An academic summary is a brief restatement of all the essential points of a research paper. The abstract is a single paragraph and is subject to specific word limits, typically less than 300 words. It is only below the title or at the end of the article. Please note that an abstract is NOT an introduction or plan for the article. In the words of Craig W. Allin, “Summaries are an exercise in writing with precision and efficiency.”

In fact, the abstract is written after the research and the entire article is completed. It must be written in the same language as the document and must be translated into one of the languages ​​of the world. We can say that the main purpose of an abstract is to allow a quick evaluation of the applicability, importance and validity of a research paper. But always remember that the reader KNOWS the topic but HAS NOT READ the article.

The summary presents the information in four general sections: INTRODUCTION, METHODS, RESULTS and RECOMMENDATIONS. It is worth noting that an abstract is text only and strictly follows the logical order of the article. That is, the abstract must be parallel to the structure of the original article. At the same time, it does NOT add new information, that is, that is not indicated in the document. Now notice that the summary can be viewed as a separate document. This is why it must be unified, coherent (ie provide appropriate transitions or logical links between the information included), concise, and capable of standing alone. In other words, the abstract must be complete in itself.

Sure, it sometimes happens that an abstract is read together with the title, and in general it is probably read without the rest of the document. In fact, we could consider that the abstract is the most important part of a scientific article. From this it follows, then, that it is essential to include all the keywords related to the study. Keep in mind that keywords (also called search terms) represent the most important terms or concepts (words or phrases) relevant to your topic.

There are two types of summaries: descriptive and informative. Tea descriptive or indicative summary, identifies the content of the research or the basic theme of the article, demonstrating the organization of the work without providing results or conclusions. Therefore, it is not very informative. This type of abstract is always very short, usually less than 100 words; and it is useful for a long report. On the other hand, the informative abstract, also known simply as an abstract, gives the main argument and summarizes the main data, providing the reader with an overview of the study’s objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. Therefore, be specific. You may have also heard of a “structured summary” – this is a subtype of the informational summary that has more than one paragraph.

What to include?

Summary content includes:

• Motivation and purpose: main topic or research question and review of the relevant literature.
• Specific details: statement of the problem, approach, objectives, hypothesis, research methodology (adopted method(s) or search strategies).
• Results: main findings (proposed solutions to the problem) and discussion.
• Conclusions and implications/results: what the results mean and other points.

As we can see, the abstract should say:

• The problem addressed and some background.
• The proposed solution or idea (facts just observed).
• An example showing how it works.
• An evaluation: a comparison with existing answers/techniques.

Then, an abstract should provide answers to the following questions:

• What and why.
• what you found.
• How did you do it.

But how do we start?

What would be an effective way to start a summary? To help you on your way, let’s consider some introductory sentences.

First, let’s look at some opening sentences that do NOT offer any real information:

1. This article reports on a method for…
2. The article explores the notions of…
3. The purpose of our research is to consider how…
4. The objective of this study is to determine…

So it’s clear that you should avoid writing a scope statement.

On the other hand, the sentences below represent good examples of introductory statements, since they go directly to the subject. They give something to the reader. Let’s see how it works:

1. The development process of hypermedia and web systems raises very specific problems that do not appear in other software applications, such as…
2. Given a large data set, a common data mining problem is to extract the frequent patterns that occur in this set..
3. According to many recent studies, the effect of learning style on academic performance has been found to be significant and the mismatch between teaching and learning styles leads to learning failures and frustration..

The Do’s and Don’ts of Abstract Writing

• Write a single paragraph.
• Complies with the specific word length.
• Answer the questions: what, why and how.
• Use language familiar to the reader.
• Use some keywords.
• Write short sentences.
• Improve transitions between sentences.
• Use the active voice.
• Use the third person singular.
• Begin with a clear introductory statement written in the present tense.
• Do not use time in the main body.
• Write a concluding statement in the present tense: just say what the results mean (eg. “These results suggest…”).
• Fix the grammar.
• Use headings, subheadings, and tables as a guide for writing.
• Print and reread the summary.
• Do not cite sections of the article.
• Do not include references to the literature and to figures and tables.
• Do not use abbreviations.
• Do not add new information.
• Do not add superfluous information.
• Do not add opinions.
• Do not repeat information.
• Do not repeat the title of the article.