How To Write An Abstract For A Literature Review Effectively

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Crafting a compelling abstract is a critical step in composing a literature review, enhancing its relevance and reach. Your abstract serves as the first impression of your review, making it crucial to ensure it is both informative and engaging. By simulating the content of your review in a concise manner, abstracts allow readers to quickly assess the relevance of your work and decide whether they should spend time reading it further. To effectively create an abstract that achieves this, it's essential to know how to write an abstract for a literature review and utilize literature review tools effectively.

What Is An Abstract In Literature Review

how to write an abstract for a literature review

An abstract gives readers a gist of the main points of the literature review or research paper. I think of it as a snapshot of the study. A well-written abstract will draw in an audience and persuade them to read the entire paper. An abstract is essential because it is the first section of the paper that readers see. It provides readers with an understanding of what the rest of the paper will discuss.

Purpose of an Abstract in a Literature Review

The purpose of an abstract is to give a reader a quick summary of the paper, so that they can quickly determine whether or not it's worth reading. Abstracts are written to help the reader make a decision on whether or not to download and read the full document. Abstracts are also written to make the paper easier to index by search engines so that people can find it easier when searching for information.

Consider the Audience for Your Abstract

When you're writing the abstract for a research paper, you should consider the audience that you're writing for. If you're writing for a journal, you should write the abstract in a formal style that includes the purpose of the study, the methods used, the results of the study, and the conclusions that can be drawn from the study. If you're writing for a non-academic audience, you should write the abstract in a less formal style that is easier for the layperson to understand.

Guidelines for Writing an Abstract for a Literature Review

I'm going to explain to you how to write an abstract for a literature review. An abstract is a brief summary of a literature review, and it should be about 250 - 300 words long. The abstract should be one single paragraph, and it should be concise and to the point.

General Information in an Abstract for a Literature Review

The abstract should include clear, concise information about the topic of the literature review, the research question, the methods used to conduct the literature review, and the results of the literature review. The abstract should also include information about the significance of the literature review and the implications of the findings.

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What Are The 5 Parts Of An Abstract

1. Introduction

The introduction is the first part of a literature review abstract. It sets the paper’s context and motivates the research or discussion that will be presented. It is the section that entices readers to keep reading your work. The introduction creates a way for the reader to know what the paper entails. It is a must-have part of a literature review abstract.

2. Purpose

This part of a literature review abstract indicates the purpose or thesis of the work. It outlines the aim of the paper. Purpose answers the question of why the paper was written. It helps the reader understand the relevance of the paper to their lives, knowledge, and practices. This section is crucial to a literature review abstract. It’s an essential aspect of the abstract and must be clearly stated.

3. Method

A literature review abstract must also provide information on the design of the work, the procedures used, data analysis, etc. The method section helps the reader understand how the work was done. It enlightens the reader about the strategies used to answer the research questions posed. A literature review abstract is incomplete without this section.

4. Result

In this section of a literature review abstract, you indicate the result or findings of the work. You communicate the findings of the research work to the reader. It is the section that showcases the benefits, drawbacks, and implications of the work.

5. Conclusion

The last part of a literature review abstract is the conclusion.

This part points to the applications or wider implications and interpretation scope of the work done.

It tells the reader the benefits of the findings and how they can be applied.

It helps the reader to understand the relevance of the paper to their lives, knowledge, and practices.

This section is crucial to a literature review abstract.

It is an essential aspect of the abstract and must be clearly stated.

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How To Write An Abstract For A Literature Review

When writing an abstract for a literature review, you take the same basic approach as you do for a general abstract. Since you are reviewing other literature on a topic, you have some unique elements, including

Briefly State the Research Topic and Questions

When you write an abstract for a literature review, you should start with a brief introduction to the research topic and questions. This will help your readers understand the context of your review and its purpose.

Include the Participants and Main Results

In the next part of your abstract, use the primary studies in the literature you reviewed and include the participants in the studies and the main results. This will give your readers an idea of the current state of research on the topic and the findings that you have found.

Conclude the Abstract with the Conclusion of Your Literature Review

In the concluding part of your abstract, restate the main points of your literature review. This will help your readers understand the key takeaways from your review and why it is important.

Mention Implications or Future Research

Finish with a sentence about any implications or future research that developed from the research presented in your paper. This will show your readers the potential impact of your research and how it can contribute to the field.

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From here, it's pretty simple.

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Interact with documents via AI so you can quickly find and understand info.

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Interact with documents

When you upload a document, Unriddle generates an AI assistant on top of this data.

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Use this assistant to answer specific questions about the text, summarize content and simplify jargon.

The trick is to be super clear about what you want.

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Writing is hard when you have a ton of sources to track.

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Writing with AI

Click ‘New’ in the sidebar and hit ‘Note’ to open up a new note.

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Chat Settings

Adjust the model, temperature and response length in the Setting sidebar.

