Sections of an Abstract: Key Components
Effective abstracts are structured with clear, focused sections that provide a complete snapshot of your research:
1. Introduction
- Answers the question: What is the research about?
- Summarizes the core content of the paper.
- Defines the importance of the research and its relevance.
- Highlights the gap in knowledge or the problem the study addresses.
2. Methodology
- Answers the question: How was the research conducted?
- Describes the research design, population, and setting.
- Outlines the tools, techniques, and methods used for data collection.
- Mentions any validation processes for the findings.
3. Results
- Answers the question: What were the findings?
- Summarizes key results and observations from the study.
- Describes how the results align with or diverge from the original hypothesis.
- Written in the past tense, focusing only on the findings.
4. Conclusion
- Answers the question: So what? What are the implications?
- Interprets the results and their significance for the field.
- Describes the long-term impact or future research directions.
- Can include recommendations based on the findings.