Writing an Abstract to Target Researchers
Research abstracts have always played a crucial role in explaining your study quickly and succinctly to journal editors and researchers and prompting them to read further. But with the ubiquity of online publication databases, writing a compelling abstract is even more important today than it was in the days of bound paper manuscripts.
Abstracts exist to “sell” your work, and they could thus be compared to the “executive summary” of a business resume: an official briefing on what is most important about your research. Or the “gist” of your research. With the majority of academic transactions being conducted online, this means that you have even less time to impress readers–and increased competition in terms of other abstracts out there to read.
APCI (Academic Publishing and Conferences International) notes that there are 12 questions or “points” considered in the selection process for journals and conferences and stresses the importance of having an abstract that ticks all of these boxes. Because it is often the ONLY chance you have to convince readers to keep reading, it is important that you spend time and energy crafting an abstract that faithfully represents the central parts of your study and captivates your audience.
With that in mind, follow these suggestions when structuring and writing your abstract, and learn how exactly to put these ideas into a solid abstract that will captivate your target readers.
Before You Start Writing Your Abstract
Decide which type of abstract you need to write
All abstracts are written with the same essential objective: to give a summary of your study. But there are two basic styles of abstract: descriptive and informative. Here is a brief delineation of the two:
Of the two types, informative abstracts are much more common, and they are widely used for submission to journals and conferences. Informative abstracts apply to lengthier and more technical research, while descriptive abstracts are more suitable for shorter papers and articles. The best method of determining which abstract type you need to use is to follow the instructions for journal submissions and to read as many other published articles in those journals as possible.
Research the abstract guidelines and requirements
As any article about research writing will tell you, authors must always closely follow the specific guidelines and requirements indicated in the Guide for Authors section of their target journal’s website. The same kind of adherence to conventions should be applied to journal publication, for consideration at a conference, and even when completing a class assignment.
Each publisher has particular demands when it comes to formatting and structure. Here are some common questions addressed in a journal’s guidelines:
There are of course other rules to consider when composing a research abstract. But if you follow the stated rules the first time you submit your manuscript, you can avoid your work being thrown in the “circular file” right off the bat.
Identify your target readership
The main purpose of your abstract is to lead researchers to the full text of your research paper. In scientific journals, abstracts let readers decide whether the research discussed is relevant to their own interests or study. Abstracts also help readers understand your main argument quickly. Consider these questions as you write your abstract:
While Outlining and Writing Your Abstract
Provide only relevant and useful information
Just as your research paper title should cover as much ground as possible in a few short words, your abstract must cover all parts of your study in order to fully explain your paper and research. Because it must accomplish this task in the space of only a few hundred words, it is important not to include ambiguous references or phrases that will confuse the reader or mislead them about the content and objectives of your research. Follow these dos and don’ts when it comes to what kind of writing to include:
Use keywords to attract more readers
A vital search tool is the “keywords” section that lists the most relevant terms directly underneath the abstract. Think of these keywords as the “tubes” that readers will seek and enter–via queries on databases and search engines—to ultimately land at their destination, which is your paper. Your abstract keywords should thus be words that are commonly used in searches but should also be highly relevant to your work and found in the text of your abstract. Include 5-10 important words or short phrases central to your research in both the abstract and keywords sections.
For example, if you’re writing a paper on the prevalence of obesity among lower classes that crosses international boundaries, include terms like “obesity,” “prevalence,” “international,” “lower classes,” and “cross-cultural.” These are terms that should net a wide array of people interested in your topic of study.
The Structure of the Abstract
As mentioned above, the abstract (especially the informative abstract) acts as a surrogate or synopsis of your research paper, doing almost as much work as the thousands of words that follows it in the body. In the hard sciences and most social sciences, the abstract includes the following sections and organizational schema.
Each section is quite compact—only a single sentence or two, although there is room for expansion if one element or statement is particularly interesting or compelling. As the abstract is almost always one long paragraph, the individual sections should naturally merge into one another to create a holistic effect. Use the following as a checklist to ensure that you have included all of the necessary content in your abstract.
1) Identify your purpose and motivation. So your research is about rabies in Brazilian squirrels. So what? Why is this important? You should start your abstract by explaining why people should care about this study—why is it significant to your field and perhaps to the wider world? And what is exact purpose of your study; what are you trying to achieve? Start by answering the following questions:
In summary, the first section of your abstract should include the importance of the research and its impact on related research fields or one the wider scientific domain.
2) Explain the problem you are addressing. Stating the “problem” that your research addresses is the corollary to why your specific study is important and necessary. For instance, even if the issue of “rabies in Brazilian squirrels” is important, what is the problem—the “missing piece of the puzzle”—that your study helps resolve?
