The abstract is a summary, usually of approximately 150-300 words, of what the reader can expect to find in the dissertation. Be concise and don’t reference or use quotes in this part. Your dissertation abstract is a highly condensed version of a longer piece of writing that highlights the major points covered. The abstract concisely describes the content and scope of the writing and reviews the contents in abbreviated form.
Types of Abstracts
There are two types of abstracts typically used:
- Descriptive Abstracts
These tell readers what information the dissertation contains and include the purpose, methods, and scope of the report, article, or paper. A descriptive abstract will not provide results, conclusions, or recommendations, and is usually shorter than an informative abstract – usually under 100 words. Its purpose is to merely introduce the subject to the reader, who must then read the dissertation to find out your results, conclusions, or recommendations. For example, if your dissertation is about the impact of climate change on polar bear populations, a descriptive abstract might summarize the aim and scope of the study, but it would not detail the findings or implications.
- Informative Abstracts
These communicate specific information from the dissertation, including the purpose, methods, and scope of the report, article, or paper. They provide the dissertation results, conclusions, and recommendations. They are short but not as short as a descriptive abstract – usually anything from a paragraph to a page or two, depending upon the length of the original work being abstracted. In any case, informative abstracts make up 10% or less of the length of the original piece. The informative abstract allows your reader to decide whether they want to read the dissertation. For instance, if your dissertation explores the efficacy of a new teaching method, an informative abstract would summarize the method, the findings, the conclusions drawn from those findings, and any recommendations.
Importance of Abstracts
Abstracts are often used where a paper is entered into a journal database. The keywords that you choose for your abstract assist your paper to be identified using electronic information retrieval systems. Titles and abstracts are filed electronically, and keywords are put in electronic storage. When people search for information, they enter keywords related to the subject, and the computer prints out the titles of articles, papers, and reports containing those keywords. Thus, selecting the right keywords is crucial for ensuring that your work reaches the right audience.
Characteristics of a Good Abstract
A good abstract will use one or more well-developed paragraphs, which are unified, coherent, concise, and able to stand alone. It will use an introduction/body/conclusion structure which presents the dissertation’s purpose, results, conclusions, and recommendations in that order. It will follow strictly the chronology of the dissertation and provide logical connections (or transitions) between the information included. A good abstract will add no new information, but simply summarize the dissertation. It will be understandable to a wide audience.
To illustrate, consider a dissertation on the effects of social media on teenage mental health. A well-crafted abstract for this dissertation would succinctly outline the purpose of the study (to explore the impact of social media usage on the mental health of teenagers), the methods used (surveys and psychological assessments), the key results (a correlation between high social media use and increased anxiety and depression), the conclusions drawn (social media has a significant impact on teenage mental health), and any recommendations (guidelines for healthy social media use).
Manuscript Preparation
“Manuscript: something submitted in haste and returned at leisure” (Oliver Herford). Whatever the agreed definition, this site has been created to help you write your final piece for university. It is designed to help you create long pieces of writing that are well organized, well referenced, and well sourced. Your abstract is a crucial part of this process as it provides the first impression of your dissertation to the reader.
Top Dissertation Abstract Writing Tips
To write an effective abstract, follow these steps:
- Reread the Dissertation: Reread the dissertation you have written with the goal of abstracting in mind. Look specifically for these main parts of the dissertation: purpose, methods, scope, results, conclusions, and recommendations. 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 dissertation, the introduction and the summary are good places to begin. These areas generally cover what the dissertation emphasizes.
- Drafting the Abstract: After you’ve finished rereading the dissertation, write a rough draft without looking back at what you’re abstracting. This ensures that you summarize the main points without becoming bogged down in details. Don’t merely copy key sentences from the dissertation: you’ll put in too much or too little information. You should not rely on the way material was phrased in the dissertation – you need to summarize information in a new way.
- Revising the Draft: Revise your rough draft to correct weaknesses in organization, improve transitions from point to point, and drop unnecessary information. Ensure that the abstract flows logically from one point to the next, providing a coherent summary of your dissertation. Be sure to fix errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It’s a good idea to print out your final work in order to read it again to catch any glitches that you find.
Practical Example of Writing an Abstract
Consider a dissertation on the effectiveness of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The abstract might look like this (minus the ‘headings’):
Purpose: This study examines the effectiveness of online learning platforms in maintaining educational standards during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: The research utilized a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from student performance metrics with qualitative data from student and teacher surveys.
Scope: The study focuses on high school students in urban areas across the United States.
Results: The findings indicate that while online learning was effective in delivering curriculum content, it posed significant challenges in student engagement and assessment integrity.
Conclusions: The study concludes that online learning can be a viable educational tool in emergency situations but requires significant improvements in engagement strategies and assessment methods.
Recommendations: Future research should explore innovative engagement techniques and robust assessment tools to enhance the effectiveness of online learning.
Conclusion
Writing an effective abstract is a vital skill that can significantly enhance the impact of your dissertation. By following the steps outlined above, you can create an abstract that accurately reflects the content and scope of your dissertation, provides a clear summary of your research, and helps potential readers decide whether to read the full dissertation. Remember, a well-crafted abstract can attract a broader audience to your work and ensure that your research is accessible and easily discoverable in electronic databases.