Writing an abstract

What does it do?

The abstract is summary of the body text of a journal article. Readers use it to decide whether a journal article is worth a read.

Structure

Usually around 250 words.

• Introduction: Provide context, identify the knowledge gap, and state the study’s aims and scope (2–3 sentences).
• Methods: Summarise the study design (e.g., location, population, model; 1–2 sentences).
• Results: Present the most important or interesting¹ findings (2–3 sentences).
• Discussion: Highlight the most important or interesting¹ conclusions and their implications (2–3 sentences).

Tips for a good abstract

• Copy-edit the abstract using clear and precise language; see also Copy-editing.
• Since the abstract should summarise the main text, write it after writing the main text to ensure you have an accurate summary.

Common pitfalls

Abstracts should accurately summarise the main text. However, sometimes new insights can pop up while you’re writing the abstract. Don’t include those in the abstract unless they are clearly stated in the main text.

Footnotes

1. E.g. clearly answer the main research question, unexpected or counterintuitive, or has implications for policy or future research. ↩ ↩²