Guide on How to Write a Thesis Abstract or Dissertation Abstract

When writing a dissertation or a thesis, you must include an abstract. Since the paper is for academic purposes, you must follow some guidelines and approaches to writing a desirable dissertation abstract. Although it may seem a bit complex, once you read the whole of this write-up, you will notice how easy it is to craft an abstract for dissertation. Keep reading for more useful insights.

How to write a scientific abstract: what is a dissertation abstract?

Simply put, an abstract is a section made up of a summary of your research paper. You are likely to read different abstracts from general academic papers and scientific research papers. The purpose of an abstract is to give the reader a clue of the large part of your research work. It is simply a preview of everything, and that is why it is located at the beginning of your research project.

One main reason why an abstract is a crucial section of the bigger research project is that it can motivate the reader to keep reading through your work or to give up. This means that for academic excellence, you need to give your tutor or the reader reasons to read through your paper. So, let’s find out below how to write a thesis abstract successfully.

How to write a dissertation abstract

A good dissertation abstract should be between 100 and 250 words with the following sections/ structure.

• The introduction

Make sure you begin your abstract with a clear overview of the entire project. This means including a short introduction, and you can always include your research question or hypothesis.

In the introduction, write about one or two sentences explaining the reasons for writing the paper. You can therefore describe the problems you are addressing in your paper and why the problem matters, making the reader interested. Make sure you also include historical references, if available.

• Methods

Here, you highlight the research methods explaining how you collected your data. The significance of this is to give your paper credibility. Failure to include research methods will render your whole paper meaningless.

• Results

Of course, after the research process, you will have the findings. Therefore, while writing your abstract, give a summary of the outcomes of your research. The results are crucial as they can as well give the reader reasons to keep reading through your paper. Try not to convince the reader here; focus on facts only.

• Discussion

The discussion section is where you go the extra mile and explain what the reader can get from the paper based on the data and the whole analysis. Also, explain the relevance of the research to the whole field or specific course.

Writing a dissertation abstract: pro tips

Having described the sections of the abstract, when approaches can you apply to bring out the best abstract? Consider the following tips.

1. Write the abstract last

While the abstract comes first, it doesn’t mean you start writing the abstract first. Consider crafting the whole paper first to have a better understanding of the structure and ideas you have written on the topic.

2. Review a sample dissertation abstract

Reading through a thesis abstract example will give you a perfect approach to understanding how to structure your abstract. You can get such samples from credible online sources and review them. It could even be better if you reviewed several examples for an in-depth understanding.

3. Know that an abstract is not an introduction

While the abstract comes at the beginning, it doesn’t mean that it should act as the introduction of your research paper. Introductions have a completely different approach from the abstracts. Therefore, always treat the abstract as a summary of your whole paper by including the different sections described above.

Conclusion

Are you almost writing your dissertation or thesis paper? Well, make sure you master writing an abstract, as it plays a crucial role in such papers by using this article.