Abstracts

An abstract is a brief, concise, accurate, and generally nonevaluative summary of a work such as a journal article, a presentation, or a book. The length of an abstract varies but is typically a paragraph and never more than a page. An abstract for a periodical source often appears at the top of the article, underneath the title. For prepared manuscripts, an abstract is presented by itself on a single page that follows the title page. Abstracts are often collected in volumes and presented in either print or electronic format to provide potential readers of scholarly work with a quick and time-saving overview of the main document.

There are two common forms of abstracts. A descriptive abstract is often written prior to the completion of a specific work. Therefore, it may not provide results, conclusions, or recommendations. This type of abstract may be submitted to a local or a national conference, for instance, as a summary of one's planned presentation. A descriptive abstract may simply contain the problem and methods with a brief section on expected outcome. In contrast, an informative abstract is written following the completion of a specific work and summarizes the entire content of the original document. It commonly consists of an overview of the following four sections: (a) problem, (b) methodology, (c) results, and (d) conclusion. This type of abstract provides a condensed version of the original work so that a reader can choose whether to review the entire piece.

Abstract writing is an acquired skill that may be strengthened with continued practice. To present an effective abstract, the writer should follow the organization of the original article closely. In abstracts of scientific papers, the reader is first presented with information about the topic or central issue(s) in the main document. A statement about the study's objectives or the tested hypotheses may be provided. Second, the reader is educated about the methods used to approach the main topic. For example, the abstract may provide information relevant to the number of participants enrolled in a given study or the assessment strategies used to examine the stated hypotheses. Third, there is a brief description of the study's findings and conclusions. The reader is presented with an explanation of the significance and possible implications of the obtained results. Fourth, there is some reference to the recommendations. In summary, a well-written, selfcontained abstract presents a capsule description of the original article, without adding new information, in language that is understandable to a wide audience.