen Arbeit. Wichtig ist, dass der Abstract vollständig , präzise ,   objektiv und verständlich formuliert ist. Am besten sollte auch ein Laie, der kein Expertenwissen über dein Thema hat, den Abstract gut verstehen können.

Der Abstract gibt den Lesenden quasi einen Schnelldurchlauf deiner wissenschaftlichen Arbeit. Deshalb formulierst du auch zu den wichtigen Kapitel 1-2 Sätze in deinem Abstract, um einen Überblick über die Kerninhalte zu schaffen.

Jetzt weißt du schon mal, was alles in einen Abstract gehört. Aber wie fängst du jetzt mit dem Schreiben an? Dazu kannst du folgendermaßen vorgehen:

• Zeitpunkt Am besten schreibst du den Abstract zum Schluss deiner Bachelorarbeit oder Masterarbeit . So kannst du die wichtigsten Inhalte aus der Theorie, Methodik und Interpretation deiner Forschung einfacher zusammenfassen.  
• Rohentwurf Arbeite schrittweise die verschiedenen Punkte des Abstracts ab. Schreibe zu jedem Inhaltspunkt mehrere Sätze und stelle sicher, dass du alle wichtigen Informationen mitnimmst. Schon hast du den ersten Entwurf deines Abstracts!  
• Kürzen Jetzt kürzt du den Text auf die erforderte Länge. Achte dabei darauf, nicht wahllos wichtige Informationen zu streichen. Versuche stattdessen Informationen geschickt miteinander zu verknüpfen. Vermeide außerdem lange, verschachtelte Sätze und Wiederholungen. Schaue dir am besten Abstracts von deinen Literaturquellen oder anderen Abschlussarbeiten an, um dir Inspiration zu holen!

Idealerweise stehen im Abstract deiner Bachelorarbeit oder Masterarbeit nur die relevantesten Informationen, sodass jeder Satz wichtig ist.

Um sicherzugehen, dass das auch in deinem Abstract der Fall ist, kannst du den Text am Ende nochmal probelesen . Vielleicht erklärt sich auch ein Freund bereit, deinen Abstract korrekturzulesen . Dabei ist es wichtig, dass ein Abstract folgende Punkte erfüllt:

✓  Klare Struktur: Thema, Methodik, Ergebnisse, Interpretation ✓  Präzise, objektive und verständliche Sprache ✓   Maximal eine halbe Seite lang (ca. 200 – 250 Wörter) ✗  Keine Abkürzungen ✗  Keine kopierten Sätze aus der fertigen Arbeit ✗  Keine Informationen, die nicht in der fertigen Arbeit stehen

• Was ist ein Abstract? Ein Abstract ist ein kurzer, zusammenfassender Text am Anfang einer wissenschaftlichen Arbeit. Ziel ist es alle wichtigen Kerninhalte der vollständigen Arbeit bezüglich Thema, Methodik, Ergebnisse sowie Interpretation kurz und vollständig wiederzugeben.   
• In welcher Zeitform steht ein Abstract? Ein Abstract ist hauptsächlich im Präsens geschrieben. Das liegt daran, dass die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse deiner Abschlussarbeit als Tatsachen gesehen werden. Vergangene Forschungsergebnisse werden im Perfekt oder im Präteritum formuliert.   
• Wie lange muss ein Abstract sein? Ein Abstract einer wissenschaftlichen Arbeit (Bachelorarbeit, Masterarbeit, Artikel für Fachzeitschriften) ist in der Regel 150-250 Wörter lang. Es entspricht etwa einer halben DIN A4 Seite. Je nach Vorgaben der Institution kann der Umfang variieren.

Wie du einen Abstract schreiben kannst, weißt du jetzt. Bevor du jedoch deine Abschlussarbeit beginnst, sollst du meist deine Ideen und Vorstellungen in einem   Exposé zusammenfassen. Wie du eins verfasst, erfährst du hier!

Beliebte Inhalte aus dem Bereich Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten

• Exzerpt Dauer: 04:46
• Danksagung Bachelorarbeit Dauer: 02:32
• Bachelorarbeit Seitenzahl Dauer: 05:17

Weitere Inhalte: Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten

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• How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation or Thesis
• Doing a PhD

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:

• What your research field actually is,
• What the gap in knowledge was in your field,
• The overarching aim and objectives of your PhD in response to these gaps,
• What methods you employed to achieve these,
• You key results and findings,
• How your work has added to further knowledge in your field of study.

Another way to think of this structure is:

• Introduction,
• Aims and objectives,
• Discussion,
• Conclusion.

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:

• There has been an attempt to introduce the research area , albeit half-way through the abstract but it’s not clear if this is a materials science project about 3D printing or is it about aircraft design.
• There’s no explanation about where the gap in the knowledge is that this project attempted to address.
• We can see that this project was focussed on the topic of structural integrity of materials in aircraft but the actual research aims or objectives haven’t been defined.
• There’s no mention at all of what the author actually did to investigate structural integrity. For example was this an experimental study involving real aircraft, or something in the lab, computer simulations etc.
• The author also doesn’t tell us a single result of his research, let alone the key findings !
• There’s a bold claim in the last sentence of the abstract that this project could revolutionise the aviation industry, and this may well be the case, but based on the abstract alone there is no evidence to support this as it’s not even clear what the author did .

