How to Write an Abstract: Steps, Template & Examples
An abstract is a short summary of a paper — usually 150–250 words — that states the objective, the methods, the results, and the conclusion so a reader can decide whether to read the whole thing. You write it last, once the paper is finished, and it has to make sense on its own.
This guide covers what to include, how long an abstract should be for each venue, a fill-in template, and three complete examples.
What is an abstract?
An abstract in a paper is a self-contained summary that appears before the introduction. It exists because almost nobody reads a paper to decide whether to read it — they read the abstract. Search databases index it, conference committees screen on it, and journal readers use it to triage.
That gives it two jobs at once: it has to report the study accurately, and it has to sell the paper well enough that the right reader keeps going. Unlike an introduction, an abstract gives away the ending. It states the results.
What to include: the 5 parts of an abstract
| Part | What it does | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Background | The context and why the problem matters | 1–2 sentences |
| Objective | The research question or purpose | 1 sentence |
| Methods | Design, participants, data, or approach | 1–2 sentences |
| Results | The key findings, with the actual numbers | 2–3 sentences |
| Conclusion | What it means and why it matters | 1–2 sentences |
In the sciences this maps onto the IMRaD structure — Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion — so a reliable shortcut is to write one or two sentences summarizing each major section of your paper, then stitch them together.
You may also see the 4 C’s referenced for conference submissions: clarity, conciseness, coherence, and cohesion. These are quality criteria rather than parts — they describe how the abstract should read, not what goes in it.
How long should an abstract be?
The default is 150–250 words, but the venue overrides everything. Always check the specific limit before you write.
| Venue | Typical limit |
|---|---|
| Journal article | 150–250 words |
| Conference abstract | 200–300 words |
| Conference program blurb | 50–100 words |
| Master’s thesis | 200–350 words |
| Doctoral dissertation | up to 350 words |
| APA 7th edition | no more than 250 words |
| Undergraduate project | 150–250 words |
An abstract is one of the few summaries with a hard cap rather than a ratio — a 6,000-word paper and a 300-page dissertation can both end up with a 250-word abstract. For everything else you summarize, see our guide on how long a summary should be.
How to write an abstract in 6 steps
1. Finish the paper first
Write the abstract last. An abstract drafted from your plan describes the study you intended to run, not the one you actually completed, and the mismatch is obvious to reviewers.
2. Pull one or two sentences from each section
Go through the paper section by section and write down the single most important sentence from each. Don’t edit yet — just collect. You should end up with five or six raw sentences covering background, objective, methods, results, and conclusion.
3. State your objective in one sentence
Reduce the research question to a single sentence starting with the purpose: This study examines…, This paper argues…, We tested whether…. If you can’t fit it in one sentence, the scope of what you’re describing is still too wide.
4. Put in the actual results
This is where most abstracts fail. “The results are discussed” tells the reader nothing. Give the finding and the number: Participants using the prototype completed tasks 32% faster. An abstract that withholds the results is an introduction wearing the wrong label.
5. Cut to the word limit
Remove citations, figure references, tables, and any abbreviation you haven’t defined. Then cut hedging and throat-clearing — it is important to note that, in this paper we will attempt to. Most first drafts lose a third of their length here without losing a single fact.
6. Read it as a stranger would
Cover the paper and read only the abstract. Does it make sense with no other context? Could someone in a neighbouring field follow it? If a term needs the paper to be understood, replace it.
Abstract template
Fill in the blanks, then smooth out the joins:
[Background.] Research on ______ has established ______, but ______ remains unclear.
[Objective.] This study examines ______ in order to determine ______.
[Methods.] We ______ using ______, with ______ participants/samples/texts over ______.
[Results.] ______ increased/decreased by ______, and ______ was associated with ______.
[Conclusion.] These findings suggest that ______, which has implications for ______.
Six sentences in that shape lands at roughly 150–200 words.
Abstract examples
Example 1 — empirical study (informative, IMRaD)
Remote work became standard for knowledge workers after 2020, but its effect on early-career development remains poorly understood. This study examines how remote onboarding affects the professional networks of new hires in their first year. We surveyed 412 employees at 14 technology firms at three, six, and twelve months after hiring, and compared network size and strength across fully remote, hybrid, and in-office cohorts. Fully remote hires reported 41% fewer weak-tie connections at twelve months than in-office hires, while strong-tie counts did not differ significantly across groups. Hybrid hires closely matched in-office hires on both measures. The findings suggest that remote onboarding constrains the incidental contact that builds weak ties, and that even limited in-person time may be enough to offset the effect.
Sentence 1 is background, sentence 2 the objective, sentence 3 the methods, sentences 4–5 the results with numbers, sentence 6 the conclusion. 132 words.
