APA Abstract
The American Psychology Association is a professional organization that has created a style of writing that will set the tone and context of the research paper. The abstract is one of the most important parts of the research paper.
1. APA Format Abstracts
2. Creating an APA Abstract
3. Writing an APA Abstract
4. Abstract Checklist for APA Style
5. APA Abstract Formatting Guidelines
6. Sample Extended APA Abstract
7. Format for Extended Abstract
8. Writing a Conference APA Abstract or Proposal
What Is an APA Abstract
An APA abstract is a short statement or paragraph that the person can preview before purchasing or reading the research paper. The objective of the APA abstract is to provide information for the reader to read as a preface of the research paper. Writing an abstract should be done at the final part of the research paper and follows a specific template or format.
How to Write an Abstract Using the APA Format
A well-written abstract will help you readers understand the whole point of your paper and the discoveries you have made, without needing to peruse the whole contents of a said research paper. If you want to learn more about APA abstracts and how to create them, you can use any of the APA abstract guidelines, APA abstract examples, APA abstract checklists, and APA abstract templates provided on the links above.
Step 1: Outline the Abstract
Begin by outlining the abstract of your paper as this will provide structure and direction for your abstract. Not only will the outline provide a clear direction, but it will also ensure that you will not experience hangups in the writing process.
Step 2: Choose the Type of Abstract You Want to Make
There are many types of abstracts you can use in your research article. Each type of abstract has its structure and format, which means that you must select the abstract you want to write.
Step 3: Write Your Abstract
Using your outline, you must write out the contents of your abstract. Be sure to keep it around a specific amount of words, based on the type of abstract you want to write.
Step 4: Edit Your Abstract
You must edit your abstract until it can smoothly be read by your readers without any issues. You can also ask a test reader to help point out any mistakes you may have made in your abstract.
FAQs
What is the importance of the Abstract?
The abstract acts as the first statement the reader will see when they check or read a research article. This statement is composed of 150 words that will succinctly relay all the information the researcher obtained from their research. The abstract will indicate the objective and the research question used the research is tackling through the scientific method. Most abstracts will feature a portion of the introductory paragraph, the body, and the research conclusion. The abstract will then allow readers to understand and know the overall purpose of the research they are reading. In conclusion, the abstract will help the reader understand and know the contents of the research paper without the need of reading the whole paper.
How does the abstract relay data obtained from the research?
The abstract will relay the information obtained by the research in one or two sentences that will succinctly summarize the context of the study. For example, if the research is quantitative, one can relay specific key survey questions and answers presented in the survey the researchers used in the research. If the research is qualitative, then they will need to write down the codes the researchers obtained from their interviews, case studies, and other qualitative methods of research. In conclusion, the researcher will write one to two sentences based on the research question the scholars have studied.
What are the four types of abstracts?
There are four types of abstracts, which are based on the amount of information that the researchers want to relay to their audience and the length of the abstract. The descriptive abstract is a type of abstract that will try to detail all the major points of the research without going into all the details of the conclusion, the methods, and the contents of the research paper. The second type of abstract is a critical abstract, which will try a relay all the critical points and information the research has generated. This means that the abstract will go in-depth into the data and codes of the research article; the abstract will also have at least 400 words in the abstract. The third type of abstract is the informative abstract which will try to relay all the information of the abstract, which takes pieces of each element in the research paper. The final type of abstract is the highlight abstract, which acts very similarly to an attention grabber.
The APA abstract is a short statement that will relay information to the reader without the need for the reader to check the contents of the research paper. When properly written, the abstract will properly give the reader an overview of the research paper to organically obtain the reader’s interest.