Writing Abstracts 3.

The Informative Abstract

One common type of abstract is an informative
This guide online: go.iu.edu/3LX9 abstract. If you are writing an abstract for a
strictly-structured document like an experiment,
1. About investigation, or survey, you will write an informative
An abstract is a short, objective description of an abstract.
intellectual resource, usually a written document.
Professors often assign students to write abstracts to An informative abstract is made up of four parts:
accompany their papers.
• Purpose
When writing an abstract, it is important to keep in • Methodology
mind the purposes of an abstract. One main purpose • Results
is to provide readers with useful information about • Conclusions
a document. Another main purpose of an abstract is
to help readers to evaluate and select a document The purpose section of an informative abstract should
that they would find useful in their own research. An state either the reason for or the primary objectives of
abstract should allow a reader to get the bare-bones the experiment or investigation. The purpose section
information about a document without requiring them of an informative abstract might also contain the
to read the actual document. hypothesis of the experiment.

An abstract is NOT, however, a simple summary of a The methodology section of an informative abstract
document; neither is it a critique of a document. should describe the techniques used in conducting
the experiment. This section should give only as much
2. Writing the Abstract detail as is necessary to understand the experiment;
Because an abstract is a description of an entire the abstract should not focus entirely on research
document, you can write an abstract only for a methods unless that is the primary focus of the
document that is complete. If you are writing an original document.
abstract as part of a class paper, you need to finish
your paper before you start working on your abstract. The results section of an informative abstract should
relate the observations and/or data collected during
Keep in mind the ABCs of a good abstract: the experiment. This section should be concise and
informative, and only the most important results need
• Accuracy – a good abstract includes only be included.
information included in the original document
• Brevity – a good abstract gets straight to the The conclusion section of an informative abstract
point, contains precise language, and does not should state the evaluation or analysis of the
include superfluous adjectives experiment results. It should also briefly state the
• Clarity – a good abstract does not contain implications of these results. This conclusion section
jargon or colloquialisms and always explains any might also state whether the driving hypothesis of the
acronyms experiment was correct.

Several writing guidelines can make writing a good A Sample Informative Abstract:
abstract easier:
Subjects’ car clocks were set ten minutes fast in
• Do not refer to the author (e.g. “Dr. Seuss argues”) order to determine if deliberately setting a clock
• Do not refer to what type of document you are ahead will reduce lateness. One group of subjects
abstracting (e.g. “This book describes”) knew their clocks had been set ahead, while a
• Use complete sentences second group of subjects was not informed of the
• Use active verbs whenever possible change. Over a four-week period, the subjects who
• Use familiar terminology whenever you can (and were aware of the clock change regularly arrived
always explain terms that may be unfamiliar to the on time or late for their scheduled appointments.
average reader) Over the same period of time, the subjects who were
unaware of the clock change tended to arrive early
or on time for their appointments. Data suggest
that intentionally setting a clock to run fast does not
reduce lateness because one accounts for that extra
time in his or her schedule.
4. The Indicative Abstract 5. A Few More Tips
A second type of abstract is an indicative abstract. If you are writing an abstract about a document not
If you are writing an abstract for a less-structured written by you, make sure to include the document’s
document like an essay, editorial, or book, you will bibliographic information before your abstract.
write an indicative abstract.
Also, because you could write an abstract for
An indicative abstract is generally made up of three documents of any size, there are general guidelines
parts: about how long your abstract should be:

• Scope • For an editorial or letter to the editor, 30 words or

• Arguments Used less
• Conclusions • For a short note or short communication, 100
words or less
The scope section of an indicative abstract should • For a shorter paper or article, 150-200 words or
state the range of the material dealt with in the original less
document as well as the starting premise of the • For a longer paper, article, or book chapter, 250
document. An abstract for an essay on Shakespeare’s words or less
comedies, for example, would state that the Bard’s • For long documents like a thesis or book, 300
comedies make up the focus of the essay. words or less

The arguments used section of an indicative While these length guidelines can help you as you learn
abstract should state the main arguments and how to write abstracts, with practice you will develop a
counterarguments employed in the original document. sense about what length–and how much description–
These arguments should be stated in the same is sufficient for each individual abstract.
progression in which they appear in the document. Not
all documents contain a progression of arguments; in 6. Polishing the Abstract
some cases this section may outline analysis or plot After you’ve completed your abstract, go back over
progression instead. the ABCs of a good abstract and ask yourself a few
questions:
The conclusions section of an indicative abstract
should state the document’s main closing argument • How accurate is my abstract? Is it consistent with
and its implications as suggested by the original the information in the original document?
author. This conclusion section might also state plot • How brief is my abstract? Did I substantially
resolution when the original document is a work of reduce the amount of text necessary to convey the
fiction. main ideas?
• How clear is my abstract? Can a non-specialized
A Sample Indicative Abstract: reader easily understand all the information?

Types of female power in Jane Austen’s Pride and Also, be sure to proofread your abstract carefully for
Prejudice are discussed. Mrs. Bennet and Charlotte errors and typos. If you have a bibliographic heading,
Lucas represent the lack of power possessed by double-check it for accuracy and correct spelling as
married women of the middle class. Lady Catherine well.
and Caroline Bingley demonstrate the power of
wealthy, single women to occasionally flaunt rules of
etiquette. Lydia Bennet represents the risks of female
power when bestowed upon too immature a woman,
but Elizabeth and Jane Bennet characterize the
positive personal and social effects of women who For free help at any stage of the writing process,
recognize their own power over self. contact us at the following address:

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