HOW TO WRITE AN

ABSTRACT

WHAT IS AN ABSTRACT?
A

short,
self-contained,
powerful
summary of an article, paper or thesis.
Length: between 150 and 250 words.
Layout: usually one single paragraph.
Font size is different from the main text.
Position: usually at the beginning of the
paper (but it can appear elsewhere, e.g.
in book of abstracts or on-line).

WHAT IS AN ABSTRACT?
An

abstract is an original document, not

a collection of quotations taken from the
text it summarizes.
It does not contain vague statements
which force the reader to refer to the
main text.

WHO WRITES IT?

Usually

the author of the paper, because

they have a first-hand knowledge their
piece of research.
Sometimes professional writers, who
abstract books and articles for a wide
audience.

FOR WHAT PURPOSES?

To persuade

the reader to see the full text.

To help readers decide if the article is relevant
for their purposes.
To offer the reader a perspective, a scope of
the work.
To offer a summary.

WHO READS IT?

Same-field

professionals (e.g. linguists,

psychologists, biologists) looking for
further information.
Students doing research in a given area.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF
ABSTRACT
Abstracts

are genre-sensitive (i.e. components

vary according to discipline).
An abstract of a social science or scientific
work may contain the scope, purpose, results,
and contents of the work.
An abstract of a humanities work may contain
the thesis, background, and conclusion of the
larger work.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF
ABSTRACT (continued)
The

format of your abstract will depend

on the work being abstracted.
An abstract of a scientific research paper
will contain elements not found in an
abstract of a literature article, and vice
versa.
However, all abstracts share several
mandatory components.

WHAT TO INCLUDE
Reason

for writing:
What is the importance of the research?
Why would a reader be interested in the
larger work?
Problem:
What problem does this work attempt to
solve? What is the scope of the project?
What is the main argument/thesis/claim?

WHAT TO INCLUDE (continued)

Methodology:

An abstract of a scientific work may

include specific models or approaches
used in the larger study. Other abstracts
may describe the types of evidence used
in the research (e.g. qualitative
interviews, book reviews, etc.)

WHAT TO INCLUDE (continued)

Results:

Again, an abstract of a scientific work may

include specific data that indicates the results
of the project. Other abstracts may discuss the
findings in a more general way.
Implications:
What changes should be implemented as a
result of the findings of the work? How does
this work add to the body of knowledge on the
topic?

WHAT TO INCLUDE (continued)

To put

it simple:

What

the author did.

How the author did it.
What the author found.
What the author concluded.

WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE

Information

not contained in the original work.

References to other work.
Quotations from the original work or from other
works.
Lengthy explanations of words and concepts;
Unexplained acronyms or abbreviations;
Tables and maps.

Clark, Leigh A. Roberts, Sherry J. 2010 Employers Use of Social Networking

Sites: A Socially Irresponsible Practice, Journal of Business Ethics, 95:507525
Abstract
The Internet has drastically changed how
people interact, communicate, conduct
business, seek jobs, find partners, and shop.
Millions of people are using social networking
sites to connect with others, and employers are
using these sites as a source of background
information on job applicants. Employers report
making decisions not to hire people based on
the information posted on social networking
sites. Few employers have policies in place to
govern when and how these online character
checks should be used and how to ensure that
the information viewed is accurate. In this article,
we explore how these inexpensive, informal
online character checks are harmful to society.
Guidance is provided to employers on when and
how to use these sites in a socially responsible
manner.

What paper is about

generally.

Indication of previous
research
Gap in policy
Focus of research
Usefulness of information in
article

Abstract (journal article not a dissertation)

In this paper we analyse two Australian

What was done
television programs, Marking Time (2003) and
What was of
Molly & Mobarak (2004), foregrounding the ways
interest
in which ethnic Hazara refugees from
Afghanistan have been (re)presented. We argue
that by minimising cultural and religious
differences both Marking Time and Molly &
Mobarak construct and represent Hazara Afghan
What was found
refugees as like a certain us, that is, as
members of Australian core culture who are
predominately white, family oriented and
inclusivist. However, their differences are not
concealed entirely and in both programs the
Hazara also appear as the other, that is, unlike
us. We point out some problems associated with
Implications
privileging similarity and the possible
consequences of these representations within
policy making and Australian society more
generally.
Rodan,Debbie & Cheryl Lange 2008 'Going overboard? representing Hazara refugees as
just like us' Journal of Intercultural Studies vol. 29, no. 1 pp. 153-169.

TO KNOW MORE

www.unc.edu/depts/web/handouts/abstracts.html
(the writing centre page of the University of North Carolina, USA)
http://research.berkeley.edu/ucday/abstract.html
(advice on how to write an abstract created by Berkeley
university, California, USA)
www.mestierediscrivere.com/file/brevi_deagostini.pdf
(a pdf page in Italian on what an abstract is and on how to create
a successful one)
Bondi, Marina (1999) English Across Genres, Modena: Edizioni il
Fiorino
Bhatia, Vijav, K (1993) Analysing Genre: Language Use in
Professional Settings, London and New York: Longman

THANK YOU FOR YOUR

ATTENTION