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 research area is around additive manufacturing (i.e. 3D printing) of materials for use in aircraft.
• The gap in knowledge was how these materials will behave structural when used in aircraft engines.
• The aim was specifically to investigate how the components can fracture.
• The methods used to investigate this were a combination of computational and lab based experimental modelling.
• The key findings were the increased risk of fracture of these components due to the way they are manufactured.
• The significance of these findings were that it showed a potential risk of component failure that could comprise the safety of passengers and crew on the aircraft.

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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Den perfekten Abstract schreiben in 4 Schritten

Ein Abstract ist eine prägnante Zusammenfassung einer wissenschaftlichen Arbeit, die in der Regel maximal eine halbe bis ganze DIN A4-Seite umfasst. Ähnlich wie bei einer Inhaltsangabe stellst Du dabei unter anderem die Leitfrage, diesbezügliche Hypothesen und Ergebnisse vor. Doch was gehört noch in einen guten Abstract? Und worauf solltest Du diesbezüglich beim Schreiben achten? Das beantworten wir Dir hier, damit Du in 4 einfachen Schritten den perfekten Abstract Deiner Abschlussarbeit zu Papier bringst.

Abstract – Definition

So schreibst du den perfekten abstract schritt-für-schritt, abstract: beispiel, faqs – abstract schreiben.

In einem Abstract, auch Kurzzusammenfassung genannt, schilderst Du die wichtigsten Elemente Deiner wissenschaftlichen Arbeit. Dazu gehören die Ziel- bzw. Problemstellung, Deine Hypothesen, die methodische Vorgehensweise und Arbeitsergebnisse. Sie fällt dabei deutlich knapper aus als Deine Einleitung.

Solch eine Übersicht erfüllt die Funktion, dass Leser:innen schnell die Wichtigkeit Deiner Arbeit für ihre Interessen erfassen können. Daher werden wissenschaftliche Abstracts von Texten mit am häufigsten angesehen (vgl. Esselborn-Krumbiegel, 2017). Länger als eine halbe bis ganze Seite sollte Deine Zusammenfassung jedoch nicht sein, wobei Du Dich diesbezüglich unbedingt über die jeweiligen Vorgaben Deiner Hochschule informieren solltest. Dabei positionierst Du Deinen Abstract in der Regel zu Beginn Deiner Arbeit, also vor oder nach dem Inhaltsverzeichnis.

Lektorat & Korrekturlesen für

• Bachelorarbeit
• Masterarbeit
• Dissertation
• Maturaarbeit

Lektorat für Fremdsprachen

• Französisch
• Italienisch

Obwohl Dein Abstract also nur eine knappe Übersicht darstellt, fällt es dabei oft gar nicht so leicht, ihn zu schreiben. Wie soll man etwa eine Dissertation , die sich über mehrere hundert Seiten erstreckt, auf einer halben A4-Seite zusammenfassen? Wir verraten Dir Schritt-für-Schritt anhand von 4 Fragen, wie das bei einem wissenschaftlichen Text jeden Umfangs gelingt! Beachte dabei: Die folgenden Fragen solltest Du beim Abstract schreiben unbedingt beantworten. Bei der Reihenfolge kannst Du aber, wie auch in der Einleitung, variieren.

1. Problemstellung/Leitfrage vorstellen

Im ersten Schritt Deines Abstracts nennst Du die Problemstellung oder Leitfrage etwa Deiner Bachelorarbeit . Welches Ziel verfolgst Du beim Schreiben? Was möchtest Du etwa beweisen oder widerlegen? Hier kannst Du auch etwaige Forschungsfragen aufführen, die sich aus Deiner übergreifenden Leitfrage ergeben.

Ziel der nachfolgenden Arbeit ist es, den Einfluss heteronormativer Kinder- und Jugendliteratur auf kindliche und jugendliche Leser:innen zu erforschen. Dabei stellen sich folgende Fragen: Wie unterscheidet sich die Rezeption kindlicher Leser:innen von der Erwachsener? Wie wirken sich dementsprechend heteronormative Strukturen in der Kinder- und Jugendliteratur auf das Selbstverständnis und die Wertevorstellungen dieser aus? Und welche Risiken und Chancen ergeben sich dabei für die Literatur?

2. Hypothesen formulieren

Im nächsten Schritt Deines Abstracts informierst Du kurz und knapp über mögliche Hypothesen, die sich aus der Problemstellung Deiner wissenschaftlichen Arbeit ergeben. Das kennst Du also womöglich schon von der Einleitung.

Möglich sind in diesem Zusammenhang eine Übernahme heteronormativer Vorstellungen in das Wertesystem der kindlichen Leser:innen, aber auch eine Infragestellung ist nicht auszuschließen. Relevant werden hierbei auch unter anderem die sozio-kulturellen und bildungsbezogenen Erfahrungswelten und Prägungen der Kinder sein.

