An academic summary is a brief restatement of all the essential points of a research paper. The abstract is a single paragraph and is subject to specific word limits, usually less than 300 words. It is only below the title or at the end of the article. Please note that an abstract is NOT an introduction or plan for the article. In the words of Craig W. Allin, “Summaries are an exercise in writing with precision and efficiency.”

In fact, the abstract is written after the research and the entire article is completed. It must be written in the same language as the document and must be translated into one of the world languages. We can say that the main purpose of an abstract is to allow a quick evaluation of the applicability, importance and validity of a research work. But always remember that the reader KNOWS about the topic but HAS NOT READ the article.

The summary presents the information in four general sections: INTRODUCTION, METHODS, RESULTS Y RECOMMENDATIONS. It is worth noting that an abstract is text only and strictly follows the logical order of the article. That is, the abstract must be parallel to the structure of the original article. At the same time, it does NOT add new information, that is, that is not indicated in the document. Now notice that the abstract can be viewed as a separate document. This is why it must be unified, coherent (that is, provide appropriate transitions or logical links between the information included), concise and capable of being independent. In other words, the abstract must be complete in itself.

Sure, it sometimes happens that an abstract is read along with the title, and in general probably read without the rest of the document. In fact, we could consider that the abstract is the most important part of a scientific article. It follows, then, that it is essential to include all keywords related to the study. Keep in mind that keywords (also called search terms) represent the most important terms or concepts (words or phrases) relevant to your topic.

There are two types of summaries: descriptive Y informative. Tea descriptive or indicative summary, identifies the content of the research or the basic theme of the article, demonstrating the organization of the work without providing results or conclusions. Therefore, it is not very informative. This type of summary is always very short, usually less than 100 words; and is useful for a long report. On the other hand, the informative abstract, which is also known simply as abstract, gives the main argument and summarizes the main data, providing the reader with an overview of the objectives, methods, results and conclusions of the study. So be specific. You may also have heard of a “structured summary”: this is a subtype of the informational summary that is longer than one paragraph.

What to include?

The content of the summary includes:

• Motivation and purpose: main topic or research question and review of the relevant literature.
• specific details: problem statement, approach, objectives, hypothesis, research methodology (method(s) adopted or search strategies).
• Results: main findings (proposed solutions to the problem) and discussion.
• Conclusions and implications/results: what the results and other points mean.

As we can see, the summary should say:

• The problem addressed and some background.
• The proposed solution or idea (recently observed facts).
• An example showing how it works.
• An evaluation: a comparison with existing responses/techniques.

Then a summary should provide answers to the following questions:

• What and why.
• what you found.
• How did you do it.

But how do we start?

What would be an effective way to start a summary? To help you on your way, let’s consider some introductory sentences.

First, let’s look at some opening sentences that do NOT offer any real information:

1. This article reports on a method to…
2. The article explores the notions of…
3. The purpose of our research is to consider how…
4. The objective of this study is to determine…

So it’s clear that you should avoid writing a scope statement.

On the other hand, the sentences below represent good examples of introductory statements, since they go directly to the subject. They give something to the reader. Let’s see how it works:

1. The development process of hypermedia and web systems poses very specific problems that do not appear in other software applications, such as…
2. Given a large data set, a common data mining problem is to extract the frequent patterns that occur in this set..
3. According to many recent studies, it has been found that the effect of learning style on academic performance is significant and that the mismatch between teaching and learning styles leads to learning failure and frustration..

Dos and Don’ts of Abstract Writing

• Write a single paragraph.
• Meets the specific word length.
• Answer the questions: what, why and how.
• Use language familiar to the reader.
• Use some keywords.
• Write short sentences.
• Improve transitions between sentences.
• Use the active voice.
• Use the third person singular.
• Start with a clear introductory statement written in the present tense.
• Do not use time on the main body.
• Write a closing statement in the present tense: just say what the results mean (eg. “These results suggest…”).
• Fix the grammar.
• Use headings, subheadings, and tables as a guide for writing.
• Print and read the summary again.
• Do not cite sections of the document.
• Do not include references to literature and figures and tables.
• Don’t use abbreviations.
• Do not add new information.
• Don’t add superfluous information.
• Do not add opinions.
• Do not repeat information.
• Do not repeat the title of the article.