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• How to Write an Abstract | Steps & Examples

How to Write an Abstract | Steps & Examples

Published on February 28, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 18, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

An abstract is a short summary of a longer work (such as a thesis ,  dissertation or research paper ). The abstract concisely reports the aims and outcomes of your research, so that readers know exactly what your paper is about.

Although the structure may vary slightly depending on your discipline, your abstract should describe the purpose of your work, the methods you’ve used, and the conclusions you’ve drawn.

One common way to structure your abstract is to use the IMRaD structure. This stands for:

• Introduction

Abstracts are usually around 100–300 words, but there’s often a strict word limit, so make sure to check the relevant requirements.

In a dissertation or thesis , include the abstract on a separate page, after the title page and acknowledgements but before the table of contents .

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Table of contents

Abstract example, when to write an abstract, step 1: introduction, step 2: methods, step 3: results, step 4: discussion, tips for writing an abstract, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about abstracts.

Hover over the different parts of the abstract to see how it is constructed.

This paper examines the role of silent movies as a mode of shared experience in the US during the early twentieth century. At this time, high immigration rates resulted in a significant percentage of non-English-speaking citizens. These immigrants faced numerous economic and social obstacles, including exclusion from public entertainment and modes of discourse (newspapers, theater, radio).

Incorporating evidence from reviews, personal correspondence, and diaries, this study demonstrates that silent films were an affordable and inclusive source of entertainment. It argues for the accessible economic and representational nature of early cinema. These concerns are particularly evident in the low price of admission and in the democratic nature of the actors’ exaggerated gestures, which allowed the plots and action to be easily grasped by a diverse audience despite language barriers.

Keywords: silent movies, immigration, public discourse, entertainment, early cinema, language barriers.

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You will almost always have to include an abstract when:

• Completing a thesis or dissertation
• Submitting a research paper to an academic journal
• Writing a book or research proposal
• Applying for research grants

It’s easiest to write your abstract last, right before the proofreading stage, because it’s a summary of the work you’ve already done. Your abstract should:

• Be a self-contained text, not an excerpt from your paper
• Be fully understandable on its own
• Reflect the structure of your larger work

Start by clearly defining the purpose of your research. What practical or theoretical problem does the research respond to, or what research question did you aim to answer?

You can include some brief context on the social or academic relevance of your dissertation topic , but don’t go into detailed background information. If your abstract uses specialized terms that would be unfamiliar to the average academic reader or that have various different meanings, give a concise definition.

After identifying the problem, state the objective of your research. Use verbs like “investigate,” “test,” “analyze,” or “evaluate” to describe exactly what you set out to do.

This part of the abstract can be written in the present or past simple tense  but should never refer to the future, as the research is already complete.

• This study will investigate the relationship between coffee consumption and productivity.
• This study investigates the relationship between coffee consumption and productivity.

Next, indicate the research methods that you used to answer your question. This part should be a straightforward description of what you did in one or two sentences. It is usually written in the past simple tense, as it refers to completed actions.

• Structured interviews will be conducted with 25 participants.
• Structured interviews were conducted with 25 participants.

Don’t evaluate validity or obstacles here — the goal is not to give an account of the methodology’s strengths and weaknesses, but to give the reader a quick insight into the overall approach and procedures you used.

Next, summarize the main research results . This part of the abstract can be in the present or past simple tense.

• Our analysis has shown a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.
• Our analysis shows a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.
• Our analysis showed a strong correlation between coffee consumption and productivity.

Depending on how long and complex your research is, you may not be able to include all results here. Try to highlight only the most important findings that will allow the reader to understand your conclusions.

Finally, you should discuss the main conclusions of your research : what is your answer to the problem or question? The reader should finish with a clear understanding of the central point that your research has proved or argued. Conclusions are usually written in the present simple tense.

• We concluded that coffee consumption increases productivity.
• We conclude that coffee consumption increases productivity.

If there are important limitations to your research (for example, related to your sample size or methods), you should mention them briefly in the abstract. This allows the reader to accurately assess the credibility and generalizability of your research.

If your aim was to solve a practical problem, your discussion might include recommendations for implementation. If relevant, you can briefly make suggestions for further research.

If your paper will be published, you might have to add a list of keywords at the end of the abstract. These keywords should reference the most important elements of the research to help potential readers find your paper during their own literature searches.

Be aware that some publication manuals, such as APA Style , have specific formatting requirements for these keywords.

It can be a real challenge to condense your whole work into just a couple of hundred words, but the abstract will be the first (and sometimes only) part that people read, so it’s important to get it right. These strategies can help you get started.

Read other abstracts

The best way to learn the conventions of writing an abstract in your discipline is to read other people’s. You probably already read lots of journal article abstracts while conducting your literature review —try using them as a framework for structure and style.

You can also find lots of dissertation abstract examples in thesis and dissertation databases .

Reverse outline

Not all abstracts will contain precisely the same elements. For longer works, you can write your abstract through a process of reverse outlining.

For each chapter or section, list keywords and draft one to two sentences that summarize the central point or argument. This will give you a framework of your abstract’s structure. Next, revise the sentences to make connections and show how the argument develops.

Write clearly and concisely

A good abstract is short but impactful, so make sure every word counts. Each sentence should clearly communicate one main point.

To keep your abstract or summary short and clear:

• Avoid passive sentences: Passive constructions are often unnecessarily long. You can easily make them shorter and clearer by using the active voice.
• Avoid long sentences: Substitute longer expressions for concise expressions or single words (e.g., “In order to” for “To”).
• Avoid obscure jargon: The abstract should be understandable to readers who are not familiar with your topic.
• Avoid repetition and filler words: Replace nouns with pronouns when possible and eliminate unnecessary words.
• Avoid detailed descriptions: An abstract is not expected to provide detailed definitions, background information, or discussions of other scholars’ work. Instead, include this information in the body of your thesis or paper.

If you’re struggling to edit down to the required length, you can get help from expert editors with Scribbr’s professional proofreading services or use the paraphrasing tool .

Check your formatting

If you are writing a thesis or dissertation or submitting to a journal, there are often specific formatting requirements for the abstract—make sure to check the guidelines and format your work correctly. For APA research papers you can follow the APA abstract format .

Checklist: Abstract

The word count is within the required length, or a maximum of one page.

The abstract appears after the title page and acknowledgements and before the table of contents .

I have clearly stated my research problem and objectives.

I have briefly described my methodology .

I have summarized the most important results .

I have stated my main conclusions .

I have mentioned any important limitations and recommendations.

The abstract can be understood by someone without prior knowledge of the topic.

You've written a great abstract! Use the other checklists to continue improving your thesis or dissertation.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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An abstract is a concise summary of an academic text (such as a journal article or dissertation ). It serves two main purposes:

• To help potential readers determine the relevance of your paper for their own research.
• To communicate your key findings to those who don’t have time to read the whole paper.

Abstracts are often indexed along with keywords on academic databases, so they make your work more easily findable. Since the abstract is the first thing any reader sees, it’s important that it clearly and accurately summarizes the contents of your paper.

An abstract for a thesis or dissertation is usually around 200–300 words. There’s often a strict word limit, so make sure to check your university’s requirements.

The abstract is the very last thing you write. You should only write it after your research is complete, so that you can accurately summarize the entirety of your thesis , dissertation or research paper .

Avoid citing sources in your abstract . There are two reasons for this:

• The abstract should focus on your original research, not on the work of others.
• The abstract should be self-contained and fully understandable without reference to other sources.

There are some circumstances where you might need to mention other sources in an abstract: for example, if your research responds directly to another study or focuses on the work of a single theorist. In general, though, don’t include citations unless absolutely necessary.

The abstract appears on its own page in the thesis or dissertation , after the title page and acknowledgements but before the table of contents .

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• How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation or Thesis
• Doing a PhD

What is a Thesis or Dissertation 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 ”.

Whether you’re writing up your Master’s dissertation or PhD thesis, the abstract will be a key element of this document that you’ll want to make sure you give proper attention to.

What is the Purpose of an Abstract?

