Locating Main Ideas

and
Writing an Abstract
Prepared by:
Vanette D. Dalisay, LPT
 OVERVIEW
I. Understanding the Thesis Statement

II. Strategies in Locating the Thesis Statement

III. Understanding the Topic Sentence

IV. Strategies in Locating the Topic Sentence

V. Understanding an Abstract

VI. Moves in Writing an Abstract

VII. Sample Abstract

VIII. Some Vocabulary Words in this Lesson

IX. References
 Understanding the Thesis
Statement
A thesis statement is a full sentence that narrows
the topic specifically to what the essay is about.

It also gives a preview of the subdivisions or

subtopics to be developed in the body of the essay.

It presents or describes the point of a text.

In an academic text, the thesis statement is usually

presented in the abstract or executive summary or
found in the last part of the introduction and is
written in a declarative sentence
Understanding the Thesis
Statement

In some cases, the thesis

statement located at the last
part of the introduction is
replaced with a purpose
statement.

Unlike the thesis statement,

the purpose statement is
introduced by signal phrases
that present the purpose,
scope, or direction of the text
as well as its focus.

These signal phrases include:

“This study examined...”

“This paper examines…”
“The aim of this essay is o...”
“This paper begins with…”
“In this paper, I hope to…”
“The primary objective of this
paper is to…”
“The purpose of this essay is to...”
 Strategies in Locating the Thesis
Statement

Read the title of the

text and make
inferences on its
purpose.

If the text has no abstract

or executive summary, read
the first few paragraphs as
the thesis statement is
usually located there.

In other cases, you may

also check the conclusion
where authors sum up
and review their main
points.
Understanding the Topic Sentence

The topic sentence presents or describes the

point of a paragraph.

In other words, it is the main idea of a paragraph.

It can be located at the beginning, in the middle, or

at the last part of a paragraph.
The topic sentence is usually (but
not always) the first sentence in a
paragraph.

Experienced writers sometimes put

topic sentences in other locations,
but the best spot is usually right at
the beginning.

Readers who are used to the

English way of writing want to know
what they will read about as soon
as they begin reading.

Synonyms

Synonyms. words that have the same basic meaning. do not always have the
same emotional meaning. For example, the words stingy and frugal both
mean "careful with money." However, calling someone stingy is an insult, but
calling someone frugal is a compliment. Similarly, a person wants to be
slender but not skinny, aggressive but not pushy. Therefore, you should be
careful in choosing words because many so-called synonyms are not really
synonymous at all.
 Sometimes a topic sentence comes at the end. In this case,
the paragraph often begins with a series of examples.

Other paragraphs may begin with a series of facts, and the

topic sentence at the end is the conclusion from these facts.

By the year 2009, a vaccine against the common cold will have been
developed. By the same year, the first human will have been successfully
cloned. By the year 2014, parents will be able to create designer children.
Genetic therapy will be able to manipulate genes for abilities, intelligence,
and hair, eye, and skin color. By 2020, most diseases will be able to be
diagnosed and treated at home, and by 2030, cancer and heart disease will
have been wiped out. These are just a few examples of the medical miracles
that are expected in the next few decades.

The topic sentence does not only

name the topic of the paragraph but
also limits the topic to one specific
area that can be discussed
completely in the space of a single
paragraph.

The part of the topic sentence that

announces the specific area to be
discussed is called the controlling
idea.

TOPIC CONTROLLING IDEA

Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics.

Controlling ideas sometimes are implied rather than stated
directly. But most of the time they are stated clearly in a topic
sentence.

The controlling idea may be expressed as a claim that the writer

makes about something.

Supporting sentences develop the

topic sentence.

That is, they explain or prove the

topic sentence by giving more
information about it.

Following are some of the supporting sentences that

explain the topic sentence about gold.

First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to

corrosion.
For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today
as the day it was made 25 centuries ago.
Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to
industry and science.
The most recent use of gold is in astronauts' suits.
The concluding sentence signals the end of the paragraph and
leaves the reader with important points to remember:

In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for
its utility.

Strategies in Locating the Thesis

Statement

Browse the sentences in the

Read the first sentence of the
paragraph to identify what they
paragraph very carefully
describe. The sentence that
because most authors state
best describes the topic of the
their topic sentence at the
paragraph is the topic
beginning of the paragraph.
sentence.

Find the concept or the idea

being tackled, which in Identify the purpose of the
colloquial term is the “big word” paragraph. The sentence that
in the paragraph. The sentence presents or describes the
that defines the big word is purpose of the topic sentence.
usually the topic sentence.

Observe the writing style of the

author. Focus specifically on
where he/she usually places his
/ her topic sentence.
 Understanding an Abstract

An abstract is a self-contained summary of

a larger work, such as research and
scientific papers or general academic papers
(published or unpublished).

The main purpose of an abstract is to help

people decide whether or not to read the
entire academic paper.

A well-prepared abstract allows a reader to

quickly and accurately identify the basic
content of your paper

The abstract contains only 200-300 words

and comprises one or two paragraphs.
 Moves in Writing an Abstract
Background/ What do you know about the topic?
The beginning of your abstract should provide a broad
Introduction/ overview of the entire project, just like the thesis statement.
Situation You can also use this section of your abstract to write out
your hypothesis or research question.

What is the study about?

Explain the purpose of your study/paper. Ideally in one
Present sentence, state the primary objectives and scope of the
research/ study or the reasons why the document was written.
Also, state the rationale for your research.
Purpose Why did you do the research? Is the topic you are
researching an ignored or newly discovered one?

How was it done?

Methods/ In terms of methodology (research methods), clearly state
the techniques or approaches used in your study.
Materials/
For papers concerned with non-experimental work (such as
Subjects/ those in the humanities, some social sciences, and the fine
Procedures arts) describe your sources and your use/interpretation of
the sources.

What was discovered?

Describe your results (the findings of your
Results/ experimentation), the data collected, and the effects
Findings observed as informatively and concisely as possible.
These results may be experimental or theoretical, just
remember to make note of that in your abstract.

What do the findings mean?

Discussion/ Your conclusions should in essence describe the
implications of the results: Why are the results of your
Conclusion/ study important to your field and how do they relate to the
Significance purpose of your investigation?
Often conclusion abstracts are associated with
recommendations, suggestions and both rejected and
accepted hypotheses.
Sample Abstract

Source: University of St. La Salle, Institutional Research Format

 Some Vocabulary Words in this
Lesson

Abstract - An abstract is a self-contained summary of a larger work,

such as research and scientific papers or general academic papers
(published or unpublished).

Academic Texts - Academic texts are critical, objective, and

specialized texts written by professionals or experts in a particular
field. They are written in formal language with a formal tone and style.
These are fact-based texts because they are objective. Examples of
academic texts include articles, conference papers, reviews, theses,
and dissertations.

Introduction - Academic texts typically follow the Introduction-Body-

Conclusion format. the background of the topic and thesis statement
are typically presented in the introduction section of an academic text.

Main Idea - It is the central, or most important, idea in a paragraph or

passage that the author wants to communicate to the readers.

Paragraph - A paragraph is a group of related sentences that discuss

one (and usually only one) main idea. It can be as short as one
sentence or as long as ten sentences. The number of sentences is
unimportant; however, the paragraph should be long enough to
develop the main idea clearly.

Scanning - It is reading quickly to find particular pieces of information,

for example, a statistic, a date, a person’s name, or the name of a
place.

Skimming - It is reading to get a general idea of the text.

Supporting Sentences - They develop the topic sentence; and

explain or prove the topic sentence by giving more information about it.
References