Q: How to write the results in the abstract within the specified word limit?

Detailed Question -

I have problem regarding the Results section of the Abstract. Some studies contain many important findings or results (in the body of article) that cannot be ignored while writing the Abstract of the article. Some say each important finding from the result should be included in the abstract section but doing this also exceeds the word limit. So, exactly what to do?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Most journals specify a word count for the abstract. The abstract is supposed to be the hook that draws your audience in to read the complete paper. In the case of scientific papers, the readers are most interested in the findings; they will read the entire paper if they feel that the findings are worthwhile. Therefore, you should not compromise on the results section of the abstract. If you have several significant findings, make sure you include as many as you possibly can, of course, expressed in a very concise manner. 

Generally speaking, a structured abstract has the following sections:

  • Background
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusion

The results section should be the longest part of the abstract. If that means reducing the background and conclusion to a bare minimum, by all means do so. Try to include as much details about the results as the word count permits. For more detailed guidance on how to write an effective abstract, go through this handbook: Write a compelling abstract: Practical advice for researchers

Here are some other resources that you may find useful:

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