Abstracts

Abstracts are clear and concise summaries of academic work. Abstracts allow a reader to learn the topic, methods, and results without having read the whole paper to find out if it matches their interests or research.

What does an abstract look like?

An abstract can take many forms. Their contents and forms differ from discipline to discipline, so be sure to review examples of abstracts from your own discipline.

In general, however, they should...

• be clear and concise.
• provide a brief background.
• include a concise version of the thesis near the beginning.
• not define any terms.
• detail the importance of the study and the gap it filled.
• conserve the same order as the paper.
• give summaries of the thesis, methods, and results.
• discuss implications.
• maintain a length of 150-250 words (or 5-7 sentences) for MLA & APA.

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