How to Write a Good Abstract for a Research Project

In various areas, a report, essay, or study begins with an abstract. The abstract aims to sell your work; It should explain the subject of your project, the problem your research is trying to solve, or the question you want to answer, how you go about it, and what conclusion you came to. Abstract writing is an important part of publishing your research and you should strive to keep this part of your project detailed and well-written. A lot of people don’t know the importance of an abstract, and knowing how to write a good abstract inspired this blog article.

What is an Abstract?

An abstract is a detailed and short text that is used to describe more extensive research or work. This is an overview of the components of the project and will help the reader understand what the article is and what to expect before reading the rest of the article.

Don’t confuse it with a review report or job evaluation. It is an original piece of work, written after you are done writing the rest of the paper. It highlights the main points of your project; however, the components differ depending on the field you are writing for.

When writing a social or natural science abstract, the scope and purpose of the study, methods, results, and discussion are discussed. On the other hand, for the human sciences summary, state your thesis, your context, the results, and the conclusions of your research. A good abstract follows a certain format and a certain number of words from 150 to 250 words.

Types of an Abstract

Abstracts are also broken down into three different types: descriptive, informative, and critical. Each of them has different purposes and serves a unique purpose. Since their components are also different, it is best to ask your teacher and confirm what type of summary you should write.

Critical Abstract

In addition to a description of the results and essential information, a critical abstract provides a judgment or comment on the validity, reliability, or completeness of the study. The researcher evaluates the document and often compares it to other papers on the same topic. Critical abstracts are usually 400-500 words long due to additional explanatory comments. These types of summaries are rarely used.

descriptive Abstract

A descriptive abstract indicates the type of information included in the work. It does not judge the work, nor does it present the results or conclusions of the research. They contain the keywords in the text and can contain the purpose, methods, and scope of the research. In essence, a descriptive abstract only describes the summarizing work. Some researchers see it as an outline of the work rather than a summary. Descriptive abstracts are generally very short, 100 words or less.

Informative Abstract

Most of the informative abstracts are helpful. While they still don’t criticize or rate the work, they do more than describe it. A good abstract informative work as an alternative to the work itself. That is, the researcher presents and explains all the main arguments, conclusions, and important evidence of the article. An informative summary includes the information that can be found in the descriptive summary [objective, methods, and scope], but also the results and conclusions of the research and the recommendations of the author. Length varies depending on the major, but an informative abstract is usually no longer than 300 words.

Elements of an abstract

The Abstract is usually one page long and should give a full picture of your research in terms of literature research, methodology, findings, and conclusions. Readers use the abstract to quickly learn the topic of your research. A well-written abstract is crucial in attracting readers so that they can open up and read about your work. The five main elements that should be included in the abstract are listed below.

 Introduction

In the introduction, you show that you are familiar with the field of study and the existing research in the field. The introduction should contain a summary of current research, a presentation of your thesis, theory, and an introduction to the current situation.

The Purpose

The purpose of the abstract is often greater than the introductory element. To effectively complete this section, the author should consider the goals and objectives of his study and identify any important questions or assumptions. It should also outline how the research intends to develop these objectives and hypotheses for the reader.

Method

The Methods section is usually the second-longest in the abstract. It should contain enough information for the reader to understand what was done. The content in this section should be used to reassure readers that proper and appropriate techniques and strategies were used to conduct the study. Include information on setting, study design, blinding, study population, recruitment, data collection methodology, sample size, intervention and follow-up, key findings, the criteria evaluated, and the key analysis methodology.

Results

This section may be referred to otherwise as ‘Observations’ or ‘Findings’. This is the most important, and perhaps the largest, part of the abstract. This is understandable as it describes what was found in the study; What writers want to show and what feature readers are most interested in. It should be as detailed as the number of words allows. Data should be presented objectively by citing actual numbers rather than using terms such as “better recovery”, “developed few headaches”, “majority of participants responded” or “reported problems”. dizziness” if the number of participants has registered and the analysts included; Numerical information on the analyzes performed (in terms of means and standard deviations, median, effect sizes, relative risks, numbers required for treatment, etc.), the results of the primary objective analysis as well as the results significance tests (p-values), damage and significant negative results, if applicable, even if they do not support the proposed hypothesis. If applicable, relative risks, attributable risks, response rates, percentage of singles, etc. must be indicated.

Conclusion.

This section should contain the main message of the study, expressed in a few well-worded sentences. The score shown here generally refers to the primary outcome measure; however, other important or unexpected results should also be mentioned. It is also common, but not necessary, for authors to express their views on the theoretical or practical implications of the results, or the significance of their results in practice. Therefore, conclusions can contain three elements:

1. The main takeaway message
2. Additional significant results
3. The perspective

Despite its necessary brevity, this section has the most impact on the average reader, as readers generally trust the authors and take their claims at face value. For this reason, the conclusions must be strictly true; Authors should not claim more than what their data shows.

 review and edit necessary parts

The last step in the writing process is reviewing the abstract. Review it with a fresh mind and remove irrelevant details. Make sure you are following the right model; The most important information is presented first.

Six Steps to Write Good Abstract for a Research Project

1. Introduce the Topic.

• Try to communicate what is the specific topic the paper or poster will focus on.
• Assume the reader is generally familiar with the research area at hand.

2. State the Problem That Is Being Addressed by the Research.

• What’s the key focus or central question?
• Build on the first sentence, which introduced the overall topic.
• If you cannot identify a key focus or central question, then you don’t yet understand what you’re trying to write about it. Take a step back and figure that out before moving to the next step.

3. Summarize Why the Problem Exists.

• But avoid re-hashing all the studies that were done before your work.
• Instead, focus on what was missed by previous research.
• Phrases such as, “previous work failed to address…….,” or “previous work overlooked………” can be useful.

4. Explain How The Research Question was Addressed.

• How did you analyze your data or information to be able to answer the question stated in #2?
• Did you run experiments?
• Did you use statistics?
• What did you measure?

5. What Were the Findings of the Research Conducted?

• What is your response to the question stated in #2 based on the completed work?
• What is new about your idea or approach?

6. What Is the Meaning or Impact of Your Research?

• Avoid re-stating the outcomes of the research.
• Instead, explain why should other people care?
• What can other people do with your research?

While it is complex to write an abstract, you will successfully complete this difficult task if you follow our simple guidelines. However, you contact our professional writers for a perfect abstract and research paper.