Here is how you can write a beautiful abstract for your thesis
Guidelines for Writing Thesis Abstract
A short synopsis of a much longer work (usually a research paper or dissertation) is known as an abstract. The abstract presents a concise idea to the readers about what to expect inside the dissertation. Ideally, an abstract should be between 150 and 300 words, although sometimes, a university or journal might put a word limit you have to strictly adhere to. In a thesis or dissertation, add a separate page containing the abstract between the title page (acknowledgments, etc.) and the page containing the table of contents.
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When do you need an abstract?
If you’re authoring a thesis, research paper, dissertation, or article for a journal, you are required to include an abstract unless explicitly mentioned otherwise. Your abstract has to be completely independent and self-sufficient, meaning that you cannot quote parts from your paper into the abstract. The abstract itself should be comprehensible enough to give your readers (who have never read the paper or its related references) an idea about what is contained inside your paper.
The best approach towards writing an effective abstract is to treat it as a smaller version of the research paper and imitate its structure accordingly.
Aim
Start with the purpose of the research and what problem it responds to, overcomes, or answers. You can choose to include a little context of the academic or social relevance of your chosen topic, but steer clear of any detailed explanation that deviates from the focus. After you have mentioned the problem statement, state what your research aims to do. Use action verbs like analyze, investigate, test, or evaluate to put forth the exact objective of your research. Make sure you are using past or present simple tense in your writing since the research has already been completed. Avoid future tense at all costs.
Method
Your next job is to mention the methods you used to achieve your results. Make it as concise as possible, only stating straightforward descriptions of what methods you used to conduct the research, in a sentence or two. Again, keep in mind to avoid the future tense since you are writing about completed events.
Do not go into details like validity analysis or the obstacles you faced while using these methods. Your goal here is to acquaint the readers with your procedures and methodologies, not accounting for their strengths and shortcomings.
Result
Summarize the results you obtained through your research. In case your research includes a complex array of experimentation and their corresponding series of observations and results, mention only the ones you want to highlight or the ones that are most vital to your paper. This way, the reader gets a general idea of your research’s achievements and conclusions. Use present or past tense for this part as well.
Inference/Conclusion
In the final part of your abstract, state the major conclusions you could draw from the research. Did you find a solution or answer to the initial problem statement? The readers should end up with a crystal-clear understanding of the pivotal point your research has been successful in proving or arguing. Write your conclusion in the present tense.
In the instance of your research facing significant limitations (say, the size of your samples or method restrictions), briefly describe them in this part of the abstract. This allows your readers to truthfully assess the credibility of the research.
If your research aimed to solve a realistic or practical problem, you can also include recommendations on how to implement the solution, in this section (conclusion) of the paper. Also, mention proposals for future research and its scopes, if relevant.
Keyword Usage
If you are writing a thesis for an academic journal or your research paper is up for publication, you might also need to include a list of the keywords you used throughout the paper, in a section at the end of the abstract. The keywords mentioned in this section would reference the most crucial elements of your research, aiming to help potential readers find your work when they make personal literature searches.
Take note that, some publications have a specific style of keyword formatting described in their manuals, that you are required to follow.
Additional Tips to Keep In Mind While Writing an Abstract
- Appropriate outlining: not all research abstracts contain the same basic elements. Try writing using reverse outlining if your research has a dissimilar structure (like humanities dissertations that build arguments via thematic chapters).
- Reading another person’s research abstract is the best way to write a great one yourself. Take inspiration and pointers from other good dissertations and their abstracts.
- Make your abstract brief and impactful. Every word, every sentence should carry a clear point. Do not dwell on unnecessary points, deviate from the topic, or use filler words.
- Make your own research the focus of the abstract. Your work might be inspired by, related to, or an extension of someone else’s research, but the abstract should not contain any information about that aspect. The abstract only discusses your research and its original contributions.