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 reality here though is that very few people will read the entire thesis, and not because they’re necessarily disinterested but because practically it’s too large a document for most people to have the time to read. The exception to this is your PhD examiner, however know that even they may not read the entire length of the document.

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. In short, make sure you write a good, well-structured abstract.

How Long Should an Abstract Be?

If you’re 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. why this research was needed), the main work you did (i.e. the focus of each chapter), what you found (the results) and concluding with how your research study contributed to new knowledge within your field.

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States of America, once famously said:

The point here is that it’s 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. 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.

What Makes a Good PhD Thesis Abstract?

Whilst the abstract is one of the first sections in your PhD thesis, practically it’s probably the last aspect that you’ll ending up writing before sending the document to print. The reason being that you can’t write a summary about what you did, what you found and what it means until you’ve done the work.

A good abstract is one that can clearly explain to the reader in 300 words:

• What your research field actually is,
• What the gap in knowledge was in your field,
• The overarching aim and objectives of your PhD in response to these gaps,
• What methods you employed to achieve these,
• You key results and findings,
• How your work has added to further knowledge in your field of study.

Another way to think of this structure is:

• Introduction,
• Aims and objectives,
• Discussion,
• Conclusion.

Following this ‘formulaic’ approach to writing the abstract should hopefully make it a little easier to write but you can already see here that there’s a lot of information to convey in a very limited number of words.

How Do You Write a Good PhD Thesis Abstract?

The biggest challenge you’ll have is getting all the 6 points mentioned above across in your abstract within the limit of 300 words . Your particular university may give some leeway in going a few words over this but it’s 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 you’ll be called on to use regularly as you write papers for peer review.

Keep It Concise

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. 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 don’t have enough words. Furthermore, make sure everything you talk about in your thesis is actually described in the main thesis.

Make a Unique Point Each Sentence

Keep the sentences short and to the point. Each sentence should give the reader new, useful information about your research so there’s no need to write out your project title again. Give yourself one or two sentences to introduce your subject area and set the context for your project. Then another sentence or two to explain the gap in the knowledge; there’s no need or expectation for you to include references in the abstract.

Explain Your Research

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. Knowing this will help the reader better understand if your results help to answer the research questions or if further work is needed.

Keep It Factual

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 you’re trying to get across and even lacking in structure.

Write, Edit and Then Rewrite

Spend suitable time editing your text, and if necessary, completely re-writing it. 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? It’s important that you’re able to convey what new knowledge you contributed to your field but be mindful when writing your abstract that you don’t inadvertently overstate the conclusions, impact and significance of your work.

Thesis and Dissertation Abstract Examples

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.

Example of A Bad Abstract

Let’s 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. Plane parts can be made at a lower cost using 3D printing and made lighter than traditional components. This project investigated the structural integrity of EBM manufactured components, which could revolutionise the aviation industry.

What Makes This a Bad Abstract

Hopefully you’ll 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.

Working through our checklist of the 6 key points you want to convey to the reader:

• There has been an attempt to introduce the research area , albeit half-way through the abstract but it’s not clear if this is a materials science project about 3D printing or is it about aircraft design.
• There’s no explanation about where the gap in the knowledge is that this project attempted to address.
• We can see that this project was focussed on the topic of structural integrity of materials in aircraft but the actual research aims or objectives haven’t been defined.
• There’s no mention at all of what the author actually did to investigate structural integrity. For example was this an experimental study involving real aircraft, or something in the lab, computer simulations etc.
• The author also doesn’t tell us a single result of his research, let alone the key findings !
• There’s 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 it’s not even clear what the author did .

This is an extreme example but is a good way to illustrate just how unhelpful a poorly written abstract can be. At only 71 words long, it definitely hasn’t maximised the amount of information that could be presented and the what they have presented has lacked clarity and structure.

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. It’s best to avoid acronyms in your abstract all together even if it’s something that you might expect most people to know about, unless you specifically define the meaning first.

Example of A Good Abstract

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. 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.

The primary aim of this project was to determine the fracture modes and mechanisms of AM components designed for use in Boeing 747 engines. 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. 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. The validated FE model was then used to investigate the extent of crack initiation and propagation as the environment parameters were adjusted.

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. 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. This has demonstrated an important safety concern which needs to be addressed before AM parts can be used in commercial aircraft.

What Makes This a Good Abstract

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. To break these points down further, from this good abstract we now know that:

• The research area is around additive manufacturing (i.e. 3D printing) of materials for use in aircraft.
• The gap in knowledge was how these materials will behave structural when used in aircraft engines.
• The aim was specifically to investigate how the components can fracture.
• The methods used to investigate this were a combination of computational and lab based experimental modelling.
• The key findings were the increased risk of fracture of these components due to the way they are manufactured.
• The significance of these findings were that it showed a potential risk of component failure that could comprise the safety of passengers and crew on the aircraft.

The abstract text has a much clearer flow through these different points in how it’s written and has made much better use of the available word count. 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.

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. Most people that come across your thesis, including any future employers, are likely to read only your abstract. Even just for this reason alone, it’s 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.

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• How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation

Written by Hannah Slack

Every PhD student will have to write an abstract. Whether it’s for a conference paper , journal article or your thesis , the abstract is an important part for many academic activities. Although only a single short paragraph, writing one effectively takes practice.

This page will take you through what a dissertation abstract is, why it’s so important and how to write one.

What is an academic abstract?

An academic abstract is a short and concise summary of research . It should cover the aim or research question of your work, your methodology, results and the wider implications of your conclusions. All this needs to be covered in around 200-300 words .

One of the common mistakes people make when writing abstracts is not understanding their purpose. An abstract is not for the author, it’s for the reader . To summarise your research, as the person who knows it best, may seem easy. But to be able to communicate the complexities and importance of your work to someone else, likely outside of your field, can be difficult.

When will I need to write an academic abstract?

There are many different places that you’ll find abstracts. Some of the most common ones include:

• Grant and funding applications
• Journal articles
• Conference applications
• Conference proceedings

This guide primarily focuses on the dissertation abstract, which is the most common form of this kind of text.

What’s the difference between an abstract and an introduction?

The main differences between a PhD dissertation abstract and an introduction are the purpose and the length. An abstract is a short, paragraph-sized summary of the whole thesis, covering context, your research and results. Whereas an introduction should be much longer and only cover the context of your work. An introduction is designed to explain the background of your work and so will take up at least an entire page.

Why are abstracts important?

Abstracts are important because they are a quick and easy way to communicate your work. In many ways, academic abstracts are a promotional tool and so should be considered carefully.

For your thesis, it’s the first thing your examiners will read, forming their expectations for the rest of the dissertation.

In journal articles, their purpose is to convince the reader that they should read your article. If you’re applying for a conference, the abstract gives the organiser a taster of your paper so they can decide whether it’s suitable.

Effectively, your abstract is the first impression someone gets of your research and so it’s important to put your best foot forward.

How to write a PhD abstract

How you write a dissertation abstract will largely depend on what it’s for. For a PhD dissertation or journal article, you should have already written up the research which the abstract will summarise. You should focus on making sure your summary is an honest representation of the larger written work. However, for a conference application it’s likely you won’t yet have written the paper. In this instance, the abstract might focus more on the broader themes you intend to comment on and your methodology.

Whatever the intended purpose, all abstracts should broadly follow the same structure. To help you, we’ve put together a template to make sure you include all the important points.

PhD abstract format

Because a lot of information needs to be packed into a short paragraph, an abstract is easier to write when you break it down into the key elements. For a first draft, spend a few minutes on each of the six steps, only writing down one or two sentences.

• Rationale – Ask yourself why you are researching the topic and what is the context for your work. Here you should communicate the purpose of your study within the wider field.
• Research question – Now you should specify what the exact goal of this piece of research is. What question are you providing the answer for?
• Evidence and methods – After discussing the broader purpose of your work you now need to let the reader know what you have actually done. Try to summarise your methods and evidence with a few keywords to keep if brief. Some examples include qualitative, quantitative, archival or experimental.
• Results – Here, you should summarise your outcomes and highlight what is new or significant about your findings.
• Conclusion – The conclusion should relate back to your rationale and research question. Ask yourself, ‘what do the results mean?’
• Implications and applications – Lastly, the reader needs to know why your results are important to the field. You need to specify what is significant about this work and how it can be useful.

