An abstract summarizes the major aspects of the paper in one paragraph.  The reader should gain an understanding of what you did and your major findings from your abstract. Abstracts are usually written after the rest of the paper is complete so that sections may be appropriately summarized.

The following is the appropriate sequence, with each component comprising 1-3 sentences each:

  • the context and experimental questions investigated (from Introduction)
  • methodological approaches used (from Methods)
  • the major findings including key quantitative results, or trends (from Results)
  • a brief summary of your interpretations and conclusions/connection to broader context. (from Discussion)

Abstracts in published articles are typically 200-300 words in length.  For assignments in introductory classes, 50-100 words is appropriate.

Example