Written by: Alessandra Giugliano

Editors, reviewers, and search engines meet your work through the abstract. If you are finishing a dissertation, submitting a journal article, or pitching a conference paper, your abstract often decides the outcome. A clear, concise abstract increases the likelihood that your work will be read, cited, and accepted. 

In this guide you will learn what an abstract is, how different venues and disciplines shape it, and how to craft a compelling summary using a step‑by‑step scaffold. You will also find templates, a checklist and answers to frequently asked questions. By the end, you will feel confident writing an abstract that showcases your research and invites readers to dive deeper.

What Is an Abstract in Research?

An abstract is a short research summary, typically six to seven sentences, that lets readers grasp the context, problem, methods, key results, and significance of your work. It previews the context, problem, methods, key results and significance of your work so that people can decide whether to read the full paper. 

An effective abstract stands on its own: readers should understand your contribution without referring to the main text. Because search engines and databases use abstracts for indexing, clear abstracts help other researchers discover your work. Most guides recommend writing the abstract after you have finished drafting the paper, so that you accurately reflect your results.

Types of Abstracts: Descriptive, Informative, and Structured

Abstracts fall into three broad categories:

• Descriptive abstract: brief scope summary, no results.

• Informative abstract: problem, methods, results, conclusion.

• Structured abstract (IMRaD): labeled sentences for Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion.

For systematic reviews and clinical trials, check whether your journal requires a PRISMA or CONSORT structured abstract. PRISMA’s 2020 checklist, for instance, lists items like objectives, eligibility criteria, information sources and risk of bias.

Tip: Many journals prefer informative abstracts. Always read the submission guidelines before drafting.

How to Write a Dissertation Abstract (With Word Limits)

A dissertation abstract summarizes your project for examiners and library databases. Many universities set limits (for example, master’s ≤ 150 words, PhD ≤ 350 words). Use the checklist below to structure a concise, searchable summary.

Mini Dissertation Abstract Checklist:

• State the research question and why it matters.

• Name design, data, and analysis in one line.

• Report one or two decisive findings.

• End with a field-specific contribution.

Purpose of PhD Dissertation Abstract

Dissertation and thesis abstracts serve dual purposes: 

• They summarise your research for supervisors and examiners.

• They represent your work in university databases. 

Universities often set specific limits. For example, one U.S. graduate school specifies ≤150 words for master’s theses and ≤350 words for dissertations, with background, methods, findings, and conclusions represented. Check your local manual before drafting. 

These limits ensure that databases display consistent summaries and that readers can quickly understand your work.

Because dissertations often span hundreds of pages, your abstract must distil the central argument (thesis statement) and findings. 

1. Start by stating the research problem or question and explaining why it matters. 

2. Next summarise your methods—whether you used archival research, laboratory experiments or qualitative interviews. 

3. Highlight one or two key findings, and end with a concise statement of significance.

Humanities abstracts may emphasise arguments and theoretical contributions, whereas STEM abstracts often stress methods and results. See the table below for venue‑specific guidance.

Note: Supervisors often read only your abstract before deciding whether to review the full document. Make sure it accurately reflects your main contribution.

Quick Abstract Writing Plan

1. One sentence of context and importance

2. One sentence for the research gap or question

3. One to two sentences on methods

4. Two to three sentences on key findings

5. One sentence on significance or contribution

Journal Article Abstracts and the Six-Sentence IMRaD Scaffold

Most journal abstracts follow IMRaD and stay within 150–250 words. Write one sentence per function, then tighten. Use past tense for methods and results, present for general claims and implications. Write one sentence per row in the scaffold, then tighten to fit the target word count. Keep methods and results in past tense; use present tense for general claims and implications.

To use this scaffold, write one sentence for each row. Adjust the length depending on your word limit. In humanities or theoretical work, the methods and results sentences may blur, and you might spend more words on context and argument. Always check your journal’s author guidelines, as some require a structured abstract with labelled sections.

For more guidance, check out How to Write a Scientific Paper in 2025 and Understanding the IMRaD Format (structure deep-dive).

Conference Abstracts and Proposals

Conference abstracts pitch your work to reviewers who decide whether to accept your talk or poster. They often have character limits rather than word counts—for example, the American Geophysical Union caps titles at 300 characters and abstracts at 2,000 characters. 

Unlike journal abstracts, conference abstracts should focus on what you did, what you found and why it matters. You rarely need to include extensive background; reviewers assume familiarity with the field. Use clear, jargon‑free language and avoid acronyms that non‑experts might not know.

When preparing a conference abstract:

1. Craft a compelling title – Use active language and stay within the character limit. Avoid unnecessary adjectives and let the title state the main variable or phenomenon.