Once you have your framework it can be edited for a more natural flow. You may find that some points naturally merge into one sentence and others need some elaboration. But remember, the abstract must be short and concise so don’t be tempted to extend areas unnecessarily. Once you have a draft that you are happy with, consider asking for feedback from other PhD students or your supervisor.

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How to write an abstract for a research paper

Read about three elements to include in your research paper abstract and some tips for making yours stand out

Ankitha Shetty

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Writing an abstract might not seem to be at the top of your list of priorities when writing your PhD dissertation , but it’s probably the first thing a reader will see when they encounter your research, so it’s worth putting the effort in to get it right. Here are some ways to make it sing. 

What is an abstract?

An abstract is a concise overview of an extensive piece of research work such as a thesis, dissertation or research paper. Depending on the discipline, it usually contains the purpose of the research, the methodologies employed and the conclusions derived. Abstracts typically range from 500 to 800 words and appear on a separate page after the title page and acknowledgements, but preceding the table of contents. Although it might be tempting to start your thesis by drafting your abstract, I advise postponing until you’ve completed a first draft so that you ensure you cover all topics discussed in your thesis.

What to include in your abstract

Purpose of the study.

Begin your abstract by concisely defining the problems your study addresses or outlining the gaps in knowledge it fills. It should provide the reader with new and useful information regarding your research in the present or past tense. Use verbs such as “test”, “evaluate” and “analyse” to make the research objective specific, measurable, attainable and time-bound. Avoid providing detailed background information and personal opinions at this stage.

In this part of your abstract, explain how you designed and conducted your research and how it addresses your research questions in the past tense. The aim here is to give the reader a prompt insight into your approach, not to evaluate challenges, validity and reliability. Highlight the samples you used and the data collection and analysis tools you employed. 

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Results and conclusion

Summarise and highlight the most significant findings that will allow the reader to understand the conclusions in the present or past tense. At the end of your abstract, the reader ought to have a firm grasp of the main argument. If the motive of the research is to resolve a real-world issue, you can include practical implications and suggestions in the findings. Briefly offer future recommendations for further research, if applicable. 

When writing your abstract, imagine who might read your research; a curious reader, not necessarily an expert in the field, expects the information to be accessible and not overly complex. 

Tips on how to write an abstract for a research paper

• Explain why you chose this area of research and the significance of the study
• Ask yourself “why?” “what?” “how?” and “so what?” and use the abstract to address these questions. 
• Highlight the novelty of your research 
• Explain how your research adds to the existing body of literature on the topic
• Explain your research design, highlighting elements such as approach, demographics, sampling and geographical information
• Explain how your research is relevant and significant
• Address practical implications to potential interested parties – for example, any issues relating to policy 
• Avoid technical jargon, generalised statements and vague claims that make your work difficult to read
• Avoid acronyms and abbreviations at this stage. Add them into the introduction instead 
• Provide concise, consistent and accurate details
• Adhere to the word count limit specified in your instructions
• Include essential keywords for search engine optimisation
• There’s no need to include references at this stage
• Never copy and paste content directly from elsewhere in the thesis; use new vocabulary and phrases to differentiate the abstract from the rest of the text.

These tips will help to make the abstract writing process smoother, allowing you to make a good first impression on whoever comes across your work when you’re ready to send it out into the world.

Ankitha Shetty is an assistant professor (senior scale) at the department of commerce and a coordinator at the Centre for Doctoral Studies at Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India.

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How to Write a Scientific Abstract for Your Research Article | Parts of a Research Article

How-to-write-a-scientific-abstract.

Karen McKee, Scientist

January 21, 2022

One of the most important parts of a scientific research article is the abstract. Why? Because they act like advertisements for your paper. Successful authors put substantial effort into crafting their abstracts as it is often the only section of a paper that is read! And will determine whether a reader decides to continue. In the case of a conference paper, the abstract will determine whether it is accepted or not for presentation to colleagues. Conference organizers and journal editors and reviewers pay close attention to the abstract because it is a good predictor of the quality of the paper or talk. A poorly written abstract says the author is inexperienced or doesn’t care about quality.

What is the purpose of a scientific abstract?

Essentially, an abstract should reflect all the parts of your research paper, including yourself, but in shortened form. In other words, a person reading only your abstract should be able to:

• understand why you conducted the study
• how you conducted it
• what you found,
• and why your work is important.

In general, avoid the novice’s cut-and-paste approach when crafting your abstract and instead write a unique, standalone summary. Although inclusion of data is acceptable, report only those numbers that represent the most important information. Some authors include citations or URLs in their abstracts, but many journals discourage or prohibit such additions. Be sure to stay within the word limit, which most journals and conferences set for abstracts. Use Wiley Author Services to   find the best journal for publication of your paper   and understand their submission process for more details.  

Let’s now consider how to write an abstract. Some journals or conferences provide a template that specifies four or five sections, e.g., Background or Aim, Question, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. If so, then follow those instructions. If not, then the four-part structure provided below will serve as a basic guideline. If you follow this formula, your abstract will be well organized and will contain all the essential elements. There are four main parts in which you need to answer the following questions:

How to Write an Abstract

1. what problem did you study and why is it important.

Here, you want to provide some background to the study, the motivation behind the study, and/or the specific question or hypothesis you addressed. You may be able to set the stage with only one or two sentences, but sometimes it takes a longer description. You’ll have to use your best judgment here as to how much to say in this first section.

2. What methods did you use to study the problem?

Next, you want to give an overview of your methods. Was it a field study or a laboratory experiment? What experimental treatments were applied? Generally, you want to keep the methods section brief unless it is the focus of the paper.

3. What were your key findings?

When describing your results, strive to focus on the main finding(s) and list no more than two or three points. Also, avoid ambiguous or imprecise wording, which is a common mistake found in conference abstracts written before the data have been completely collected or analyzed. If your data are incomplete or still being analyzed, you are not ready to present your paper.

4. What did you conclude based on these findings and what are the broader implications?

The conclusions section is where you want to drive home the broader implications of your study. What is new or innovative about the findings? How do your findings affect the field of study? Are there any applications? In writing this section, however, don’t state sweeping generalizations unsupported by the data or say that insights “will be discussed”.

What other considerations should I take when writing my abstract?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which means including  keywords people are likely to use when looking for papers on your topic . In addition to including such terms in the title and keyword field of your paper, you want to repeat those terms contextually throughout the abstract. Such repetition is used by search engines to rank an online document. By optimizing your abstract for discovery by search engines, you can raise the ranking of your paper in a search and make it easier for colleagues to find.

Some journals are now encouraging or requiring “enhanced abstracts” such as  graphical abstracts  or  video abstracts . Although such abstracts include additional visual components, the same basic guidelines I’ve covered in this post still apply. All good abstracts recapitulate the paper and contain the four key parts listed above.

Writing good abstracts is not an art, but a learned skill. Developing such a skill takes practice. Here is an exercise to help you develop this skill. Pick a scientific article in your field. Read the paper with the abstract covered. Then try to write an abstract based on your reading. Compare your abstract to the author’s. Repeat until you feel confident. If you’ve not yet published a paper, this exercise will help you hone the skills necessary to write a concise and informative abstract.

If you would like to view a presentation that summarizes the points in this post and uses a published abstract to illustrate, see  this link.

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Writing for Publication: Abstracts

An abstract is "a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the paper" (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020, p. 38). This summary is intended to share the topic, argument, and conclusions of a research study or course paper, similar to the text on the back cover of a book. When submitting your work for publication, an abstract is often the first piece of your writing a reviewer will encounter. An abstract may not be required for course papers.

Read on for more tips on making a good first impression with a successful abstract.

