Use our descriptive essay for sale to score better and meet your deadlines
Our Stats
Customers
Writers Active
Av. Quality Score
4.5/5.0
Writers Online
Why Choose StudyGroom?
We not only promise a 24/7 support availability and timely delivery of all your papers. You also get a ton of other asuarances that our service comes with.
Satisfaction
Satisfaction guarantee.
Authenticity
100% original papers.
Money Back
The grade or money back.
Confidentiality
We protect your privacy.
How to write an abstract for a research paper MLA
An abstract is a brief summary of a research paper. It is about 6-7 sentences and approximately 150-250 words. When it comes to academic research papers, one essential element is the abstract. There are various purposes that an abstract may serve. An abstract provides the readers with a glimpse of your paper. This provides an opportunity to decide whether or not your text is worth their full attention.
It also prepares your audience for your research details, arguments and supporting evidence. An abstract introduces your paper’s key points so readers can keep them in mind while reading your research. It concisely summarizes your research, highlighting the main points and providing readers with a brief overview of your study. Usually, abstracts are found as descriptions for scholarly articles and books.
They include the main ideas of an article or book and provide a general understanding of its purpose and content. It should be written clearly and concisely, without unnecessary jargon or technical terms. Sometimes instructors provide students with specific guidelines for writing an abstract. Ensure you follow these instructions if they are available to meet all the requirements.
Types of abstract
The commonly used types of abstracts are descriptive and informative abstracts.
Descriptive abstract
It presents readers with an outline of the points the writer made throughout their research. This provides readers with an opportunity to decide if they should read depending on how interested they are in the subject. A descriptive abstract is like the table of contents in a book, though the format of an abstract uses full sentences combined within a paragraph. However, a descriptive abstract cannot be a substitution for reading a paper since it is merely an overview, depriving the audience of a full picture. A descriptive abstract:
- Summarizes the task, but many researchers consider it more of an outline. A descriptive abstract is usually shorter than an informative abstract, usually around 100 words.
- It gives a brief description and is unable to satisfy the reader fully.
- Omits results and conclusions
An informative abstract
This is a detailed summary of the research itself. There are cases when readers rely on the abstract as the information source. It is, therefore, extremely vital to include all the specifics from a certain study. An informative abstract can almost substitute the rest of the paper by itself if well-presented. This type of abstract follows a certain format.
The author first includes identifying information supported by citations and other identifications of the documents. For a better understanding of the research all the main points are restated to ensure a better understanding of the research. This part is followed by the methodology and all the study’s key findings. A conclusion presents the final findings of the research and concludes the informative abstract. An informative abstract:
- It has a varying length depending on the topic but cannot be more than 300 words
- Has all the information like methods and intentions
- Provides evidence and potential recommendations
Informative abstracts are more common than descriptive ones. They relate to the subject specifically as a result of their larger content. Depending on their size, it is also for papers depending on the size: informative abstracts for more complicated and longer ones and descriptive abstracts for simpler and shorter, more straightforward research papers. You can get professional essay editing help from our professional service. You can contact Studygroom.com; we will help you as soon as possible.
The structure of the abstract: Step-by-step instructions
Purpose and motivation
One of your abstract’s most difficult yet important parts is identifying purpose and motivation. You need to provide solid arguments to keep your reader interested in continuing to read. It is essential to answer these questions:
- What is it you are attempting to achieve
- What is the goal of your study
- And why does your topic matter to you and to the rest of the world?
To make it sound more personal and motivational, ensure to include information about your individual interests in the subject of your paper and how it relates to your life and humanity in general. The first section should include information on the importance of your research and how it might be useful for your readers.
The problem of a research
An abstract focus on the significance and importance of the subject of a paper. Here, you need to ask – what problem does your study help to resolve? Therefore, regardless of the background and interests of the audience, ensure you take the right direction to appeal to any audience. It is important to address the problem in this section, indicate whether it covers something broad or specific, and provide your argument.
Researching approach
After explaining the reasons behind the importance of your topic, your personal interest in the issue and the problem discussed in your paper to your audience, it is time to show the methods you used to conduct all that great research. Describing your methods and processes are as vital as the research itself.
It shows the readers the extent of your research and your professional approach to your topic. Describe where you got the information and the kind of sources that were used. Did you do a survey, experiment, interview or field study? You can show your reader how academically capable you are of conducting serious scientific research by providing a detailed description. The section that examines the approach you took for your research includes the specifics and highlights from the most significant works you used.
Research results
You finally get to present readers with the results of your research. It is vital to be specific with your results. Using statistical evidence instead of being vague and using abstract words is much more impressive. Some of the questions that should be answered in this part are:
- What are the results of your study in numbers and terms?
