As we gradually progress in our academic status, we should accept that the higher the level, the more challenging the requirements are. College institutions and graduate schools are mostly the ones that require a higher level of compliance, so this is where we usually experience doing tons of paperwork including research papers. Research papers become the top-of-the-line requirement for schools. It does not just test the students’ knowledge in writing and researching, but it helps to develop essential skills like time management, organization, and more.

Research papers do not have a free-flowing structure, it includes several parts that students need to fulfill. Some research papers only take several pages, most of them reach hundreds or thousands depending on the topic and its scope. This is where making a research abstract enters the scene. If you want to know how to write an abstract for a research paper, then welcome home.

5 tips to construct a well-written abstract

The Abstract serves as a summary of your research paper. I am not just referring to a simple summarization of your research content, but a brief yet detailed summary following a set of specific guidelines. The main purpose of writing an abstract is to assist readers with what they need. Instead of wasting their time in reading a whole research paper to just actually find out that it’s not what they need, researchers provide a good abstract that includes the main objectives of the research, methods, and results.

A well-written abstract benefits other students if ever they need to find a related topic to their research papers too. Not just it, but it also makes librarians happy since they can easily categorize your research paper or help someone in need. Appropriate usage of keywords is important but remember that abstract should be able to exactly reflect what your research paper is all about. For essential tips in writing an abstract, read the following items below:

1. Write the abstract after you have finished the paper

You cannot write a summary without writing the whole article, which is why it is called a summary. Make sure that before you write your abstract, you must mind your research paper first and make it good, comprehensive, and interesting at the same time.

2. Examine the introduction and conclusion

Get a pen and pencil, or whatever writing device you have, and examine your introduction and conclusion. Read it thoroughly and get the main idea or key phrases that reflect your overall research. Just let it rest in your paper, and be ready to do the next step.

3. Examine methods and results

After you examine the introduction and conclusion, move on to the methods used in your research. Get the key points and list them down as well. Also, view the results section and just note the outcome of your study. Now, you are ready to sequence them properly.

4. Follow the right sequence

This is where things go wrong, to be honest. In fact, the key to the right sequence goes like this: introduction, methods, results, conclusion. However, students tend to overstate their research abstract to the point that they experiment and try different structures in doing an abstract. They jumble the sequence and end up writing a bad-formulated one.

If you want to stand out, follow the right order. Trust me, your teachers will appreciate it more. Do not make your life complicated if you can do things as simple as they can be.

5. Proofread and remove unnecessary information

Finally, you are in your last part of doing your abstract! What are the things that you should look for in your final touches? Well, aside from grammatical errors, sentence structures, and vague concepts, you should also see and remove the unnecessary information included in your abstract. Put in mind that the only essential details are: the purpose of your study, study design, methodology, findings, a summary of interpretations, conclusion, and implications.

So there you go, the steps and essential tips on how to write an abstract for a research paper are right in front of your eyes now! However, these tips may vary depending on the institution’s requirement for a research paper. Some require 300 words in their abstract, and other things added. For now, at least you have the basic knowledge of how to do one and make your research abstract exceptional!