An abstract is a single paragraph preceded by the heading " Abstract ," centered and in bold font. The abstract does not begin with an indented line. APA (2020) recommends that abstracts should generally be less than 250 words, though many journals have their own word limits; it is always a good idea to check journal-specific requirements before submitting. The Writing Center's APA templates are great resources for visual examples of abstracts.

Abstracts use the present tense to describe currently applicable results (e.g., "Results indicate...") and the past tense to describe research steps (e.g., "The survey measured..."), and they do not typically include citations.

Key terms are sometimes included at the end of the abstract and should be chosen by considering the words or phrases that a reader might use to search for your article.

An abstract should include information such as

• The problem or central argument of your article
• A brief exposition of research design, methods, and procedures.
• A brief summary of your findings
• A brief summary of the implications of the research on practice and theory

It is also appropriate, depending on the type of article you are writing, to include information such as:

• Participant number and type
• Study eligibility criteria
• Limitations of your study
• Implications of your study's conclusions or areas for additional research

Your abstract should avoid unnecessary wordiness and focus on quickly and concisely summarizing the major points of your work. An abstract is not an introduction; you are not trying to capture the reader's attention with timeliness or to orient the reader to the entire background of your study. When readers finish reading your abstract, they should have a strong sense of your article's purpose, approach, and conclusions. The Walden Office of Research and Doctoral Services has additional  tutorial material on abstracts .

Clinical or Empirical Study Abstract Exemplar

In the following abstract, the article's problem is stated in red , the approach and design are in blue , and the results are in green .

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients have a high cardiovascular mortality rate. Precise estimates of the prevalence, risk factors and prognosis of different manifestations of cardiac disease are unavailable. In this study a prospective cohort of 433 ESRD patients was followed from the start of ESRD therapy for a mean of 41 months. Baseline clinical assessment and echocardiography were performed on all patients.  The major outcome measure was death while on dialysis therapy. Clinical manifestations of cardiovascular disease were highly prevalent at the start of ESRD therapy: 14% had coronary artery disease, 19% angina pectoris, 31% cardiac failure, 7% dysrhythmia and 8% peripheral vascular disease. On echocardiography 15% had systolic dysfunction, 32% left ventricular dilatation and 74% left ventricular hypertrophy. The overall median survival time was 50 months. Age, diabetes mellitus, cardiac failure, peripheral vascular disease and systolic dysfunction independently predicted death in all time frames. Coronary artery disease was associated with a worse prognosis in patients with cardiac failure at baseline. High left ventricular cavity volume and mass index were independently associated with death after two years. The independent associations of the different echocardiographic abnormalities were: systolic dysfunction--older age and coronary artery disease; left ventricular dilatation--male gender, anemia, hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia; left ventricular hypertrophy--older age, female gender, wide arterial pulse pressure, low blood urea and hypoalbuminemia. We conclude that clinical and echocardiographic cardiovascular disease are already present in a very high proportion of patients starting ESRD therapy and are independent mortality factors.

Foley, R. N., Parfrey, P. S., Harnett, J. D., Kent, G. M., Martin, C. J., Murray, D. C., & Barre, P. E. (1995). Clinical and echocardiographic disease in patients starting end-stage renal disease therapy. Kidney International , 47 , 186–192. https://doi.org/10.1038/ki.1995.22

Literature Review Abstract Exemplar

In the following abstract, the purpose and scope of the literature review are in red , the specific span of topics is in blue , and the implications for further research are in green .

This paper provides a review of research into the relationships between psychological types, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and managerial attributes, behaviors and effectiveness. The literature review includes an examination of the psychometric properties of the MBTI and the contributions and limitations of research on psychological types. Next, key findings are discussed and used to advance propositions that relate psychological type to diverse topics such as risk tolerance, problem solving, information systems design, conflict management and leadership. We conclude with a research agenda that advocates: (a) the exploration of potential psychometric refinements of the MBTI, (b) more rigorous research designs, and (c) a broadening of the scope of managerial research into type.

Gardner, W. L., & Martinko, M. J. (1996). Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to study managers: A literature review and research agenda. Journal of Management, 22 (1), 45–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639602200103

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Format, bind and submit your thesis: general guidance

You no longer need to submit a physical copy of your thesis. Please refer directly to the “Submit Your Thesis” section below.

This information is for research students submitting a thesis for assessment. It tells you how to:

• format your thesis
• submit your thesis
• bind your thesis (if applicable) 
• submit the final copy of your thesis

There are different requirements for students of fine arts, design, architecture or town planning.

Find out more about these requirements

Format your thesis

UCL theses should be submitted in a specific format, this applies to both the viva and final copies of your thesis. 

View the thesis checklist

Presentation

In the electronic version of your thesis, hyperlinks (including DOIs) should be functional and resolve to the correct webpage.

We would recommend using Arial or Helvetica fonts, at a size of no less than 12.

Find out more about the accessibility guidelines

If printed, please present your thesis in a permanent and legible format.

Illustrations should be permanently mounted on A4 size paper and bound in with the thesis; you may not use sellotape or similar materials.

A4 size paper (210 x 297 mm) should be used. Plain white paper must be used, of good quality and of sufficient opacity for normal reading. Both sides of the paper may be used.

Both sides of the paper may be used.

Margins at the binding edge must not be less than 40 mm (1.5 inches) and other margins not less than 20 mm (.75 inches). Double or one-and-a-half spacing should be used in typescripts, except for indented quotations or footnotes where single spacing may be used.

All pages must be numbered in one continuous sequence, i.e. from the title page of the first volume to the last page of type, in Arabic numerals from 1 onwards. This sequence must include everything bound in the volume, including maps, diagrams, blank pages, etc. Any material which cannot be bound in with the text must be placed in a pocket inside or attached to the back cover or in a rigid container similar in format to the bound thesis (see Illustrative material ).

The title page must bear the following:

• the officially-approved title of the thesis
• the candidates full name as registered
• the institution name 'UCL'
• the degree for which the thesis is submitted

The title page should be followed by a signed declaration that the work presented in the thesis is the candidate’s own e.g.

‘I, [full name] confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis.'

Please see the section below entitled ‘Inclusion of published works in doctoral theses’ for more information about how to indicate when you have re-used material that you have previously published.

The signed declaration should be followed by an abstract consisting of no more than 300 words.

Impact Statement

The abstract should be followed by an impact statement consisting of no more than 500 words. For further information on the content of the Impact Statement, please see the Impact Statement Guidance Notes for Research Students and Supervisors on the Doctoral School's website. 

Find out more about the Impact Statement

Inclusion of published works in doctoral theses

If you have included any work in your thesis that you have published (e.g. in a journal) previously, then you will need to insert a completed copy of the UCL Research Paper Declaration Form into your thesis after the Impact Statement. The form, and information about how to complete it is available on the Doctoral School’s website.

Find out more about the UCL Research Paper Declaration Form

Table of contents

In each copy of the thesis the abstract should be followed by a full table of contents (including any material not bound in) and a list of tables, photographs and any other materials. It is good practice to use bookmarking within the PDF of the thesis in electronic form to allow readers to jump to the relevant section, figure, table etc. from the table of contents.

Illustrative material

Illustrative material may be submitted on a CD-ROM. If you wish to submit material in any other form, your supervisor must contact Research Degrees well in advance of submission of the thesis.

Any material which cannot be bound in with the text must be placed either in a pocket inside or attached to the back cover or in a rigid container similar in format to the bound thesis. If it is separate from the bound volume it must be clearly labelled with the same information as on the title page. Each copy of the thesis submitted must be accompanied by a full set of this material.

Submit your thesis

Viva copies.

You must submit an electronic version of your thesis to via the UCL OneDrive . You no longer need to submit a printed copy unless your examiners ask for this. 

Find out more on how to submit via the UCL OneDrive

We will check your status and if your examiners have been appointed we will forward the thesis directly to them. They will then be able to download the copy of your thesis to prepare for your exam. 

If an external examiner requests a hard copy of the thesis you will need to arrange for this to be printed and submitted to the Student Enquiries Centre during their walk-in operational hours. We will collect your thesis and post it on to the examiners. 

