An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of an article. It allows readers to survey the contents of an article quickly. Readers often decide on the basis of the abstract whether to read the entire article. A good abstract should be:
ACCURATE--it should reflect the purpose and content of the manuscript.
COHERENT--write in clear and concise language. Use the active rather than the passive voice (e.g., investigated instead of investigation of).
CONCISE--be brief but make each sentence maximally informative, especially the lead sentence. Begin the abstract with the most important points. The abstract should be dense with information.
Abstracts include the following sections and mirrors the structure of a journal article.
Resource - How to Writing a Good Abstract?
Suggested Content Structure
Brief Background/Introduction/Research Context:
What do we know about the topic? Why is the topic important?
Present Research Question/Purpose:
What is the study about?
Methods/Materials/Subjects/Materials:
How was the study done?
Results/Findings:
What was discovered?
Discussion/Conclusion/Implications/Recommendations
What does it mean?
Librarian tip - Review the abstracts requirements from the conference or journal you are preparing for