SOCC Writing Center

Writing an Abstract

As a strategy for the first stages of the writing process, composing an abstract has the same goals as a map: An abstract is a map in prose form. Abstracts are brief summaries of the major points made by an author in a book or article. If you are doing a paper in the social or natural sciences, you may be expected to write an abstract of your own paper after it is finished. Much like a first draft, an abstract focuses on the central shape of your thinking. It should have three characteristics: In it you will be telling yourself

• where you are going to discuss specific main ideas;
• generally speaking, what types of supporting evidence and explanations you will later include;
• and, most importantly, you will be explicitly telling yourself why you are discussing a particular idea in a certain place and how it is related to other points.

An abstract should go something like this:

Now that I have explained X, I can go on to show how Y fits into the category of X. In doing this, I want to be sure to emphasize the idea that _____________. Once I have established this point, I’ll illustrate and support it with evidence I have that ________.

Don’t worry about polished prose; the abstract is just a sketch. It would be best to write it all in one sitting. Because the abstract is your paper in capsule form, it will probably be short. Abstracts are usually about a quarter length of my final paper.

As you stand poised to begin writing this research paper, you could start with a quick map, and then do an abstract; or you could write an abstract first, and then do a map; or you write only an abstract or only a map. Do what feels best for you. The longer the paper is going to be and/or the more complex its structure, the greater are the advantages of having a map to use al all stages of drafting and revising. Work back and forth between your map and your first draft, making changes in either as your ideas become clearer to you. Maps and abstracts are simply strategies for making decisions at the macro level, for getting at the skeleton of your thinking.

Adapted from Hubbuch, Susan M., Writing Research Papers across the Curriculum. 3 rd ed. Orlando : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992. 121.