Abstract

Abstract: Almost every APA journal requires an abstract, a brief summary of your article. It needs to be very informative but readable and brief. In order for readers to decide whether to read an entire article, the abstract needs to be:

• Accurate: The abstract accurately reflects the information in the article and the purpose of the study. No new information that is not in the article should appear in the abstract.
• Self-contained.
• Concise and specific: The abstract should not exceed 120 words. Do not repeat the title, and include only four or five most important points.
• Nonevaluative.
• Coherent and readable: Use the third person, active voice. Use the present tense to describe results and past tense to describe variables manipulated or tests used.

Type the label Abstract in on a new page, centered, and at the top of the page.  Type the abstract as a single paragraph in block format (without indentation).

Different types of studies require different abstracts.

Report of an Empirical Study:

• the problem under investigation (1 sentence).
• the participants (number, type, age, sex, species, etc.).
• the experimental method.
• the findings.
• the conclusions and implications or applications.

Review or Theoretcial Article:

• the topic (1 sentence).
• the purpose or thesis and scope of the article.
• the sources used.
• conclusions.

Methodological Paper:

• the method being discussed.
• the essential features of the method.
• the range of application of the method.
• the behavior of the method.

Case Study:

• the subject and relevant characteristics.
• the nature of a problem illustrated by the case example.
• the questions raised.

 

For an example, click here.

For a checklist, click here.