Tips on writing an abstract
When writing academic research papers for publication (e.g. journal articles) or
distribution (e.g. project reports), authors are frequently required to include an abstract.
This is usually a very concise summary of what the paper is about and is usually placed at the beginning. The abstract provides a quick overview and tells the reader what to expect in your work. It is intended for both specialized and general readers.
You would usually complete an abstract after you have finished your essay (please note it should be in present tense), but it is a very useful exercise to try writing one at the beginning, so you can clarify in your own mind what the topic and scope of your essay will be. Before you submit your abstract and outline, you should have already done some research around your topic (i.e. unit readings and external resources).
An essay abstract should be no more than 250 words, and generally include the following:
The scope section of an abstract should first ‘orient the reader’ to your topic by making a general statement about its significance or importance to society.
The premise or key focus comes next. What particular aspect (of the topic you have just introduced) will you be focusing on?
Next, briefly describe your approach and/or argument. This includes identifying the key theorists and perspectives you will be using (only the main or most important ones).
Finally, the concluding section of the abstract should state the essay’s main closing argument and its implications (because you haven’t finished your essay yet, the conclusion will of course be preliminary and may change).
