TL;DR

An abstract is a 150-300 word summary of your entire paper — purpose, methods, results, and conclusions
Write it LAST, even though it appears first in your paper
APA requires abstracts for most research papers; MLA typically does not (but check your prompt)
Include: research question, methodology, key findings, and significance
No citations, no new information, no opinions — just a concise summary of what's in your paper

What Is an Abstract?

An abstract is a short, self-contained summary of your research paper. It appears at the very beginning of your paper (after the title page) and gives readers a quick overview of everything they'll find inside.

Think of an abstract like a movie trailer: it should give your audience enough information to understand what your paper is about and why it matters — without revealing every scene.

Why Abstracts Matter

For professors: They quickly assess whether your paper addresses the assignment
For researchers: They decide whether to read the full paper based on the abstract
For databases: Academic search engines index abstracts, making your work discoverable
For you: Writing a clear abstract forces you to identify the essential elements of your paper

Who Needs to Write Abstracts?

✅ APA papers (psychology, social sciences, nursing, education)
✅ Research papers with original data or analysis
✅ Thesis and dissertation papers
✅ Conference submissions
⚠️ MLA papers — usually not required, but check your assignment
❌ Short essays or reflection papers (typically)

Step 1: Write Your Paper First

This might seem obvious, but many students try to write the abstract first. Don't. You can't summarize what you haven't written yet.

Write your entire paper first, then come back and distill it down. The abstract is a summary, not a plan.

What If the Paper Isn't Done?

If you're working on a draft abstract (for a proposal or conference submission), write a preliminary abstract based on your planned research:

What question will you investigate?
What methods will you use?
What do you expect to find?

Then revise it once your paper is complete.

Step 2: Identify the Key Components

Every abstract should answer four fundamental questions:

1. What did you study? (Purpose/Problem)

State your research question or the problem your paper addresses.

"This study examined the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance among first-year college students."

2. How did you study it? (Methods)

Briefly describe your methodology — survey, experiment, case study, literature review, etc.

"A cross-sectional survey of 342 freshmen at a mid-size public university collected data on sleep habits, academic self-efficacy, and GPA."

3. What did you find? (Results)

State your key findings. Use specific numbers when possible.

"Results indicated that students who slept fewer than six hours per night had GPAs 0.6 points lower on average (M = 2.7 vs. 3.3) compared to peers who slept seven or more hours."

4. Why does it matter? (Conclusions/Implications)

Explain the significance of your findings.

"These findings suggest that universities should consider sleep education as a component of freshman orientation programs, as sleep quality appears to be a modifiable factor with significant academic impact."

Step 3: Know Your Format

APA Abstract Format (7th Edition)

Heading: "Abstract" centered, bold, at the top of page 2
Length: 150-250 words (check your assignment for specific limits)
Formatting: One single paragraph, no indentation
Keywords: Optional — list 3-5 keywords below the abstract, italicized label
Page: Appears on its own page (page 2, after the title page)

Abstract

[Your 150-250 word summary here, single paragraph, no indent]

Keywords: keyword one, keyword two, keyword three

MLA Abstract Format

MLA doesn't typically require abstracts, but if your professor asks for one:

No separate page — include it at the beginning of your paper
100-200 words
Use the same font and spacing as the rest of your paper

Chicago/Turabian Format

Similar to APA in structure
Typically 150-300 words
May or may not appear on a separate page (check style requirements)

Step 4: Write Your Abstract

The One-Sentence-Per-Element Approach

A simple formula: write one sentence for each element, then expand as needed.

Purpose sentence: "This paper examines..."
Methods sentence: "Using a [method], this study..."
Results sentence: "Results indicate that..."
Conclusions sentence: "These findings suggest..."

