A dissertation abstract is crucial for an external reviewer as well as other readers to get a positive impression of your work, and decide whether or not to continue reading the rest of the document. While there are dissertation abstracts international that mention only the contents of the document, high quality abstracts are more than a simple introduction and present useful quantitative or qualitative information.
Purpose of a dissertation abstract
Meant to be a condensed description of your research, the abstract is a great way to elaborate on the context, background and main findings of your work, and establish the tone of your entire dissertation. A dissertation abstract will remain an important part of your dissertation, and one of the first things that a reader or examiner notices after looking at the title.
Once your dissertation is published, a good dissertation abstracts online will also function as a short introduction in a bibliographic database such as SpringerOpen, PsycInfo or HUD USER, for readers who may never download or read the full document or see your presentation. Moreover, if your work is being featured in a publication with inadequate spacing, a comprehensive dissertation abstract can be a substitute for your dissertation.
Review examples of dissertation abstracts online
These days, every aspect of writing a dissertation can be supplemented by resources available online and in your library. In the case of dissertation abstracts, it is highly likely that a dissertation abstract template or brief is shared on university websites or academic online forums.
Start by familiarising yourself with the way concise dissertation abstracts examples are written, and go through a few published dissertations. Helpful templates will provide useful labels for each stage of the dissertation abstract, such as a background statement section, aims, and the justification of results. You can observe the differences between each sentence and the type of information stated to maintain an authoritative academic tone.
Master the dissertation abstract structure
It is generally understood that an abstract should not be more than one page in length, and to be accurate, you should check the requirements specific to your field of study and department. If your abstract does not conform to the accepted standards, it is a very serious oversight that will highlight your lack of knowledge about the purpose of a dissertation abstract. If successful, your abstract will be indicative of the whole dissertation, not just a few points. It is a way for you to showcase the depth of knowledge you have acquired through extensive study, and briefly touch on every aspect from the literature review and the methodology to the conclusion.
A well-written abstract has a balanced voice, and reflects the reasoning behind your research. It does not have any big surprises, but shares essential information with interested audiences. Due to its multiple applications, dissertation abstracts should not be unnecessarily obscure and be relatively easy to comprehend among diverse readers. To conclude, writing a high quality summary that covers such a large volume of information is often difficult, but it is not impossible.