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Some instructors may ask for specific elements to be included, so always follow their directions.

Steps to Writing an Abstract

• Write the paper first.
  • It is difficult to write an abstract until a paper is done. 
  • In some instances, publishers will ask for an abstract as a proposal for a work you have not yet written. Do your best to be thorough.
• Provide context for the research.
  • Why was this research conducted? 
  • Was something missing from other research?
• Explain the problem.
  • What was the main goal or hypothesis going in?
• Describe the methods used to investigate the problem.
  • What evidence was gathered?
  • How was the information collected?
  • Is the research original?
  • Does this study incorporate other research (meta-analysis)? 
  • Does this study build on other research?
• Report the results.
  • What was discovered?
  • How did you back up your thesis?
• Write a conclusion.
  • What are the implications of the research?
  • What should readers take away with them?
• Finally, do not start sentences with “This essay will examine ...” or “In this research paper I will attempt to prove ...”
  • An abstract must be brief, so get right to the explanation of what the paper actually does.

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