Why should a researcher write an abstract in research paper? Why is writing an abstract in research paper important after writing the entire research paper? How does the abstract or summary of the research paper help the researcher who is publishing his research? What is the role of an abstract in a research paper? These questions are the most common questions that come to researchers. They look to various sources to answer these questions.
What Does an Abstract Mean in Research?
Abstract in research is a well-developed single paragraph that is approximately 250 words in length. All parts of the article are summarized in the abstract. Although the abstract is placed immediately after the research title at the beginning of the article, you should know that the abstract is the last thing that the researcher writes.
An abstract is a brief academic text, and the presence of an abstract in research paper is necessary for the following reasons:
1. It helps the potential reader to understand the relevance of your research study to their own research.
2- It helps to share your key findings with those who have limited time to read your whole paper.
3- It helps to rank the article in search engines based on keywords in academic databases.
Purposes of Writing an Abstract in Research Paper
Writing an abstract in research is necessary to achieve the following goals:
Submission of articles to journals
Application for research grants
Completion and submission of thesis
Submission of proposals to conference papers
Different Parts of Abstract
The format of your abstract depends on the research field of your paper. However, all abstracts generally include the following sections:
Reason for writing
The importance of the research study should be mentioned in the abstract. Additionally, you can start with a broader research question and address why the reader would be interested in that particular research question.
Research problem
You can mention what problem the research study chooses to solve. In addition, you can explain the scope of the project, the main discussion, and a brief description of the purpose of the thesis or what the study claims.
Methodology
You can also include a line or two about the specific approaches and models that are used in the research study. Some research studies may discuss the evidence throughout the article. You can describe the types of evidence used in the research instead of writing about the methodology.
Results
The purpose of scientific research is to obtain specific data that will show the results of the project. Therefore, you can cite the results and discuss the findings more generally.
Conclusion
Finally, you can discuss how the research work contributes to the scientific community and add to the knowledge related to the research topic. Also, you can talk about whether your findings or conclusions can help future research and researchers.
Types of abstracts in Research Paper Based on Content
The types of abstracts based on the content of the abstract are:
1- Descriptive
A descriptive abstract in a research paper is usually short, around 50-100 words. This type of abstract includes various common sections, such as context, purpose, focus of the research, and overview of the study.
This type of abstract does not include a detailed presentation of the results and only presents the results in a statement without mentioning numerical or statistical data. In addition, descriptive abstracts guide readers to the nature of the article’s content.
2- Informative
The Informative abstract describes the nature of the report and is usually around 200 words. In addition, these abstracts have common sections, such as background, objective, methodology, results, and conclusion. The informative abstract provides detailed data on the content of the work, especially in the results section.
Types of Abstracts in Research Paper Based on Format
1- Structured
This type of abstract has one paragraph for each section, including an introduction, materials and methods, results, and conclusion. Additionally, structured abstracts are often required for informative abstracts.
2- Semi-structured
A semi-structured abstract is written in just one paragraph, where each sentence corresponds to a section. In addition, all the sections mentioned in the structured abstract are present in the semi-structured abstract.
3- Non-structured
In a non-structured abstract, there is no division between each section. Sentences are included in a single paragraph. This type of presentation is ideal for descriptive abstracts.