An abstract is a short summary of a completed research paper or thesis. It is usually a paragraph of 150-250 words that describes the work without going into great detail. The purpose of an abstract is to provide readers with a concise and self-contained overview of the research, allowing them to quickly determine if they are interested in reading the full paper.

An abstract should be well-written and serve multiple purposes, such as preparing readers to follow the detailed information, analyses, and arguments in the full paper. It should be intelligible on its own, without a reader having to read the entire paper. An abstract should include the following elements:

• Purpose: The overall purpose of the study and the research question or problem statement.
• Methodology: The specific models or approaches used in the study, or the types of evidence used in the research.
• Results: The specific data that indicates the results of the project, or a discussion of the findings in a more general way.
• Implications: How the work adds to the body of knowledge on the topic, and any practical or theoretical applications from the findings or implications for future research.

Different disciplines may call for slightly different approaches to abstracts, so it is important to study some abstracts from your own field before writing one. A well-prepared abstract allows a reader to quickly and accurately identify the basic content of the paper.