If your examiners have not been appointed, your thesis will be held securely until your examiners have been formally appointed by UCL.

Covid-19 Impact Form

We have developed a form for you to submit with your thesis if you wish to declare an impact on your research.   The form is optional and your choice to complete it or not will have no bearing on the outcome of your examination. It is intended to set the context of examination and is not a plea for leniency. Your examiners will continue to apply the standard criteria as set out in UCL’s Academic Manual and the joint examiners’ form. Please see the publication from the QAA on Advice on Doctoral Standards for Research Students and Supervisors for further support.

You must submit this form as a separate Word document or PDF when you submit your thesis via the UCL Dropbox as detailed in our guidance above.   We will only accept the form if you submit it at the same time that you submit your thesis.  This will apply if you are making an initial submission or a resubmission.

Download the Covid-19 Impact Form

Find out more about the Student Enquiries Centre

Your examination entry form must be received and logged by Research Degrees before you submit your thesis.

Find out more about examination entry

Re-submission

If you need to re-submit you must:

• submit a new examination entry form to the Research Degrees office at least 4 weeks prior to the expected submission of the thesis
• you must submit an electronic version of your thesis to via the UCL OneDrive . You no longer need to submit a printed copy unless your examiners ask for this.  Find out more on how to submit via the UCL OneDrive

We will check your status and confirm that your examiners are willing to review your revised thesis. We will then forward the thesis directly to them. They will be able to download the copy of your thesis for assessment. 

If an external examiner requests a hard copy of the thesis you will need to arrange for this to be printed and submitted to the Student Enquiries Centre during their walk-in operational hours. We will collect your thesis and post it on to the examiners.

Submitting as a Non-Registered Student

If you do not submit your thesis by the end of your period of Completing Research Status, your registration as a student will end at that point. Your supervisor will then need to apply for permission for you to submit your thesis in writing to the Research Degrees section, at least 3 weeks before your expected submission date. You will be charged a submission extension fee at the point you submit your thesis.

Bind your thesis

You no longer need to submit a printed copy unless your examiners specifically request this.

The thesis must be bound securely.  Both sides of the paper may be used.   Illustrations should be permanently mounted and bound in with the thesis.  Illustrative material may be submitted on a separate electronic storage device. If you wish to submit material in any other form, your supervisor must contact Research Degrees well in advance of submission of the thesis.   Any material which cannot be bound in with the text must be placed either in a pocket inside or attached to the back cover or in a rigid container similar in format to the bound thesis. If it is separate from the bound volume it must be clearly labelled with the same information as on the title page. Each copy of the thesis submitted must be accompanied by a full set of this material.  

You are responsible for making sure that your thesis is correctly bound by the company you select.

Final copies

UCL no longer requires a printed copy of your final thesis and we will award your degree once you have met the academic conditions and the Library have confirmed receipt of your e-thesis, the Deposit Agreement form, and you have cleared any outstanding fees.

You will need to deposit an electronic copy of your final thesis (and a completed E-Thesis Deposit Agreement form) via UCL's Research Publications Service (RPS). Please ensure that you remove, or blank out, all personal identifiers such as signatures, addresses and telephone numbers from the e-thesis (this does not include your own name on the title page).    Any photographs that you have taken should not show identifiable individuals without their permission and any you have taken of children should mask their faces.

If you do wish to deposit a hard copy you can do so by sending it directly to the Cataloguing & Metadata department of Library Services by post, or in person at the Main Library help desk.  You will find more information about the process on the existing webpage for e-thesis submission. 

Find out more about depositing an electronic and printed copy of your thesis

Related content

• Research degrees: examination entry
• Format, bind and submit your thesis: fine art, design, architecture and town planning
• Viva examinations: guidance

Important Information:

The UCL Student Centre has now moved.  Details of their new location can be found here.  

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="phd submission abstract"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Submitting your thesis/dissertation.

Submission of the final thesis/dissertation must be within 60 days of the final exam. Students who miss the 60 day submission deadline are ineligible to register in future terms.

The Graduate School uses ProQuest to administer the electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) submission and committee approval process that results in publication in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (PQDT) database and Cornell’s Library Repository, eCommons. Before initiating the electronic process, students are required to complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates (for doctoral students only). A SED Certification of Completion is provided to the student when the survey has been completed. Once the survey is completed, the final ETD can then be submitted to the Graduate School using the ProQuest system. The SED Certification of Completion is required for submission to ProQuest.

ProQuest Submission Steps

In order to complete the submission process, you will need to have the following:

• A single PDF file of your thesis or dissertation
• Your abstract
• Supplemental material
• SED Certification of Completion 

Step 1: Begin Submission Process

Master’s students go to  Cornell Master’s ProQuest site, doctoral students go to  Cornell Doctoral ProQuest site. Click on the “sign up and get started today” button and follow instructions to begin the submission process.

Submission Process: Submission steps are outlined on the left menu. You will see the items checked off as you progress through the submission steps. You must click “Save & Continue” at the bottom of each page, even pages on which you do not enter any information. Using the left menu, you can return to any page and make changes until the point of final submission.

Step 2: Publishing Options

Traditional Publishing:  “Traditional Publishing” is automatically selected and is included in the Cornell Thesis and Dissertation filing fees.

Delayed Release:  ProQuest provides six months, and one and two year embargoes. The Graduate School recommends you discuss the publishing options with your advisor. If your advisor is unavailable or has no opinion, the conservative approach is to choose a two-year embargo.

Step 3: Read and Agree to ProQuest and University Distribution License

Both ProQuest and Cornell University distribution licenses will be presented for your acceptance.

Step 4: Enter Thesis/Dissertation Information

In addition to the mandatory information, such as title and abstract, you will have the opportunity to select up to three categories (subject areas) and six key words that describe your ETD. This information will make it easier for others to find your work when searching the web.

Step 5: Upload PDF and Supplemental Files

Upload PDF: Whether you use the PDF conversion tool provided by ProQuest or you convert your document to PDF yourself, review your PDF to ensure your formatting remains as you intended after conversion.

Supplementary Materials: If supplementary materials – such as audio, video, and spreadsheets – are an integral part of your ETD, you can submit them as supplementary files during the online submission process.

Step 6: Upload Required Documents

The SED Certification of Completion if you are a Ph.D. candidate is required for submission to ProQuest.

Step 7: Register for Copyright

You can complete this process through ProQuest for a fee, or you complete the process independently through the U.S. Copyright Office.

Step 8: Order Copies

If you would like to purchase additional copies of your thesis/dissertation for yourself, your field, or your committee members, you may order bound copies through ProQuest (Order Copies page). The required bound archival copy for the library is automatically ordered for you and included in the Cornell thesis and dissertation filing fees.

Select the “Decline – do not order” option if you don’t wish to order additional copies.

Bound copies can also be ordered through Cornell Print Services .

Step 9: Review and Submit

Once the thesis editor has reviewed the formatting of your thesis/dissertation, you will receive an email to let you know whether any corrections are required. You will then have five days to make the changes and upload the revised PDF. You will not be certified for graduation until the formatting of your ETD has been fully approved by the Graduate School. You will receive a confirmation email of final acceptance.

Step 10: Submitting Revised PDF (if needed)

You will receive an email describing the formatting changes needed with instructions and a link for resubmission.

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Submitting your thesis for examination (PhD, EdD, MD, BusD, MLitt, MSc)

Format of the thesis, the thesis must:.

be written in British English, apart from quotations and recognised technical formulae

be in A4 portrait format

use one-and-a-half spaced type

include any photographs or other illustrations scanned into the text

be saved in the electronic format and naming style specified by your Degree Committee

Examiners are not expected to edit work. They will deal with errors of fact and typographical errors that affect the meaning of your work, as well as larger structural issues. The extent to which the text has or has not been properly prepared may influence their recommendation concerning the award of the degree. You are therefore advised to check your thesis thoroughly prior to submission to ensure clear, formal British English has been used throughout and that there are minimal typing and/or spelling mistakes.

