Writing an Abstract

The final essay this quarter will be formatted using MLA style, just like you used for the Annotated Bibliography.

I want to spend just a little bit of time looking at one aspect of APA writing that we didn't talk about much with the APA-formatted Source Evaluation Essay, however.  I do think that one particular aspect of the APA style is beneficial for all of us to practice: the Abstract.

You've probably seen and used abstracts quite a bit in your research up to this point.  Most sources contained in the TCC library have an abstract available for you to view from the search results, so that you can quickly get a sense of what the article contains and what its purpose is.

Ideally, abstracts are written after the essay is finished, but we'll fudge that a bit this time.  Work with what you know about your essay so far, and it's okay if things change a bit down the road.

To write an abstract, consider these guidelines:

• it should be one paragraph, only, with no indentations on the first line
• it should be between 150-200 words.  This word count is quite rigid, so don't go below or above this.
• it should be structured similarly to your essay, giving a brief synopsis of each section of your essay development
• it should summarize your key findings and include your thesis--either word-for-word or paraphrased

Writing your abstract is very much like the Summary Essay we did as Essay 1 for this quarter, except this time you're summarizing yourself!

Refer to the following websites for more guidance: 

• About.com: "How to Write an Abstract" Links to an external site.
• The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: "Abstracts: Examples" Links to an external site.
• UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center: "Abstracts" Links to an external site.

This Abstract WILL NOT appear in your final research essay submission at the end of the quarter.  We're just practicing the technique for future essays you may be asked to write.  It's also a helpful exercise to make sure that your priorities for drafting are in order.