2. Summarise your study – In 2–3 sentences, describe the research question, methods and key results. If you are submitting a poster, highlight any preliminary findings.

3. Explain the significance – Tell reviewers why your results matter to the conference theme or audience.

4. Review the guidelines – Each conference has specific formatting rules; read them carefully before submitting.

Tip: Write your conference abstract offline first, then paste it into the submission portal to avoid losing work.

How To Write an Abstract: Step-By-Step

Anatomy of a strong abstract, with six labeled parts you can follow for dissertations, journal articles, and conference submissions.

Follow these six steps to write an abstract for a dissertation, journal article, or conference submission. 

1. Set the context. Begin by situating your research within the broader field and highlighting why the topic is important.

2. Define the problem. Specify the research question, gap or hypothesis your work addresses.

3. Describe your methods. Summarise how you conducted your study—state your design, data sources, analytical techniques or theoretical framework.

4. Present key results. Highlight your most important findings. If space permits, include one or two numeric values or qualitative outcomes.

5. Explain the significance. Discuss what your results mean and why they matter for your discipline or practice.

6. Add keywords. On a new line labelled Keywords: list 3–5 essential terms separated by commas to aid indexing and discovery.

Each step can be a sentence or short paragraph depending on your word limit. For systematic reviews, label your sentences using structured headings (e.g., Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions).

Common Abstract Mistakes and How to Fix Them

These are the most common abstract mistakes reviewers flag, with quick fixes you can apply in minutes.

Abstract Keywords: How to Choose and Format Them

Keywords help databases index your work and enable readers to find it. After your abstract, start a new line labelled Keywords: in italics, then list 3–5 terms separated by commas.

Choose keywords that reflect your research area, methods and key variables. Avoid generic terms that appear in every abstract (e.g., “study,” “analysis”). Instead, consider specific concepts, populations and techniques.

Quick Abstract Keywords Process: 

1. List 3–5 candidate keywords from your draft (concepts, population, method).

2. Compare with journal-requested terms and recent articles.

3. Ensure every chosen keyword appears in the abstract at least once.

4. Add a line labeled Keywords: and separate with commas.

Where thesify Helps

Upload your draft into thesify’s PaperDigest to surface Main Claims and Keywords, then check whether your abstract actually contains those terms and concepts.

Keyword list surfaced from the same abstract to cross‑check terminology against your target venue.

To refine your keywords, you can use thesify’s PaperDigest feature. 

1. Upload your draft abstract and view the automatically extracted “Main claims” and “Keywords.” 

2. Compare these with your journal’s suggested keywords and adjust your wording to improve alignment. 

This tool helps ensure your abstract contains the terminology that editors and indexing services expect, while maintaining academic integrity.

Abstract Examples and Revisions With thesify (Student Case Studies)

Below, we use your four student abstract case studies and thesify’s feedback to show how to revise efficiently and interpret the feedback. We keep improvements academic-integrity friendly: you write; thesify helps you inspect coverage, wording, and alignment.

Abstract Example 1 (STEM): Tighten Results for Clarity

Before revision: detailed methods, underdeveloped results and significance.

How to improve

1. Add one quantitative outcome in the results sentence.

2. Compress background to one sentence.

3. Move niche acronyms into the paper; keep only field-standard ones here.

4. End with a one-sentence significance claim tied to the main result.

Cross-check with thesify

• Open PaperDigest → Summary and Main Claims. Confirm that your main finding appears in the claim set. If not, rewrite your results sentence so the claim is explicit.

Abstract Example 2 (STEM, Same Study): Align Question, Methods, and Results

What you learn in this section: how to turn a methods-heavy abstract into a concise, claim-driven summary that links the research question, methods, and results.

Context: This is the same student abstract from Case Study 1 (action perception / motor simulation). We focus here on a different revision goal: making the research question explicit and aligning methods with the primary result.

Issues identified in feedback:

1. Research question is implied rather than stated.

2. Methods list multiple experiments without naming the decisive design element.

3. Results sentence is general and does not surface a measurable outcome.

4. Significance sentence makes a theory claim without tying it to the reported result.

How to improve:

Recommendations focused on linking the research question, design, and a concrete result.

1. Lead with the question: Convert the first two sentences into a single explicit research question that names the population and phenomenon.

2. Name the design: In one clause, specify the experimental manipulation or contrast that tests the claim.

3. Report the outcome: Replace generic phrasing with one quantitative or categorical result that supports the claim.

4. Tie significance to the outcome: Make the final sentence state what the reported effect means for the theory under test.

