Abstract for Research Paper

The abstract for your research paper will not be the same as the abstract for your annotated bibliography.  At this point in the research process, you should have researched and learned much more than you have since you created your annotated bibliography: this should be reflected in your new abstract.  Instead of detailing a bibliography, you are now detailing an entire research paper.

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An abstract is a brief summary of what you will be discussing in an annotated bibliography, research paper, case study, etc. (any academic piece of writing).  Abstracts are used for researchers/writers/readers to get a general idea of what a paper is about before committing to reading the entire item.  It is often used to help the reader quickly understand the paper's purpose, point of view, and key ideas.

When writing an abstract, stay away from "I" statements, and speak more objectively.  For example:

· Instead of saying: "In this paper I will discuss the reasons a Paleo diet is better than a a Ketogenic diet."

· Say: "This paper will discuss the reasons why a Paleo diet is better than a a Ketogenic diet."

· Instead of saying: "I utilized sources from The New England Journal of Medicine for this annotated bibliography"

· Say: "Sources from the New England Journal of Medicine were utilized in this annotated bibliography."

 

· Keep your abstract concise, without extra words or extraneous information

· A common thing to avoid is treating an abstract like an introductionary paragraph

· Avoid words like "in this annotated bibliography I will..." or "I am going to talk about..."

· This is a statement about what's to come in your assignment, not an explanation of how you're going to create it

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If it helps you formulate your thoughts better, some abstracts are written in the following format:

Background: What you are researching and why it is important

Results: The findings you came across in your research and writing

Conclusion: The main finalized idea of what your paper proved

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What is required:

· 150-300 words

· 3-5 Keywords

· APA Format

· Objective language, no "I" statements

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· More detailed explanations and examples of abstracts and keywords can be found under Modules >> Information Literacy Homework Examples >> Explaining Abstracts: Definitions and Examples