You can combine the problem with the motivation section, but from a perspective of organization and clarity, it is best to separate the two. Here are some precise questions to address:
3) Discuss your approach (Methods and Materials). You have establish the importance of the research, your motivation for studying this issue, and the specific problem your paper addresses. Now you need to discuss how you solved or made progress on this problem—how you conducted your research. If your study includes your own work or that of your team, describe that here. If in your paper you reviewed the work of others, explain this here. Did you use analytic models? A simulation? A double-blind study? A case study? You are basically showing the reader the internal engine of your research machine and how it functioned in the study. Be sure to:
4) Summarize your results. Here you will give an overview of the outcome of your study. Avoid using too many vague qualitative terms (e.g, “very,” “small,” “tremendous”) and try to use at least some quantitative terms (i.e., percentages, figures, numbers). Save your qualitative language for the conclusion statement. Answer questions like these:
5) State your conclusion. In the last section of your abstract, you will give a statement about the implications and limitations of your study. Be sure to connect this statement closely to your results and not the area of study in general. Are the results of this study going to shake up the scientific world? Will they impact how people see “Brazilian squirrels”? Or are the implications minor? Try not to boast about your study or present its impact as too far-reaching, as researchers and journals will tend to be skeptical of bold claims in scientific papers. Answer one of these questions:
After Completing the First Draft of Your Abstract
Do basic revisions
The abstract, like any piece of academic writing, should be revised before being considered complete. Check it for grammatical and spelling errors and make sure it is formatted properly.
Get feedback from a peer
Getting a fresh set of eyes to review your abstract is a great way to find out whether you’ve summarized your research well. Find a reader who understands research papers but is not an expert in this field or is not affiliated with your study. Ask your reader to summarize what your study is about (including all key points of each section). This should tell you if you have communicated your key points clearly.
In addition to research peers, consider consulting with a professor or even a specialist or generalist writing center consultant about your abstract. Use any resource that helps you see your work from another perspective.
Consider getting professional editing and proofreading for your abstract
While peer feedback is quite important to ensure effectiveness of your abstract content, it may be a good idea to find a professional editor to fix mistakes in grammar, spelling, mechanics, style, or formatting. The presence of basic errors in the abstract may not affect your content, but it might dissuade someone from reading your entire study.
Additional Abstract Rules of Thumb
Write your abstract after completing your paper
Although the abstract goes at the beginning of your manuscript, it does not merely introduce your research topic (that is the job of the title), but summarizes your entire paper. Writing the abstract last will ensure that it is complete and consistent with the findings and statements in your paper.
Keep your content in order
Both questions and answers should be organized in a standard and familiar way to make the content easier for readers to absorb. Ideally, it should mimic the overall format of your essay and the classic “introduction,” “body,” and “conclusion” form, even if the parts are not neatly divided as such.
Write the abstract from scratch
Because the abstract is a self-contained piece of writing viewed separately from the body of the paper, you should write it separately as well. Never copy and paste direct quotes from the paper and avoid paraphrasing sentences in the paper. Using new vocabulary and phrases will keep your abstract interesting and free of redundancies while conserving space.
Don’t include too many details in the abstract
Again, the density of your abstract makes it incompatible with including specific points other than possibly names or locations. You can make references to terms, but do not explain or define them in the abstract. Try to strike a balance between being specific to your study but presenting a relatively broad overview of your work.
Wordvice Resources
How to Write a Research Paper Introduction
Which Verb Tenses to Use in a Research Paper
How to Write an Abstract for a Research Paper
How to Write a Research Paper Title
Useful Phrases for Academic Writing
Common Transition Terms in Academic Papers
Active and Passive Voice in Research Papers
100+ Verbs That Will Make Your Research Writing Amazing
Tips for Paraphrasing in Research Papers
References and Related Resources
Hartley, James. Academic writing and publishing: a practical guide. New York: Routledge, 2010. Print.
Descriptive Abstracts (Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences)
Abstract Guidelines for Conference Papers (Academic Conferences and Publishing International)
Tips and Tools for Abstracts (UNC College of Arts and Sciences Writing Center)
Tips for Paraphrasing (The University of Wisconsin Writing Center Writer’s Handbook)
Parts of a Research Paper (Wordvice YouTube Channel)
5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Discussion (ScienceDocs)
Resources Used in This Article and Additional Reading
Hartley, James. Academic writing and publishing: a practical guide. New York: Routledge, 2010. Print.
Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Blog: “Descriptive Abstracts.” https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c6_p8.html
Academic Conferences and Publishing International: “Abstract Guidelines for Conference Papers.” https://www.academic-conferences.org/policies/abstract-guidelines-for-papers/
UNC College of Arts and Sciences Writing Center Blog: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/abstracts/
Wordvice Blog: “How to Choose the Best Title for Your Manuscript.” https://wordvice.com/best-title-for-journal-manuscript/
Wordvice YouTube Channel: “How to Create a Title for Your Research Paper.”
Management and Economics in Construction Blog: https://cmeforum.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/how-to-write-informative-abstracts/
Wordvice Blog: “Choosing the Best Keywords for Your Paper.” https://wordvice.com/choosing-research-paper-keywords/
Wordvice YouTube Channel: “Parts of a Research Paper.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO6ipI-d2fw
ScienceDocs Inc. Blog: “5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Discussion.” https://www.sciencedocs.com/writing-a-research-paper-discussion/