Abstract

The abstract is a brief summary of the content of your disquisition, including your research question or argument and your conclusions. Your abstract may be read by people who are both inside and outside of your field, and they will use the abstract to determine if the rest of your disquisition is beneficial to them. It should summarize the main points of your disquisition, including the primary arguments that are made and the conclusions that are reached.

Contents
  1. Formatting Requirements
  2. Quick Answers
  3. Common Issues
  4. Resources

Format Guidelines: Abstract

Follow the General Requirements for font, spacing, and page numbers for prefatory materials.

  • Word count – Abstracts for doctoral dissertations must use 350 words or less. Abstracts for master’s papers or master’s theses must use 150 words or less.
  • Heading – The Abstract must include the “ABSTRACT” major heading and must be formatted like other major headings in the disquisition. The Abstract should also be included in the Table of Contents, like the other prefatory material.
  • Spacing – The line spacing and indentation of the Abstract’s paragraphs must be consistent with the rest of your disquisition.

Quick Answers

No. If you require assistance editing your abstract to meet the requirements for your disquisition (350 words for dissertations, 150 words for theses and papers), we recommend making an appointment with a graduate consultant at the Center for Writers.

Yes. The word limit for abstracts (350 words for dissertations, 150 words for theses and papers) applies only to the major section on page iii of your disquisition.

If your disquisition includes other published (or yet-to-be-published) work that in turn include abstract sections, those abstracts are not subject to this word limit, though they must of course meet the other requirements of our Format Guidelines, such as for fonts and line spacing.

Issue: Abstract Exceeds Word Limit

Abstracts for dissertations may be up to 350 words and abstracts for theses and papers may be up to 150 words. If your abstract exceeds this limit, you will need to revise it. If you need assistance, we recommend making an appointment with a graduate consultant at the Center for Writers.

Center for Writers