ENGLISH PAPERS

WRITING AN ABSTRACT

LECTURER :

Ns. Agrina, M.Kep.,Sp.Kom, Ph.D

Created by :

Name : Firliany Triamanda

Nim : 1711113767

Class : A 2017 3

FACULTY OF NURSING

RIAU UNIVERSITY

2019
 Writing an Abstract

1. Definition
An abstract is a concise summary of a research paper or entire thesis. It is an original
work, not an excerpted passage. An abstract must be fully self-contained and make sense by
itself, without further reference to outside sources or to the actual paper. It highlights key
content areas, your research purpose, the relevance or importance of your work, and the
main outcomes.
An abstract summarizes, usually in one paragraph of 300 words or less, the major
aspects of the entire paper in a prescribed sequence that includes: 1) the overall purpose of
the study and the research problem(s) you investigated; 2) the basic design of the study; 3)
major findings or trends found as a result of your analysis; and, 4) a brief summary of your
interpretations and conclusions. The function of the abstract is to outline briefly all parts of
the paper. Although it is placed at the beginning of your paper, immediately following the
title page, the abstract should be the last thing that you write, once you are sure of the
conclusions you will reach.

2. Types of Abstracts
To begin, you need to determine which type of abstract you should include with your
paper. There are four general types (Clarion University, 2009):
a. Critical Abstract
A critical abstract provides, in addition to describing main findings and information, a
judgment or comment about the study’s validity, reliability, or completeness. The researcher
evaluates the paper and often compares it with other works on the same subject. Critical
abstracts are generally 400-500 words in length due to the additional interpretive
commentary. These types of abstracts are used infrequently.
b. Descriptive Abstract
A descriptive abstract indicates the type of information found in the work. It makes no
judgments about the work, nor does it provide results or conclusions of the research. It does
incorporate key words found in the text and may include the purpose, methods, and scope
of the research. Essentially, the descriptive abstract only describes the work being
summarized. Some researchers consider it an outline of the work, rather than a summary.
Descriptive abstracts are usually very short, 100 words or less. Most descriptive abstracts
have certain key parts in common. They are:
  background
 purpose
 particular interest/focus of paper
 overview of contents (not always included)
c. Informative Abstract
The majority of abstracts are informative. While they still do not critique or evaluate a
work, they do more than describe it. A good informative abstract acts as a surrogate for the
work itself. That is, the researcher presents and explains all the main arguments and the
important results and evidence in the paper. An informative abstract includes the
information that can be found in a descriptive abstract [purpose, methods, scope] but it also
includes the results and conclusions of the research and the recommendations of the author.
The length varies according to discipline, but an informative abstract is usually no more
than 300 words in length. Most informative abstracts also have key parts in common. Each
of these parts might consist of 1-2 sentences. The parts include:
 Background
 aim or purpose of research
 method used
 findings/results
 conclusion
d. Highlight Abstract
A highlight abstract is specifically written to attract the reader’s attention to the study. No
pretense is made of there being either a balanced or complete picture of the paper and, in
fact, incomplete and leading remarks may be used to spark the reader’s interest. In that a
highlight abstract cannot stand independent of its associated article, it is not a true abstract
and, therefore, rarely used in academic writing.

3. What to include in an abstract

The format of your abstract will depend on the discipline in which you are working.
However, all abstracts generally cover the following five sections:
1. Reason for writing:
What is the importance of the research? Why would a reader be interested in the
larger work?
2. Problem:
What problem does this work attempt to solve? What is the scope of the project?
 What is the main argument, thesis or claim?
3. Methodology:
An abstract of a scientific work may include specific models or approaches used
in the larger study. Other abstracts may describe the types of evidence used in the
research.
4. Results:
An abstract of a scientific work may include specific data that indicates the
results of the project. Other abstracts may discuss the findings in a more general way.
5. Implications:
How does this work add to the body of knowledge on the topic? Are there any
practical or theoretical applications from your findings or implications for future
research?

4. Writing Style
Use the active voice when possible, but note that much of your abstract may
require passive sentence constructions. Regardless, write your abstract using concise,
but complete, sentences. Get to the point quickly and always use the past tense because
you are reporting on a study that has been completed.

 Formatting
Abstracts should be formatted as a single paragraph in a block format and with no
paragraph indentations. In most cases, the abstract page immediately follows the title
page. Do not number the page. Rules set forth in writing manual vary but, in general,
you should center the word "Abstract" at the top of the page with double spacing
between the heading and the abstract. The final sentences of an abstract concisely
summarize your study’s conclusions, implications, or applications to practice and, if
appropriate, can be followed by a statement about the need for additional research
revealed from the findings.

An APA abstract must be formatted as follows:

 Include the running head aligned to the left at the top of the page
 On the first line, write the heading “Abstract,” (centered and without any
formatting)
  Do not indent any part of the text
 Double space the text
 APA recommends the use of Times New Roman font in 12 pt
 Set one inch (or 2.54 cm) margins
 If you include a “keywords” section at the end of the abstract, indent the first
line and italicize the word “Keywords” while leaving the key words themselves
without any formatting

 Composing Your Abstract

Although it is the first section of your paper, the abstract should be written last since it
will summarize the contents of your entire paper. A good strategy to begin composing
your abstract is to take whole sentences or key phrases from each section of the paper
and put them in a sequence that summarizes the contents. Then revise or add connecting
phrases or words to make the narrative flow clearly and smoothly. Note that statistical
findings should be reported parenthetically.
Before handing in your final paper, check to make sure that the information in the
abstract completely agrees with what you have written in the paper. Think of the
abstract as a sequential set of complete sentences describing the most crucial
information using the fewest necessary words.

