Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d’Oran Mohamed Boudiaf USTO
Faculté de chimie
L2-GP / 2023-2024 Anglais technique
What’s an abstract?
An abstract is a short summary of a longer work (such as
a thesis, dissertation or research paper). The abstract concisely reports the aims and outcomes
of your research, so that readers know exactly what your paper is about.
Although the structure may vary slightly depending on your discipline, your abstract should
describe the purpose of your work, the methods you’ve used, and the conclusions you’ve
drawn.
Abstracts are usually around 100–300 words, but there’s often a strict word
limit, so make sure to check the relevant requirements. In a dissertation or
thesis, include the abstract on a separate page, after the title
page and acknowledgements but before the table of contents.
You will almost always have to include an abstract when: completing
a thesis or dissertation, submitting a research paper to an academic journal,
writing a book or research proposal or applying for research grants
It’s easiest to write your abstract last, right before the proofreading stage,
because it’s a summary of the work you’ve already done. Your abstract should:
be a self-contained text, not an excerpt from your paper and be fully
understandable on its own.
One common way to structure your abstract is to use the IMRaD structure. This stands for:
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Step 1: Introduction: Start by clearly defining the purpose of your research. What practical
or theoretical problem does the research respond to, or what research question did you aim to
answer? You can include some brief context on the social or academic relevance of
your dissertation topic, but don’t go into detailed background information. If your abstract
uses specialized terms that would be unfamiliar to the average academic reader or that have
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Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d’Oran Mohamed Boudiaf USTO
Faculté de chimie
L2-GP / 2023-2024 Anglais technique
various different meanings, give a concise definition. After identifying the problem, state the
objective of your research. Use verbs like “investigate,” “test,” “analyze,” or “evaluate” to
describe exactly what you set out to do.
This part of the abstract can be written in the present or past simple tense but should never
refer to the future, as the research is already complete.
Step 2: Methods: indicate the research methods that you used to answer your question. This
part should be a straightforward description of what you did in one or two sentences. It is
usually written in the past simple tense, as it refers to completed actions. Don’t
evaluate validity or obstacles here—the goal is not to give an account of the methodology’s
strengths and weaknesses, but to give the reader a quick insight into the overall approach and
procedures you used. This part of the abstract can be written in the past simple tense (refers
to complete actions).
Step 3: Results: summarize the main research results. This part of the abstract can be in the
present or past simple tense. Depending on how long and complex your research is, you
may not be able to include all results here. Try to highlight only the most important findings
that will allow the reader to understand your conclusions.
Step 4: Discussion: Finally, you should discuss the main conclusions of your research: what
is your answer to the problem or question? The reader should finish with a clear
understanding of the central point that your research has proved or argued. Conclusions are
usually written in the present simple tense. If there are important limitations to your research
(for example, related to your sample size or methods), you should mention them briefly in the
abstract. This allows the reader to accurately assess the credibility and generalizability of your
research. If your aim was to solve a practical problem, your discussion might include
recommendations for implementation. If relevant, you can briefly make suggestions for
further research.
Keywords: If your paper will be published, you might have to add a list of keywords at the
end of the abstract. These keywords should reference the most important elements of the
research to help potential readers find your paper during their own literature searches.
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