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Examples of High-Quality Abstracts

Sample Abstract 1, a Structured Abstract

From the sciences

Reporting results about the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in managing acute bacterial sinusitis, from a rigorously controlled study

Note: This journal requires authors to organize their abstract into four specific sections, with strict word limits. Because the headings for this structured abstract are self-explanatory, we have chosen not to add annotations to this sample abstract.

Wald, Ellen R., David Nash, and Jens Eickhoff. “Effectiveness of Amoxicillin/Clavulanate Potassium in the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Sinusitis in Children.” Pediatrics, vol. 124, no. 1, 2009, pp. 9-15.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

The role of antibiotic therapy in managing acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS) in children is controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of high-dose amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate in the treatment of children diagnosed with ABS.

METHODS

This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Children 1 to 10 years of age with a clinical presentation compatible with ABS were eligible for participation. Patients were stratified according to age (<6 or ≥6 years) and clinical severity and randomly assigned to receive either amoxicillin (90 mg/kg) with potassium clavulanate (6.4 mg/kg) or placebo. A symptom survey was performed on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, and 30. Patients were examined on day 14. Children’s conditions were rated as cured, improved, or failed according to scoring rules.

RESULTS

Two thousand one hundred thirty-five children with respiratory complaints were screened for enrollment; 139 (6.5%) had ABS. Fifty-eight patients were enrolled, and 56 were randomly assigned. The mean age was 6630 months. Fifty (89%) patients presented with persistent symptoms, and 6 (11%) presented with nonpersistent symptoms. In 24 (43%) children, the illness was classified as mild, whereas in the remaining 32 (57%) children it was severe.

Of the 28 children who received the antibiotic, 14 (50%) were cured, 4 (14%) were improved, 4(14%) experienced treatment failure, and 6 (21%) withdrew. Of the 28children who received placebo, 4 (14%) were cured, 5 (18%) improved, and 19 (68%) experienced treatment failure. Children receiving the antibiotic were more likely to be cured (50% vs 14%) and less likely to have treatment failure (14% vs 68%) than children receiving the placebo.

CONCLUSIONS

ABS is a common complication of viral upper respiratory infections. Amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate results in significantly more cures and fewer failures than placebo, according to parental report of time to resolution.” (9)

More Examples of Abstracts for Literature Reviews

Sample Abstract 2, a Narrative Abstract

From the humanities

Analyzing the role of female characters in British literature in the 19th century

Note: This abstract is less structured and relies more heavily on context and argument.

Smith, Jane. “The Representation of Women in Victorian Novels: A Feminist Perspective.” Journal of Literature Studies, vol. 33, no. 4, 2017, pp. 22-35.

Abstract

"Through an exploration of key works by major British female authors of the 19th century, this paper examines how female characters were portrayed in Victorian literature and seeks to uncover the underlying social and cultural messages conveyed through their depiction. By delving into the writings of authors such as Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, and George Eliot, this paper argues that the portrayal of women in this era’s literature was not only reflective of societal norms but also served a subversive purpose that challenged traditional gender roles and expectations. By analyzing the ways in which women were represented—whether as docile, obedient figures or as rebellious, independent beings—this study sheds light on the complex interplay between literature and society in shaping perceptions of gender during the Victorian age."

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Abstract Checklist For Writing A Good Review Paper

Background: Setting the stage for your work

The background section of your abstract should be a brief introduction to the environment that makes your research exciting and important. This is where you can start to build the story that underpins the aims of your work. What are the issues that led to this work? Why is your research important?

Aim: What goals do you intend to achieve? What gap are you filling?

The aim section of your abstract is where you articulate the objective of your research. What are you hoping to achieve? What gap in the literature are you filling? What is the key question you are trying to answer?

Approach: A summary of your methods

The approach section of your abstract should include a quick overview of your research methods. What did you do in this study? What experimental method did you use? What did you do in this study? What experimental method did you use? What is the theoretical basis of your research?

Results: What are the main findings of your study?

The results section of your abstract should include the main findings of your research. What are the key results of your research? What are the main findings of the study?

Conclusions: What are the main conclusions of your research?

The conclusion section of your abstract should include the main conclusions of your research. Why are your findings important? Where might your research lead? What are the implications of your research? What are the implications of your research?

Writing Guidelines

Your abstract should be concise, at most 200 words, and focused.

The abstract should be written for the audience of this journal: do not assume too much or too little background with the topic.

Ensure that all of the information found in the abstract also can be found in the body of the paper.

Ensure that the important information of the paper is found in the abstract.

Avoid: using the first paragraph of the introduction as an abstract; citations in the abstract; acronyms (but if used, spell them out); referring to figures or tables from the body of the paper; use of the first person; use of words like “new” or “novel,” or phrases like “in this paper,” “we report,” or “will be discussed.”

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