Ten Tips for Writing a Good Abstract

Never underestimate the importance of the abstract. Often the decision to read a paper and learn more about your research is based solely on how the information is presented in the abstract. The abstract helps you "sell" your paper and it requires time and meticulous preparation. Here we provide ten useful tips to prepare an abstract that summarizes your research and it is pleasant to read.

1. Finish your paper before writing the abstract. An abstract is a comprehensive but brief description of a document that can only be written when the paper is complete.

2. Be accurate. Include only information present in your paper. Adding information that is not contained in the main document gives the impression that the study encompasses more than what you intended.

3. Be brief and clear. Get to the point and avoid using unnecessary jargon or acronyms that require further explanation. If acronyms are necessary, they must be fully explained.

4. Consider your audience. Take into account the audience knowledge of the topic. What it is obvious to you might not be so clear to people not involved in your research.

5. Use keywords from the document. Search your document and identify key terms that provide an idea of the purpose, scope, and methodology of your study and use them in the abstract.

6. State the purpose of the study. Briefly describe the problem you are trying to solve and the scope of your work. In other words, state your primary objective and hypothesis.

7. Describe your methods briefly. Include only the information relevant and necessary to understand your methodology. Leave the details for the methodology section of your paper.

8. Include important results only. Provide a succinct description of your data or observations.

9. Write a brief conclusion. Include a concise analysis of the results, implications and state whether the hypothesis was correct.

10. Revise and keep revising. The most important step when writing an abstract is to revise it continuously. The only way to be clear and provide a complete picture of your study in a short space is by making sure that the appropriate words are incorporated.

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