5 Reasons Why Your Abstract is Important

What is the abstract’s purpose?

The purpose of an abstract is to provide a concise and accurate description of the study, allowing readers to quickly understand the main points without having to read the entire document. Abstracts are typically between 150-300 words in length and should generally include the following elements:

• Background and study aim: Provide a brief introduction to the research problem or question and the goal of the research.
• Methods: Describe the methods used to conduct the study.
• Results: Summarize the main findings of the study.
• Conclusions: Explain the significance and implications of the study's results.

Note that the specific sections included in your abstract as well as the word count will depend on the requirements of your target journal or publisher. This information can generally be found under “Author Guidelines” on a journal’s webpage.  

An abstract should be written in a clear, concise, and objective manner, using plain language and avoiding technical jargon whenever possible.

Here are five reasons why an abstract is important in a scientific paper:

1. The abstract provides a quick overview

The abstract is the first section of a scientific paper that readers encounter. This is your chance to hook your readers. Therefore, it should provide a brief overview of the entire paper, including your key findings. An abstract enables readers to quickly understand the purpose of the research and decide if the paper is relevant to their interests.

Researchers often need to read through many papers to find the information they need. The abstract allows readers to quickly determine if a paper is relevant to their needs, saving them time and effort.

2. A well-written abstract increases accessibility and visibility

Abstracts are often published in databases and indexes which allows researchers to search for papers based on specific keywords in search engines such as Google Scholar, the Web of Science Master Journal List, or PubMed. This makes it easier for both researchers and the public to find relevant papers and access the information they need in search engines.

3. Abstracts save researchers and journal editors time 

Researchers often need to read through many papers to find the information they need. The abstract allows readers to quickly determine if a paper is relevant to their needs, saving them time and effort.

Journals receive many articles. Editors do not have the time read through entire manuscripts. A well-written abstract can give editors the jist of your research in a short amount of time. Many journals use abstracts to help determine which articles to publish.

4. An abstract can improve understanding

The abstract summarizes the key findings and conclusions of the research. This enables readers to quickly understand the implications of the research and its potential impact on their field.

5. An abstract enables critical appraisal

Abstracts enable readers to critically appraise the research by providing a summary of the methods and results. This allows readers to evaluate the quality and reliability of the research and determine if the conclusions are supported by the evidence presented.

Final thoughts

The main purpose of an abstract is to help readers quickly determine if a paper is relevant to their interests and if it provides information that is useful to their research. The abstract should provide an overview of the research question, methods, results, and conclusions of the paper, allowing readers to quickly understand the main points of the paper and decide if they want to read the full article.

In addition, the abstract also serves as a tool for indexing and searching scientific literature databases, allowing researchers to quickly and easily locate relevant papers based on specific keywords or topics.

Even though they are short, abstracts can be one of the most difficult sections of a paper to write. For additional help, check out these resources:

• TooWrite
• Developmental Editing Template from AJE Scholar
• Writing an Abstract for your Research Paper, with samples, from the University of Wisconsin
• Example abstract in a published research paper