Model rewrite pattern (fill with your specifics):

1. Context: “Research on [phenomenon] proposes that [theory claim] in [population].”

2. Question: “We asked whether [independent variable] alters [dependent variable] via [mechanism].”

3. Methods: “Across [n] experiments, we compared [condition A] and [condition B] using [task/measure].”

4. Result: “Participants in [condition] showed [effect size or direction], indicating [interpretation].”

5. Result/implication: “A secondary analysis found [brief second result].”

6. Significance: “These findings support [specific theoretical implication] for [scope/setting].”

Cross-check with thesify:

• Open PaperDigest → Summary → Main Claims. Confirm the claim you state in the first two sentences appears in Main Claims.

• In Feedback, resolve the flags for Methods Specificity and Results Concreteness until both show green.

Abstract Example 3 (Healthcare Survey): Make Numbers Support the Claim

thesify’s feedback shown below is on an abstract about language access equity during autopsy consent. The current draft reports useful survey numbers but the central claim is diffuse, and the final sentence reads like advocacy rather than an inference from the data. 

Feedback flags weak linkage between results and significance and recommends tightening the claim.

Below is a polished model revision that keeps the original content while making the contribution clear and findable.

Model Abstract Revision (Example)

Language barriers can increase cognitive and emotional load during end-of-life discussions. Equitable access to written resources in a family’s primary language affects a provider’s effectiveness, time management, and emotional well-being, and the use of a Spanish-translation autopsy consent form will be an effective way to improve communication and decrease the emotional burden of inequitable language access during end-of-life conversations. We examined this claim in a large academic PICU using a cross-sectional survey of 55 pediatric critical-care providers; 32 responded (58.2 percent). Respondents reported frequent conversations with non-English-speaking families (60 percent) and limited access to translated forms. Most providers (95 percent) indicated that a Spanish-language consent form would improve communication effectiveness; 40 percent identified the absence of a translated consent form as a frequent barrier. These results support the thesis that inadequate language access is a common, modifiable constraint in autopsy discussions and motivate a follow-up evaluation after introduction of a Spanish-language consent packet.

Keywords: language access, autopsy consent, pediatric critical care, translated forms, communication effectiveness

Why This Revision Works

After revision, coverage and significance resolve; results support the main claim.

• Question first: the second sentence states what is being tested and where.

• Methods in one line: design, sample, and response rate are compact.

• Results that count: percentages are grouped to support the claim.

• Significance ties to data: the closing sentence states a modifiable constraint and a next step grounded in the findings.

• Searchable terms: keywords match venue language and appear in the body.

Abstract Example 4 (Sociology): Use Chat with Theo to Write a Publishable Abstract

What you will learn: how to use thesify’s Chat with Theo guidance to turn a diffuse idea about Amsterdam coffee shops into a clear, assertive abstract that passes the “So what” test and surfaces field-searchable keywords.

Below, Chat with Theo’s immediate advice to the student was to make the thesis statement explicit and assertive.

Step 1. Clarify the Thesis Statement

Theo recommends rewriting the thesis statement so the claim is explicit and testable.

Step 2. Draft the Full Abstract With the Six-Sentence Scaffold

Model Abstract Revision (Example)

A model revision illustrates structure, methods, results, and a direct significance claim.

Coffee shops in Amsterdam are frequently discussed as symbols of permissive policy, yet the social and regulatory dynamics shaping their commercial success remain unclear. This research examines how coffee shops in Amsterdam exemplify market success driven by the social movement surrounding marijuana legalization. Using a mixed-methods design, I combine a geocoded dataset of licensed venues (1990–2010) with archival bylaws and 18 interviews with shop owners and municipal officials. The analysis shows a 27 percent decline in venues after the 1995 licensing reform, with closures concentrated in zones that adopted spacing rules and near-school buffers. Interviews indicate operators adapted by shifting to café-style formats and formal compliance routines that signaled legitimacy. These findings suggest local regulation did not only restrict availability; it also reshaped retail practices and public narratives about cannabis in the city.

Keywords: Amsterdam policy, cannabis retail, urban regulation, licensing reform, social movement

Step 3. Check Flow and Next Actions

Finally, Chat with Theo presented an action list for tightening flow, keeping one question visible, and planning a short follow-up revision sprint.

Actionable next steps for tightening flow and planning a focused revision sprint.

Why This Revision Works

• Question early: the second sentence states a debatable claim that reviewers can assess.

• Design in one line: data, time frame, and interviews appear together for quick scan.

• Concrete results: a numeric change plus where the effect concentrates.

• Meaning tied to data: significance follows from the reported decline and adaptations.

• Searchable terms: keywords mirror venue language and appear in the body.

Abstract Templates (Copy-Paste): Journal and Dissertation

Having a template saves time and ensures you include all essential elements. Below are simplified templates for journal articles and dissertations. Copy these into your document and replace the prompts with your content.

Journal abstract template (≈200 words)

• Context: [One sentence explaining the topic and why it matters.]

