The abstract is an important section of your APA format research paper. It is typically the first section of your paper, located directly after the title page. The abstract is a short summary of the main aspects of your entire paper, including the research problem or question, methods, results, and conclusions. It condenses the key details of your paper into a condensed format and gives readers a “preview” of what information and insights your paper contains.
According to thePublication Manual of the American Psychological Association, an abstract should be between 150-250 words and provide a concise overview of the paper. There are strict formatting guidelines to follow when writing an abstract in APA style. Some key things to keep in mind include:
The abstract should be on a separate page from the title page and body text. Its own page should say “Abstract” centered at the top without any additional formatting like bold or italics.
Text should be double-spaced and use a legible font like Times New Roman size 12. Margins should be 1 inch on all sides.
Do not indent the first line of the abstract paragraph or include any information like page numbers, headers or footers that would normally be included elsewhere in an APA paper.
Avoid complex language or unnecessary details. The abstract should give a high-level description of key aspects in simple, clear terms that are understandable to a general academic audience.
Do not cite references or include any tables, figures or images in the abstract. The abstract alone should provide enough context about your paper without requiring additional supporting information.
Keep verb tense consistent, usually using the past tense to describe what was done based on prior research and the results that were found/analyzed.
Use parallel construction when describing different sections like the methods and results to maintain a consistent flow and structure throughout the abstract.
End with a brief summary statement of your research conclusions or findings, implications, and any recommendations for future work based on your results and analysis.
Here is a sample 150-word abstract for a hypothetical APA research paper on the effects of learning styles on academic performance:
“This study examined the relationship between learning style preferences and academic achievement in college students. A total of 120 students completed the Index of Learning Styles questionnaire to determine their style preferences in four modalities: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. Fall semester GPAs were compared between students with different modality preferences. Results indicated students with strong preferences for either visual or kinesthetic learning performed significantly better academically than students with auditory or reading/writing preferences. The findings suggest tailored instruction targeting different learning styles may help improve academic outcomes. Further research is still needed to examine how specific teaching methods aligned with different learning modalities can most effectively enhance student performance and retention.”
As seen in this sample abstract, the key characteristics of an effective APA abstract are followed: It summarizes the problem investigated, methodology used, main results found, and broad conclusions/implications in 150 words without citations or additional information. The abstract aims to give readers a clear overview of what the full paper covers at a high level using simple, straightforward language in past tense.
When writing your own abstract, be sure to:
Clearly define the research problem/issue and its significance upfront in 1-2 sentences.
Briefly describe methods used including participants, measures, procedures, designs in 2-4 sentences.
Summarize main results found by reporting key descriptive and inferential statistics, trends identified, or categories developed through analysis.
State implications and conclusions derived from interpreting results with 1-2 sentences on limitations, applications, or directions for future research.
Use parallel and consistent verb tense (usually past tense), structure, and level of detail throughout to provide a cohesive preview of your paper.
Keep language concise and avoid unnecessary complex terminology, abbreviations, or references that require outside context to understand.
Stay within 150-250 word limit depending on requirements and aim for 200 words as a good target length.
Following APA abstract formatting guidelines and including the essential components discussed provides readers with a clear, informative overview of your full research paper in an objective, high-level way. Taking time to carefully craft an effective abstract will allow your key findings and contributions to be readily accessible and understood.