The abstract shou (Hartley, James and Lucy Betts, 2018) (Hartley, James and Lucy
Betts, 2018)ld not contain:
 Lengthy background or contextual information,
 Redundant phrases, unnecessary adverbs and adjectives, and repetitive
information;
 Acronyms or abbreviations,
 References to other literature [say something like, "current research shows
that..." or "studies have indicated..."],
 Using ellipticals [i.e., ending with "..."] or incomplete sentences,
 Jargon or terms that may be confusing to the reader,
 Citations to other works, and
 Any sort of image, illustration, figure, or table, or references to them.
5. How to Write an Abstract
1. First, write your paper. While the abstract will be at the beginning of your paper,
it should be the last section that you write. Once you have completed the final draft
of your psychology paper, use it as a guide for writing your abstract.
2. Begin your abstract on a new page and place your running head and the page
number 2 in the top right-hand corner. You should also center the word "Abstract"
at the top of the page.
3. Keep it short. According to the APA style manual, an abstract should be between
150 to 250 words. Exact word counts can vary from journal to journal. If you are
writing your paper for a psychology course, your professor may have specific word
requirements, so be sure to ask. The abstract should also be written as only one
paragraph with no indentation.
4. Structure the abstract in the same order as your paper. Begin with a brief
summary of the Introduction, and then continue on with a summary of
the Method, Results, and Discussion sections of your paper.
5. Look at other abstracts in professional journals for examples of how to
summarize your paper. Notice the main points that the authors chose to mention
in the abstract. Use these examples as a guide when choosing the main ideas in
your own paper.
6. Write a rough draft of your abstract. While you should aim for brevity, be
careful not to make your summary too short. Try to write one to two sentences
summarizing each section of your paper. Once you have a rough draft, you can edit
for length and clarity.
7. Ask a friend to read over the abstract. Sometimes having someone look at your
abstract with fresh eyes can provide perspective and help you spot possible typos
and other errors.

6. The Basics of an APA Format Abstract

The abstract is the second page of a lab report or APA-format paper and should
immediately follow the title page. Think of an abstract as a highly condensed summary
of your entire paper.
The purpose of your abstract is to provide a brief yet thorough overview of your
paper. The APA publication manual suggests that your abstract should function much
 like your title page it should allow the person reading it too quickly determine what
your paper is all about. Your abstract is the first thing that most people will read, and it
is usually what informs their decision to read the rest of your paper. A good abstract
lets the reader know that your paper is worth reading.

According to the official guidelines of the American Psychological Association, a good

abstract should be:
 Brief but packed with information. Each sentence must be written with
maximum impact in mind. To keep your abstract short, focus on including just
four or five of the essential points, concepts, or findings.
 Objective and accurate. The abstract's purpose is to report rather than provide
commentary. It should also accurately reflect what your paper is about. Only
include information that is also included in the body of your paper.
 Coherent and readable. Write it clearly; don’t try to impress the reader with
unimportant gobbledygook or jargon.

7. Examples of abstracts
Here are two abstracts with the key parts identified. The Descriptive abstract (1) is for
a humanities paper and the Informative abstract (2) for a psychology report.
a. Model descriptive abstracts
Abstract (Stevenson, 2004) Key Parts
The opportunity to design and deliver short programs on Background
referencing and avoiding plagiarism for transnational
UniSA students has confirmed the necessity of combating
both the ‘all-plagiarism-is-cheating’ reaction and the ‘just-
give-them-a-referencing-guide’ response. The notion of
Purpose and aim
referencing is but the tip of a particularly large and
intricate iceberg. Consequently, teaching referencing is not
adequate in educating students to avoid plagiarism. In this
Particular focus of
presentation, I will use the transnational teaching
paper
experience to highlight what educating to avoid plagiarism
entails.

b. Model informative abstracts

Abstract (Zoltan, 2005) Key Parts
Metalinguistic awareness contributes to effective writing Background
at university. Writing is a meaning-making process where
linguistic, cognitive, social and creative factors are at play.
University students need to master the skills of academic
writing not only for getting their degree but also for their
future career. It is also significant for lecturers to know
who our students are, how they think and how we can best
assist them. This study examines first-year undergraduate
Purpose and aim
Australian and international engineering students as
writers of academic texts in a multicultural setting at the
University of Adelaide. A questionnaire and interviews
were used to collect data about students’ level of
metalinguistic awareness, their attitudes toward, Methods
expectations for, assumptions about and motivation for
writing. The preliminary results of the research show that
students from different cultures initially have different
concepts about the academic genres and handle writing
Results
with different learning and writing styles, but those with a
more developed metalanguage are more confident and
motivated. The conclusion can also be drawn that students’
level of motivation for academic writing positively
correlates with their opinion about themselves as writers. Conclusion
Following an in-depth multi-dimensional analysis of
preliminary research results, some recommendations for
writing instruction will also be presented.
 References

Cherry, K. (2019, July 26). How to Write an APA abstract. Diambil kembali dari
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-write-an-abstract-2794845#the-basics-of-an-
apa-format-abstract
Hartley, James and Lucy Betts. (2018). Common Weakness in Traditional Abstracts in the
Social Science. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and
Technology.
Koltay, T. (2010). Abstracts and Abstracting: A genre and set of skills for twenty-first century.
UK: Oxford.
The University of Adalaide. (2014). Diambil kembali dari
https://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/sites/default/files/docs/learningguide-
writinganabstract.pdf
University of Southern California. (2019, September 23). Diambil kembali dari
https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/abstract

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: 3. The Abstract Sep 23, 2019 11:11
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