How to Write an Abstract

How to Write an Abstract APA Paper Mini Lesson: Get Excited!!!

What is an abstract? • It’s a brief paragraph (200 words) that summarizes the entirety of your paper • Usually includes what it is that you will be arguing (rephrasing your thesis) • It is DIFFERENT than your introduction • Used so that other people doing research can get a glimpse of what the paper is about before deciding to read it or not

Parts of an Abstract • Problem Statement • Motivation • Approach • Results • Conclusions

Problem Statement • What is the question you are trying to answer/ the topic of your research/ the problem you are trying to solve? • Example: This paper’s main focus is to evaluate the films made by director Christopher Nolan.

Motivation • Answer this question: WHY do we care about your topic/ research? • Example: Ever since the release of Memento in 2000, Nolan’s films have grossed more than 3.5 billion dollars worldwide (Peter, 2012). He has become one of the most influential directors in Hollywood; therefore, an analysis of his films is in turn an analysis of a major part of twenty-first century pop culture.

Approach • How did you go about solving this problem/ doing this research? • High points/ low points • Example: While conducting my research, I chose to narrow my focus on three of Nolan’s films: Memento, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight Rises. I felt that these three not only were the best representations of Nolan’s style, but they also are three films taken from three different stages of Nolan’s career thus far. Focus on these films made research more effective, as there were many more sources on his particular films rather than his work and career as a whole. During this research, I made sure to take note of similarities and differences between the films.

Results • What did you find as a result of your research? • Example: I found that, while Nolan’s tactics regarding the portrayal of the mise-en-scene became more advanced in conjunction with technological developments, the formula for his movies proved to be characteristic to him. He frequently makes use of the negative behavior of mankind, creates his protagonists in a way that makes them martyrs, and uses elements of film noir. These elements make Nolan’s film almost like a genre all their own.

Conclusions • Rephrase the thesis used in your intro paragraph • What is the main thing you will be concentrating on? • Example: Thus, my research is devoted to an in-depth analysis of the fact that, while the plots and settings may be different, Nolan uses many of the same kinds of tactics to distinguish his films from other directors’ work.

Full Example: 268 Words This paper’s main focus is to evaluate the films made by director Christopher Nolan. Ever since the release of Memento in 2000, Nolan’s films have grossed more than 3.5 billion dollars worldwide (Peter, 2012). He has become one of the most influential directors in Hollywood; therefore, an analysis of his films is in turn an analysis of a major part of twenty-first century pop culture. While conducting my research, I chose to narrow my focus on three of Nolan’s films: Memento, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight Rises. I felt that these three not only were the best representations of Nolan’s style, but they also are three films taken from three different stages of Nolan’s career thus far. Focus on these films made research more effective, as there were many more sources on his particular films rather than his work and career as a whole. During this research, I made sure to take note of similarities and differences between the films. I found that, while Nolan’s tactics regarding the portrayal of the mise-en-scene became more advanced in conjunction with technological developments, the formula for his movies proved to be characteristic to him. He frequently makes use of the negative behavior of mankind, creates his protagonists in a way that makes them martyrs, and uses elements of film noir. These elements make Nolan’s film almost like a genre all their own. Thus, my research is devoted to an in-depth analysis of the fact that, while the plots and settings may be different, Nolan uses many of the same kinds of tactics to distinguish his films from other directors’ work.

Things to consider while writing an abstract. . . • This counts as one of the pages of your APA paper • YOU TITLE PAGE/ REFERENCE PAGE(S) DO NOT • Make sure to double space it • Title it Abstract

How to Write an Abstract