An abstract is a reader’s first introduction to your research. Therefore, it needs to be impactful and well-written. Indeed, knowing how to write and structure an abstract is key to increasing research visibility and citations. Luckily, there are tips you can follow to help get your paper read.

In this article, we will outline the key steps to writing an impactful abstract, including covering the essentials, structuring your abstract, and establishing intent.

Essentials of your abstract

An abstract is a short, persuasive introduction to your research, located on the online page where your research publication is hosted and findable in the downloadable PDF file. An abstract generally outlines the research question, issues, and scope of your work. Essentials of an abstract include:

• Word count
• Structure
• Keywords

Word count

Generally, abstracts are limited to 150–250 words (a 500-word limit is sometimes reserved for specific publication types or disciplines). Roughly, you should aim for 6–7 sentences when writing your abstract. The need to be concise will naturally help you effectively communicate your research question, so long as the paper’s focus and scope are also clear in your mind.

Structure

Scholarly abstracts prepare readers to follow your topic, argument, and methods of analysis. They come in two forms: structured and unstructured.

Structured

Structured abstracts are divided into sub-sections, typically using the following sub-headings:

• Introduction
• Methods
• Results/Discussion
• Conclusion

This kind of abstract is common in scientific, clinical, and medical disciplines. This is because structured abstracts facilitate the evaluation of a paper’s validity and relevance for researchers conducting literature reviews.

Unstructured

In contrast, unstructured abstracts are often a single body of text without sub-headings. Like structured abstracts, they follow a logical flow, but the specific sections are not highlighted. Unstructured abstracts are more common in the social sciences and humanities.

Certain journals will have specific expectations. For example, most MDPI journals expect abstracts to be a single paragraph and follow the style of structured abstracts, but without the use of headings.

Keywords

Keywords help other readers identify the subject of your paper easily. We recommend selecting from three to ten pertinent keywords.

Keywords also play a big role in increasing research discoverability. Scholarly databases use keywords to index your paper and filter through thousands of articles to show the ones most relevant to the search query used.

See our article on choosing the right keywords for your research paper for more guidance.

Establishing the stakes

When writing your abstract, you need to go beyond the essentials. Establishing the stakes of your thesis from the beginning convinces a reader of the necessity of your research.

Your first sentence should pose a strong question that reframes how readers think about your topic. Look at the following examples.

• This study investigates media communication in the 21^st  century.
• Millions around the world engage in contemporary media communication every day, but maybe we have misunderstood its basic function until now.

In the first example, the study’s scope is outlined simply. In the second example, the thesis is still outlined, but the scope is developed to demonstrate that what the study sets out to understand implicates global human society, giving the opening sentence a sense of urgency, intent, and confidence.

Remember to not give too much away to the reader, though. You want them sufficiently hooked and invested in your research question; however, you also want to leave them wanting to uncover more about the study’s details and findings.

Don’t simply present findings—consider the implications and consequences

Your reader should finish the abstract with a clear understanding of how you answered your research question. The findings should feel both surprising and inevitable, based on the novelty and logic of your argument.

Don’t simply present your findings, however. Consider the implications and consequences of your argument. Importantly, try and imagine the implementation of your results in action. For example, if your results have real-world implications for end-users in clinical settings, discuss how your paper helps transform modern methods of treatment in society.

Condensing your research effectively

An effective abstract condenses your main argument and key findings into an urgent statement of intent. Readers should learn exactly what your research is about and be persuaded to read the full paper.

For more help with writing an abstract, consider our articles on using verb tenses and choosing the right keywords for your research paper.

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At MDPI Author Services, we specialise in helping researchers prepare their manuscripts for publication. Our Academic Editing Service provides subject-specific expertise and in-depth technical refinement during the manuscript preparation phase, helping to improve the scientific content and structure of the paper as the author is guided from pre- to post-publication. This service includes a review of your paper’s terminology. Click here for a free quote.

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