Абстракт

An abstract is a short summary of your completed research. If done well, it makes the reader want to learn more about your research.

These are the basic components of an abstract in any discipline:

1) Motivation/problem statement: Why do we care about the problem? What practical, scientific, theoretical or artistic gap is your research filling?

2) Methods/procedure/approach: What did you actually do to get your results? (e.g. analyzed 3 novels, completed a series of 5 oil paintings, interviewed 17 students)

3) Results/findings/product: As a result of completing the above procedure, what did you learn/invent/create?

4) Conclusion/implications: What are the larger implications of your findings, especially for the problem/gap identified in step 1?

However, it's important to note that the weight accorded to the different components can vary by discipline. For models, try to find abstracts of research that is similar to your research.

What is an abstract?

An abstract is a condensed version of a longer piece of writing that highlights the major points covered, concisely describes the content and scope of the writing, and reviews the writing's contents in abbreviated form. Two types of abstracts are typically used: Descriptive Abstracts & Informative Abstracts

Although an abstract appears as the first section of a paper, it should be written last. You need to have completed all other sections before you can select and summarize the essential information from those sections.

What goes in an abstract?

In doing any research, a researcher has an objective, uses methods, obtains results, and draws conclusions. In writing the paper to describe the research, an author might discuss background information, review relevant literature, and detail procedures and methodologies. However, an abstract of the paper should:

-describe the objective, methods, results, and conclusions;

-omit background information, a literature review, and detailed description of methods;

-avoid reference to other literatures.

Qualities of a Good Abstract

An effective abstract has the following qualities:

-uses one or more well developed paragraphs: these are unified, coherent, concise, and able to stand alone.

-uses an introduction/body/conclusion structure which presents the article, paper, or report's purpose, results, conclusions, and recommendations in that order.

-follows strictly the chronology of the article, paper, or report.

-provides logical connections (or transitions) between the information included.

-adds no new information, but simply summarizes the report.

-is understandable to a wide audience.

-oftentimes uses passive verbs to downplay the author and emphasize the information. Check with your teacher if you're unsure whether or not to use passive voice.

Steps for Writing Effective Abstracts

To write an effective abstract, follow these steps:

1.Reread the article, paper, or report with the goal of abstracting in mind.

-Look specifically for these main parts of the article, paper, or report: purpose, methods, scope, results, conclusions, and recommendation.

-Use the headings, outline heads, and table of contents as a guide to writing your abstract.

-If you're writing an abstract about another person's article, paper, or report, the introduction and the summary are good places to begin. These areas generally cover what the article emphasizes.

2.After you've finished rereading the article, paper, or report, write a rough draft without looking back at what you're abstracting.

-Don't merely copy key sentences from the article, paper, or report: you'll put in too much or too little information.

-Don't rely on the way material was phrased in the article, paper, or report: summarize information in a new way.

3.Revise your rough draft to

-correct weaknesses in organization.

-improve transitions from point to point.

-drop unnecessary information.

-add important information you left out.

-eliminate wordiness.

-fix errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

4.Print your final copy and read it again to catch any glitches that you find.