- Did your results support your argument?
- Were the outcomes predicted, or did they surprise you?
Conclusion
In this section of your abstract, you should focus on the argument you began with and connect it to the results you obtained. It is vital to give the reader insights you have discovered regarding the subject and whether you have found the solution for the problem addressed. Explain if your research is sufficient to convince people. The conclusion section should tie everything together without leaving any uncertainties.
General rules for writing an abstract in MLA style
- It is essential to summarize the objective of the research and the methods used when writing an abstract in MLA style.
- An abstract in MLA style should have a short description of the objective, findings, methods used and a convincing conclusion to the study.
- An MLA-style abstract should be short and snappy for humanities topics, about 150 – 250 words.
- If an abstract is required for MLA style, it should be placed after the title page but before the document’s main text.
- State why you decided to conduct research on the subject and why the readers should consider reading your research topic.
- Provide a detailed account of the research methods used in the study. Describe also how the results of the study were obtained.
- Account for the findings and include what was found as a result of the research.
- If the findings have larger implications, comprise them in the conclusion section.
- Avoid unnecessary and ambiguous phrases, words and sentences that hamper the real value of the abstract.
- Ensure there is no spelling, grammatical or punctuation errors in the abstract. It should be error-free to achieve the reader’s confidence.
- The abstract should be double-spaced throughout. Appropriate font type and size, like Times New Roman in 12-point size, should be used.
- Instead of using quotations, italics should be used to cite a long work in the abstract.
- To ensure the abstract is perfect and faultless, read and revise it several times.
- Ensure the final form of the abstract is within the word limit.
Brief guidelines to create an outstanding abstract
The abstract of a research paper in MLA format plays a vital role in conveying the essence of your study to readers. It serves as a concise summary that captures the critical points of your research, allowing others to determine the relevance and significance of your work quickly. In this paper, we will provide valuable tips on writing an effective abstract for a research paper in MLA format.
Understand the purpose and requirements.
Before you start writing your abstract, familiarize yourself with the purpose and requirements set by MLA format. MLA guidelines typically recommend a single-paragraph abstract of 150-250 words. Ensure you adhere to the specified word limit and formatting guidelines, such as using a legible font and double-spacing.
Start with a clear opening sentence.
To capture readers’ attention, begin your abstract with a clear and compelling opening sentence. This sentence should succinctly convey your research’s main focus and significance, enticing readers to continue reading.
Provide a brief overview of the research.
In the following sentences, provide a concise overview of the research topic. Briefly introduce the general subject matter and its relevance in your field. Clearly state the research problem or question that your study addresses, demonstrating why it is important and worthy of investigation.
Outline the research methodology.
Briefly explain the research methods and techniques employed in your study. Highlight any unique or innovative approaches you utilized to collect data or analyze information. It is important to provide enough detail to give readers a sense of your research design while maintaining conciseness.
Summarize key findings and results.
Present a clear and concise summary of your research findings and results. Highlight the most essential and significant outcomes of your study. Avoid providing excessive details, but instead, focus on conveying your research’s main discoveries and contributions. It is helpful to emphasize the implications and significance of your findings in relation to the broader field of study.
Conclude with future directions.
In the concluding sentences of your abstract, discuss your research’s implications and potential future directions. Consider how your findings contribute to existing knowledge or fill gaps in the field. Additionally, mention any possible applications or areas for further exploration that your study opens up.
Revise and edit for clarity
Once you have written your abstract, take the time to revise
Final tips and recommendations
Research is usually the first thing to perform when writing an essay. Although it might appear as if the abstract should be the first thing to write since it summarizes the whole paper, there are many benefits of choosing the following sequence of actions when starting to write your paper:
- You can read the whole article and have all the information fresh in your mind. You can then condense the information into the abstract without eliminating important ideas.
- You can design the abstract to fit around your findings and demonstrate that you have achieved what you hoped to.
- Always use past tense in your paper. Since you have already researched, you should refer to it in the past tense. Ensure you use clear and concise sentences. Explain anything that the reader may not understand, like abbreviations.
- Leave out lengthy background information. You should find the right balance of explaining enough without too much detail.
- Ensure you get straight to the point. Let someone else have a look and let them critique your work. Be ready since your work could get too much attention. Let them summarize it to confirm if you have communicated it well throughout the paper.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you need help with any other. We have a team of professionals who are always ready to help. Contact Studygroom today and forget your academic worries. Our platform is user friendly and easy to navigate. Our customer support works 24/7 and you can contact us anytime. We have plagiarism software to ensure you receive original and fresh work written from scratch. We have been in the market for years and we understand what is required to make an outstanding abstract to grab the attention of the reader.