You should write an abstract after finishing your dissertation because it should cover all main points and findings. Do not confuse it with executive summary. These are totally different things in size and some components, although some of them may be similar. Use abstract for writing research papers and executive summary for business writing.
Table of Contents
- What Is an Abstract?
- What Are the Main Components of an Abstract?
- How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation? Abstract Writing Guide with Steps
- What Is an Academic Abstract Example for Dissertations?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Key Takeaways of Dissertation Abstract Tips
1. What Is an Abstract?
Abstract is a short overview of the main parts of a dissertation, usually up to 250 words.
Before writing an abstract, it is important to understand that it presents an overview of the main parts of your dissertation. It is between 150 and 250 words. That is, it is neither too long to present unnecessary details, nor too short to omit something important.
2. What Are the Main Components of an Abstract?
When writing an abstract for your dissertation, include the following components:
- A short background information of around 1 sentence,
- The purpose of your research and why it is important,
- In other words, what is the problem that requires further research,
- The research question for your dissertation,
- Methods used to research and answer this question,
- Findings (for qualitative research) and results (for quantitative research),
- Conclusion (so what?),
- Recommendations for further research or implications,
- Keywords (up to 5)
3. How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation? Abstract Writing Guide with Steps
Follow this abstract writing guide to create a great abstract for a dissertation:
- Write it after you have finished your dissertation,
- Do not include any in-text citations because an abstract is just an overview,
- Do not include data for the same reason,
- Write in the past tense because you present a summary of your completed dissertation,
- Do not use “I,” “we,” “you,” or “the researcher”; write in the third person singular.
- Use Grammarly to check spelling, AI, and plagiarism (recommended as an affiliate product used at eessays.co).
Take the following steps to write a dissertation abstract:
- First, outline the key parts of your dissertation (pre-writing stage),
- Add more details for each part,
- Ask the proper questions: WHAT is the purpose? WHY is your research important? HOW did you obtain your findings? WHAT are these findings? SO WHAT for conclusion and implications?
- Add several keywords.
4. What Is an Academic Abstract Example for Dissertations?
Let’s review an example of an abstract in the database of Diva Portal. It is from the study by Zvirgzdauskaite (2024). This abstract is a great illustration of all essential abstract parts highlighted in different colors:
- Purpose
- Methodology
- Findings
- Implications/further research
- Conclusion
Another example:
Artificial intelligence growth has threatened people jobs in various spheres (BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM). Considering this problem, the purpose of this study was to research the impact of AI on the job market (PURPOSE). It used qualitative methodology with data collected from surveys submitted to 100 participants from the IT sphere (METHODOLOGY). The findings show that most respondents had to resort to leveling up their skills to secure jobs (FINDING). However, the limitation of this study consists in narrow focus on one sphere of IT only. Further research is needed to explore effects of AI on the labor market in other fields (CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS).
Keywords: AI, job market, IT workers
Frequently Asked Questions
An abstract presents the main parts of a dissertation, while an executive summary is used to present an overview of the main components of a business report, marketing plan, or a business plan. Unlike an abstract for the research community, executive summary targets business stakeholders like investors. That’s why, it should contain recommendations (in bullet points or as part of the paragraph).
Write an abstract between 150 and 250 words plus several keywords.
It is longer than an abstract and contains up to 300 words and is not longer than 1 page.
It is written for business stakeholders. Thus, it should focus on a business issue and recommendations how to solve it.
It is written for researchers in the same field, peers, experts, or professionals.
It is important to differentiate these two parts. First, an abstract is an overview of dissertation parts, while introduction is more about background information and context for research with focus on its importance. Introduction ends with a thesis statement.
Key Takeaways of Dissertation Abstract Tips
- Follow the specific structure of a dissertation abstract identified above: background, purpose, methodology, findings/results, conclusion, implications
- For writing a good abstract, keep it focused on the main paper parts and the most important points
- Differentiate between abstract, executive summary, and introduction
- This dissertation abstract guide will help you write a great abstract in the proper academic writing style: past tense, third person singular, and details.
References
Zvirgzdauskaite, P. (2024). Addressing AI in education: Insights from Swedish University students
on digital learning and artificial intelligence (Publication No. 1893554) [Thesis, Halmstad University]. Diva Portal. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1893554/FULLTEXT02.pdf
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