3. Methodik nennen

In diesem Teil Deines Abstracts nennst Du dann die methodische Vorgehensweise etwa Deiner Hausarbeit .

Zur Beantwortung der Leitfrage werden die Ergebnisse quantitativer psychologischer wie auch literaturwissenschaftlicher Studien ausgewertet.

4. Ergebnisse aufführen

Hier solltest Du die wichtigsten Ergebnisse Deiner Arbeit nennen. Daher empfiehlt es sich übrigens, Deinen Abstract erst dann zu schreiben, wenn die eigentliche Arbeit bereits abgeschlossen ist. An dieser Stelle kannst Du dann auch Empfehlungen oder Ausblicke formulieren.

Es wird sich herausstellen, dass der Einfluss von Kinder- und Jugendliteratur einen erheblichen Einfluss auf das Selbst- und Weltbild der Leser:innen haben kann, sofern diese Einflussnahme von den sozialen, kulturellen und bildungsbezogenen Umständen der Kinder begünstigt wird. Daraus kann sich eine gewisse Verantwortung für Schriftsteller:innen und Verlagshäuser hinsichtlich der Darstellung heteronormativer Strukturen ergeben, derer sie sich bewusst sein sollten.

Du siehst also: Einen Abstract schreiben ist sehr viel einfacher, als Du denkst. Er ähnelt dabei in vielerlei Hinsicht Deiner Einleitung, was das Schreiben erleichtert. Außerdem hilft er Dir dabei, die Konsistenz Deiner Arbeit zu überprüfen und Deine Gedanken zu ordnen. Der Aufbau und Inhalt sind hierbei immer ähnlich, Du kannst Dich also jederzeit an unseren 4 Schritten orientieren. Zwei weitere Beispiele zur Orientierung, eins auf Deutsch und eins auf Englisch, findest Du im Folgenden. Denn manche Hochschulen, wie etwa die  Uni Graz , verpflichten ihre Studierenden dazu, ihre Abstracts auf Deutsch und Englisch einzureichen.

Ein Abstract ist eine kurze Zusammenfassung oder Übersicht, mit der Du Deinen Leser:innen die wichtigsten Eckpunkte Deiner wissenschaftlichen Arbeit vorstellst. Hier geht es nicht darum, neugierig zu machen, sondern Forschungsfragen, Hypothesen, Methodik und Ergebnisse prägnant auf den Punkt zu bringen. So können andere entscheiden, ob Deine Arbeit für ihre Zwecke relevant ist oder nicht. Na ja, außer vielleicht Dein:e Prof, denn der oder die muss da so oder so durch.

Esselborn-Krumbiegel, Helga (2017): Von der Idee zum Text. Eine Anleitung zum wissenschaftlichen Schreiben, 5. Auflage Paderborn.

Gruber, Helmut et al. (2012): Abstract, Exposé und Förderantrag, 1. Auflage Köln, Wien.

Was ist ein Abstract in Deutsch?

Ein Abstract ist eine Art Kurzzusammenfassung, in der Du die wichtigsten Elemente Deiner wissenschaftlichen Arbeit auf den Punkt bringst. Dazu gehören die Problem- oder Zielstellung (das Thema), Hypothesen, Methoden und Ergebnisse Deiner Abschlussarbeit. Inhalt und Aufbau dieser kurzen Übersicht sind also immer ähnlich. Beispiele findest Du weiter oben auf Deutsch oder Englisch.

Welche Funktion hat ein Abstract?

Ein Abstract soll andere darüber informieren, was sie in Deiner Arbeit erwartet, wobei es nicht nur um das wissenschaftliche Thema geht. So können sie entscheiden, ob Dein Text für ihre Interessen relevant ist oder nicht. Außerdem entscheidet die Qualität eines Abstracts oft darüber, ob eine Arbeit zugelassen oder gefördert wird (vgl. Gruber et al., 2012). Es ist also eine wichtige wissenschaftliche Praxis, einen Abstract zu schreiben. Damit bei dieser Übersicht auch nichts schiefgeht, empfehlen wir Dir unsere Korrektur der Masterarbeit .

Was kommt in die Kurzzusammenfassung?

Du kannst Dich hierbei an unseren 4 Schritten zum perfekten Abstract orientieren. Die Reihenfolge bleibt zwar Dir überlassen, aber Du solltest auf jeden Fall 1. die Problemstellung/Leitfrage, 2. Hypothesen, 3. die wissenschaftliche Methodik und 4. Deine Arbeitsergebnisse präsentieren. Dabei ist diese Art der Zusammenfassung nicht länger als eine halbe bis ganze Seite oder 200-250 Wörter, wie Du auch den Ausführungen der Uni Regensburg  entnehmen kannst. Abstracts sind damit kürzer als die Einleitung, enthalten aber mehr als nur das Thema.

Ist ein Abstract Pflicht?

