How to Write an Abstract in APA Format

How to Write an Abstract in APA Format Student Resources APA Style and Writing Print How to Write an APA Abstract By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Updated on January 08, 2020 Verywell / Nusha Ashjaee More in Student Resources APA Style and Writing Study Guides and Tips Careers In This Article Table of Contents Expand Overview Basic APA Format Writing an Abstract Length View All Back To Top APA format is the official style of the American Psychological Association and is used in psychology writing as well as other social sciences. These style guidelines specify different aspects of a documents presentation and layout, including how pages are structured, the organization of references, and how citations are made. This format also stipulates the use of an abstract designed to very briefly summarize the key details contained in a paper without providing too much detail. Why Is an Abstract Important in APA Format? While it is sometimes overlooked or only an afterthought, an abstract is an important part of any academic or professional paper. This brief overview serves as a summary of what your paper contains, so it should succinctly and accurately represent what your paper is about and what the reader can expect to find. Fortunately, by following a few simple guidelines, you can create an abstract that generates interest in your work and help readers quickly learn if the paper will be of interest to them. The Basics of an APA Format Abstract The abstract is the second page of a lab report or APA-format paper and should immediately follow the title page. Think of an abstract as a highly condensed summary of your entire paper. The purpose of your abstract is to provide a brief yet thorough overview of your paper. The APA publication manual suggests that your abstract should function much like your title pageâ€"it should allow the person reading it too quickly determine what your paper is all about. The APA manual states that the abstract is the single most important paragraph in your entire paper. Your abstract is the first thing that most people will read, and it is usually what informs their decision to read the rest of your paper. A good abstract lets the reader know that your paper is worth reading. According to the official guidelines of the American Psychological Association, a good abstract should be: Brief but packed with information. Each sentence must be written with maximum impact in mind.?? To keep your abstract short, focus on including just four or five of the essential points, concepts, or findings.Objective and accurate. The abstracts purpose is to report rather than provide commentary. It should also accurately reflect what your paper is about. Only include information that is also included in the body of your paper.?? How to Write an Abstract First, write your paper. While the abstract will be at the beginning of your paper, it should be the last section that you write. Once you have completed the final draft of your psychology paper, use it as a guide for writing your abstract.Begin your abstract on a new page and place your running head and page number 2 in the top right-hand corner. You should also center the word Abstract at the top of the page.Keep it short. According to the APA style manual, an abstract should be between 150 to 250 words.?? Exact word counts can vary from journal to journal. If you are writing your paper for a psychology course, your professor may have specific word requirements, so be sure to ask. The abstract should also be written as only one paragraph with no indentation.Structure of the abstract in the same order as your paper. Begin with a brief summary of the Introduction, and then continue on with a summary of the Method, Results, and Discussion sections of your paper.Look at other abstracts in professional journals for examples of how to summarize your paper. Notice the main points that the authors chose to mention in the abstract. Use these examples as a guide when choosing the main ideas in your own paper.Write a rough draft of your abstract. While you should aim for brevity, be careful not to make your summary too short. Try to write one to two sentences summarizing each section of your paper. Once you have a rough draft, you can edit for length and clarity.Ask a friend to read over the abstract. Sometimes having someone look at your abstract with fresh eyes can provide perspective and help you spot possible typos and other errors. Things to Consider When Writing an Abstract The format of your abstract also depends on the type of paper you are writing. For example, an abstract summarizing an experimental paper will differ from that of a meta-analysis or case study. For an abstract of an experimental report: Begin by identifying the problem. In many cases, you might begin by stating the question you sought out to investigate and your hypothesis.Describe the participants in the study. State how many participants took part and how they were selected. For example, you might state that In this study, 215 undergraduate student participants were randomly assigned to [the experimental condition] or [the control condition].Briefly describe the study method used. For example, you might identify if you used a within-subjects, between-subjects, or mixed design.Give the basic findings. This is essentially a very brief preview of the results of your paper.  Provide any conclusions or implications of the study. What might your results indicate and what directions does it point to for future research. For an abstract of a meta-analysis or literature review: Describe the problem of interest. In other words, what is it that you set out to investigate in your analysis or review.Explain the criteria that were used to select the studies included in the paper. Realistically, there may be many different studies devoted to your topic. Your analysis or review probably only looks at a portion of these studies. For what reason did you select these specific studies to include in your research?Identify the participants in the studies. Just as in an experimental abstract, you need to inform the reader about who the participants were in the studies. Were they college students? Older adults? How were they selected and assigned?Provide the main results. Again, this is essentially a quick peek at what readers will find when they read your results section. Dont try to include everything. Just quickly provide a very brief summary of your main findings.  Describe any conclusions or implications. What might these results mean and what do they reveal about th e body of research that exists on this particular topic? How Long Should Your Abstract Be? The sixth-edition APA manual suggests that an abstract be between 150 and 250 words. However, they note that the exact requirements vary from one journal to the next. If you are writing the abstract for a class, you might want to check with your instructor to see if he or she has a specific word count in mind. Psychology papers such as lab reports and APA format articles also often require an abstract. In these cases as well, the abstract should include all of the major elements of your paper, including an introduction, hypothesis, methods, results, and discussion. Remember, although the abstract should be placed at the beginning of your paper (right after the title page), you will write the abstract last  after you have completed a final draft of your paper. In order to ensure that all of your APA formatting is correct, consider consulting a copy of the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. In order to ensure that all of your APA formatting is correct, consider consulting a copy of the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. A Word From Verywell The abstract may be very brief, but it is so important that the official APA style manual identifies it as the most important paragraph in your entire paper. It may not take a lot of time to write, but careful attention to detail can ensure that your abstract does a good job representing the contents of your paper.   Some more tips that might help you get your abstract in tip-top shape: Look in academic psychology journals for examples of abstracts.Keep on hand a copy of a style guide published by the American Psychological Association for reference.If possible, take your paper to your schools writing lab for assistance.