Thesis Abstract Format

Suggested Format for Honors Research Abstract
What is an abstract? An abstract is an accurate and informative summary of a document or talk. The abstract allows a reader to identify the basic content of a document quickly and accurately. Abstracts are often found in proceedings of meetings, journals, reports and theses, patents, etc. Please type your abstract, single-spaced and without errors. It should be no more than 250 words.The content of your abstract should include the following information in the following order:

  1. Purpose
  2. Methodology
  3. Results
  4. Conclusions

In terms of general style, it might be helpful to look at some abstracts in actual journals. In general, begin with a topic sentence that is a central statement. Abstracts should be no longer than one paragraph of complete sentences. Use the active voice whenever possible and avoid jargon or abbreviations.

If you are working on a thesis/project that is different (a creative writing piece, perhaps) and it does not seem appropriate to you to write your abstract in this format, check with your faculty advisor and ask them for guidance on how to present what you are doing.

If you still have questions or concerns about your abstract, please contact the Honors Office at 824-5461 or stop by the Student Excellence Center, 508 Science Library with a draft that we can go over together.