Introduction

The abstract is the first thing a reader sees when they open your article. It’s also the first impression you make on potential readers and gets them excited about reading more. In this post I’ll walk you through how to write a strong abstract for your academic papers, journal articles and book chapters.

Make sure your abstract is clear and simple.

Make sure your abstract is clear and simple.

You don’t want to bore the reader with too many unnecessary words that don’t add anything to the content of your abstract. In fact, you want to make sure that there are no more than two sentences per paragraph. That’s it! If you have more than three paragraphs, then it may be time for you to start thinking about how best to break up your argument into smaller sections (e.g., introduce a new issue or make an important point).

Make sure your abstract is brief.

• Make sure your abstract is brief.
• A short abstract can be defined as “a concise statement of the main point of a manuscript.” According to The Oxford English Dictionary, it’s also used to describe the shortest possible explanation of something (e.g., “She gave us a quick summary”). In other words, you don’t want an entire page devoted to describing why your paper matters and how great it is!
• An overly long abstract can also be limiting—and make readers turn away from an otherwise interesting topic or idea because they don’t have time for any more reading before they have to get back on their way home from class or work (or whatever excuse they give themselves when they’re too busy with something else). So while keeping things short may seem like an impossible task sometimes—especially when writing about complex topics where there are many different angles worth exploring—try making yourself stick with less text than what feels comfortable for both yourself and whoever else might read through this document later on down their line at some point in time after receiving its submission date notification email from university administrators asking them whether or not they’d like submit such-and-such research proposal before deadline day arrives next Tuesday afternoon at 5pm sharp!”

Make sure your abstract reads like a conversation in the abstract.

It’s important to use a conversational tone in your abstracts. This means that you should avoid sounding like an academic, and instead think of yourself as having a conversation with the reader—as if you were explaining something to someone who was interested in hearing it.

To help emphasize this idea:

• Use short sentences (this can be hard for some people). If you’re writing for academic journals, it’s often better to write long sentences than short ones because they’re more likely to impress journal editors who want their work promoted; however, if you’re writing for general audiences or popular outlets such as BuzzFeed News or The New York Times Magazine (or even just anywhere else where readers might be less familiar with academic writing), using longer sentences is fine because they’ll sound more natural and less like formal prose!
• Use active voice rather than passive voice when possible (i.e., “The author argues…” vs “The author argues that…”). Active verbs make sentences sound more energetic and lively while passive ones seem duller by comparison—so try making sure your abstract has lots of them! You might also consider using both types together so readers can decide which works best depending on what type suits them best!”

Be creative with how you structure your abstract.

When you’re writing your abstract, it can be tempting to use the same style of writing that you do on other documents. But there are a number of different ways to structure an abstract that will help draw readers in and keep them interested.

• Use a conversational tone. This is the most common way people write in email and text messages, so it makes sense that it would work well in an academic paper. It also helps if you use plain language instead of technical terms (for example: “the purpose of this study was…”).
• Use narrative style for your introduction/summary paragraphs or sections—that means telling stories rather than providing facts or information about what happened before now (i

Use sensory words to help readers visualize.

By using sensory words to help readers visualize, you can help them feel what the subject is feeling.

For example, if you’re writing about how much fun it would be to go skydiving and jumping out of an airplane with your friends, use words like “fun” or “excitement.” If you want to write about how painful it was for a soldier who lost his leg in battle, use words like “pain” or “anguish.”

Showing emotion through language makes us more sympathetic towards the person being described—and this translates into a better chance that people will read your article!

Use emotion words to convey sympathy and empathy with the cause.

Emotion words are a great way to convey sympathy and empathy with the cause. Use “we”, “you”, and other similar pronouns, like our or your. The use of these words will help you sound friendly and approachable, which will help readers feel comfortable contacting you or reaching out on social media.

You can also use emotion words such as love, care and support if they are appropriate in your field of study or work experience (e.g., “The author’s research showed that…”).

An effective abstract can be easy to write and difficult to argue with!

An effective abstract can be easy to write and difficult to argue with!

The first step is understanding what you’re trying to say, so let’s start with that:

• Describe the problem (e.g., “This paper addresses the question of how best to teach students about complex mathematical concepts.”).
• Explain why it matters (e.g., “This paper takes a quantitative approach because it provides better insights into which strategies lead students down paths toward success.”).

Now that we’ve got that down pat, let’s look at how much information should go in each section:

Conclusion

Writing an abstract is a great way to get your academic paper noticed by editors and readers, but it can be hard work. If you follow the tips here, then you’ll be well on your way to success!