How and when to present the thesis for examination

You must submit an electronic copy of your thesis for examination, and any required accompanying documents, to your Degree Committee by your submission deadline (which can be found under 'Thesis Submission details' on the Academic tile in your CamSIS self-service). If you are not a self-funded student, the terms and conditions of your funding may require you to submit your thesis earlier than the date shown in CamSIS. If you are unsure what your funder-expected submission date is, you should contact your Funding Administrator. You are required to submit your thesis for examination by your deadline even if the date falls over a weekend or holiday period.

Your Degree Committee should provide you with guidance for electronic submission; please contact them directly if you require any assistance.

The thesis you submit to your Degree Committee will be the thesis forwarded to the examiners for examination. It is not possible to 'retract submission' or to send a revised copy directly to your examiners. Therefore you should carefully check the file(s) you upload when submitting your thesis.

Postgraduate students must keep a minimum number of terms of research before they can submit (for example, 9 for the full-time PhD or 15 for the part-time PhD or EdD) unless they have been granted an allowance or exemption of terms . If you attempt to submit too early and have not had an allowance or exemption of terms approved, your thesis submission will not be accepted or will be kept on hold and not forwarded to your examiners until the first day of your 9th (full-time) or 15th (part-time) term.

Requirements

You must include the following bound inside your thesis:

Please ensure the pages are in the correct order. This is very important - if these preliminary pages are in a different order in your final hardbound thesis to your thesis submitted for examination, this could cause problems and delay approval for your degree.

1. A title page displaying:

the full title of the thesis

your full legal name (as it appears on your passport, marriage certificate or deed poll)

your college

the date of submission (month and year)

a declaration stating: "This thesis is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy/Doctor of Education/Doctor of Business/Doctor of Medicine/Master of Science/Master of Letters (as appropriate)."

2. A declaration in the preface stating:

'This thesis is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the preface and specified in the text. It is not substantially the same as any work that has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted, for any degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the preface and specified in the text. It does not exceed the prescribed word limit for the relevant Degree Committee.'

The declaration does not need to be signed . For more information on the word limits for the respective Degree Committees see Word Limits and Requirements of your Degree Committee )

3. An abstract/summary of your thesis

4. [if applicable] the list of additional materials that were approved for submission alongside the thesis

You must also submit the following documents (not included inside the thesis):

Required: One declaration form

Optional: Research Impact Statement If pandemic, war/conflict, or natural disaster have significantly impacted on your research, you are invited to submit a Research Impact Statement with your thesis using the template provided. The purpose of the statement is for you to describe any restrictions or difficulties experienced in undertaking your research as a result of pandemic, war/conflict, or natural disaster, and to provide details of any alternative arrangements made to complete the work for your thesis. Further details for students and supervisors can be found in the Research Impact Statement guidance  and the Research Impact Statement form can be downloaded here . 

Inclusion of additional materials

Students other than those in the Faculty of Music must seek permission through their  CamSIS Self Service page if they wish to submit additional materials for examination alongside their thesis. Additional materials are integral to the thesis but in a format that cannot be easily included in the main body of the thesis (for example, 3D graphics). You should refer to the ' Policy on the inclusion of additional materials with a thesis ' before making an application to include additional materials. This process should be initiated prior to the thesis submission. If a thesis is submitted with additional materials and without permission to include them, it will be held by the Degree Committee until approval is confirmed.

Please bear in mind that if you are granted permission to submit additional materials, you are required to upload the same materials to the University repository, Apollo , when you submit your approved thesis  post-examination (doctoral candidates only). Therefore, the inclusion of additional material that contains uncleared third-party copyright or sensitive material may affect the access level that is most appropriate for your thesis.

Submitting a revised thesis

If you are resubmitting your thesis following a viva outcome of being allowed to revise and resubmit the thesis for examination for a doctoral degree, you need to follow the same procedure as for the original thesis submission .

What happens following submission of the thesis for examination 

When you submit your thesis for examination the Degree Committee will check the submission, acknowledge receipt, and inform Student Registry you have submitted. The Student Registry will update your CamSIS record.

The Degree Committee will forward your thesis to your examiners. If you have not received confirmation of the date of your viva (oral examination) within six weeks of submitting your thesis, or if you have any questions with regard to your thesis at this stage, you should contact your Degree Committee. 

Your Examiners should not ask you for a printed copy of your thesis or other material in advance of your viva (oral examination). If they do, please seek advice from your Degree Committee.

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PhD Dissertation Submission: Quick Guide

Before you submit.

Make sure you’ve filed your Application for Degree , and sent your signed  Doctoral Dissertation Defense form and Doctoral Dissertation Revisions form (if applicable) to Rosella Carrelli at [email protected].

Survey of Earned Doctorates (required for degree completion)

Survey of Earned Doctorates   (877-256-8167 or [email protected])

• All margins throughout the document: 1 inch
• Times New Roman, Arial, Cambria, and Calibri are recommended fonts
• Size 12, but longer quotations, references, and notes can be size 10 or size 11

Title Page, Abstract, and Copyright Page

• Follow the templates , exactly, as they are shown.
• Where there are parentheses, you will remove the parentheses and replace the text with your own text.
• Include permission letters, if applicable, in your dissertation.  
• Double-space all text, aside from the following exceptions: single space all notes, bibliographic references, and long quotations

Orientation

• No blank pages, all single-sided text
• Moving between and landscape and portrait is fine, but refer to pagination guidelines when doing so

Pay close attention to the transitions from Roman to Arabic numerals. All page numbers should be centered at the bottom of the page, when turned to portrait. Should you have any landscape pages in your thesis, the page number still needs to appear centered at the bottom of the page when in portrait orientation. 

EXPLANATION OF PAGINATION—Printed v. Not-Printed: While page numbers are not printed on the Title and Copyright pages, these pages still count (they are pages i and ii), which is why your Acknowledgements page is page iii.

If your dissertation is over 300 pages you should create two volumes within the single PDF.  Each volume should contain a title page duplicating the title page of the first volume. Label the title page Volume I of II, Volume II of II, etc., under the title. Place the table of contents at beginning of the first volume (you do not need more than one table of contents). Page numbering should continue from one volume to the next, not counting the second title page. The bibliography may be placed at the end of the final volume.

Submitting to ProQuest

At this time, all expected PhD recipients must submit to the UMI/ProQuest site. Ensure that you have converted your file into a single PDF and do the following:

• Embed all fonts
• Save all JPEG images into PDF
• In the abstract, list any electronic files that cannot be embedded inside the PDF
• If you have not used Microsoft Word′s Table of Contents generator, and are hand-typing the table of contents, please set it within a two-column table.

Publishing options can be reviewed at the ProQuest student resources page.

Helpful GSAS Resources can be found here:  https://www.brandeis.edu/gsas/student-resources/thesis-dissertation-guide.html

• Dissertation Submission Checklist
• Introduction

Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.

• Application for Degree
• Credit for Completed Graduate Work
• Ad Hoc Degree Programs
• Acknowledging the Work of Others
• Advanced Planning
• Dissertation Advisory Committee
• Formatting Your Dissertation
• Publishing Options
• Submitting Your Dissertation
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• PhD Program Requirements
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• Is every page of the dissertation correctly numbered?
• Does the body of the text begin with Page 1?
• Is the pagination continuous? Are all pages included?
• Is the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate unnumbered and positioned as the first page?
• Is the placement of page numbers centered throughout the manuscript?
• Is the title page formatted correctly?
• Is the author’s name, in full, the same on the title page and the abstract?
• Does the author’s name and date on the title page match the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate?
• Does the copyright page follow the title page?
• Is the abstract included after the copyright page, and is it formatted correctly?
• Does the abstract include the title of the dissertation, the author’s name, and the dissertation advisor’s name?
• Is the title on the abstract the same as that on the title page?
• Are the margins at least 1” on all sides?
• Is the font size 10–12 point?
• Are all fonts embedded?
• Are references in the form of footnotes (or endnotes if customary in your field)?
• Are all charts, graphs, and other illustrative materials legible?
• Do lengthy figures and tables include the “(Continued)” notation?
• If appropriate, have you filed for a patent?
• All formatting is checked before submitting the dissertation (review  Top 10 Formatting Errors ).
• Submit dissertation through ProQuest ETD .
• If you are requesting an embargo of longer than two years, you will need a signed approval  from the DGS.

