How to write an Abstract

Knowing how to write an effective abstract is very important for anyone who is required to write a formal paper.

If you are a student you may have to write an abstract as part of a larger paper to summarize the paper in a single paragraph.The abstract is used by many people as a way to determine whether or not they want to read the entire work or listen to the entire speech at a conference.When researching material for a dissertation or thesis, the abstracts of research and academic papers are read to determine whether or not the information is worth reading in detail.

Understanding what an abstract is and the purpose it serves can be of great assistance in helping you write an abstract effectively.

What Is an Abstract? 
An abstract is basically a short summary that is used for research surverys or large papers, such as a thesis or dissertation. As the majority of theses and dissertations are quite lengthy, an abstract is used to provide a very complete, but concise, summary of the entire academic writing.

The abstract is vitally important because it is a short representation of the entire findings or thesis. The abstract is what a person will read in order to determine if the overall material will be of interest to them. In many ways it can be considered the selling point for your entire work, and it should be treating as such by presenting the topic of your research or dissertation in a way that will make others interested in reading it thoroughly.

In order to write an abstract that will capture the attention of readers while summarizing the entire paper there are a few tips that you should follow.

Helpful Tips for Writing an Abstract 
To present the information from your research or thesis in a manner that will others to be interested in your academic writing, you should:

Identify the Problem and Research Solution-The abstract should have an opening that identifies that particular subject matter and how the research that you have done will provide a solution. It is very important to make this clear in the initial sentence or two of the abstract as people want to know immediately what the dissertation is about.Stick to the Word Count - In general, an abstract is usually no more than 250 words. It is important to keep the word count in mind when writing an abstract. Knowing that you only have 250 words to summarize your entire dissertation can prevent you from being overly descriptive.Include Information on Methods and Results - Part of the abstract should briefly mention the methods and results that pertain to your topic. The method is basically the type of research you did, and the results are what was learned or created as a result of the methods.Mention the Implications of Your Research- At the close of the abstract it is important to briefly mention how results affect the initial problem that was mentioned in the opening of the abstract.Review and Update the Abstract - Upon completing your entire dissertation, it may be necessary for you to review and update the abstract. As you write your dissertation, your views may change and it may be necessary to change the abstract to reflect the shift in viewpoint presented in your dissertation.

Types Of Abstract 
Descriptive abstracts 
These provide a description of the report's main topic and purpose, together with an overview of the contents. They are usually very short - just a sentence or two - and may even appear on the title page (or at the beginning of a journal article). All this type of abstract does is give a very general idea of what the writing is about; it like a slightly extended title, or a topic sentence in an introduction. Consequently, it is not necessary to summarise any details or conclusions found in the text.

A descriptive abstract will look something like this: 
The research analyzes the different approaches to reducing traffic congestion in the UK and provides conclusions and recommendations for future implementation.

Informative abstracts 
As the name implies, informative abstracts should inform the reader: they should make clear what the research is about and give the key information from each section of the report; indicate how it was carried out; and summarise what the main findings and conclusions are. You should not, however, indicate the structure of the writing - this would be included in your introduction. 
The essential parts of an informative abstract are: 
* Background: A simple opening sentence or two placing the work in context. 
* Aims: One or two sentences giving the purpose of the work. 
* Method(s): One or two sentences explaining what was done. 
* Results: One or two sentences indicating the main findings. 
* Conclusions: One sentence giving the most important consequence of the work.