Readers decide in seconds whether your paper is worth their time, and they decide based on the abstract. Database searches show it, conference committees accept or reject on it, and instructors read it first to form an impression. Yet abstracts are often written last, in a rush, by cutting sentences from the introduction. A good abstract is not a teaser or an introduction. It is a miniature version of the entire paper, including the results.
What an Abstract Must Do
An abstract lets a reader understand the study without reading the paper. It should be:
- Complete: covering purpose, methods, results and conclusions
- Concise: every sentence carries information
- Accurate: reporting only what appears in the paper
- Self-contained: no undefined abbreviations, no citations in most styles, no references to figures
The Four (or Five) Moves
Most research abstracts follow the same sequence, sometimes called "moves". Use roughly one or two sentences for each.
| Move | Question it answers | Share of the abstract |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Background / purpose | Why does this study exist, and what did it aim to do? | About 20% |
| 2. Methods | How was the study done? Design, participants, measures, analysis | About 25% |
| 3. Results | What did you find? Key numbers | About 30 to 35% |
| 4. Conclusion | What do the findings mean? | About 15% |
| 5. Implications (optional) | Who should act on this, and how? | About 5 to 10% |
Notice that results take the largest share. The most common weakness in student abstracts is spending most of the word count on background and leaving one vague sentence for findings.
Structured vs Unstructured Abstracts
| Structured | Unstructured | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Labelled headings: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions | One continuous paragraph |
| Common in | Medicine, nursing, health sciences, many science journals | Humanities, social sciences, APA student papers, theses |
| Advantage | Easy to scan; hard to leave out results | Flows naturally; flexible for non-empirical work |
Use whichever your instructor, journal or conference specifies. If not specified, an unstructured paragraph that still follows the moves is the safe default.
Word Counts by Context
| Context | Typical limit |
|---|---|
| APA 7 student or professional paper | Commonly 150 to 250 words (check instructor or journal) |
| Journal article | Often 150 to 300 words, set by the journal |
| Conference submission | Often 250 to 500 words, set by the conference |
| Master's thesis | Often up to 300 to 350 words |
| Doctoral dissertation | Often up to 350 words; some institutions allow more |
Limits are strict. Conference systems often cut text that exceeds the limit, and some journals return manuscripts with over-length abstracts unread.
Step-by-Step Method
- Write it last. You cannot summarise findings you have not finalised.
- Reread your paper and highlight the purpose statement, method details, main results and conclusion.
- Write one or two sentences per move without worrying about length.
- Add the numbers. Sample size, key statistics or main themes make an abstract credible.
- Cut ruthlessly to the word limit: remove background detail, filler phrases and repetition.
- Check consistency with the paper: same numbers, same terms, same conclusions.
- Add keywords if required.
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Get abstract helpCompare servicesExample: Quantitative Study (Unstructured)
Burnout among emergency department nurses is associated with turnover and patient safety risks, yet few studies have tested scheduling interventions. This study examined whether a flexible self-scheduling pilot reduced burnout. Using a pre-post design, 84 nurses at two urban hospitals completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory before and six months after the pilot. Emotional exhaustion scores decreased significantly following the intervention, and depersonalisation scores also declined, while personal accomplishment did not change significantly. Flexible self-scheduling was associated with lower emotional exhaustion and may be a low-cost strategy for reducing burnout. Larger controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings.
(About 100 words. Illustrative example; in a real abstract, report the actual statistics, such as means and p values, as your journal or instructor requires.)
Example: Qualitative Study (Structured)
Background: First-generation university students face distinct challenges, but their experiences of academic advising are rarely studied.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 first-generation undergraduates at a public university and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results: Three themes emerged: uncertainty about what to ask, the value of advisors who shared similar backgrounds, and reliance on peers when advising felt inaccessible.
Conclusions: Proactive, relationship-based advising may better support first-generation students than appointment-based models.
Sentence Templates for Each Move
| Move | Templates |
|---|---|
| Background | "Although ... is widely recognised, little is known about..." / "... remains a major challenge for..." |
| Purpose | "This study examined..." / "The aim of this review was to..." |
| Methods | "Using a [design], [number] [participants] completed..." / "Data were analysed using..." |
| Results | "[Variable] was significantly associated with..." / "Three themes emerged:..." |
| Conclusion | "These findings suggest that..." / "... may offer a practical approach to..." |
| Implications | "Educators should consider..." / "Future research should test..." |
Use the past tense for what you did and found ("participants completed", "scores decreased") and the present tense for conclusions and implications ("these findings suggest").
Before and After: Tightening an Abstract
| Wordy original | Tightened |
|---|---|
| "In this paper, the researchers set out to investigate and explore the question of whether or not..." | "This study examined whether..." |
| "A total number of 84 nurses who worked in emergency departments participated in the study." | "Eighty-four emergency department nurses participated." |
| "The results of the analysis that was conducted showed that there was a decrease..." | "Scores decreased..." |
| "It can be concluded from these findings that it is possible that..." | "These findings suggest..." |
Cutting filler like this often saves 30 to 50 words, which you can spend on the results.
Abstracts for Non-Empirical Papers
Literature reviews, theoretical papers and argumentative essays still need abstracts, but the moves change:
| Paper type | Moves to include |
|---|---|
| Literature review | Purpose, scope and search approach, main themes or findings, gaps, implications |
| Theoretical or argumentative paper | Issue, thesis, main lines of argument, conclusion |
| Case study | Context, case description, key issues, lessons learned |
| Capstone or quality improvement project | Problem, intervention, setting, outcomes, implications for practice |
For capstone-specific advice, see our guide to the nursing capstone abstract.
Conference Abstracts
Conference abstracts are judged differently from journal abstracts. Reviewers are deciding whether your work will interest an audience, often before the study is finished.
- Match the theme. Use the conference's track or theme language where it honestly applies.
- Report preliminary results if data collection is ongoing, and say so clearly; avoid promising results you do not yet have.
- State the takeaway. What will attendees learn or be able to use?
- Follow the submission form exactly: many systems have separate boxes for each move with strict character limits.
APA 7 Formatting
- The abstract starts on its own page after the title page.
- The label "Abstract" is bold and centred at the top.
- The text is a single paragraph with no first-line indent, double-spaced.
- Keywords, if required, go on a new line below: the label Keywords: indented and italicised, followed by three to five keywords in plain text.
- APA student papers often do not require an abstract unless your instructor asks for one.
Choosing Keywords
Keywords help databases and search engines index your work. Choose terms a researcher would actually search for, include synonyms not already in your title, and use standard terminology in your field (for health sciences, MeSH terms are a good guide).
Common Mistakes
- No results, or results described only as "findings are discussed"
- Too much background, crowding out methods and findings
- Copying sentences straight from the introduction
- Undefined abbreviations and jargon
- Claims not in the paper, or conclusions stronger than the data support
- Citations in the abstract, which most styles discourage
- Exceeding the word limit
Abstract FAQ
Most abstracts are 150 to 300 words. APA papers commonly use 150 to 250, conference abstracts often allow 250 to 500, and theses and dissertations commonly allow up to around 350. Always follow the specific limit you are given.
Yes. For empirical studies, results are the most important part of the abstract and should take the largest share of the word count, including key numbers where possible.
Last. The abstract summarises the whole paper, so it should be written once the results and conclusions are final.
Generally no. Most styles discourage citations in abstracts, which should be self-contained. Some fields allow exceptions, such as when the study replicates a specific earlier work.
An abstract summarises the entire study, including methods, results and conclusions. An introduction sets up the problem and purpose but does not report the findings.