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• Thesis Format

Format of thesis and Binding

• Title page – including the thesis title, the student's full name and the degree for which it is submitted
• Abstract - of up to 5,000 words
• Table of contents – including any material not bound in the book, and a list of tables, photographs and any other materials

Word limits

• PhD - not to exceed 100,000 words
• MPhil - not to exceed 60,000 words
• MD(Res) - not to exceed 50,000 words
• MPhilStud - not to exceed 30,000 words
• Professional Doctorates - at least 25,000 words and not to exceed 55,000 words

Thesis word limit inclusions and exclusions The thesis word count includes everything from the start of chapter 1 up to the end of the last chapter. This means: Including all words included within:

• Footnotes/Endnotes
• Table/figure legends
• Tables of contents/of figures/of tables/ of acronyms
• Acknowledgements/dedications
• References/Bibliography
• 'Editions of texts (except where the edition or editions themselves constitute the thesis under examination)'
• Students are only required to submit an electronic thesis for their examiners, in PDF format, this should be emailed to [email protected] no later than your deadline
• If examiners have requested a printed copy  a member of the Research Degrees Examinations team will get in touch with you
• Margins - as we no longer require printed copies of the thesis, the margin edge is at the student's discretion, however bear in mind if  examiners prefer a printed copy then it may need to be spiral bound
• Spacing - Double or 1.5 spacing (except for indented quotations or footnotes which can be single spaced)
• Font size - It is recommended to use font size 12 to ensure examiners are able to read it
• Page numbering - All pages must be numbered in one continuous sequence, i.e. from the title page of the first volume to the last page of type, from 1 onwards. This sequence must include everything in the volume, including maps, diagrams, blank pages, etc.

Illustrative materials -  May include: audio recordings and photographic slides, these can be emailed to  [email protected]

• Additional material - Any material which cannot be included in the PDF thesis maybe emailed separately to the [email protected]  

Some examiners may prefer to work from a printed version of the student's thesis rather than the PDF, if this is the case:

• The Research Degrees Examinations team will in the first instance check with the examiner if they would be happy to print the thesis themselves. If the examiner is happy to do this and is able to, they can claim back the expenses following the examination
• If the examiner is unable to print the thesis, the Research Degrees Examinations team will contact the student to make arrangements for a print version to be posted directly to the examiner(s) or via a binders
• It is the students' responsibility to get their thesis printed and bound if examiners require a copy. Students may only claim back postage costs.

PRINT COPIES MUST NOT BE POSTED PRIOR TO OFFICIAL DISPATCH BY THE RESEARCH DEGREES EXAMINATION TEAM

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Research Thesis Submission

Postgraduate Research (PGR) Thesis Submission: Deadlines, Processes and University Examination Board Dates Deadlines & Information 2024.

Please Note: All Research Postgraduate students who intend to submit their thesis for examination should review the detailed information and up-to-date processes. All research students must submit an electronic copy of their thesis in conjunction with the final hardbound copies.  Further details on the Viva Voce (Oral) Examination: A Guide for Doctoral Students, the embargo process and electronic submission and the use of the University of Limerick Logo are available below.

General queries relating to Postgraduate Research (PGR) Thesis Submission can be submitted to [email protected]

The links below provide additional and up-to-date information on the following:    

• Submission and Examination of a Postgraduate Research Degree Thesis Process     
• A Guide for the Viva Voce (Oral) Examination for Doctoral Students
• Guidelines for the Submission of a Postgraduate Research Thesis       
• Viva Voce  Examination-Code of Practice     
• Embargo Process for a Postgraduate Research Theses     

Please note:

University of Limerick logo  [ UL Logo ]  conforms to the University's corporate specifications should be used at the top of the title page inside the cover of the thesis. 

From the September Board 2020 onwards; the colour of the cover boards for the hardbound final version of a PhD thesis shall be UL Heritage Green and black for a Research Master’s thesis.

The codes listed below are relevant to the binders (printers) for selection of the correct pantone colour for UL Heritage Green:

PANTONE 3308 CP, CMYK 94.28.74.73, RGB 3.70.56, HEX 003726

For further detailed information on the requirements for the Preparation and Submission of Master’s and Doctoral Theses, please see Handbook of Academic Regulations and Procedures  (refer to  Chapter 5 and Appendix 2 )

The deadline for submission of final hardbound theses ( or a Final PDF corrected version of the final theses where access to the University is limited ) by Research Masters and PhD candidates to the Doctoral College for consideration at the Spring Examination Board 2023 is Monday   15 January 2024

A final PDF  corrected version must be submitted via email to  [email protected] by Monday   15 January 2024

The Spring 2024 Examination Board is Schedule for  Wednesday 31 January 2024.

Final hardbound copies of the theses. Information in relation to the submission of the two final hardbound theses will be communicated at a later stage by Marie Beaumont Foundation Building (Level 2)

For any further queries please contact via email  [email protected]  and  [email protected]    or Tel 061- 233273. 

Please Note:

• Postgraduate Research Students presented at the  Spring   Examination Board will be conferred in June 2024

The deadline for submission of final hardbound theses ( or a Final PDF version of the final theses where access to the University is limited ) by Research Masters and PhD Candidates to the Doctoral College for consideration at the Summer Examination Board Final 27  May 2024. 

A Final PDF version must be submitted to email  [email protected] and  [email protected]   by  27 May 2024. 

The Summer Examination Board is scheduled for 13 June 2024.

Final hardbound copies of the Theses must be submitted to Marie Beaumont, Doctoral College Foundation Building (Level 2). The dates for submission of the two hardbound copies will be communicated at a later stage. 

For any further queries please contact via email  [email protected]  and  [email protected]  or Tel 061- 233273 

• Postgraduate research students presented at the  June 2024 Examination Board  will be conferred  August 2024.

The deadline for submission of final hardbound theses ( or a Final PDF version of the final theses, where the  access to the University is limited ) by Research Masters and PhD candidates to the Doctoral College for consideration at the Autumn Examination Board is  Thursday   19 September 2024.  

A final PDF version must be submitted via email  to  [email protected]  by    Tues 3rd September 2024

The Autumn Examination Board is Schedule for 19 September 2024.

Final hardbound copies of the Theses must be submitted to Marie Beaumont Foundation Building (Level 2). The dates for submission of the two final hardbound copies thesis will be communicated at a later stage.

For any further queries please contact via email to  [email protected]  or Tel 061- 233273 

• postgraduate research students presented at the  Sept Examination Board 2024 will be conferred in January 2025

The deadline for submission of final hardbound theses ( or a Final PDF version of the final theses where access to the University is limited ) by Research Masters and PhD candidates to the Doctoral College for consideration at the Autumn Examination Board is  11 November 2024.  

A final PDF version must be submitted via email to  [email protected]  by 11 November 2024.

The Autumn Examination Board is Schedule for 28 November 2024.

Final hardbound copies of the Theses must be submitted to Marie Beaumont, Doctoral College Foundation Building (Level 2). The dates for submission of the two final hardbound copies thesis will be communicated at a later stage.

