A Brief Manual On Writing An APA Dissertation Abstract

When you are writing an APA format dissertation, the abstract is usually the second page in the work. It is the page that compactly summarizes the whole of your paper. Yes, without mincing words, your abstract should quickly give the reader a thorough yet short overview of your academic paper. This means that without going through the rest of the page, the readers are able to discern what the content of the paper they are reading is about. In order to achieve this purpose, you should make sure that you fully understand the simple basics of writing abstracts for academic papers.

So, what are the things you should do to make sure your APA dissertation abstract is in tune with the supervisor’s requirements? Here are some tips to help you achieve that purpose. They are as follows:

• Write The Body Paragraphs First: It is true that the abstract is among the first pages of your work but it should be among the last pages written. With the first draft of your paper written, you can then compose the abstract based on the content of the body paragraphs.
• Search For Examples: The major reasons why you should get a sample abstract before writing is to enlighten you on the most important points to include in your abstract. This way, you make sure that you stay within the required word limit for the page.
• Start On A New Page: Your abstract should begin on a fresh page, with the title “Abstract” centred at top of the given page and the page number on the top right hand side of the paper.
• Keep It Condensed: Based on the APA style manual, your dissertation paper’s abstract word count should be in the range of 150 to 250 words. Your supervisor or professor might also determine the word count but not longer or shorter than necessary. Using the most important elements in your paper, write the abstract as a one paragraph page without any indentations.
• Maintain The Same Structure: The structure of your abstract should not vary from the rest of the paper. This way, everything will be in uniform as you briefly summarize the Introduction, Method, Results, and finally, the Discussion sections.
• Write The First Draft: Your dissertation does not have to be perfect at the first try. You should write the first draft and improve on it later, especially on clarity and word count.
• Edit Your Page: You can do this on your own or ask a colleague, friend, or sibling to go over the page to spot initially overlooked typos, grammar and punctuation errors.