a sample abstract for a research paper

What this handout is about This handout provides definitions and examples of the two main types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. It also provides guidelines for constructing an abstract and general tips for you to keep in mind when drafting. Finally, it includes a few examples of abstracts broken down into their component parts. What is an abstract? An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a larger work. Components vary according to discipline. An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work. An abstract of a humanities work may contain the thesis, background, and conclusion of the larger work. An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted. While it contains key words found in the larger work, the abstract is an original document rather than an excerpted passage. Why write an abstract? You may write an abstract for various reasons. The two most important are selection and indexing. Abstracts allow readers who may be interested in a longer work to quickly decide whether it is worth their time to read it. Also, many online databases use abstracts to index larger works. Therefore, abstracts should contain keywords and phrases that allow for easy searching. Selection Say you are beginning a research project on how Brazilian newspapers helped Brazil’s ultra-liberal president Luiz Ignácio da Silva wrest power from the traditional, conservative power base. A good first place to start your research is to search Dissertation Abstracts International for all dissertations that deal with the interaction between newspapers and politics. “Newspapers and politics” returned 569 hits. A more selective search of “newspapers and Brazil” returned 22 hits. That is still a fair number of dissertations. Titles can sometimes help winnow the field.
Sample Abstracts The following 8 abstracts were actually submitted to SEFMD for competition in prior years.  A variety of abstracts are given, include projects that have been accepted and projects that were rejected - 7th grade through 12th grade. =======================================================================================   Sample Abstract 1   Grade: 8   Category: CH-Chemistry   Title: On Your March, Get Set, Rust!   Abstract: The title of my project is called On Your March, Get Set, Rust! The purpose of my experiment was to find out if salt water rusts nails faster than freshwater and which type of nails, galvanized or common will rust quickly.The procedure involved sanding ten galvanized and common nails.The nails were placed in glass jars and added with 150mL of water mixed with 15mL of salt. The experiment was observed for two weeks. Theamount of rust was recorded on both types of nails. I repeated these steps for two types of nails in freshwater. My results of my data resolves that galvanized and common nails in freshwater had a higher average or rust than the other nails in salt water. My data also concludes that the rusting color was black. In conslusion the nails in frehwater rusted more than the nails in saltwater. Saltwater may rust something faster than freshwater, but salt contains sodium chloride in which it causes the nails in saltwater to rust at a slower rate.   Bibliography: World Book Encyclopedia. Macmillan Publishing Company. volume 3.1991. The New Book of Knowledge.Grolier Incoparated. volume17.2002    Project Resolution: Project Accepted Awards Received:  Received Green Ribbon   Sample Abstract 2   Grade: 9   Category: EA - Earth and Space Science   Title: 1,2,3.Pull! Which Parachute Materials   Abstract: The purpose of this investigation is to determine, from the samples that were given to me by.
Edit Article Sample AbstractsGetting Your Abstract StartedWriting Your AbstractFormatting Your Abstract Edited by Dvortygirl, Rob S, Maluniu, Knowledge Junkie and 19 others If you need to write an abstract for an academic or scientific paper, don't panic; your abstract is simply a summary of the work or paper that others can use as an overview. It will help your reader to understand the paper and it will help people searching for a particular work to find it and decide whether it suits their purposes. Seeing as an abstract is only a summary of the work you've already done, it's easy to accomplish! Method 1 of 3: Getting Your Abstract Started Write your paper first. Even though an abstract goes at the beginning of the work, it acts as a summary of your entire paper. Rather than introducing your topic, it will be an overview of everything you write about in your paper. A thesis and an abstract are entirely different things. The thesis in a paper introduces the main idea or question, while an abstract works to review the entirety of the paper, including the methods and results. Even if you think you know what your paper is going to be about, always save the abstract for last. You will be able to give a much more accurate summary if you do just that - summarize what you’ve already written. Review and understand any requirements for writing your abstract. The paper you’re writing is likely not of your own accord, and relates back to a specific assignment for work or school. As a result, you may also be presented with specific requirements for your overall essay and abstract. Before you start writing, refer to a rubric or guidelines you were presented with to identify important issues to keep in mind. Is there a maximum or minimum length? Are there style requirements? Are you writing for an instructor or a publication? Consider your audience. Will other academics in your.