Doctor of Education - Orientation: Writing an Abstract

An effective abstract

• Uses one or more well-developed paragraphs, which are unified, coherent, concise, and able to stand alone
• Uses an introduction-body-conclusion structure in which the parts of the paper are discussed in order: purpose, findings, conclusions, recommendations
• Follows strictly the chronology of the paper
• Provides logical connections between material included
• Adds no new information but simply summarizes the paper
• Is intelligible to a wide audience

To write an effective abstract, follow these four steps.

1. Reread your paper with the purpose of abstracting in mind. Look specifically for these main parts: purpose, methods, scope, results, conclusions, and recommendations.

2. After you have finished rereading your paper, write a rough draft without looking back at your paper. Consider the main parts of the abstract listed in step #1. Do not merely copy key sentences from your report. You will put in too much or too little information. Do not summarize information in a new way.

3. Consider the following suggestions

• Use active verbs whenever possible.
• Use complete sentences.
• Avoid jargon or colloquialisms.
• Use familiar terminology whenever you can (and always explain terms that may be unfamiliar to the average reader).

Revise your rough draft to

• Correct weaknesses in organization and coherence,

• Drop superfluous information,

• Add important information originally left out,

• Eliminate wordiness, and

• Correct errors in grammar and mechanics.

• Carefully proofread your final copy.