How To Write An Abstract

How to write an abstract is important to researchers who publish their studies. The purpose of an abstract is to summarize what is in the published research report or journal article. This overview tells the reader what to expect if they read further.

In general, the abstract has four important components:

1. The purpose of the study reveals what the researchers were trying to find out. This is a clear statement of what you examined in your study. It also gives readers a good idea about the research design you used. Pull this straight from the purpose statement in your article or report.

2. Describe the participants. Present how many individuals took part in your study and describe their basic characteristics (e.g., men, women, age). This tells a reader how well the findings relate to their interests.

3. Explain what the participants did. This part describes the procedures you used. It may include main activities, materials, and equipment used.

4. Describe what you found out. This part is a summary of important findings that the study revealed.

Example

The following is a good example of how to write an abstract. The main components are easily identified.

“Exploring the Relationship Between Time-Series Data Collection and Duration of Treatment in a University Clinic: A Survival Analysis.” (Justin D. Winkel, 2006, University of Tennessee)

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between participation in time-series research and the duration of psychotherapy. In previous research, 50 patients were accepted into the Time-Series Study at the University of Tennessee Psychological Clinic. Study participation included a significant degree of patient involvement, including repeated assessment of process and outcome variables totaling 120 items which patients were asked to complete twice a week. It was hypothesized that participation in this type of research may have resulted in shorter treatment duration due to increased subject burden, or may have motivated patients to stay in treatment, thus increasing treatment retention rates. Survival analysis was used to analyze the number of sessions attended by the time-series patients in contrast to two comparison groups, the first, a cohort of 116 patients who did not participate in the Time-Series Study, and the other, a group of 192 patients seeking treatment before the study began. Results indicated no evidence supporting the hypothesis that participation in time-series research resulted in shorter duration of treatment. However, the median number of sessions was higher for the patients who participated in the Time-Series Study, but not statistically different from the two comparison groups.

Related pages:

Reading Research Articles

Research Paper Outline

index

sitemap

advanced

site search by freefind

Top of How to Write an Abstract

Back To Dissertation Advice

Back to Home Page

SBI!