Writing an Abstract

ABSTRACT GUIDELINES:

 Abstracts must include sufficient information for reviewers to judge the nature and significance
of the topic, the adequacy of the investigative strategy, the nature of the results, and the
conclusions. The abstract should summarize the substantive results of the work and not merely
list topics to be discussed.
 An abstract is an outline/brief summary of your paper and your whole project. It should have an
intro, body and conclusion. It is a well-developed paragraph, should be exact in wording, and must
be understandable to a wide audience.
 Abstracts highlight major points of your research and explain why your work is important; what
your purpose was, how you went about your project, what you learned, and what you concluded.

Abstract example #1

Video Game Addiction and College Performance Among Males: Results from a 1 Year Longitudinal Study

The abstract:

“This study explored the pattern of video game usage and video game addiction among male college
students and examined how video game addiction was related to expectations of college engagement,
college grade point average (GPA), and on-campus drug and alcohol violations. Participants were 477
male, first year students at a liberal arts college. In the week before the start of classes, participants were
given two surveys: one of expected college engagement, and the second of video game usage, including
a measure of video game addiction. Results suggested that video game addiction is (a) negatively
correlated with expected college engagement, (b) negatively correlated with college GPA, even when
controlling for high school GPA, and (c) negatively correlated with drug and alcohol violations that
occurred during the first year in college. Results are discussed in terms of implications for male students’
engagement and success in college, and in terms of the construct validity of video game addiction.”

Abstract example #2

Study Skills and their Correlation with Academic Satisfaction and Achievement among Medical and
Pharmacy Students in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (2013)

The abstract:

“Introduction: Study skills and students’ satisfaction with their performance positively affect their
academic achievement. The current research was carried out to investigate the correlation of study skills
with academic achievement among the medical and pharmacy students in 2013.

Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 148 students of basic medical sciences and
pharmacy through convenience sampling. Data were collected by a valid and reliable questionnaire,
consisting of two sections: Demographic information and questions about daily study hours, study skills
in six domains, and students’ satisfaction with study skills. Collected data sets were analyzed by SPSS-16
software.
Results: In total, 10.9% of students were reported to have favorable study skills. The minimum score was
found for preparation for examination domain. Also, a significantly positive correlation was observed
between students’ study skills and their Grade Point Average (GPA) of previous term (P=0.001, r=0.269)
and satisfaction with study skills (P=0.001, r=0.493).

Conclusion: The findings indicated that students’ study skills need to be improved. Given the significant
relationship between study skills and GPA, as an index of academic achievement, and satisfaction, it is
necessary to promote the students’ study skills. These skills are suggested to be reinforced, with more
emphasis on weaker domains.”

Abstract example #3

The Relationship Between Cell Phone Use and Academic Performance in a Sample of U.S. College
Students

The abstract:

“The cell phone is ever-present on college campuses and is frequently used in settings where learning
occurs. This study assessed the relationship between cell phone use and actual college grade point
average (GPA) after controlling for known predictors. As such, 536 undergraduate students from 82 self-
reported majors at a large, public university were sampled. A hierarchical regression (R2 = .449)
demonstrated that cell phone use was significantly (p < .001) and negatively (β = −.164) related to actual
college GPA after controlling for demographic variables, self-efficacy for self-regulated learning, self-
efficacy for academic achievement, and actual high school GPA, which were all significant predictors (p <
.05). Thus, after controlling for other established predictors, increased cell phone use was associated with
decreased academic performance. Although more research is needed to identify the underlying
mechanisms, findings suggest a need to sensitize students and educators about the potential academic
risks associated with high-frequency cell phone use.”

Abstract example #4

The Process of Adapting a Universal Dating Abuse Prevention Program to Adolescents Exposed to
Domestic Violence

The abstract:

“Adolescents exposed to domestic violence are at increased risk of dating abuse, yet no evaluated dating
abuse prevention programs have been designed specifically for this high-risk population. This article
describes the process of adapting Families for Safe Dates (FSD), an evidenced-based universal dating
abuse prevention program, to this high-risk population, including conducting 12 focus groups and 107
interviews with the target audience. FSD includes six booklets of dating abuse prevention information,
and activities for parents and adolescents to do together at home. We adapted FSD for mothers who were
victims of domestic violence, but who no longer lived with the abuser, to do with their adolescents who
had been exposed to the violence. Through the adaptation process, we learned that families liked the
program structure and valued being offered the program and that some of our initial assumptions about
this population were incorrect. We identified practices and beliefs of mother victims and attributes of
these adolescents that might increase their risk of dating abuse that we had not previously considered. In
addition, we learned that some of the content of the original program generated negative family
interactions for some. The findings demonstrate the utility of using a careful process to adapt evidence-
based interventions (EBIs) to cultural sub-groups, particularly the importance of obtaining feedback on
the program from the target audience. Others can follow this process to adapt EBIs to groups other than
the ones for which the original EBI was designed.”

Abstract example #5

An Approximation of the Internal Rate of Return of Investment in Selected Undergraduate Degree

Programs (*CHED Research Project)

ABSTRACT:

The situation of a typical Filipino household, overseas employment, and the culture of migration are
deemed as determinants for investing in higher education such as in the specialized fields of accountancy,
education science and teacher training, engineering, and nursing. We examine both local and
international labor demand for accountants, teachers, engineers, and nurses as well as its underlying
implications on the exodus of professionals. As such, the determination of the internal rate of return to
investment is of crucial importance to households to fully maximize educational opportunities and for the
government and other institutions to confront this globally-changing situation. Using a combination of
quantitative and qualitative analysis, we compute for the internal rates of return of investment of the
mentioned degree programs. Results have shown that the relatively high rates of return are incentives to
practice profession abroad despite various delays.

Abstract example #6

The Literacy Program at Gawad Kalinga: Its Benefits to Student Volunteers

ABSTRACT:

This study sought to discover the benefits gained by nine (9) education student-volunteers (from Arellano
University-Main Campus),who participated in the literacy program at Gawad Kalinga, Tatalon, Quezon
City, from July, 2008 to February, 2009. The problems they encountered, as well as the solutions they
recommended, were also looked into. From the findings, the researchers developed a conceptual
framework that may be of help to would-be volunteers of outreach programs. The research was carried
out qualitatively. Data were primarily taken from the reflection papers of nine(9) respondents. Interview
was employed to verify the findings derived from the respondents’ replies as reflected in the
questionnaire/ reflection papers. Replies were based on the experience they had as volunteers of the
literacy program spearheaded by the School of Education of Arellano University-Main. They were asked
to handle classes of children who, because of financial constraints, do not attend formal schooling,
Heinrich Anton de Bary’s “Symbiotic Relationship” served as the grounding of the study.
References:

http://www.aises.org/sites/default/files/documents/National%20Conference/Abstract%20Guidelines%2
0and%20Samples.pdf

https://www.arellano.edu.ph/research/research-abstracts

https://www.kibin.com/essay-writing-blog/10-good-abstract-examples/