WRITING AN ABSTRACT FOR
THE UNDERGRADUATE
RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Dr. Melissa Bender
University Writing Program & Writing Across the Curriculum
Abstracts
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Function as stand alone mini-texts giving readers a
short summary of a study’s topic, methodology, and
main findings.
Function as screening devices, helping readers
decide whether they wish to read the whole article
or not.
Function as previews for readers intending to read
the whole article, giving them a road-map of their
reading.
Conference Abstracts
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Help the conference organizer decide if your
project fits the conference criteria.
Help the conference audience (faculty,
administrators, peers) decide whether or not to
attend your presentation.
URC abstract also helps your sponsoring professor
decide if your research is proceeding smoothly.
Appeal to a broad audience
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Demonstrate your knowledge in comprehensible
terms.
Don’t take for granted that your reader shares your
expertise.
Limit technical language.
Always use the full term before you refer to it by
acronym.
Elements of an Abstract
#
Element
Implied Question
1.
Purpose of project, identifying the area of
study to which it belongs
What do we know about the area of
study? Why is this area of study
important?
2.
Research problem that motivates the project
What is the problem/gap that your
research addresses? Why is this
problem/gap in need of address?
3.
Methods/procedure/approach used to
address this research problem, documents or
evidence analyzed
What did you actually do to get your
results? What methods did you use? What
documents or evidence did you analyze?
4.
Conclusions reached OR what preliminary
results suggest OR what research methods
demonstrate
What was discovered? What do the
findings mean or what do the preliminary
findings seem to suggest?
5.
Significance of the research project
What are the larger implications of your
findings, especially for the problem/gap
identified above? What is new to our
understanding as a result of your inquiry?
For C’s of Abstract Writing
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Complete: covers the major parts of the project.
Concise: contains no excess words or unnecessary
information.
Clear: is readable, well organized, and not to
jargon heavy.
Cohesive: it flows smoothly between parts.
Submitting your abstract
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Stick to 150-200 words.
Make sure the language is understandable by a
non-specialist.
Have your sponsoring professor approve your
abstract.
Submit only one abstract.
Small Group Discussion
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Choose one of the four sample abstracts.
Match each of the sentences within the abstract with
one of the five elements.
Discuss which of the four strategies the writer is
using to open his or her abstract.