How do you write a winning academic abstract?

1 Plan your abstract

Before you start writing your abstract, you need to plan what you want to include and how you want to structure it. A good way to do this is to look at the guidelines and requirements of your target journal, conference, or institution, and follow their instructions on the length, style, and content of your abstract. You also need to identify the purpose, audience, and scope of your abstract, and tailor your language and tone accordingly. Finally, you need to outline the main elements of your abstract, which usually consist of four sections: background, methods, results, and conclusions.

2 Draft your abstract

After you have planned your abstract, you can start drafting it using your outline as a guide. A good strategy is to write one sentence for each section of your abstract, and then expand or refine them as needed. You should use clear and concise language, avoid jargon and acronyms, and use active voice and present tense as much as possible. You should also focus on the most important and relevant information, and avoid unnecessary details, citations, or references. Your goal is to capture the essence of your research paper, thesis, or dissertation in a few sentences.

3 Revise your abstract

Once you have drafted your abstract, you need to revise it to make sure it is coherent, accurate, and complete. You should check if your abstract follows the guidelines and requirements of your target journal, conference, or institution, and if it matches the content and structure of your full paper or document. You should also check if your abstract answers the main questions that readers, reviewers, or editors might have about your research, such as: what is the problem or gap that you address? what is your research question or hypothesis? what are your methods and data sources? what are your main findings and contributions? what are the implications and limitations of your work?

4 Edit your abstract

After you have revised your abstract, you need to edit it to make sure it is clear, concise, and error-free. You should check your abstract for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word choice errors, and correct them as needed. You should also check your abstract for clarity, coherence, and flow, and make sure that your sentences are well-constructed, logically connected, and easy to follow. You should also check your abstract for conciseness, and eliminate any redundant, vague, or irrelevant words or phrases. Your goal is to make your abstract as clear and concise as possible, without sacrificing accuracy or completeness.

5 Format your abstract

After you have edited your abstract, you need to format it according to the guidelines and requirements of your target journal, conference, or institution. You should follow their instructions on the font size, style, and alignment of your abstract, and use the appropriate headings, subheadings, keywords, or labels if required. You should also follow their instructions on the spacing, indentation, and margins of your abstract, and use the correct citation style if you need to include any references. You should also check if your abstract meets the word count or character limit of your target journal, conference, or institution, and adjust it as needed.

6 Check your abstract

After you have formatted your abstract, you need to check it one last time before submitting it with your full paper or document. You should read your abstract aloud and listen for any errors or inconsistencies that you might have missed. You should also ask a colleague, friend, or mentor to read your abstract and give you feedback on its content, structure, and style. You should also use a plagiarism checker tool to make sure that your abstract is original and does not contain any copied or paraphrased text from other sources. You should also proofread your abstract for any typos or formatting errors that might have occurred during the formatting process.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?