ABSTRACT

WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO WRITE IT

An abstract – a definition
 It’s a minature version of your paper.
 It summarises all the sections of your paper.
 It will often be read and judged in isolation from the paper.
 The structure of an abstract and its length may vary.
 It depends on:
• a journal or conference
• the discipline
• writer’s individual decisions .

REMEMBER: an abstract is not an introduction to your paper nor it is a

conclusions section, it is a summary of ALL your paper.
Abstracts are incredibly important
▪ attract curiosity

▪ discourage from reading the the rest of the paper

▪ set up the expectations of the reader (e.g the paper will be easy to

read, or it will be difficult )

Two types of abstracts
Descriptive (indicative)abstract Informative abstract
➢ Communicates the content of the article
 Describes the background
 Includes the background purpose, methods,
 Includes purpose (and method)
scope, results, conclusions and
 (Describes the contents of the paper) recommendations
 Does not include results, conclusions or  Highlights essential points
recommendations
 Usually about 250 words
 Is short
It is usually used where the research is not
complete, will be continued.
It gives enough information to allow the readers to
decide if they want to read the paper.
The reader needs to read the article to find
out if they are actually interested in it.
Often used in conference programmes.
Model descriptive abstract

The opportunity to design and deliver short programs on referencing and

avoiding plagiarism for transnational UniSA students has confirmed the
necessity of combating both the ‘all-plagiarism-is-cheating’ reaction and the
‘just-give-them-a-referencing-guide’ response. The notion of referencing is
but the tip of a particularly large and intricate iceberg. Consequently,
teaching referencing is not adequate in educating students to avoid
plagiarism. In this article, we will use the transnational teaching experience to
highlight what educating to avoid plagiarism entails .

background
problem
particular focus of the paper (method?)

Adapted from:https://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/ua/media/26/learningguide-writinganabstract.pdf
 The relationship between different
stages of the experimental process
Assumption Discussion
Hypothesis Results
Methods Experiment Analysis Conclusions
Materials
Elements of an abstract
How to write an abstract?
Reason for writing : What is the importance of the research? Why would the reader
interested?

Problem: What problem does this work attempt to solve? What is the scope of the
project? What is the main argument/thesis/claim?

Result: an abstract of a scientific work may include specific data that indicates the
results of the project. Other abstracts may discuss the findings in a more general way.

Implications: What changes should be implemented as a result of the findings of the

work? How does this work add to the body of knowledge on the topic?

Credit: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/abstracts/
 ideas how
some possible research
context aim method interpretation may be
results applications
continued
Typical problems
1. The abstract is does not cover the contents of the whole paper.

2. The abstract can be understood only after having read the paper.

3. The abstract is understandable only to experts in a very specific field.

4. The abstract fails to explain why the readers should be interested in

reading the paper.

5. There are generic quantifications (e.g, many, few) or too subjective

adjectives (innovative, interesting )

More questions
1. How do I begin an abstract?
( Can I start with This paper deals with…. The aim of the paper is…)

2. What style can I use?

I- WE- AUTHORS- PASSIVE VOICE?

3. What tense should I use?