Abstracts

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 1 person | Log in to rate

Ranked #10,649 in How-To, #115,436 overall

Abstracts

An abstract is a brief summary of a document (200 words or less usually) such as an article or report. This is written in your own words and does not include quotes from the original.

The purpose is to help those already familiar with the subject determine whether or not they want/need to read the full document.

"An abstract expresses the main claim and argument of a paper."

What is an abstract? 

An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline, and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript, acting as the point-of-entry for any given scientific paper or patent application. Abstraction and indexing services are available for a number of academic disciplines, aimed at compiling a body of literature for that particular subject.

Two kinds of abstract 

Descriptive -- describes the information included - often a simple list although written in paragraph form. Descriptive abstracts are more about structure

Informative -- reports the major findings. This is often the default abstract (if you know you need one
but aren't sure go with informative vs. descriptive. Informative abstracts are about substance.

More abstract tips 

How To Write An Abstract
The Writing Center Guide to Writing an Abstract
The Writing Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
What is an abstract?
LEO Writing Abstracts
Writing Abstracts
ASHSSS: How to Write an Abstract
How to Write an Abstract
How to Write an Abstract
How to Write an Abstract
How to Write an Abstract
How to write an abstract, by Kenneth A. Small
Writing Center - Writing the Abstract
Writing the Abstract

Questions or comments about abstracts? 

submit

by rwoman

I have come to terms with my Squidoo addiction at Squidooholic by taking the Squidoo Pledge! But being a Squidooholic can't be all bad as it helped me...

(more)

Explore related pages

Related Topics

rwoman Recommends...

Create a Lens!