Although the shortest section of a paper, writing an abstract if often considered the hardest section of a manuscript to write. Often limited by word length, writers must adequately and concisely summarize their research for broad audiences. Below you’ll find abstract writing tips. Some of these tips were adapted from the ASA, CSSA, SSSA 2013 Annual Meetings workshop entitled “Writing an Abstract for a Paper, Talk, or Poster.”

1. An abstract should be written last. Although the first section of a paper, the abstract should be the last section to be written. An abstract is a concise summary of your research and so it is best constructed after the manuscript is written. This helps to ensure that the main points and ideas of the paper are conveyed in the abstract.
2. State the problem. The beginning of the abstract should summarize the research problem or question as well as provide background information that describes the significance of the research. The statement of the problem should justify the importance of your research.
3. Focus on your main findings. Do not try and fit all the findings of your study into the abstract. Focus on only the most important results and then formulate your abstract around those points. Remember that one of the purposes of an abstract is to convenience the audience to read your paper. Stating the most important and significant results will help to engage the reader.
4. Write for a broad audience. The abstract should be written for a broad audience, and therefore jargon should be minimal. Since abstracts are often more accessible than the research paper, they should be understood by people of various backgrounds. This is particularly important if writing for interdisciplinary journals and conferences.
5. Make the significance of your research clear. Clearly stating the importance and significance of your work/results will help to persuade the reader to read your paper in its entirety. This information is usually the last sentences of your abstract.
6. Be selective of your keywords. Keywords help the target audience find your paper. Therefore, it is important to choose keywords that best represent your paper.
7. Familiarize yourself with the abstract criteria of the specific journal. Review the abstract instructions of the journal you will submit to. Each journal likely has unique formatting and requirements (such as word count) for abstract submissions. Review these requirements before writing your abstract or while editing your abstract.

 

Prepared by Danielle Perry, GWC Writing Tutor