Home Guides Writing Abstracts Remembering Key Findings

Introduction

Definition of Abstract

Purposes for Abstracts

Help readers decide if they should read an entire article

Help readers and researchers remember key findings on a topic

Help readers understand a text by acting as a pre-reading outline of key points

Index articles for quick recovery and cross-referencing

Allow supervisors to review technical work without bogging down in details

Types of Abstracts

Bibliographic Citation or Identification

Processes for Writing Abstracts

Key Issues in Preparing Abstracts

Abstracts in Specific Disciplines

Additional Resources

---

Print-Friendly Page
Authors & Contributors

Remembering Key Findings

Back to Purposes for Abstracts

Even after reading an article, readers often keep abstracts to remind them of which sources support conclusions. Because abstracts include complete bibliographic citations, they are helpful when readers begin writing up their research and citing sources.

Next: View Understanding a Text