In kürzeren Hausarbeiten wird auf ein Abstract oft verzichtet. Bei einer umfangreicheren Abschlussarbeit setzen Deine Prüfer:innen sie hingegen für gewöhnlich voraus. Informier Dich unbedingt in der jeweiligen Prüfungsordnung Deiner Universität oder direkt bei Deinem oder Deiner Betreuer:in. Bei der Gelegenheit kannst Du Dich auch mit den Anforderungen an die Formatierung Deiner Arbeit vertraut machen.

Wird in einer Zusammenfassung zitiert?

Beziehst Du Dich in Deinem Abstract auf die Gedanken oder Ergebnisse Dritter, solltest Du diese auch kenntlich machen. Hierbei unterstützen wir Dich gerne im Rahmen unserer Plagiatsprüfung . In der Regel benötigst Du im Abstract aber keine Quellen, da Du Deine Abschlussarbeit und deren wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse in dieser Übersicht nur kurz zusammenfasst.

Nominativ – der Wer-Fall

Genitiv – der Wessen-Fall

Die 4 Fälle im Deutschen

• Minimalprinzip & Maximalprinzip
• Ökonomisches Prinzip | Die 3 Grundprinzipien einfach erklärt
• So schreibst Du einen Peer-Review in 7 Schritten
• Die 6 Regeln für Leichte Sprache
• Einfache Sprache: Merkmale, Verwendung & Leitfaden
• Die 4 Perspektiven der Balanced Scorecard
• Bedürfnispyramide nach Maslow | Die 5 Bedürfnisse einfach erklärt

Daniela Feinhals

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Kostenlose plagiatsprüfung, korrektur deiner masterarbeit.

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Den perfekten Abstract deiner Masterarbeit schreiben mit Beispiel

Veröffentlicht am 29. Jänner 2019 von Mandy Theel . Aktualisiert am 23. November 2023 von Lea Genau.

Der Abstract deiner Masterarbeit dient dazu, die wichtigsten Inhalte deiner Masterarbeit wiederzugeben und so den Leser neugierig zu machen.

Die Länge deines Abstracts beträgt maximal 1 Seite bzw. 150–250 Wörter. Er befindet sich in der Regel zwischen dem Deckblatt und dem Inhaltsverzeichnis deiner Masterarbeit .

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Inhaltsverzeichnis

Das gehört in den abstract einer masterarbeit, beispiel für einen abstract masterarbeit, unterschiede zwischen abstract sowie einleitung und fazit, tipps zum erstellen des abstracts deiner masterarbeit, abstract masterarbeit auf englisch schreiben.

Prüfe im Leitfaden deiner Hochschule, ob es bestimmte Vorgaben zur Position, zur Länge oder zum Inhalt deines Abstracts gibt. Der Abstract wird nicht zum Umfang deiner Masterarbeit gezählt.

Sollte dein Abstract zu lang sein, schaue dir unsere 5 Tricks mit Fragen und Beispielen an, um deinen Abstract zu kürzen .

Gehe in deinem Abstract auf die wichtigsten Punkte deiner Masterarbeit ein. Beantworte dazu folgende Fragen:

Wusstest du schon, dass ...

Scribbr durchschnittlich 150 Fehler pro 1000 Wörter korrigiert?

Unsere Sprachexperten verbessern vor Abgabe deiner Abschlussarbeit den akademischen Ausdruck, die Interpunktion und sprachliche Fehler.

Erfahre mehr zur Korrektur

Unternehmen setzen gezielt Marketingkampagnen zur Vermarktung ihrer Produkte ein und generieren zunehmend online Umsatz. Insbesondere Social-Media-Kanäle sind hierfür zentral. Daher ist es notwendig, zu verstehen, wie solche Marketingkampagnen konzipiert sind und wie sie funktionieren.

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, zu beantworten, welche Kriterien eine Marketingkampagne auf Social Media erfolgreich machen. Dazu wird die folgende Forschungsfrage gestellt: ‚Wie kann eine erfolgreiche Marketingkampagne für Onlinefotodruckunternehmen auf Social Media geplant werden?‘.

Um die Forschungsfrage zu beantworten, wurde eine quantitative Studie zu aktuellen Druckgeschäftsanzeigen und deren Wirkung durchgeführt. Konkret wurden Anzeigen auf den Social-Media-Kanälen Twitter, Facebook und Instagram betrachtet. Es wurde untersucht, welche Kriterien eine Anzeige erfüllen muss, damit sie bei den Nutzenden erfolgreich ist. Den Studienteilnehmenden wurden geschlossene Fragen auf einer Skala von 1–10 gestellt, die im Anschluss ausgewertet wurden. Hierfür wurden drei verschiedene Altersklassen berücksichtigt: 15- bis 29-Jährige, 30- bis 45-Jährige und Personen ab 45 Jahren.

Die Antworten auf die Fragebögen zeigen, dass die Altersgruppe der 30- bis 45-Jährigen und jener mit Personen ab 45 Jahren im Durchschnitt am häufigsten auf die Anzeigen von Onlinefotodruckunternehmen reagieren. Die Anzeigen sind in erster Linie auf Twitter und Facebook erfolgreich, da diese Plattformen von Personen in dieser Altersklasse mehrheitlich genutzt werden. Hingegen sind 15- bis 29-Jährige, die vorwiegend Instagram verwenden, weniger offen für die Anzeigen von Onlinefotodruckunternehmen. Eine Social-Media-Kampagne bietet sich für Onlinefotodruckunternehmen also insbesondere auf Twitter und Facebook mit Fokussierung der Altersgruppe ab 30 Jahren an.

