You’ve completed your thesis or dissertation, and now it’s time to tackle the abstract. This brief section, sometimes called the executive summary, is crucial for summarizing your work in a way that grabs attention. If you’re unsure where to start or what to include, don’t worry. This guide will break it down step by step, using clear language and practical examples.

What is an abstract?

An abstract in a dissertation or thesis is a brief summary that highlights the main points of your research. It’s usually one paragraph long, typically between 300 and 500 words, but the length may vary depending on your university’s guidelines.

To clarify, while an abstract and an executive summary are often confused, they are different in academic writing. An abstract focuses only on describing the research, what it's about and how it was done, without going into the findings. An executive summary, however, includes both the research description and its findings. In dissertations and theses, the abstract typically includes both aspects: a summary of the study and its main results.

A well-written abstract for a dissertation or thesis generally covers the following:

1. The purpose of your research: What is the study about, and why is it important?

2. The methodology: How did you conduct the research?

3. Key findings: What did your research uncover?

4. The significance of these findings: What do these findings mean for the field?

In this guide, we’ll dive deeper into each of these sections. Stay tuned!

What’s the purpose of the abstract?

A dissertation abstract serves two main purposes:

First, it helps potential readers quickly understand the core idea of your research. They don't have to read the entire dissertation; they can simply read the abstract to learn what your research is about, what you were trying to discover, and what you found. When people decide whether to read your full dissertation, the abstract is the first thing they’ll check.

Second, the abstract plays a key role in helping search engines and dissertation databases categorize your work. The keywords and phrases you include in your abstract (along with your keyword list) are used by these search engines to help users find your dissertation.

In simple terms, think of your abstract as the window display of a shop—it’s what both people and search engines look at first before deciding to explore more.

Why’s it so important?

The short answer: most people don’t have the time to read your entire dissertation or thesis! After all, time is valuable.

Think back to when you were doing your literature review, you probably realized how important abstracts are. Researchers need to go through a lot of material, so they look for ways to save time. A good abstract gives them a quick summary of your work, letting them decide if they want to dive deeper into your full dissertation. In this way, your abstract works like a store window display, it needs to grab the reader's attention and make them want to learn more.

You might be thinking, "But I don't plan to publish my dissertation." Even so, you still need a strong abstract for your reviewers. How well you summarize your research is part of what they are grading. A well-crafted abstract is a key part of your assessment.

Also, for grad students, your dissertation or thesis is often your biggest professional achievement and shows your unique skills. Potential employers who want to know about your expertise are likely to read your abstract first. Make sure it reflects your work well, because that’s what will catch their eye.

Think of your thesis like a book—your abstract is like the blurb on the back cover. Whether it’s good or not, readers will judge your work by it.

How to write your abstract

As mentioned earlier, your abstract should cover four key aspects of your research: the purpose, methodology, findings, and implications. These four points need to be addressed in the same order in your dissertation or thesis abstract. Let's break down each one:

Step 1: Explain the Purpose and Importance of Your Research

In this section, you need to briefly explain what your research set out to achieve and why it matters. This is where you’ll answer two main questions:

• What were your research goals and questions?

• Why are these questions important?

This part should be clear, concise, and convincing. It's the first section of your abstract, so it needs to grab your reader’s attention and make them want to learn more about your work. If you don’t make this part strong, your reader might lose interest.

Step 2: Summarize Your Research Methodology

Next, you’ll need to explain how you answered your research questions. This section should cover your research design and methodology in a brief but clear way. Here are the key things to mention:

• Did you use a qualitative or quantitative approach?

• Who or what did you study?

• How did you gather your data?

• How did you analyze the data?

This section doesn't need to be long, but it should address these key points to show the “how” of your research.

Step 3: Present Your Key Findings

Now, it’s time to highlight the most important results of your research. Your study may have produced a lot of data, but in this section, focus only on the key findings—those that directly answer the questions you set out to explore.

Be brief and clear. Your goal is to quickly communicate the most significant discoveries for your reader.

Step 4: Explain the Implications of Your Research

Have you ever read a lengthy report and wondered, “What does all this mean?” That’s where the implications section comes in. It helps your reader understand the bigger picture of your research.

In this part of your abstract, you should answer these questions:

• How do your findings impact the field or industry? What’s the real-world significance of your results?

• What do your findings mean for existing research? Do they support or challenge earlier studies?

• What are the future research possibilities? How might your results shape further studies on this topic?

By addressing these key points in your abstract, you’ll give readers a clear understanding of your research’s value and impact.

Example: Dissertation/Thesis Abstract

Below is an example of a dissertation or thesis abstract, showing how the purpose, methods, findings, and implications are organized and highlighted.

Practical Tips for Writing Your Abstract

When writing the abstract for your dissertation or thesis, one of the best strategies is to think about your audience. Imagine that the reader is not an expert in your field, but is still interested in the topic. Write for a smart, general reader—not for someone already deeply familiar with the subject.

Start by asking yourself, “Why should someone read my dissertation?”

Remember the WWHS:

• What did you study (including who and where)?

• Why is the topic important?

• How did you design your study (your research method)?

• So what were the key findings and what do they mean?

Keep it simple

Use clear and straightforward language, appropriate for your field, but avoid heavy jargon or complicated terms. A good abstract should be easy to understand for a wide range of readers. Always write with the intelligent layman in mind.

Be Specific

When writing your abstract, make sure to clearly highlight your most important findings and insights. Don’t worry about giving away too much of your research. Unlike a book blurb, your abstract should provide a full view of your key discoveries. The reader should be able to understand the main takeaways of your dissertation or thesis just by reading the abstract. If they want more details, they can dive into the full paper to learn more.