A dissertation abstract is a summary outlining the scope and purpose of a dissertation thesis. An abstract includes all the important and highlighting points. The basic purpose of an abstract is to inform the readers about your research. It would help if you wrote about the topic of your research and why it was important to choose this topic. Moreover, it’s easy to write an abstract at the end of your study. However, some institutes ask for an abstract earlier. In that case, you need to grasp the topic. So, write an abstract based on the prior research. Thus, an abstract is the first thing that can grab the attention of the reader and make them read your research.
Importance of writing a good Dissertation Abstract
An abstract is the crucial element of a research paper. It is important to add because people won’t read your lengthy research paper. An excellent synopsis will give the reader an overview of your topic and let them decide whether they want to continue reading the paper. Therefore, craft a well-written abstract that can force people to read your paper.
Steps to Write a Dissertation Abstract
As we discussed earlier, an abstract is a summary of your content. Typically, an abstract is a 200-300 word paragraph. It defines the key points and the purpose of conducting the research. Moreover, you should cover four main points to write a perfect abstract. They are:
- Purpose
- Methodology
- Findings
- Implications
The structure of your dissertation synopsis needs to have these four elements in the same order. Below I’ll share a detailed view of these four steps.
1. Aim of the Research
Your research paper might not present its value if the aim or purpose of it is not clear in its abstract. You should justify the importance of your synopsis by adding the objectives. The research aim should consist of the answers to these questions:
- What do you want to achieve with the research?
- Why is the research credible in the scientific industry?
Ensure that the answers to these questions are provided. Furthermore, it should be clear, concise, and persuasive. The reader will be hooked to the first paragraph if he finds it interesting and informative. Just add the context and background of the study. Use simple present and past-tense sentences to write a high-quality synopsis. This will keep it simple and understandable.
2. The Research Methodology
Once you’re done with stating the purpose of your research. It’s time to discuss the methods used in the research. You need to understand the methodology if you want to know how to write an abstract for a dissertation. This part should briefly include the research method (qualitative or quantitative). Hence, you should answer the following questions to write an effective methodology outline:
- Which research method is used?
- What did your sample consist of?
- What are the sources of the collected information?
Don’t skip this part from your synopsis as your professor will judge your research study from it. However, the methodology is written in simple past form if the dissertation is submitted, as it shows the past actions taken. Therefore, there’s no need to explain the validity or problems faced throughout the process.
3. Findings of the Research
In this step, the findings should be included. The results should be added to the conclusion of the synopsis. You can decide according to the topic and length of your study what information to add. However, try not to exceed 4-5 sentences. Conciseness and clarity are important for this. Just mention the relevant results if the outcomes are hard to understand so the reader doesn’t get confused. Moreover, the findings are usually written in simple present or past tense.
4. Conclude with implications
The main conclusions should be added in this part. Describe the important points of the study. The readers should easily understand how you arrive at the particular solutions of the research. The conclusion should answer the statement that you initially proposed in the study. Hence, it’s suggested to apply the present simple tense in your abstract.
Ensure to address the significant limitations of the research in your synopsis. The reader may evaluate the credibility and reliability of the study. Moreover, make sure to discuss the actions if you are working on a real-world problem as your research.
Additional Tips to Write an Abstract
1. Read the expert’s abstract
Reviewing other expert’s synopsis can help you to learn and understand how to write a top-notch abstract. Therefore, understand how other recognized scholars write an accepted abstract for their research. You can get assistance from the Law Dissertation Writing Service as they’ll help you in the process. Furthermore, make a list of the things you find new or interesting from it.
2. Topic by Topic Method
Write down the keywords and create some sentences that can describe the relevance of each topic. Additionally, a summary of each chapter should be told about the central point. Lastly, combine all the sentences and your synopsis is good to go.
3. Proper Formatting
It’s necessary to adhere to the rules of formatting and writing style required by your professor. There are a few formatting styles that are acquired by the writers. However, be sure to use the writing style that you have used in your dissertation research. For example, MLA abstracts for MLA dissertations.
4. Keep it understandable
Don’t include too much information about your study in the synopsis. Just discuss the top most important outcomes and thoughts. In this case, your abstract should differ from the overall research study. Therefore, emphasize the crucial information only. For example, you should only explain the law-related issues when covering the law dissertation topic.
5. Edit and Proofread
You should keep on editing and proofreading the content of your abstract. This is a key point to construct a well-written synopsis. We often think that our written piece of information is perfect. But while checking it we get to see the minor mistakes. Therefore, it’s suggested to edit and proofread your content.