Im Bereich des Marketings für den Onlinefotodruck kann zudem weiterführende Forschung zur Anzeigenwerbung von Suchmaschinen erfolgen.

Den Abstract deiner Masterarbeit verfasst du als Letztes , wenn der Rest deiner Arbeit bereits fertig ist.

Achte darauf, dass du nicht die Formulierungen der Einleitung deiner Masterarbeit oder deines Fazits wiederholst.

Du verwendest zwar hauptsächlich die Inhalte aus diesen beiden Kapiteln, der Abstract wird jedoch als eigenständiger Text verfasst.

Um einen perfekten Abstract deiner Masterarbeit zu schreiben, solltest du folgende Punkte beachten:

• Füge deinem Abstract keine neuen Informationen zu. In deinem Abstract werden lediglich die Informationen aus deiner Masterarbeit zusammengefasst.
• Schreibe objektiv. Verzichte auf persönliche Wertungen oder Rechtfertigungen.
• Verwende keine Zitate. Dein Abstract enthält nur die von dir erarbeiteten Inhalte.
• Lass den Abstract deiner Masterarbeit Korrektur lesen . Dies ist der erste Eindruck deiner Masterarbeit.
• Vermeide Ausschmückungen oder Füllwörter . Konzentriere dich auf die Fakten.
• Schreibe Abkürzungen immer aus. Die Leserschaft muss deinen Abstract verstehen können, ohne deine Masterarbeit gelesen zu haben.
• Dein Abstract sollte selbsterklärend sein. Gib ihn jemandem zum Lesen, der deine Masterarbeit nicht kennt.
• Vermeide Doppelungen. Der Abstract ist ein eigenständiger Text und sollte nicht deine Einleitung oder dein Fazit wiederholen.

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Häufig ist es gefordert, den Abstract einer Masterarbeit auch auf Englisch zu verfassen. Dadurch kannst du deine Masterarbeit auch international zugänglich machen.

Behalte denselben Aufbau bei und übersetze deinen deutschen Text ins Englische.

Achte dabei auf die sprachlichen Unterschiede beim akademischen Schreiben auf Englisch :

• Lege dich auf US- oder UK-Englisch fest und mache dich mit den Besonderheiten der jeweiligen Schreibweise vertraut.
• Verwende Verbindungswörter wie ‚therefore‘, ‚as well as‘ oder ‚eventually‘ in der korrekten Form und gib deinem Abstract dadurch eine logische Struktur.
• Present simple für Fakten und die Beschreibung deiner Arbeit.
• Present perfect für vergangene Ereignisse wie deine Forschung.

Lasse deinen englischen Abstract anschließend Korrektur lesen . Frage dazu am besten eine Person, deren Muttersprache Englisch ist.

Diesen Scribbr-Artikel zitieren

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Theel, M. (2023, 23. November). Den perfekten Abstract deiner Masterarbeit schreiben mit Beispiel. Scribbr. Abgerufen am 9. September 2024, von https://www.scribbr.at/masterarbeit-at/abstract-masterarbeit/

War dieser Artikel hilfreich?

Mandy Theel

Das hat anderen studenten noch gefallen, masterarbeit beispiele - psychologie, bwl, informatik und mehr, eine perfekte einleitung für deine masterarbeit schreiben, schließe deine masterarbeit mit einem perfekten fazit ab.

Writing an Abstract for Your Research Paper

Definition and Purpose of Abstracts

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;
• an abstract prepares readers to follow the detailed information, analyses, and arguments in your full paper;
• and, later, an abstract helps readers remember key points from your paper.

It’s also worth remembering that search engines and bibliographic databases use abstracts, as well as the title, to identify key terms for indexing your published paper. So what you include in your abstract and in your title are crucial for helping other researchers find your paper or article.

If you are writing an abstract for a course paper, your professor may give you specific guidelines for what to include and how to organize your abstract. Similarly, academic journals often have specific requirements for abstracts. So in addition to following the advice on this page, you should be sure to look for and follow any guidelines from the course or journal you’re writing for.

The Contents of an Abstract

Abstracts contain most of the following kinds of information in brief form. The body of your paper will, of course, develop and explain these ideas much more fully. As you will see in the samples below, the proportion of your abstract that you devote to each kind of information—and the sequence of that information—will vary, depending on the nature and genre of the paper that you are summarizing in your abstract. And in some cases, some of this information is implied, rather than stated explicitly. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , which is widely used in the social sciences, gives specific guidelines for what to include in the abstract for different kinds of papers—for empirical studies, literature reviews or meta-analyses, theoretical papers, methodological papers, and case studies.

