How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation/Thesis

What is an Abstract?

An abstract is an essential part of a thesis that provides a brief summary of the entire paper, including the main ideas and points discussed, aims of the research, methodology and design, main findings, and conclusions as discussed in the thesis. It also suggests the inferences or applications of the research discussed in the paper.

The abstract is an important component of a thesis that provides its first fundamental description that meets the reader’s eye. This part should read like an overview of the thesis and not a proposal of what one intends to accomplish. In most cases, abstracts are indexed along with their keywords on scholarly catalogs, which make one’s work easily retrievable. The abstract should summarize the contents of the thesis with clarity and accuracy because it is the first thing that the reader sees, and the first impression matters.

The Basic Elements of a Dissertation/Thesis Abstract

There are various components that make up an abstract. Some of these features include:

• The aim of the dissertation. One should clearly state the aim or the main objectives of their research. Briefly explain the background of the topic without giving too many details.
• The problem being addressed, the research question(s), or the hypotheses should also be indicated in the abstract.
• The methods used in the research. It is important to explicitly state the approaches one used in their study. For example, the design, sampling technique and sample size, data collection instruments, and data collection and analysis methods, among others.
• The results of the study. In this part, one should provide a brief and clear summary of the findings. If the dissertation contains numerous outcomes, it is not necessary to include all of them in the abstract section, one ought to select the most important findings and highlight them in the abstract.
• The conclusion and recommendations. This is the last part of an abstract; therefore, one should write their conclusion and recommendations in a summary. One should also state the limitations of the research.

The Purpose of an Abstract

As a concise summary of an academic text, an abstract serves the following purposes in a thesis:

• Through a proper-written abstract, potential readers are able to define the significance of one’s thesis to their own research.
• It informs the key research findings to the readers who lack the time to read the whole thesis.
• It gives a precise description of the paper.
• It informs the reader on what to expect from reading the entire thesis.
• It presents all the major components of the thesis with clarity and brevity.
• The abstract not only introduces the thesis to the reader but must also be able to substitute the entire text in case of time and space constraints.

Types of Abstracts for a Thesis

There are various types of abstracts to be familiar with so as to decide which type is appropriate for one’s thesis. These include the following:

1. Critical Abstracts

This type of abstract gives a judgment and comments about the validity, reliability, and completeness of the research; in addition to the description of the main findings. it evaluates the thesis in comparison to the literature review on the same topic. Critical abstracts are usually longer because of the additional information they provide.

2. Descriptive Abstracts

A descriptive abstract gives an outline of the thesis and indicates the type of information being handled in the paper. It does not give any conclusions pertaining to the research or its results. Generally, this type of abstract only describes the research being conducted and is usually very short, around 100 or fewer words.

3. Informative Abstracts

An informative abstract acts as a substitute for the entire thesis. It explains the main arguments, results, and evidence obtained in the research paper. It includes the purpose, scope, and methodology, as well as the results, conclusions, and recommendations of the research. The length of an informative abstract varies depending on the course and subject.

4. Highlight Abstracts

This type of abstract is written with a specific intention of attracting the reader’s attention to the research. highlight abstracts are considered incomplete and because they cannot stand independently from their associated articles or theses and are therefore rarely used in academic writing.

Writing Style and Formatting for an Abstract

When writing an abstract for a thesis, one should strive to use the active voice when appropriate, even though the abstract may require the construction of sentences in the passive voice. Nevertheless, one must make sure that the abstract is written in concise and complete sentences. The use of the past tense should be emphasized because the abstract is reporting about research that has already been carried out.

A block format with no paragraph indentations should be used in writing an abstract for a thesis. It should be formatted as a single paragraph with no page number, just after the title page. Generally, the word "Abstract" should be centered at the top of the page with double spacing between the heading and the abstract. The concluding sentences of the abstract should give a concise summary of the research findings and conclusions, inferences, or application in real-life situations, and if applicable, give recommendations for further research deduced from the findings. Before submitting the final paper, the scholar must check to make sure that the information in the abstract is in complete agreement with the content of the thesis.

The Main Sections of an Abstract

A good quality abstract is the one that can use the least words possible to inform the reader about what one’s research subject is, the knowledge gap in that subject, the aims, and objectives of the thesis in addressing those gaps, methodology, results, and findings, as well as the implication of these findings. Below is a brief description of the elements of an effective abstract for a thesis.

1. Aims and Objectives

The abstract should start by clearly outlining the practical or theoretical problems that the research aims to respond to and the research questions to be answered. In the aims section, one can provide a brief relevance of their topic in academics or socially, without giving detailed background information. After the research problem identification, one should then state the objectives of the research, using verbs that describe what exactly was set out to be done. This part of the abstract should be written in the present or past simple tense because the research has already been completed.

2. Methods

In the methods section, the researcher indicates the methods of research that were used in answering the research questions. It is usually written in the past simple tense because it describes actions that have already been completed. One should be brief and straightforward when writing this part. The main aim of writing this section is to quickly insight the reader into the general approach and techniques used in conducting the research.

3. Results and Findings

The results and findings section of an abstract provides a summary of the main research outcomes. It can be written in the present or past simple tense. The complexity of the research determines whether all the findings will be included in this section. Nevertheless, one must always endeavor to highlight only the most important findings that help the reader in gaining a better understanding of the research conclusions.

