An abstract is a short summary of your research paper that conveys its main ideas and its overall purpose. A well written abstract is critical to your research paper for many reasons, mainly because it is the first thing the reader reads regarding your research, if it does not have enough information or is poorly written, the reader might not want to proceed to reading your actual paper. In addition, an abstract acts as an introduction to your paper, which helps the reader remember key words or points when reading your research, which helps in making understanding the contents of your paper easier. There are four types of abstracts: critical, descriptive, informative, and lastly, highlight. Each one is different in regards to its word length and context, below is everything you need to know about the four abstracts. 

Descriptive abstract

A descriptive abstract very briefly discusses the main idea of the research, including the research method and the research scope. When writing a descriptive abstract make sure to not include any irrelevant information, no opinions or judgements should be mentioned, neither the results nor too much information about the subject should be included. 

Word length: Not more than 100 words. 

Critical abstract 

A critical abstract is similar to the descriptive abstract in the sense that they both mention very brief information about the research and should not give away too much description. However, a critical abstract should add opinions or judgements regarding the research by comparing it to other research papers or by commenting on the research’s validity, reliability, or completeness. A critical abstract can extend to 400-500 words. 

Informative abstract 

In approximately 300 words, an informative abstract summarizes everything conveyed in the research. An informative abstract should include all the important information mentioned in the research, including the topic, the research method, the results and conclusions derived from the research, and any other relevant information mentioned in your paper. 

Highlight Abstract 

Highlight abstracts are rarely used in academic writing because they contain very little information about the research, almost conveying nothing about it. It is usually used to capture the attention of the reader through a couple of statements from the research itself, but does not provide any facts or context, and does not portray any pictures about the paper, which is why it cannot stand alone as an abstract, and is almost never used in academic writing.

How to Write an Abstract

How to Write an Abstract

An abstract is a short summary of your research paper which has to gather all its important points. Click here to see how to write an academic abstract. An abstract is a short summary of your research paper that conveys its main ideas and its overall purpose. A well written abstract is critical to your research paper for many reasons, mainly because it is the first thing the reader reads regarding your research, if it does not have enough information or is poorly written, the reader might not want to proceed to reading your actual paper. In addition, an abstract acts as an introduction to your paper, which helps the reader remember key words or points when reading your research, which helps in making understanding the contents of your paper easier. There are four types of abstracts: critical, descriptive, informative, and lastly, highlight. Each one is different in regards to its word length and context, below is everything you need to know about the four abstracts. Descriptive abstractA descriptive abstract very briefly discusses the main idea of the research, including the research method and the research scope. When writing a descriptive abstract make sure to not include any irrelevant information, no opinions or judgements should be mentioned, neither the results nor too much information about the subject should be included. Word length: Not more than 100 words. Critical abstract A critical abstract is similar to the descriptive abstract in the sense that they both mention very brief information about the research and should not give away too much description. However, a critical abstract should add opinions or judgements regarding the research by comparing it to other research papers or by commenting on the research’s validity, reliability, or completeness. A critical abstract can extend to 400-500 words. Informative abstract In approximately 300 words, an informative abstract summarizes everything conveyed in the research. An informative abstract should include all the important information mentioned in the research, including the topic, the research method, the results and conclusions derived from the research, and any other relevant information mentioned in your paper. Highlight Abstract Highlight abstracts are rarely used in academic writing because they contain very little information about the research, almost conveying nothing about it. It is usually used to capture the attention of the reader through a couple of statements from the research itself, but does not provide any facts or context, and does not portray any pictures about the paper, which is why it cannot stand alone as an abstract, and is almost never used in academic writing.