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05 May 2024

Writing an abstract for your thesis or scientific article

An abstract is an essential part of a high-quality scientific article or university thesis. Properly drafting an abstract requires careful consideration of structure to ensure it stays within the word limit while effectively communicating the essence of your research.

Writing an abstract for your thesis or scientific article
This article was written by:

Linda Hovestad

What is an abstract?

An abstract is a brief summary of a scientific article or academic thesis that outlines the main points of the research. It helps readers decide if the article is relevant to their interests and if they should continue reading.

The abstract includes key aspects of the article or thesis, each summarized in one or two sentences. It is crucial to keep it concise and avoid complex sentence structures. The focus should be on the subject, research question, methodology, findings, and conclusions.

How long is the abstract?

An abstract should not exceed 120 words. Students, particularly those writing a thesis in the form of an expansive scientific article, must strictly abide by this limit.

What do you put in your abstract?

  • Research question: Begin your abstract by providing a concise formulation of your research question.
  • Method: Next, describe the approach you employed to investigate the aforementioned research question.
  • Results: Present the significant findings derived from your research. Keep in mind the restricted word count for an abstract and select the results that align most closely with your main research question.
  • Conclusion and Implications: Conclude your abstract by providing a definitive answer to your research question and discuss its relevance to the wider research field.

Contact Jouw Scriptiecoach if you need immediate help with your thesis.

Do you need immediate help with your thesis? Then request a free consultation now. During the consultation, we look at how best we can help you and which supervisor would be most suitable for your subject. You’ll also receive an immediate estimate of the number of hours we’ll need to get you across the finish line. Then you can easily purchase the hours online, and once the payment has gone through, we immediately connect you to your thesis supervisor. They’ll contact you quickly (often on the same day) so that you can get back to working on your thesis as soon as possible.

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