Abstract

The Abstract of a dissertation is critically important, and it is well worth drafting this many times and checking and rechecking it. Essentially, the Abstract is an overall summary of the entire work in the dissertation. The Abstract summarises what the research question or problem is, and how the work has been done to address this. Sometimes it will be expected to indicate the nature of findings or conclusions, but more often the Abstract is much more general, and is intended to whet the reader's appetite enough to want to read the conclusions in due course. A well written Abstract demonstrates the capacity of the author to present the main aspects of an often lengthy study in a coherent and economical form. The Abstract, in essence, should provide a brief synopsis of the study by identifying the nature and scope of the work, the major outcomes and the particular contribution it makes to knowledge in the field.