● Abstract

● In research, "abstract" refers to a brief summary of a study, article, or report. It provides

a concise overview of the key elements, including the research objectives, methodology,

main findings, and conclusions. The abstract helps readers quickly understand the

purpose and significance of the research without reading the full document.

● Characteristics of a Good Abstract:

○ Clarity:
○ Conciseness:
○ Completeness:
○ Accuracy:
● Summarize the Research: Provide a quick, clear overview of the study,
including its purpose, methods, results, and conclusions.
● Help Readers Decide: Allow readers to quickly determine the relevance of the
research to their interests or field.
● Facilitate Indexing: Make the research discoverable in databases and search
engines.
● Encourage Engagement: Attract attention and encourage readers to explore
the full study.

The abstract serves as a gateway to the research, giving just enough information to
inform and entice the audience.
An abstract typically consists of several key parts, each serving a specific purpose in
summarizing the research. While the exact structure may vary depending on the type of
research or journal guidelines, a well-structured abstract generally includes the following
parts:

1. Introduction or Background
● Purpose: Briefly states the research problem or research question.
● Context: Sometimes, a brief background is included to set the stage for the study.
● Example: "This study investigates the effects of social media use on the mental
health of teenagers."

2. Objectives or Aims
● Purpose: Clearly defines the main objectives or aims of the research.
 ● Example: "The aim of this research is to explore how social media affects
adolescent self-esteem and anxiety."

3. Methods
● Purpose: Summarizes the research design and methods used to conduct the
study (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, experimental, or survey).
● Details: Includes the key methods, sample size, data collection techniques, and
analysis approach.
● Example: "A survey was administered to 500 teenagers, and data were analyzed
using regression analysis."

4. Results
● Purpose: Highlights the key findings or results of the study.
● Details: Provides brief, relevant results that address the research question or
hypothesis.
● Example: "The results indicate a significant correlation between high social
media use and increased anxiety levels in teenagers."

5. Conclusions or Implications
● Purpose: Summarizes the implications of the findings and their significance.
● Details: Can suggest potential applications, recommendations, or directions for
future research.
● Example: "These findings suggest the need for interventions to reduce social
media use and promote healthy online habits among adolescents."

6. Keywords (optional)
● Purpose: A list of relevant terms or keywords that help others find the research
when searching academic databases.
● Example: "Keywords: Social Media, Mental Health, Adolescents, Anxiety,
Self-Esteem."

Abstract Definition
An abstract helps someone understand your research.
An abstract is a concise summary of a research paper.
An abstract is a summary of a paper that authors include after the title page
and before the introduction. When writing formal research papers,
dissertations, and professional papers, writers need to create abstracts. In
less than 300 words, an abstract informs readers of the research motive, the
investigation, the findings, and their importance.

The word abstract comes from Latin and means detached or pulled away. This
might help you remember that an abstract is a condensed summary of a
paper detached from the paper itself.

The Importance of Abstracts

Abstracts are also important because they tell readers how the paper they are
about to read will be organized. Reading long academic papers with complex
methodologies can often be confusing. The paper's abstract can serve as a
frame of reference for readers, as they can refer back to it to understand the
researcher's main aims and process.

Reading other researchers' abstracts can be a useful way to quickly identify

the information in a source for one's own research. For instance, imagine a
writer is tasked with crafting a literature review that is an overview of all recent
and relevant literature in a specific field. This can be an overwhelming task,
especially if the field has a lot of research. Reading abstracts of potential
sources can help speed up the research process because it tells researchers
exactly what others have asked and found on a topic.

What is research?

It is an investigation of finding solutions to scientific and social problems

through objective and systematic analysis. It is a search for knowledge, that
is, a discovery of hidden truths. Here knowledge means information about
matters.
The information might be collected from different sources like experience,
human beings, books, journals, nature, etc.

A research can lead to new contributions to the existing knowledge.

Not confined to science & technology

Objectives of research

to discover new facts

to verify and test important facts

to analyse an event or process or phenomenon to identify the cause and

effect relationship

to develop new scientific tools, concepts and theories to solve and understand
scientific and non-scientific problems

to find solutions to scientific, non-scientific and social problems

1) A research problem refers to a difficulty which a researcher or a scientific

community or an industry or a government organization or a society
experiences. It may be a theoretical or a practical situation. It calls for a
thorough understanding and possible solution.

(2) Research on existing theories and concepts help us identify the range and
applications of them.

(3) It is the fountain of knowledge and provides guidelines for solving

problems.

(4) Research provides the basis for many government policies. For example,
research on the needs and desires of the people and on the availability of
revenues to meet the needs helps a government to prepare a budget.
(5) It is important in industry and business for higher gain and productivity and
to improve the quality of products.

6) It leads to the identification and characterization of new materials, new

living things, new stars, etc.

(7) Only through research inventions can be made; for example, new and
novel phenomena and processes such as cloning have been discovered only
through research.

(8) Social research helps find answers to social problems. They explain social
phenomena and seek solution to social problems.

(9) Research leads to a new style of life and makes it delightful and glorious.

Deductive vs Inductive research

Deductive reasoning works from the more general to the more specific.
Sometimes this is informally called a "top-down" approach. We might begin
with thinking up a theory about our topic of interest. We then narrow that down
into more specific hypotheses that we can test.

Theory

Hypothesis

Observation

Confirmation

Inductive reasoning works the other way, moving from specific observations to broader
generalizations and theories. Informally, we sometimes call this a "bottom up" approach.
In inductive reasoning, we begin with specific observations and measures, begin to
detect patterns and regularities, formulate some tentative hypotheses that we can
explore, and finally end up developing some general conclusions or theories.
Theory
 Hypothesis

Patterns

Observation

Contents of Research Paper

A research paper is a focused, concise exploration of a specific topic or research
question. It typically includes:
1. Title
● Clear and concise, reflecting the main topic of the paper.
2. Abstract
● A summary of the research, including the problem, methodology, results,
and conclusion (usually 150–250 words).
3. Introduction
● Background information on the topic.
● Statement of the research problem or question.
● Objectives or purpose of the research.
● Significance of the study.
4. Literature Review (optional in shorter papers)
● Overview of relevant previous studies to provide context and justify the
research.
5. Methodology
● Description of methods used to gather and analyze data.
● May include details about participants, tools, procedures, and analysis
techniques.
6. Results
● Presentation of findings (tables, graphs, and statistical analysis if
applicable).
7. Discussion
● Interpretation of the results.
● Comparison with previous studies.
● Explanation of implications, limitations, and possible future research
directions.
8. Conclusion
● Summary of the research and its main findings.
● Final remarks about the importance of the study.
9. References
● A list of all sources cited in the paper, formatted according to a specific
citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).