• Problem: [One sentence stating the gap or question.]

• Methods: [One sentence summarizing design, data, analysis.]

• Results: [One to two sentences reporting the main findings.]

• Significance: [One sentence on implications.]

• Keywords: term 1, term 2, term 3

Dissertation Abstract Template (≤350 Words)

• Context: [One to two sentences situating the study.]

• Problem: [One sentence stating the research question.]

• Methods: [Two sentences on data and approach.]

• Results: [Two to three sentences on major findings.]

• Significance: [One sentence on contribution.]

• Keywords: term 1, term 2, term 3, term 4
  
  

Abstract Checklist: Final Pre-Submission Review

• Word/character limit: Length fits venue limits; character limits checked for conferences. (AGU)

• Self‑contained: Someone unfamiliar with your work can understand your research from the abstract. (University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center)

• Context and problem: The abstract explains why the research matters and what gap it fills.

• Methods: The research approach or methodology is clearly described.

• Results: Key findings are included; avoid vague phrases like “results will be discussed.”

• Significance: The abstract states why the results are important.

• Tense: Past tense for methods and results; present tense for general statements.

• No citations or figures: The abstract is free of references.

• Keywords: 3–5 keywords are listed and correctly formatted. (APA Abstract - JIBC Tip Sheet)
  
  

Abstract FAQs

Below are concise answers to common questions. For more detail, see the schema at the end of the article.

1. What is the purpose of an abstract? 

An abstract is a self‑contained summary that lets readers quickly understand the context, methods, results and significance of your research. It helps them decide whether to read the full paper or dissertation.

2. How long should an abstract be? 

Abstract length depends on venue: general papers are 150–250 words, theses ≤150 words and dissertations ≤350 words, while conference abstracts are often limited by characters.

3. What should you include in an abstract? 

Most abstracts cover the context or background, the problem or research question, methods, key results and conclusions or implications. Structured abstracts label each section.

4. When should you write the abstract? 

Write the abstract after drafting your paper so you know exactly what you are summarising.

5. What is the difference between descriptive and informative abstracts? 

Descriptive abstracts briefly describe the topic without reporting results, while informative abstracts summarise methods and key findings. Many journals require informative abstracts.

6. Do you need to include keywords? 

Including 3–5 keywords labeled Keywords: helps databases index your work and improves search visibility.

7. Can you cite references in an abstract? 

Most abstracts avoid citations and are self‑contained. Only include citations if required by your discipline.

8. Is an abstract the same as an introduction?

No. An abstract summarizes the entire study, including methods and results. An introduction sets up background and the research question but does not report findings.

9. What tense should an abstract use?

Use past tense for what you did and found, present tense for general statements and implications.

Use thesify to Review Your Abstract

Use the summary panel to check that each abstract component is present.

Upload your draft to PaperDigest to extract Main Claims and Keywords, then open Feedback to address clarity, method specificity, and missing results. Revise and re-run until the panels turn green. This approach keeps authorship with you while giving you a focused revision path.

Why Your Abstract Matters

Writing a clear abstract is a skill that will serve you throughout your academic career. By summarising your context, problem, methods, results and significance within the correct length, you help readers and reviewers recognise the value of your work. Use the templates and checklist provided here to refine your drafts. Remember to adjust your abstract for each venue—dissertation, journal or conference—and to choose keywords that align with your discipline.

Ready to polish your abstract? 

Sign up for thesify, paste your draft, and use PaperDigest plus Feedback to check coverage, clarify claims, and align keywords before you submit.” thesify is free to try and respects academic integrity.

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• Going Beyond Journal Recommendations: How AI Supports Conference Submission & Academic Publishing: This post walks through an anonymised, real‑world example that shows how a PhD student used thesify to move from a rough abstract to a conference acceptance in two weeks. Follow the same steps to streamline your own submission. We cover how to generate a thesify feedback report and apply the feedback. You’ll learn how to: 1) Review the color‑coded dashboard for structure, coherence, and citation alerts. 2) Accept edits individually or click into any suggestion to see the rationale behind it, turning feedback into a quick learning moment. 3) Export a polished version ready for the conference finder for research shortlist or any journal surfaced by the ai journal recommendation tool.

• Paperpal vs thesify: AI Writing Reviewers Compared: Discover which AI writing reviewer delivers the best feedback for your research. We test Paperpal and thesify on the same abstract to compare clarity, chat support and usability. In this post, you’ll gain a clear understanding of thesify and Paperpal as AI writing tools. Find out more on how thesify provides a downloadable feedback report that scores your draft on thesis clarity, purpose and cohesion. Its chat assistant, Theo, stays in a single thread so you can ask follow‑up questions without losing context. While Paperpal, offers an AI review that organises advice into panels such as Objective Clarification and Research Question.