If you dont already have an outline of your dissertation, you should create one. Of course, there is certain terminology or phrasing which cannot be expressed in different ways, but you need to exercise some creativity when you write this summary. A good abstract is one that can clearly explain to the reader in 300 words: Another way to think of this structure is: Following this formulaic approach to writing the abstract should hopefully make it a little easier to write but you can already see here that theres a lot of information to convey in a very limited number of words. In terms of style, your abstract should also make use of a less passive voice. Most people that come across your thesis, including any future employers, are likely to read only your abstract. Whether youre writing up your Masters dissertation or PhD thesis, the abstract will be a key element of this document that youll want to make sure you give proper attention to. The abstract you write for your dissertation or thesis should succinctly explain to the reader why the work of your research was needed, what you did, what you found and what it means. A final point to note is the use of the EBM acronym, which stands for Electron Beam Melting in the context of 3D printing; this is a niche acronym for the author to assume that the reader would know the meaning of. Whilst the proof-of-concept of these have been promising, the structural integrity of AM engine parts in response to full thrust and temperature variations is not clear. And in an abstract, you usually do not cite referencesmost of your abstract will describe what you have studied in your research and what you have found and what you argue in your paper. Three key elements of a Thesis Abstract . Read the latest postgraduate news, along with essential course advice from universities, professors and former PhD students, If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.. This has demonstrated an important safety concern which needs to be addressed before AM parts can be used in commercial aircraft. In short, make sure you write a good, well-structured abstract. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines an abstract in academic writing as being a few sentences that give the main ideas in an article or a scientific paper and the Collins English Dictionary says an abstract of an article, document, or speech is a short piece of writing that gives the main points of it. How your work has added to further knowledge in your field of study. A PhD in USA takes 5-6 years, costs between $12-45k per year and has a different structure to UK and EU PhDs. At only 71 words long, it definitely hasnt maximised the amount of information that could be presented and the what they have presented has lacked clarity and structure. The biggest challenge youll have is getting all the 6 points mentioned above across in your abstract within the limit of 300 words. First of all, go through your thesis and highlight the objectives, scope, methods, conclusions, and Lets start with an example of a bad thesis abstract: In this project on The Analysis of the Structural Integrity of 3D Printed Polymers for use in Aircraft, my research looked at how 3D printing of materials can help the aviation industry in the manufacture of planes. Begin by clearly defining the purpose of your research. For example, if your thesis has five chapters (introduction, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion), there should be one or more The reason being that you cant write a summary about what you did, what you found and what it means until youve done the work. Each sentence should give the reader new, useful information about your research so theres no need to write out your project title again. The exception to this is your PhD examiner, however know that even they may not read the entire length of the document. why this research was needed), the main work you did (i.e. Write an outline of your dissertation if you have not already done so. To create an outline: Start with your main thesis at the top. Then another sentence or two to explain the gap in the knowledge; theres no need or expectation for you to include references in the abstract. Keep the sentences short and to the point. The primary aim of this project was to determine the fracture modes and mechanisms of AM components designed for use in Boeing 747 engines. When is it compulsory to write an abstract? the focus of each chapter), what you found (the results) and concluding with how your research study contributed to new knowledge within your field. Perhaps the best way to understand how to write a thesis abstract is to look at examples of what makes a good and bad abstract. This project investigated the structural integrity of EBM manufactured components, which could revolutionise the aviation industry. In the body of your paper, you will cite the specific literature that informs your research. Hopefully youll have spotted some of the reasons this would be considered a poor abstract, not least because the author used up valuable words by repeating the lengthy title of the project in the abstract. Research assistants are employed by research institutes to assist with academic or private research. Find out all you need to know about the role. the focus of each chapter), what you found (the results) and concluding with how your research study contributed to new knowledge within your Show the abstract to others and ask them to explain what they understand about your research are they able to explain back to you each of the 6 structure points, including why your project was needed, the research questions and results, and the impact it had on your research field? When it comes to the language of writing an abstract, it is advisable to cross out all words that make the write-up complicated and difficult to comprehend. Aims. Secondly, the simulations showed that cracks formed within AM parts were more likely to worsen and lead to component failure at subzero temperatures when compared to conventionally manufactured parts. Your abstract should be intelligible on its own, without a readers having to read your entire paper. For each chapter or section, list keywords and draft 1-2 sentences that summarize the central point or argument. Acronyms have even been used twice in this good abstract but they were clearly defined the first time they were introduced in the text so that there was no confusion about their meaning. Knowing this will help the reader better understand if your results help to answer the research questions or if further work is needed. Having read this good abstract you should have a much better understand about what the subject area is about, where the gap in the knowledge was, the aim of the project, the methods that were used, key results and finally the significance of these results. Next, read each section of your paper. Spend suitable time editing your text, and if necessary, completely re-writing it. Every word in the abstract is important so make sure you focus on only the key elements of your research and the main outcomes and significance of your project that you want the reader to know about. What methods you employed to achieve these. To achieve this an explicit finite element (FE) model was developed to simulate the environment and parameters that the engine is exposed to during flight. Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States of America, once famously said: The point here is that its easier to talk open-endedly about a subject that you know a lot about than it is to condense the key points into a 10-minute speech; the same applies for an abstract. Whilst the abstract is one of the first sections in your PhD thesis, practically its probably the last aspect that youll ending up writing before sending the document to print. Working through our checklist of the 6 key points you want to convey to the reader: This is an extreme example but is a good way to illustrate just how unhelpful a poorly written abstract can be. Even just for this reason alone, its so important that you write the best abstract you can; this will not only convey your research effectively but also put you in the best light possible as a researcher. If your research has a different structure (for example, a humanities dissertation that builds an argument through thematic chapters), you can write your abstract through a process of reverse outlining. Writing a thesis is an arduous, trying job. This article will explain the key differences between a PhD and a MD, from program structure and length to career outlook. By continuing to use this site, you are giving your consent to cookies being used. If youre a PhD student, having written your 100,000-word thesis, the abstract will be the 300 word summary included at the start of the thesis that succinctly explains the motivation for your study (i.e. We can see that this project was focussed on the topic of structural integrity of materials in aircraft but the actual research, The author also doesnt tell us a single result of his research, let alone the, Theres a bold claim in the last sentence of the abstract that this project could revolutionise the aviation industry, and this may well be the case, but based on the abstract alone there is no evidence to support this as its. Its important that youre able to convey what new knowledge you contributed to your field but be mindful when writing your abstract that you dont inadvertently overstate the conclusions, impact and significance of your work. The aim of a thesis abstract is to give the reader a broad overview of what your research project was about and what you found that was novel, before he or she decides to read the entire thesis. The FE model was validated using experimental data replicating the environmental parameters in a laboratory setting using ten AM engine components provided by the industry sponsor. Your particular university may give some leeway in going a few words over this but its good practice to keep within this; the art of succinctly getting your information across is an important skill for a researcher to have and one that youll be called on to use regularly as you write papers for peer review. After all that work the last thing you can afford to do is write a poor abstract. Writing an abstract for a thesis requires rewriting the content from your work without it being copied verbatim. Making an outline will help to make writing your actual abstract much more efficient. Some people prefer to write their overarching aim whilst others set out their research questions as they correspond to the structure of their thesis chapters; the approach you use is up to you, as long as the reader can understand what your dissertation or thesis had set out to achieve. Three hundred words is not a lot of words which makes it even more difficult to condense three (or more) years of research into a coherent, interesting story. If youre a PhD student, having written your 100,000-word thesis, the abstract will be the 300 word summary included at the start of the thesis that succinctly explains the motivation for your study (i.e. Keep the content of the abstract factual; that is to say that you should avoid bringing too much or any opinion into it, which inevitably can make the writing seem vague in the points youre trying to get across and even lacking in structure. Considering that it is your work, personal pronouns can be utilized. The validated FE model was then used to investigate the extent of crack initiation and propagation as the environment parameters were adjusted. Its best to avoid acronyms in your abstract all together even if its something that you might expect most people to know about, unless you specifically define the meaning first. What the gap in knowledge was in your field. why this research was needed), the main work you did (i.e. Find out if a US PhD is for you! You may have come across incidental findings during your research which could be interesting to discuss but this should not happen in the abstract as you simply dont have enough words. Give yourself one or two sentences to introduce your subject area and set the context for your project. What practical or theoretical problem does the research This project was the first to investigate fracture patterns in AM titanium components used in aircraft engines; the key finding was that the presence of cavities within the structures due to errors in the printing process, significantly increased the risk of fracture. To break these points down further, from this good abstract we now know that: The abstract text has a much clearer flow through these different points in how its written and has made much better use of the available word count. The reality here though is that very few people will read the entire thesis, and not because theyre necessarily disinterested but because practically its too large a document for most people to have the time to read. The structure of the abstract should mirror the structure of the whole thesis, and should represent all its major elements. Some people may still skip to and read specific sections throughout your thesis such as the methodology, but the fact is that the abstract will be all that most read and will therefore be the section they base their opinions about your research on. Plane parts can be made at a lower cost using 3D printing and made lighter than traditional components. Having seen an example of a bad thesis abstract, now lets look at an example of a good PhD thesis abstract written about the same (fictional) project: Additive manufacturing (AM) of titanium alloys has the potential to enable cheaper and lighter components to be produced with customised designs for use in aircraft engines. Furthermore, make sure everything you talk about in your thesis is actually described in the main thesis. We use cookies to give you the best experience on our website. To know about the role to use this site, you will cite the specific that. 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