Here are the typical kinds of information found in most abstracts:

• the context or background information for your research; the general topic under study; the specific topic of your research
• the central questions or statement of the problem your research addresses
• what’s already known about this question, what previous research has done or shown
• the main reason(s) , the exigency, the rationale , the goals for your research—Why is it important to address these questions? Are you, for example, examining a new topic? Why is that topic worth examining? Are you filling a gap in previous research? Applying new methods to take a fresh look at existing ideas or data? Resolving a dispute within the literature in your field? . . .
• your research and/or analytical methods
• your main findings , results , or arguments
• the significance or implications of your findings or arguments.

Your abstract should be intelligible on its own, without a reader’s having to read your entire paper. And in an abstract, you usually do not cite references—most of your abstract will describe what you have studied in your research and what you have found and what you argue in your paper. In the body of your paper, you will cite the specific literature that informs your research.

When to Write Your Abstract

Although you might be tempted to write your abstract first because it will appear as the very first part of your paper, it’s a good idea to wait to write your abstract until after you’ve drafted your full paper, so that you know what you’re summarizing.

What follows are some sample abstracts in published papers or articles, all written by faculty at UW-Madison who come from a variety of disciplines. We have annotated these samples to help you see the work that these authors are doing within their abstracts.

Choosing Verb Tenses within Your Abstract

The social science sample (Sample 1) below uses the present tense to describe general facts and interpretations that have been and are currently true, including the prevailing explanation for the social phenomenon under study. That abstract also uses the present tense to describe the methods, the findings, the arguments, and the implications of the findings from their new research study. The authors use the past tense to describe previous research.

The humanities sample (Sample 2) below uses the past tense to describe completed events in the past (the texts created in the pulp fiction industry in the 1970s and 80s) and uses the present tense to describe what is happening in those texts, to explain the significance or meaning of those texts, and to describe the arguments presented in the article.

The science samples (Samples 3 and 4) below use the past tense to describe what previous research studies have done and the research the authors have conducted, the methods they have followed, and what they have found. In their rationale or justification for their research (what remains to be done), they use the present tense. They also use the present tense to introduce their study (in Sample 3, “Here we report . . .”) and to explain the significance of their study (In Sample 3, This reprogramming . . . “provides a scalable cell source for. . .”).

Sample Abstract 1

From the social sciences.

Reporting new findings about the reasons for increasing economic homogamy among spouses

Gonalons-Pons, Pilar, and Christine R. Schwartz. “Trends in Economic Homogamy: Changes in Assortative Mating or the Division of Labor in Marriage?” Demography , vol. 54, no. 3, 2017, pp. 985-1005.

Sample Abstract 2

From the humanities.

Analyzing underground pulp fiction publications in Tanzania, this article makes an argument about the cultural significance of those publications

Emily Callaci. “Street Textuality: Socialism, Masculinity, and Urban Belonging in Tanzania’s Pulp Fiction Publishing Industry, 1975-1985.” Comparative Studies in Society and History , vol. 59, no. 1, 2017, pp. 183-210.

Sample Abstract/Summary 3

From the sciences.

Reporting a new method for reprogramming adult mouse fibroblasts into induced cardiac progenitor cells

Lalit, Pratik A., Max R. Salick, Daryl O. Nelson, Jayne M. Squirrell, Christina M. Shafer, Neel G. Patel, Imaan Saeed, Eric G. Schmuck, Yogananda S. Markandeya, Rachel Wong, Martin R. Lea, Kevin W. Eliceiri, Timothy A. Hacker, Wendy C. Crone, Michael Kyba, Daniel J. Garry, Ron Stewart, James A. Thomson, Karen M. Downs, Gary E. Lyons, and Timothy J. Kamp. “Lineage Reprogramming of Fibroblasts into Proliferative Induced Cardiac Progenitor Cells by Defined Factors.” Cell Stem Cell , vol. 18, 2016, pp. 354-367.

Sample Abstract 4, a Structured Abstract

Reporting results about the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in managing acute bacterial sinusitis, from a rigorously controlled study

Note: This journal requires authors to organize their abstract into four specific sections, with strict word limits. Because the headings for this structured abstract are self-explanatory, we have chosen not to add annotations to this sample abstract.

Wald, Ellen R., David Nash, and Jens Eickhoff. “Effectiveness of Amoxicillin/Clavulanate Potassium in the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Sinusitis in Children.” Pediatrics , vol. 124, no. 1, 2009, pp. 9-15.

“OBJECTIVE: The role of antibiotic therapy in managing acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS) in children is controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of high-dose amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate in the treatment of children diagnosed with ABS.

METHODS : This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Children 1 to 10 years of age with a clinical presentation compatible with ABS were eligible for participation. Patients were stratified according to age (<6 or ≥6 years) and clinical severity and randomly assigned to receive either amoxicillin (90 mg/kg) with potassium clavulanate (6.4 mg/kg) or placebo. A symptom survey was performed on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, and 30. Patients were examined on day 14. Children’s conditions were rated as cured, improved, or failed according to scoring rules.

RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred thirty-five children with respiratory complaints were screened for enrollment; 139 (6.5%) had ABS. Fifty-eight patients were enrolled, and 56 were randomly assigned. The mean age was 6630 months. Fifty (89%) patients presented with persistent symptoms, and 6 (11%) presented with nonpersistent symptoms. In 24 (43%) children, the illness was classified as mild, whereas in the remaining 32 (57%) children it was severe. Of the 28 children who received the antibiotic, 14 (50%) were cured, 4 (14%) were improved, 4(14%) experienced treatment failure, and 6 (21%) withdrew. Of the 28children who received placebo, 4 (14%) were cured, 5 (18%) improved, and 19 (68%) experienced treatment failure. Children receiving the antibiotic were more likely to be cured (50% vs 14%) and less likely to have treatment failure (14% vs 68%) than children receiving the placebo.

CONCLUSIONS : ABS is a common complication of viral upper respiratory infections. Amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate results in significantly more cures and fewer failures than placebo, according to parental report of time to resolution.” (9)

Some Excellent Advice about Writing Abstracts for Basic Science Research Papers, by Professor Adriano Aguzzi from the Institute of Neuropathology at the University of Zurich:

Academic and Professional Writing

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Analysis Papers

Reading Poetry

A Short Guide to Close Reading for Literary Analysis

Using Literary Quotations

Play Reviews

Writing a Rhetorical Précis to Analyze Nonfiction Texts

Incorporating Interview Data

Grant Proposals

Planning and Writing a Grant Proposal: The Basics

Additional Resources for Grants and Proposal Writing

Job Materials and Application Essays

Writing Personal Statements for Ph.D. Programs

• Before you begin: useful tips for writing your essay
• Guided brainstorming exercises
• Get more help with your essay
• Frequently Asked Questions

Resume Writing Tips

CV Writing Tips

Cover Letters

Business Letters

Proposals and Dissertations

Resources for Proposal Writers

Resources for Dissertators

Research Papers

Planning and Writing Research Papers

Quoting and Paraphrasing

Writing Annotated Bibliographies

Creating Poster Presentations

Thank-You Notes

Advice for Students Writing Thank-You Notes to Donors

Reading for a Review

Critical Reviews

Writing a Review of Literature

Scientific Reports

Scientific Report Format

Sample Lab Assignment

Writing for the Web

Writing an Effective Blog Post

Writing for Social Media: A Guide for Academics

• How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation

Written by Hannah Slack

Every PhD student will have to write an abstract. Whether it’s for a conference paper , journal article or your thesis , the abstract is an important part for many academic activities. Although only a single short paragraph, writing one effectively takes practice.

This page will take you through what a dissertation abstract is, why it’s so important and how to write one.

On this page

What is an academic abstract.

An academic abstract is a short and concise summary of research . It should cover the aim or research question of your work, your methodology, results and the wider implications of your conclusions. All this needs to be covered in around 200-300 words .

One of the common mistakes people make when writing abstracts is not understanding their purpose. An abstract is not for the author, it’s for the reader . To summarise your research, as the person who knows it best, may seem easy. But to be able to communicate the complexities and importance of your work to someone else, likely outside of your field, can be difficult.

When will I need to write an academic abstract?

There are many different places that you’ll find abstracts. Some of the most common ones include:

• Grant and funding applications
• Journal articles
• Conference applications
• Conference proceedings

This guide primarily focuses on the dissertation abstract, which is the most common form of this kind of text.

What’s the difference between an abstract and an introduction?

The main differences between a PhD dissertation abstract and an introduction are the purpose and the length. An abstract is a short, paragraph-sized summary of the whole thesis, covering context, your research and results. Whereas an introduction should be much longer and only cover the context of your work. An introduction is designed to explain the background of your work and so will take up at least an entire page.

Why are abstracts important?

Abstracts are important because they are a quick and easy way to communicate your work. In many ways, academic abstracts are a promotional tool and so should be considered carefully.

For your thesis, it’s the first thing your examiners will read, forming their expectations for the rest of the dissertation.

In journal articles, their purpose is to convince the reader that they should read your article. If you’re applying for a conference, the abstract gives the organiser a taster of your paper so they can decide whether it’s suitable.

Effectively, your abstract is the first impression someone gets of your research and so it’s important to put your best foot forward.

How to write a PhD abstract

How you write a dissertation abstract will largely depend on what it’s for. For a PhD dissertation or journal article, you should have already written up the research which the abstract will summarise. You should focus on making sure your summary is an honest representation of the larger written work. However, for a conference application it’s likely you won’t yet have written the paper. In this instance, the abstract might focus more on the broader themes you intend to comment on and your methodology.

Whatever the intended purpose, all abstracts should broadly follow the same structure. To help you, we’ve put together a template to make sure you include all the important points.

PhD abstract format

Because a lot of information needs to be packed into a short paragraph, an abstract is easier to write when you break it down into the key elements. For a first draft, spend a few minutes on each of the six steps, only writing down one or two sentences.

