What Goes in an Abstract for APA?

An abstract is a single introductory paragraph, consisting of anywhere from 150 and 250 words, at the beginning of research documents, professional journals and abstract indexes. The abstract's purpose is to provide the reader with a summary of the paper's key points. Including an abstract in a paper saves the reader precious research time, as she can determine based on the information provided in the abstract if the document would interest and benefit her and her own research.
  1. Motivation for Writing the Document

    • Explaining your reason for writing about a particular subject is always a good place to start. Use the motivation sentence of your abstract to discuss why the problem you researched is important. You can also use the motivation as an opportunity to tell the reader why she should care about your research and how your research will impact your chosen field of study.

    Problem Addressed in the Writer's Research

    • The next topic you should include in your abstract is an explanation of the problem. The problem sentence allows you to discuss the problem you are trying to solve and what approach you are taking to solve this problem. Try to keep the description of the problem (as well as the rest of your abstract) somewhat simplified, so that your abstract will appeal to a larger audience.

    Writer's Approach to the Problem

    • Briefly describe what approach you took to solve the problem. Include information explaining how in depth you went with your research on the subject. Remember to include information about variables and how you manipulated them for your study (i.e., did you control, ignore or measure variables that popped up during your research).

    Result of the Writer's Study

    • Explain the results you obtained from your research, and disclose to the reader what the results of your research taught you or how your research benefits your specific field of study. Supply the reader with just enough information to allow the reader to make an informed decision as to whether she wishes to continue reading the full results section.

    Implications of the Writer's Research

    • The implications of your research should be the information you use to finish off your abstract. Explain what changes could be implemented based on the results of your findings in the research. Also include information explaining what impact your findings have on the subject as a whole.

    Key Words

    • The abstract paragraph should be followed by a few key words that describe the content of your writing and the main points of your document. You can include key words that relate to what you wrote in your abstract, such as your field of study, the problem you are studying, your results or implications of your research.

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