Writing an Abstract Final
What is an abstract?
The word abstract comes from the Latin abstractum, which means a condensed form of a longer
piece of writing. There are two main types of abstract
An abstract is a concise summary of a larger project (a thesis, research report, performance,
service project, etc.) that concisely describes the content and scope of the project and identifies
the project’s objective, its methodology and its findings, conclusions, or intended results..
Types of Abstracts
Abstracts do vary from discipline to discipline, and sometimes within disciplines. Abstracts in
Linguistics often put more emphasis on methods (qualitative/quantitative), data collection
techniques, and findings than do the abstracts in Literature; Abstracts in Literary studies often
spend much more time explaining their objectives theoretical underpinnings, and conclusions.
There are two types of abstracts:
A descriptive abstract identifies the objectives of the research and the areas to be covered
in the research (an extended statement of purpose); it does not demonstrate the content or
the findings of the research.
Descriptive studies in Syntax, Morphology, Phonology, Translation Studies,
Computational linguistics, Critical Linguistics etc employ this type of abstract.
Most of the exploratory and descriptive studies in Literature (e.g., Element of Madness in
Hamlet, Literary Stylistics,) use descriptive abstracts.
An informative abstract summarizes the entire research and gives the reader an overview
of the research objectives, material & methods, findings and conclusion.
In Applied fields of Linguistics like Sociolinguistics, SLA, ESP, Pragmatics, etc
informative abstracts are usually used.
In Literature, informative abstracts may be used if the research objectives are achieved
after analyzing a text through the theoretical perspectives like Psychoanalysis, Feminism,
Marxism, Structuralism, Postcolonialism etc.
One should be mindful of the fact that in any area of both the fields i.e., Linguistics and
Literature a research work may use descriptive or informative abstracts depending upon
the objectives or the overall structure of the research.
Why do we write an abstract?
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when submitting articles to journals, especially online journals
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when applying for research grants
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when writing a book proposal
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when completing the Ph.D. dissertation or M.A. thesis
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when writing a proposal for a conference paper
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when writing a proposal for a book chapter
Components of an Abstract
Think of your abstract as an advertisement, or a condensed version of your whole essay. By
reading it, the reader should understand the nature of your research question. You should include
the following:
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A specific and detailed title (optional), indicating the question you investigated, or the
method, if that is important—it should be complete enough to stand on its own without
the abstract.
A brief introduction (optional) to the topic-providing context or background (don’t
repeat or re-phrase your title or any sentences from your paper, and don’t analyze other
papers!). Remember that what might seem obvious to you after working on a longer
research project is likely to be new to your audience.
A statement of the study's objectives/purpose (compulsory)--what is the research
question or the problem you are trying to solve? What is the scope of your work (a
generalized approach? A specific situation?)? What is your hypothesis? What are the
specific questions you are addressing with this project? For text-based research projects,
what argument are you proposing? Do not include a statement like “this paper will look
at”—such a statement is too specific when you are discussing the general purpose and
approach of your research.
Motivation (optional). Why do we care about the problem and the results? How do you
address a “gap” in the field? This section should include the importance of the work, and
the impact it might have if successful.
Methodology/Approach/Framework (compulsory) (1-2 sentences). This section of the
abstract should explain how you went about solving the problem or exploring the issue
you identified as your main objective. ? Did you use simulation, analytic models,
prototype construction, or analysis of field data? Library research? Analysis of fictional
texts? Interviews or observations? What important variables did you control, ignore, or
measure? What was the extent of your work? What theoretical framework did you use to
understand the problem? What paradigm defines your approach? Similarly, for a service
project, it should outline the kinds of service you performed and/or the process you
followed to perform this service. For a humanities project, it should make note of any
theoretical framework or methodological assumptions. For a visual or performing
arts project, it should outline the media you employed and the process you used to
develop your project.
A summary of results/findings (compulsory for informative abstracts). This section of
the abstract should list the results or outcomes of the work you have done so far. If your
project is not yet complete, you may still want to include preliminary results or your
hypotheses about what those results will be.
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A statement of conclusions (compulsory). What new knowledge are you bringing to
your field? Are your results general, potentially generalizable, or specific? Possibly some
discussion of the relevance of the conclusions.
What are the implications (optional) of your research? Are they generalizable or specific
to a particular case? You might note restrictions or limitations on the results by using
words like “might,” “could,” “may,” and “seem.” Be careful to use non-evaluative
language; report instead of comment on your findings. Possibly some call for future
research.
Things to Remember
Your abstract should be single-spaced in an easy-to read 12pt font (like Times). Try to come
as close as possible to the word limit (200-250) without going over.
Reread or review the research you’ve completed or are working on. Look for the main parts
of the work: purpose, methods, scope, results, conclusions, and recommendations.
In writing the abstract, do not use the future tense, like “I will argue” or “I will analyze” (which
suggests you haven’t done the work yet), and avoid phrases like “I hope to” or “I expect to,”
which makes you sound less self-assured.
Preferably use present tense; even past tense/passive forms might be suitable sometimes. At this
stage it may sound unnatural to you to use the present tense, but the use of future tense will
hamper you from referring to the findings of the research proposing that research has not yet
been conducted.
Be extremely precise yet detailed about your argument and analysis.
Do not put information in the abstract, which is not in the main text of your research. It is
essential that your abstract includes all the keywords of your research.
Do not put references, figures, or tables in the abstract.
Keep citations brief, current, and relevant.
Don’t use too many (irrelevant) parenthetical comments
Revise, revise and revise.