What is a Dissertation Abstract?

First of all, it should be stated what an abstract itself is. In general, it is one of the most important parts of a dissertation, which should be written accurately. It should be presented at the beginning of a paper, providing with its first substantive description. In other words, a reader or examiner should get a clear glimpse of understanding of what is about to be said further.

It can also be said that an abstract is a summary of a paper, which is smaller in relation to it. You have to understand that your abstract should serve as a little map for those who are going to read your paper. That is the reason why you have to take your time and try to make this part of your dissertation as clear and accurate as possible.

Dissertation Abstract Writing: Step-by-Step Guide

1. Include all useful and important information concerning your dissertation

• Here you need to work with the created outline for your dissertation. If you haven`t done it yet, you have to create one. The deal is that having an outline can facilitate the abstract writing process and make it more efficient.
• You also need to gather information that will help you while writing. In order to do everything correctly, it is important to see and discuss how your research can flow into a greater academic discussion and to which researches and consequences it can lead. At this step, it is also necessary to discuss the methodology, including own conclusions. Remember that the information which needs to be used in an abstract strongly depends on a study field you are exploring, and the requirements.

2. Having done all the previous points, it is high time to start writing an abstract.

• Your whole work should start with the full citation, which needs to appear above the abstract. The citation generally includes your personal name, the name of the article you were working on, and publication information (can be omitted).
• Then, you have to take some time and think of a smaller and somehow condensed version of your thesis. However, you should also take into account that abstract is about giving a reader a little understanding and short overview of a dissertation. It means you do not have to include every single detail in your abstract.
• In order to make your abstract more accurate, it would be good to write in there the topic sentences from each section of your paper outline. Keep them in order to make everything understandable for readers. Do not forget also to write your conclusion.

3. Once you are done with your writing, it is important to check your abstract.

It would be great to read what you have written aloud and see whether everything goes smoothly. For making your dissertation abstract sound good, you have to use transitions.

While reading through your abstract, you should also make sure that you included only relevant information, which corresponds to the specific field of study.

In general, all abstracts are about 100 to 200 words, since a reader should only get a quick overview of the whole paper. So, you have to make it short but concise and clear. Do not forget to check your abstract for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. It also matters a lot.

Always keep your readers in mind. Remember that you are expected to provide them with the key points and ideas. So, you have to use enough information to show how everything fits in. However, this information needs to be trustworthy and relevant, in order not to make an abstract mixed.