• Rationale – Ask yourself why you are researching the topic and what is the context for your work. Here you should communicate the purpose of your study within the wider field.
• Research question – Now you should specify what the exact goal of this piece of research is. What question are you providing the answer for?
• Evidence and methods – After discussing the broader purpose of your work you now need to let the reader know what you have actually done. Try to summarise your methods and evidence with a few keywords to keep if brief. Some examples include qualitative, quantitative, archival or experimental.
• Results – Here, you should summarise your outcomes and highlight what is new or significant about your findings.
• Conclusion – The conclusion should relate back to your rationale and research question. Ask yourself, ‘what do the results mean?’
• Implications and applications – Lastly, the reader needs to know why your results are important to the field. You need to specify what is significant about this work and how it can be useful.

Once you have your framework it can be edited for a more natural flow. You may find that some points naturally merge into one sentence and others need some elaboration. But remember, the abstract must be short and concise so don’t be tempted to extend areas unnecessarily. Once you have a draft that you are happy with, consider asking for feedback from other PhD students or your supervisor.

Doing a PhD

For more information on trhe different stages of a doctorate, check out our guide to the PhD journey .

Ready to do a PhD?

Search our project listings to find out what you could be studying.

Want More Updates & Advice?

Hannah slack.

Hannah worked at FindAPhD as a Content Writer from 2020 to 2023. She started with us part-time whilst studying for her PhD, giving her personal experience with balancing work responsibilities with academia. Hannah has a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of East Anglia, and both a Masters in Early Modern History and a PhD on Early Modern English seafarers from the University of Sheffield.

What happens during a typical PhD, and when? We've summarised the main milestones of your PhD journey to show you how to get a PhD.

The PhD thesis is the most important part of a doctoral degree. This page will introduce you to what you need to know about the PhD dissertation.

This page will give you an idea of what to expect from your routine as a PhD student, explaining how your daily life will look at you progress through a doctoral degree.

PhD fees can vary based on subject, university and location. Use our guide to find out the PhD fees in the UK and other destinations, as well as doctoral living costs.

Our guide tells you everything about the application process for studying a PhD in the USA.

Postgraduate students in the UK are not eligible for the same funding as undergraduates or the free-hours entitlement for workers. So, what childcare support are postgraduate students eligible for?

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How to Write an Abstract for Your Thesis or Dissertation What is an Abstract? The abstract is an important component of your thesis. Presented at the beginning of the thesis, it is likely the first substantive description of your work read by an external examiner. You should view it as an opportunity to set accurate expectations. The abstract is a summary of the whole thesis. It presents all the major elements of your work in a highly condensed form. An abstract often functions, together with the thesis title, as a stand-alone text. Abstracts appear, absent the full text of the thesis, in bibliographic indexes such as PsycInfo. They may also be presented in announcements of the thesis examination. Most readers who encounter your abstract in a bibliographic database or receive an email announcing your research presentation will never retrieve the full text or attend the presentation. An abstract is not merely an introduction in the sense of a preface, preamble, or advance organizer that prepares the reader for the thesis. In addition to that function, it must be capable of substituting for the whole thesis when there is insufficient time and space for the full text. Size and Structure Currently, the maximum sizes for abstracts submitted to Canada's National Archive are 150 words (Masters thesis) and 350 words (Doctoral dissertation). To preserve visual coherence, you may wish to limit the abstract for your doctoral dissertation to one double-spaced page, about 280 words. The structure of the abstract should mirror the structure of the whole thesis, and should represent all its major elements. For example, if your thesis has five chapters (introduction, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion), there should be one or more sentences assigned to summarize each chapter. Clearly Specify Your Research Questions As in the thesis itself, your research questions are critical in ensuring that the abstract is coherent and logically structured. They form the skeleton to which other elements adhere. They should be presented near the beginning of the abstract. There is only room for one to three questions. If there are more than three major research questions in your thesis, you should consider restructuring them by reducing some to subsidiary status. Don't Forget the Results The most common error in abstracts is failure to present results. The primary function of your thesis (and by extension your abstract) is not to tell readers what you did, it is to tell them what you discovered. Other information, such as the account of your research methods, is needed mainly to back the claims you make about your results. Approximately the last half of the abstract should be dedicated to summarizing and interpreting your results. Updated 2008.09.11 © John C. Nesbit

An abstract is a short summary that comes at the beginning of an academic paper, dissertation, or report. It summarises the whole paper, including the purpose of the research, methods, findings and conclusions. It is usually only a paragraph or two in length. It helps your readers decide whether the text is relevant to their needs and whether they want to spend time reading it. It is short, but it is worth taking time to make sure it captures the main points of your work.

Scroll down for our recommended strategies and resources. 

Look at other abstracts to see how they are structured and written. You can find examples in journal articles from your subject, or from this guide: 

How to write an abstract (Tufts University)

Write it last

Write your abstract last. It provides an overview of your whole text, so you can only write it after you have written everything else.

A quick way to structure your abstract is to take the main point from each section of your text e.g. introduction, methods, results, discussion and conclusion, then redraft it into a paragraph. Find out more from the guide with prompt questions to help you structure your abstract:

Structuring an abstract (University of Cape Town)

Business reports

If you’re writing a business report, your abstract may be called an ‘executive summary’. Find out more from our executive summary page:

Executive summary resources (Centre for Academic Development)

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