4. Conclusion and Recommendations

The abstract final sentences should give a statement of the main conclusions and inferences deduced from the research. The answer to the research question should be given in this section and the reader should be able to clearly understand the main point that the research has proved. The conclusion part is written in the simple present tense. In the abstract, it is also important to mention any important limitations encountered during the research to allow the reader to assess the credibility and the generalizability of the research to the entire study population. If the research was aimed at solving a real-life situation, recommendations for implementation may be included in the conclusion.

Tips for Writing an Abstract

Excellent analytical and writing skills, relevant background information, and proper knowledge of theme analysis are fundamental requirements in writing an outstanding abstract. A complete thesis abstract comprises elements such as general background information, research questions and hypotheses, methodology, results, and conclusions. The abstract attracts the reader’s attention towards the entire thesis and allows them to discover the fundamental objectives and outcomes of the conducted research. It is advisable to write the abstract as the last part of the thesis in order to be sure of what to include in it. The following are some of the tips to use in writing an abstract that compels people to read the entire thesis

1. State the Research Problem

In order for the readers to care about the research or the solution, they must first be able to understand the problem or the question being addressed by the research. The abstract should therefore begin with a clear problem statement with adequate background information to make the reader understand why the research problem should matter to them. The answers to the research question or the solution to the research problem must be deducible from the findings.

2. Provide Background

The introduction sentences should inform the reader why the research was undertaken.

3. Read Other Related Abstracts

Reading other people's abstracts, or from thesis and dissertation databases, on related topics provides insights on the best approach in understanding the conventions of abstract writing, structure, and style.

4. Write in a Clear and Concise Manner

An effective abstract should be short and with impact. Each sentence must communicate one main idea and every word counts. To make the abstract understandable to the lay readers, unnecessary ambiguous and filler words should be avoided.

5. Focus on Reporting Own Research Work

When writing an abstract, one should avoid discussing other people’s works because the purpose of the abstract is to report the original contribution of one’s thesis to the field of knowledge on the research subject.

6. Check Compliance to Formatting Requirements

The specific guidelines for formatting and word count must be completely adhered to when writing a thesis abstract. Where no guidelines on length have been given, one should ensure that their abstract does not go beyond a one double-spaced page document.

7. Have a Fundamental Idea

An abstract serves the same purpose as a news brief. It is therefore important to present the main points only without necessarily sequencing as many points as possible in the abstract. The abstract should then be written around the main points presented.

8. Target an Extensive Audience

In abstract writing, it is of great importance to have an extensive audience in mind because anyone of any caliber may come across the paper online or in other database search engines. The problem statement should be accompanied by enough background information so that readers outside the specific research field can as well understand the thesis. Acronyms and jargon terms should be avoided because they may end up confusing the reader.

9. Highlight what was Found rather than What was Done

Statements about what was done can be easily rephrased as what was found. Rephrasing the statements about the results than the methods can be word-saving and fascinating.

10. Be Explicit about the Importance of the Study

An effective abstract comprises a statement of the significance of the research. One must not guess the meaning of the data but should explain the meaning with factual backup in a manner that attracts and compels readers to read the paper.

11. Avoid Errors in Writing

Readers are mostly impatient with errors in writing or hard-to-read proses. Excellent grammar usage, proper sentence structure, and transition between sentences should be emphasized so that the reader does not get discouraged when reading the paper. Reading through the abstract should be an easy task for the reader. The first impression given by the abstract determines whether they will read the entire paper or not.

12. Careful Choice of Keywords

It is important to choose good keywords that are easily searchable so as to increase the chances of one’s thesis being found in online sources.

13. Write, Edit, and Rewrite

It is not advisable to submit the thesis with the first draft of the abstract. One should take enough time to review, edit, proofread, and rewrite the text to ensure that its components align with the contents of the entire thesis. It is also recommendable to look for a second opinion by showing the abstract to another person and requesting them to explain their understanding of the research. When one wants to edit a thesis abstract, they must confirm whether it states the research problem, presents only the main findings, explicitly explains how the problem was addressed, outlines the overall implication of the research, and make the writing as clear and accessible as possible.

Things to Avoid When Writing an Abstract

The following are some of the things that should be avoided in an abstract.

• Too long background information
• Repetitive and redundant phrases
• Abbreviations
• Incomplete sentences
• Citations to other research work
• Figures, tables, charts, or any type of image

After writing the abstract to completion, the scholar should take time to review it and ensure that all the main points highlighted are in agreement with what is contained in the thesis paper. Sometimes it can be difficult for one to objectively evaluate their own work. It is therefore advisable to consider getting abstract rewriting services from thesis abstract writing experts.

An accurate thesis summary is a demonstration of the scholar’s analytical and writing skills. It comprises the research aims and objectives, justification of the research, methodology, research techniques, major results, and conclusions. For efficiency, thesis abstracts after completing the entire thesis writing. Experienced thesis abstract writers prefer writing the abstract after the entire paper was written and the results were obtained. This is because it gives them an opportunity to come up with a professional summary of the thesis that has all the contents discussed in the main text.

Under extreme circumstances where one is completely unable to develop an abstract for their thesis due to time factor or other constraints, they have an option to buy a thesis abstract, or hire a person to write a thesis abstract for them. Whether obtaining a thesis abstract writing help for free or for hire, one must make sure that they get the best thesis abstract writing service from experts for a quality abstract.