Begin the abstract with a statement of the problem, or your motivation for study. In other words, you want to explain why the topic is relevant and worth attention. How does your project help fix a problem or add significant data to your field of study? Even if your research does not solve an issue, you can explain how your research helps add to the overall discussion, solving the issue or at least providing an interesting viewpoint worth considering, providing new viewpoints that can help solve future problems or lead to future insights. The opening lines of an abstract should help the reader understand why your topic is important.
Explain your methodology. The abstract should provide a brief description of your approach to your study. What are your sources? Did you conduct a field study or rely on textual references? The more precisely you can lay out your methodology, the more credible your findings will be.
Report on your findings. For most research projects, this element is the longest part of the abstract. However, depending on your field of study, this is not always the case. Berkley University's website explains that various abstract components are weighted differently based on your academic discipline. For example, a scientific abstract might emphasize methods and findings, whereas literary research may lean heavily toward a discussion of the problem and motivation for studying the work of literature at hand. Use your best judgment when picking points of emphasis for your abstract report. Just remember that every abstract should include at least a bit of all four key points: the problem, methodology, results and conclusion.
Conclude by extending the findings to the broader field of study. Think about the "big picture" impact of your results. While your results may be worthwhile simply as a progression of academic discourse, it is important that the abstract report also examine some broader significance. How do your findings help solve or change the problem? To what extent is further study needed? Explore lingering big picture questions as a conclusion to your abstract report.
Edit the abstract so that it is around 150 to 200 words. Abstracts are designed to provide snapshots of your work, so don't worry if this word count doesn't allow you to get into great detail. Make sure the problem, methodology, results and conclusion are all present. Once you've covered those four basics, get rid of any fluff or filler, just sticking to the bare-bones information essential to your report.