Architecture Department

College of Engineering / University of

Sulaimani

Writing a Research Abstract

By

Shaista Muhammed Raouf

Supervisor
Dr. Wrya Sabir Abdulla
 Introduction to Research Abstract
A research abstract is a concise summary of a research paper or project. It provides a brief overview of the key elements
and findings of the study and It is a summary of a long work.
The abstract clarifies the aims and outcomes of your research, so that readers know exactly what your paper is about.
Although the structure may vary slightly depending on your discipline, your abstract should describe the purpose of your
work, the methods you’ve used, and the conclusions you’ve drawn.
In APA style abstract should contain no more than 120 words, and should be one paragraph written in block format with
double spacing. Additionally, state the topic in a sentence or two.
An abstract should:
• Be a self-contained text, not an excerpt from your paper.
• Be fully understandable on its own.
• Reflect the structure of your larger work.
 One common way to structure any abstract is to use the IMRaD structure.
• What is the problem? Outline the objective, research questions, and/or hypotheses.
• What has been done? Explain your research methods.
• What did you discover? Summarize the key findings and conclusions.
• What do the findings mean? Summarize the discussion and recommendations.

Introduction Methods Results Discussion

 Introduction
Start by clearly defining the purpose of your research. What practical or theoretical problem does
the research respond to, or what research question did you aim to answer?
Adding some brief context on the social or academic relevance of the dissertation topic possible , but we
should not go into detailed background information.
This part of the abstract can be written in the present or past simple tense but should never refer to
the future, as the research is already complete.

• DON’T ( This study will investigate the relationship between coffee consumption and productivity.)
• Do (This study investigates the relationship between coffee consumption and productivity.)
 Methods
The second step is indicate the research methods that you used to answer your question.
This part should be a straightforward description of what we did in one or two sentences.
We have to give the reader a quick insight into the overall approach and procedures that we used.
It is usually written in the past simple tense, as it refers to completed actions.

• DON’T Structured interviews will be conducted with 25 participants.

• DO Structured interviews were conducted with 25 participants.
 Results
The third stage of the abstract should summarize the main research results.
We should try to highlight only the most important findings that will allow the reader to understand
the conclusions.
This part of the abstract can be in the present or past simple tense.

• DON’T (Our analysis has shown a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.)
• DO (Our analysis shows a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.)
• DO (Our analysis showed a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.)
 Discussion
Finally, we should discuss the main conclusions of your research, what is our answer to the problem or
question?
The reader should finish with a clear understanding of the central point that our research has
proved or argued.
Conclusions are usually written in the present simple tense.

• DON’T (We concluded that coffee consumption increases productivity.)

• DO (We conclude that coffee consumption increases productivity.)
 Keywords
At the end of the abstract, we may include a few keywords that will be used for indexing if our paper is
published on a database.
Listing our keywords will help other researchers find our work.
Choosing relevant keywords is essential. Try to identify keywords that address our topic, method, or
population.
APA recommends including three to five keywords.

Journal article title: Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women’s
body image concerns and mood
Keywords: Facebook, social media, magazine, appearance-related social comparison, body image
concerns, mood.
 Example
Introduction
The research objective is
established and relevant
background information is
provided.
Methods
The hypothesis is presented and
the methods used are briefly
described.
Results and Discussion
The most relevant results are
summarized and the conclusions
are discussed.
Abstract
This paper examines the role of silent movies as a mode of shared experience in the US
during the early twentieth century. At this time, high immigration rates resulted in a
significant percentage of non-English-speaking citizens. These immigrants faced
numerous economic and social obstacles, including exclusion from public
entertainment and modes of discourse (newspapers, theater, radio).
Incorporating evidence from reviews, personal correspondence, and diaries, this study
demonstrates that silent films were an affordable and inclusive source of
entertainment. It argues for the accessible economic and representational nature of
early cinema. These concerns are particularly evident in the low price of admission and
in the democratic nature of the actors’ exaggerated gestures, which allowed the plots
and action to be easily grasped by a diverse audience despite language barriers.
Keywords: silent movies, immigration, public discourse, entertainment, early cinema,
language barriers.
Thank you