Dissertation Abstract: Meaning, Purpose, Steps, and Example

So, are you stuck on the last step of writing a dissertation, and that is its abstract? You are not the only one; many students face issues with it, but we do not know why. It is such easy writing, and you have already completed such a giant dissertation, and the abstract is just a small part of it. If the dissertation is an elephant, the abstract is an ant standing next to it. So, writing it is quite an easy thing, and if you want to become a pro at it, this blog is for you. It will teach you meaning, purpose, steps, and an example to help you write the dissertation abstract easily.   So, without wasting any time, let us begin.

What Is an Abstract of a Dissertation?

In simple terms, if we have to define what is an abstract in a dissertation, it would be a short summary of the whole paper you have written. You talk about the aim of your research and what you have found during the whole process. It is added to your dissertation to help the audience know what your whole writing is all about. Further, reading it, they decide whether they want to read more or not. So, adding this section becomes essential. Also, if you want to know where it is placed, then, for your information, it comes between the acknowledgement and table of contents sections of a dissertation.

Now, you have a basic understanding of what is an abstract in a dissertation. It is time to know the reason for adding it to a paper.

Purpose of Writing an Abstract in a Dissertation

Now, let us talk about the purpose of adding an abstract to your dissertation. It is an essential section of your paper, which you will realize by reading the below pointers. But just like you are facing issues in your abstract or have problems with any of its sections, you can read our guide on how to write a dissertation.

Inform Readers About Your Page

The main purpose of adding this section to your dissertation is to help the readers know what your paper is all about. Further, they can save a lot of time, as they can read a short summary to understand the main points of a lengthy dissertation and decide whether they want to read the content further or not.

Help Search Engines in Indexing

The other reason for adding a dissertation abstract is to help the search engines and databases index your writing. The terms and keywords you have used in your abstract will help the search engines know what your paper is about and make it accessible to users according to their queries.

These are the two essential benefits that a dissertation abstract serves. Now is the time to read about the steps to writing it effectively.

How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation

Here are the steps of how do you write an abstract for a dissertation. If you follow them, you will be able to start and finish your work in no time, serving all its purposes. But just like the abstract, if you also do not know how to write a dissertation, then you can use our dissertation outline generator. It will provide you with a structure you can use to write your whole paper.

State Research Objective

The answer to how to start an abstract for a dissertation is writing its objectives. It means first you will write about what your research question is and what you are trying to find during your whole process. After that, you will add the importance of research objectives to the readers. This is how you will end your first section, which will be around 25% of your abstract.

Describe the methodologies

After you have stated the research objectives; the next thing you will add to your work is methodologies. You will describe what research approach you have taken, i.e., quantitative, qualitative, or mixed. Further, you will write about what your sample is about and how you analyzed the data collected. Further, you do not go in-depth; describe your methodologies in short.

Present Your Key Findings

The third thing you will add to your abstract dissertation structure is your key findings. Yes, you have spent your valuable time in your research, but it does not mean you will add everything here and write up your abstract very long. Do not make this mistake, but add only the most important one or two results of your whole dissertation.

Provide research discussion.

Finally, you will write about the research discussion of your dissertation. It means you will write the main analysis of your results. Do not write a whole paragraph, but again, this section goes 25% of your whole abstract, so only add one or two interpretations of your results. You can also write how your results matter to the field knowledge.

So, it is all about the four steps of how to write an abstract for a dissertation. But now you should read the next section to read an example to develop a deeper understanding of the topic.

Example of a Dissertation Abstract

Now is the time to talk about the dissertation abstract example. You must read it to know how to structure your content. But if you need more help with writing an abstract section of any kind of writing other than for the dissertation, you can read our blog on how to write an abstract page. Now, let us begin with it.

It is the dissertation abstract example that will help you build a deeper understanding to write this section better. But still, if you want help of any kind, you can read the next section to learn how to get expert assistance.

Get Help in Writing Your Dissertation Abstract

It is all about the dissertation abstract. The blog has discussed everything you need to know about it to write it better. You first learn about the meaning, purpose, steps, and examples to help you write about the abstract section better. But still, if you are clueless about writing it, you can avail dissertation writing services to get expert help in doing your work. The professionals will aid you do your tasks effectively, as they have years of experience in writing different types of assignments.

You may also like to read: How to write a term paper

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When do I write a dissertation abstract?

The abstract is a short summary of your whole dissertation. So, of course, you cannot summarize something before even writing it. Hence, you write your abstract at the very end after completing all your sections of your paper. Further, write it in a way that sparks curiosity in the readers' minds.

2. What Are the 4 Cs of a Dissertation Abstract?

The 4Cs of writing a dissertation abstract are the pointers you can use to write it. So, the first C is completeness, which means you have to add all major parts of your dissertation. The second C is concise, which means to write it short. Then, the third and fourth Cs are clear and cohesive, that is, to make your writing understandable and smoothly flow.

3. How Long Should an Abstract Be in a Dissertation?

The length of your dissertation abstract is around 200–300 words short. But in some cases, it also goes up to one page. Moreover, the length of your abstract depends on the university guidelines and its objective to convey everything about your dissertation in concise language.

4. What keywords should you include in your dissertation abstract?

Keywords refer to the terms that state the main concepts of your dissertation. Also, the words that you have used in your research paper title are keywords. Adding them makes the readers and search engines aware of the theme of your writing.