Example Abstract (APA Style)

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of smartphone usage during lectures on academic performance and information retention among undergraduate students. A controlled experiment was conducted with 180 participants from three introductory psychology courses at a large public university. Students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: no phone access, phone available but face-down, or unrestricted phone use. Participants attended identical lectures and completed immediate recall tests and delayed retention tests administered one week later. Results revealed that students in the unrestricted phone condition scored significantly lower on both immediate recall (M = 64.2%, SD = 12.1) and delayed retention (M = 48.7%, SD = 14.3) compared to the no-phone condition (M = 78.4%, SD = 10.8 and M = 67.1%, SD = 11.9, respectively). Notably, students in the phone-face-down condition performed comparably to the unrestricted group, suggesting that mere proximity to a phone impairs cognitive processing. These findings support classroom policies that require students to store phones out of sight and suggest that phone-free zones may be more effective than honor-system approaches to managing device distractions.

Keywords: smartphone use, academic performance, attention, college students, classroom policy

Word Count Check

That example is approximately 185 words — right in the APA sweet spot.

Step 5: Revise for Clarity and Conciseness

Abstracts need to be tight. Every word should earn its place.

Revision Strategies

Cut unnecessary phrases:

❌ "In this paper, the author seeks to examine..."
✅ "This paper examines..."

Remove hedging language:

❌ "Results seem to somewhat suggest that there might be a relationship..."
✅ "Results indicate a significant relationship..."

Use specific numbers instead of vague language:

❌ "Many participants reported lower grades."
✅ "42% of participants reported GPAs below 3.0."

Eliminate redundancy:

❌ "The purpose of this study was to study..."
✅ "This study investigated..."

The 10% Rule

If your abstract is over the word limit, aim to cut 10% without losing any essential information. Often, this means eliminating filler phrases and combining sentences.

What NOT to Include in an Abstract

❌ Citations or references — The abstract should stand alone
❌ New information not covered in the paper
❌ Detailed methodology — Mention methods briefly, save details for the paper
❌ Definitions of common terms — Your reader is presumed to have basic field knowledge
❌ Personal opinions or recommendations that aren't in your paper
❌ Tables, figures, or bullet points — Stick to paragraph format
❌ Abbreviations (unless universally known, like "GPA")

Types of Abstracts

Descriptive Abstract

Tells the reader what the paper is about but doesn't reveal findings. Typically shorter (75-100 words). Less common in college assignments.

"This paper examines the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance in first-year college students. A survey-based methodology was used to collect data on sleep habits and GPA. The paper discusses implications for university orientation programs."

Informative Abstract (Most Common)

Includes purpose, methods, results, AND conclusions. This is what most professors expect.

"This study examined the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance among 342 first-year college students using a cross-sectional survey. Results indicated that students sleeping fewer than six hours nightly had GPAs 0.6 points lower than peers sleeping seven or more hours (M = 2.7 vs. 3.3, p < .001). These findings suggest that sleep education should be integrated into freshman orientation programs."

Common Abstract Mistakes

1. Writing It First

Write it last. You can't summarize what doesn't exist yet.

2. Including Information Not in the Paper

Your abstract should only reflect what's actually in your paper. No new claims, no additional findings.

3. Being Too Long or Too Short

Stay within the specified word limit. Too long means you're including unnecessary detail. Too short means you're missing essential elements.

4. Using First Person

Most abstracts use third person or passive voice. "This study examined..." rather than "I examined..."

5. Being Too Technical

Your abstract should be accessible to anyone in your general field, not just specialists in your specific area.

Abstract Checklist

How Gradily Can Help

Writing an abstract means distilling thousands of words into 150-250 without losing the essence. That's harder than it sounds. If you're struggling to summarize your paper concisely, Gradily can help.

Gradily helps you:

Identify the key elements of your paper that belong in the abstract
Write concisely without losing important information
Format correctly for APA, MLA, or Chicago style
Revise for clarity and word count compliance
Polish the final version so it's professional and precise

Because your paper deserves an abstract that does it justice.

Final Thoughts

The abstract is a small piece of writing with outsized importance. It's the first thing your professor reads, the part that search engines index, and the section that determines whether anyone else will read your paper.

The good news? It's also one of the most formulaic pieces of academic writing. Once you know the four elements — purpose, methods, results, conclusions — you can write an abstract for any paper.

Write your paper first. Summarize it second. Keep it tight. 📋

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