What does the abstract do?
The abstract is a compelling summary of the journal article. Readers use it to decide whether a journal article is worth a read.
The structure of IMRaD abstract
Usually around 250 words.
- Introduction: Provide context, identify the knowledge gap, and state the study’s aims and scope (2–3 sentences).
- Methods: Summarise the study design (e.g., location, population, model; 1–2 sentences).
- Results: Present the most important or interesting[^1] findings (2–3 sentences).
- Discussion: Highlight the most important or interesting[^1] conclusions and their implications (2–3 sentences).
What makes an abstract compelling?
A good abstract piques the curiosity of your reader. So you need to find out what they find interesting: e.g. what kind of context do they care about, what results and conclusions would they want to read more about?
Make sure you provide enough detail — people tend to gloss over vague descriptions because they feel generic. Instead of writing “this study is important for treating mitochondrial disorders”, write: “This study opens up new therapeutic possibilities for treating mitochondrial disorders that affect approximately 1 in 5,000 people worldwide.”
Writing the abstract: 3 steps
- Summarise each section of your paper (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion).
- Summarise again.
- Keep summarising until you’ve reached the word count, such that you have the 1-3 sentences needed for each section of the abstract.
Tips for a good abstract
- Use your [[topic sentences]] and [[concluding sentences]] to summarise easily.
- Copy-edit the abstract using clear and precise language.
- Write the abstract after writing the main text to ensure you have an accurate summary.
- If someone advises you to write the abstract first, they likely mean to use it as a tool to plan your paper, not as an actual, final version of the abstract.
- Look at abstract in your target journal and match their style (headings, length, emphasis on findings, sentence structures that stand out, etc.)
Common pitfalls
Abstracts should accurately summarise the main text. However, sometimes new insights can pop up while you’re writing the abstract. Don’t include those in the abstract unless they are clearly stated in the main text.