abstract and a conclusion
Welcom e to today’s tutorial on how to construct an abstract for a research paper. This tutorial w ill discuss w hen it is appropriate to use an abstract, w hat type of language should be used in an abstract, and the overall purpose of an abstract.
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The abstract should be placed by itself on page 2 of a research paper, follow ing the title page. The abstract w ill be the reader’s first im pression of your paper as it gives the reader a sum m ary of the type of inform ation that is going to be discussed in your w ork.
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An abstract basically lets the reader know w hat type of inform ation is in the paper so he or she can decide w hether the paper w ill be useful for them to read the entire paper or if he or she should continue looking for an article that better suits their needs. For instance, w hen you are looking for articles in an online database, there is typically an abstract available for the article. The abstract is there in order to help you to decide if the full article is w orth reading because it speaks to the research you are conducting OR if the full article is not w orth reading. The abstract for your research paper w orks in the sam e w ay. You sim ply are inform ing the reader about the m ain topics covered in your research paper.
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I w anted to explain the difference betw een and abstract and an introduction as there is a subtle difference betw een the tw o. The introduction introduces the topic , often in creative w ays and w ith background inform ation. An abstract is m eant to briefly sum m arize the paper in a very structured w ay. You w ill often find statem ents in an abstract that you w ere taught to never w rite in an introduction, such as “This paper explores…” or “This paper defines…” or even “The articles exam ine…” It is even recom m ended to state your conclusion in the abstract because this type of inform ation m ay assist a potential reader w ith his or her decision regarding w hether or not your paper w ill benefit his or her needs.
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(1) An abstract should contain clear and concise inform ation. In other w ords, an abstract is not the place to be creative in order to capture the attention of the audience; rather, the abstract w ill contain the cold, hard facts that m ake up the m ain points of your research paper, and the introduction m ay be the m ore appropriate place for the creative and attention -getting language. (2) Additionally, an abstract should fall betw een 150 - 250 w ords m axim um . (3) As aforem entioned, the abstract w ill be placed by itself on page 2. The title page is considered as page 1, the abstract w ill be placed on page 2, and the introduction w ill begin on page 3.
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Keep in m ind that an abstract w ill not be indented. Also, the abstract is not the area of your paper to add new inform ation that cannot be found in the rest of your paper. Also, you don’t w ant to speak extensively about other people’s w ork. You can certainly m ention particular sources that w ere used in the m aking of your paper; how ever, the focus of the abstract should not be on the w ork of others. Rem em ber, the reader w ants to know w hat YOU have to say about your topic and how you cam e to that conclusion. Additionally, avoid using rhetorical questions. Ideally, rhetorical questions should not be present in your research paper at all because it does not advance the argum ent or conversation in any form ; therefore, m ake certain to steer clear of rhetorical questions and vague language.
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Please notice in this exam ple that the abstract is placed on page 2 of the research paper – by itself. The heading “Abstract” is not considered to be a level one heading; therefore, it w ill not be bolded – it w ill sim ply be centered at the top of the page. Also, notice that the abstract is not indented; each line in the abstract w ill be justified left. Lastly, it is im portant to recognize the type of language w hich is being used in the abstract exam ple. Notice that phrases such as, “The goal of the research w as to…” and “The sources confirm ed…” w ill m eet the requirem ents for the abstract. As long as the reader can get an idea about the m ain point(s) being presented in your paper w ithout having to read the entire paper, the abstract is fulfilling its role w ithin the research project.
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