What is an Abstract?
A crucial part of your thesis is the abstract. It is most likely the first substantial statement of your work that an outside examiner will read because it is presented at the beginning of the thesis. You should consider it a chance to create realistic expectations. The entire PhD Dissertation has to be summarized in the abstract. It gives a remarkably simplified version of all the key ideas in your work.
An introduction in the sense of a preamble, preface, or advance organizer that gets the reader ready for the thesis is not what an abstract is. In addition to serving that purpose, it must be able to stand in for the entire thesis when there isn't enough time or place for the entire document.
Every word in the abstract matters, so be sure to concentrate exclusively on the essential components of your research, the most important findings, and the significance of your project that you want the reader to be aware of. It's possible that you made unintended discoveries throughout your research that you'd like to explain, but you shouldn't do so in the abstract because there aren't enough words. Additionally, confirm that the main thesis adequately describes everything you discuss throughout your thesis.
Short and to the point sentences are best. No need to repeat your project title; instead, each phrase should provide the reader with new, insightful information about your research. To explain your topic and establish the background for your endeavor, give yourself one or two sentences. You don't have to or should not be expected to include references in the abstract; instead, just add one or two more sentences to describe the Research gap.
The technique you take is up to you, as long as the reader can grasp the overall goal of your dissertation or thesis. Some people prefer to state their overarching goal, while others prefer to outline their research questions in the order in which the chapters of their thesis are organized. Knowing this will make it easier for the reader to decide whether your findings contribute to the research topics or whether more study is required.
Keep the content of the abstract accurate; avoid adding too much or any opinion because doing so will make your writing appear unclear in the arguments you're trying to make and perhaps even unorganized. Give your content the necessary time for editing and, if necessary, rewriting it entirely.
What is the Purpose of an Abstract?
The goal of a thesis abstract is to give a basic overview of the subject of your research endeavor and any unique findings you discovered before a reader decides to read the entire thesis. Truth is told, only a small portion of people will actually read the entire thesis; this isn't because they are innately indifferent; rather, it's because it is a lengthy paper that most people just don't have the time to read. Your PhD examiner is the one exception to this rule, but even they might not have read the complete document, so be aware of that possibility.
Even if some readers may still skip over and only read particular parts of your thesis, such the Research methodology, the majority will only read the abstract, and as a result, their opinions of your research will be based on that portion. Make careful to create a strong, organized abstract, in other words.
Size and Structure
Currently, the National Archive of Canada accepts abstracts up to 350 words and 150 words for master's theses (Doctoral dissertation). You might want to keep the abstract for your PhD dissertation to one double-spaced page, or about 280 words, in order to maintain visual consistency.
The dissertation' essential components should be represented in the abstract's structure, which should be similar to the dissertation's overall structure. If your thesis, for instance, comprises five chapters (introduction, literature review, methods, findings, and conclusion), each chapter should have one or more phrases that serve as a summary.
Clearly Specify Your Research Questions
Your research questions are essential to making sure the abstract is coherent and rationally formed, just like they are in the thesis itself. They serve as the framework to which additional components are attached.
They ought to be introduced right at the start of the abstract. Only one to three questions can be asked. If your thesis contains more than three primary research topics, you could want to restructure it by relegating some of them to subsidiary status.
Don't Forget the Results
Final point to remember while writing dissertation is data analysis. Lack of results presentation is the most typical abstract error. Your thesis's main purpose is to present what you discovered rather than what you performed, and by extension, your abstract's major purpose is to do the same.
The major purpose of the additional material is to support the statements you make about your results. This information includes a description of your research techniques. Finally, the summary and interpretation of your findings should take up about the second half of the abstract.