Example 2 — humanities paper
Critical accounts of the Victorian serial novel have long emphasized its commercial pressures, treating instalment structure as a constraint imposed by publishers. This article argues instead that serial form functioned as a deliberate narrative technique in the later work of Elizabeth Gaskell. Drawing on manuscript revisions, correspondence with her editors, and a close reading of instalment breaks in Wives and Daughters, it traces how Gaskell restructured chapters to place moral ambiguity rather than plot suspense at the cut. The evidence shows that these breaks consistently interrupt scenes of unresolved judgment, inviting readers to deliberate between instalments. Reading serial breaks as an interpretive device rather than a commercial artefact reframes Gaskell’s late fiction as formally experimental.
Humanities abstracts replace methods-and-results with argument-and-evidence, but the shape is identical: context, claim, evidence, significance. 116 words.
Example 3 — non-research project or conference talk
Community libraries are increasingly asked to provide digital-skills training with no dedicated budget. This session describes a peer-tutoring program developed across four branch libraries in which experienced patrons train newcomers on a rotating schedule. We outline the recruitment model, the six-week curriculum, and the scheduling tool that made the program sustainable without added staff hours. In its first year the program delivered 340 tutoring sessions and retained 78% of volunteer tutors. Attendees will leave with the curriculum outline, the scheduling template, and a checklist for adapting the model to their own branch.
A non-research abstract swaps findings for outcomes and adds what the audience gains. 92 words.
Types of abstracts
- Informative — the default. Reports the findings and conclusions, not just the topics. Every example above is informative.
- Descriptive — describes what the paper covers without giving the results. Rare, shorter (about 100 words), and mostly found in the humanities.
- Structured — the same content as an informative abstract, but with the headings printed in the text: Background · Objective · Methods · Results · Conclusion. Standard in medicine and required by many health journals.
- Critical — adds an evaluation of the study’s validity or completeness. Uncommon outside literature reviews.
If nobody has told you which one to write, write an informative abstract.
APA abstract format
For APA 7th edition, put the abstract on its own page after the title page. Centre the word Abstract in bold at the top, then start the text on the next line as a single paragraph with no indent, at no more than 250 words. If keywords are required, place them one line below, indented, in italics: Keywords: followed by three to five terms in lowercase, separated by commas.
Abstract vs. introduction vs. summary vs. executive summary
| Purpose | Gives away results? | Where it sits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract | Lets a reader decide whether to read the paper | Yes | Before the introduction |
| Introduction | Sets up the problem and the paper’s approach | No | First section of the paper |
| Summary | Condenses any text into its main points | Yes | Anywhere, often standalone |
| Executive summary | Lets a decision-maker act without reading the report | Yes, plus recommendations | Front of a business report |
The abstract and the introduction get confused most often, and the test is simple: if your abstract doesn’t state what you found, you’ve written an introduction. For the business equivalent, see our guide on what an executive summary is, and for the general skill, what a summary is.
Common mistakes
- No results. Promising that findings “will be discussed” is the most common reason an abstract fails.
- Writing an introduction instead. All setup, no outcome.
- Including material that isn’t in the paper. The abstract can’t introduce new data or arguments.
- Citations and undefined acronyms. The abstract travels alone through databases, so it can’t reference anything the reader hasn’t got.
- Copy-pasting sentences from the paper. Lifted sentences carry context the abstract doesn’t have. Restate them — the same rule that applies to finding the main idea in any text.
- Ignoring the word limit. Conference systems truncate; journals desk-reject.
A faster way to draft an abstract
An abstract is a condensed version of a document you’ve already written, which makes it a good fit for AI-assisted drafting. Paste your finished paper into our free AI text summarizer to pull out the key points from each section in seconds, then use the chat to condense them further and rewrite them into the template above in your own words. It’s also useful in reverse — drop someone else’s paper in to get the gist before you commit to reading it.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 5 parts of an abstract? Background, objective, methods, results, and conclusion. Some fields add a sixth element covering the implications of the findings.
How do you start an abstract? With one or two sentences of context that name the problem and why it matters, then state your objective. Skip general opening lines like “Throughout history…”.
What is an example of an abstract? See the three annotated examples above, covering an empirical study, a humanities paper, and a non-research project.
How long should an abstract be? Usually 150–250 words. APA caps it at 250, conference programs can allow as few as 50, and dissertations often permit up to 350.
How do you write an abstract for a non-research paper? Replace methods and results with what you did and what came of it, then tell the reader what they’ll take away. The third example above follows that pattern.
Should the abstract be written first or last? Last. It has to describe the finished paper, including results you may not have when you start writing.