• Postgraduate research students presented at the November Examination Board will be conferred in January 2025.
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Graduate Research Hub

• Examination
• Submitting my thesis

Prerequisites for submission

• Before you submit your thesis, it's important that you discuss your submission with your supervisors.
• Your estimated submission date, or your thesis submission date, must not exceed your maximum submission date, i.e. your expected thesis submission date as listed on the Graduate Research Details page of  my.unimelb .
• If you have an active stipend, payments will end on confirmation of your thesis submission,  as outlined in the Graduate Research Scholarship Terms and Conditions.
• You may want to consider the impact on any future potential to develop intellectual property (IP) that you have created or co-created – refer to the Before you submit your thesis IP Guide .
• You must present your research findings at a completion seminar prior to submission and meet the eligibility requirements to submit.
• If your thesis comprises multiple components (including multimedia files), email the Graduate Research Examinations Office to arrange a secure University Graduate Research SharePoint link for uploading.
• Additional preparation may be required for examination of creative works . As graduate researchers submitting creative works in the form of a performance, an exhibition, an e-portfolio, or a website have an obligation to avoid identifying their examiners, the  Creative Works: Examiner Confidentiality Declaration form should be completed and submitted to the Graduate Research Examinations Office by email when submitting your thesis to TES.
• When submitting your thesis for examination, you must provide an iThenticate similarity report of your full thesis. Your principal supervisor and Chair of Examiners (CoE) will review this report to assess the readiness of your thesis for examination. You are encouraged to share the iThenticate report with your supervisor before you submit your thesis. You and your supervisor may provide a declaration explaining any legitimate text matches to your CoE.
• You are required to create an  ORCID and provide it when submitting your thesis.
• You must be admitted to the relevant graduate research degree to submit your thesis.  If your candidature is suspended, cancelled or terminated and you wish to submit, you must first apply for reinstatement and readmission .
• Download the Graduate Research Thesis Submission Checklist to assist you in preparing your thesis for examination.

For details see the  Graduate Research Training Policy .

Completion seminar

You must present your research findings at a public completion seminar in the six months prior to submission. If you originally presented a completion seminar more than six months prior to submission, another completion seminar must be held.

At least 10 working days before the date of your seminar, please submit a Completion Seminar Form .  The form will ask you for an abstract of your thesis research of no more than 100 words.  This abstract will be used to facilitate publicity of your seminar.

The completion seminar is an important milestone of your candidature. During the seminar you should present the objectives, methods, findings and significance of your research.

This is your opportunity to receive constructive feedback from an expert audience prior to submission and it provides you with further experience in developing your arguments effectively. It confirms that you understand your research, and illustrates that you have the necessary skills in oral presentations and other research attributes expected of graduate researchers at the University.

Detailed information on completion seminar requirements is available in the Graduate Research Training Policy .

How to submit

Your thesis should be submitted electronically via the University's Thesis Examination System.

• Prior to submission, or prior to your performance or exhibition of a creative component of your thesis, register your intention to submit by logging into the Thesis Examination System (TES). About 2 months prior to your submission is the ideal time for this. Your estimated submission date, or your thesis submission date, must not exceed your maximum submission date, i.e. your expected thesis submission date as listed on the Graduate Research Details page of my.unimelb . Registering your intention to submit begins the process of the selection of examiners.  You will need to provide a brief (80-word) overview of your research question, methods and results which will be sent to potential examiners. If you are submitting a thesis with creative work, include the weighting of the proportion of written dissertation and creative component/s. You are encouraged to create and enter an ORCID .
• Confirm that the thesis is your work
• Confirm that you have presented a completion seminar
• If your thesis contains publications, upload a completed Declaration for publication incorporated in a thesis form.
• Provide appropriate Field of Research codes for your research. The Field of Research is recorded on your enrolment record and will display as discipline/s on academic transcripts and the AHEGS issued by the University once you graduate. An AHEGS is issued in addition to the testamur and academic transcript.
• Select the type of public access to your final thesis in the University's digital repository, Minerva Access
• Upload your iThenticate similarity report.  You may also choose to provide an accompanying declaration/explanation with your report.
• Certify that your thesis conforms with relevant policies and procedures, including Graduate Research Training Policy , Preparation of Graduate Research Theses Rules and Management of Research Data and Records Policy
• Upload your thesis as a single file (please ensure there are no commas and hashtags in the file name)

After you have submitted your thesis, notifications will be sent to your principal supervisor and Chair of Examiners to confirm that the thesis is ready for examination.

Once you have completed your examination and received a pass you must login to Thesis Examination System and submit your final thesis including the redacted thesis (if final is restricted) and the supporting files (if included). You must enter your ORCID. If you do not have an  ORCID then create one and enter it in Thesis Examination System.

More information

• Read the  FAQs on using the Thesis Examination System

Once you submit and your thesis is under examination, you remain a member of the University’s graduate research community. If your student card has expired, you can obtain a new student card from Stop 1 .

You can continue using University-wide facilities and services, such as counselling, careers, library and student services. Check with your local graduate research administrator to find out what faculty /department-based privileges are available to you.

Celebrating your submission

We know that submitting your thesis is a big achievement and we'd love to celebrate this with you at Stop1 .

You can  pre-book your thesis celebration and gift collection by:

https://students.unimelb.edu.au/myuniapps/student-services-appointments

• Booking an appointment using the ‘Documents, Student cards and Thesis Celebration (Parkville)’ booking type.
• Following the instructions in the booking confirmation email before arriving on campus.

Alternatively, you can also access the digital celebration frame and submit a photo to [email protected] if you cannot attend campus.

Thesis submission gallery

Congratulations to the 900+ graduate researchers who submit their thesis each year! The University is proud of your achievements! The photos of those who have chosen to provide one to celebrate their thesis submission are available to view via the links below.

Extension forms

Once your thesis is under examination, if you require further time to submit revisions or your final thesis, please submit the appropriate form below to the Graduate Research Examinations Office by email .

• Application for an Extension to Submit Final Thesis
• Application for an Extension to Submit a Revised Thesis for Second Examination
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Can I submit an abstract for an unwritten paper which will form part of my PhD?

I am applying for my PhD to start this Autumn. There is a conference coming up soon with a theme which is very relevant to my PhD topic and I would like to submit an abstract for it, write the paper and then develop parts of it for my PhD at a later stage. Is it OK to write a paper for the conference and then later use parts of it for my PhD seeing as it is so relevant?

EDIT: For a little more information, this is for a conference on music and the research has not been carried out yet. Additionally, the area that is being researched is one that has very little scholarly coverage. Due to this, the focus will not be so much on looking for a particular kind of result, but any result that will arise from literature review/qualitative interview data. Interviews have not been conducted but there is quite a bit of time to do so, I feel. I understand if this were a scientific conference that submitting an abstract would be a little risky, but seeing as this is the humanities, I think there is more room for interpretation.

• 1 Are you not supposed to have already written the paper before you can write an abstract for it? –  Tobias Kildetoft Commented Jan 21, 2017 at 14:45
• From what I can see, there are two ways of looking at this. In theory, yes you are correct, but in reality - and seeing as a lot of the conceptual material is already in place as part of the PhD proposal - I think it would be doable. –  C26 Commented Jan 21, 2017 at 16:01
• How far away is the conference? Do you have the data and results but are just pending a write up, or are you yet to get this? –  kwah Commented Jan 21, 2017 at 18:10
• I am yet to acquire any data. The conference is about five months away, so quite a bit of time to get some qualitative data, I hope. –  C26 Commented Jan 21, 2017 at 18:15
• In my field this is very common. Generally, you submit an abstract to an international conference, which is followed by the full manuscript later. It is a means to get your research (especially if it is cutting edge) out first (as opposed to waiting months for a paper to be published). Generally, anything you publish during your PhD will be used in thesis write up. –  Shinobii Commented Jan 23, 2017 at 20:44

5 Answers 5

During my PhD, I witnessed that professors, researchers and PhD students submitted to conferences for the reason that you mention in your question. The only problem that you can have is if someone use your work and summary to develop and organise their study plan and design, since you don't have any experimental data yet.

Secondly, I think since you are from humanities, you don't really need to worry about the risks, because it is pretty common to present historical (review) and future perspective of some filed, on conferences for humanities field.

• Thank you for this, I like this answer. With regard to someone using my work to further their study plan, I am not too worried about that since by the time the conference happens I am due to have a paper published which sets out my first inroads into taking on the topic, whereas the PhD is a macrocosm the same. I should have some data to present by the time the conference takes place as well. And yes, I think this would come under the banner of future perspectives. You've outlined things quite nicely. –  C26 Commented Jan 25, 2017 at 22:18
• @C26 thank you very much, I think I forgot to mention one thing, if PhD program require some number of conferences to attend or participate by you,(most of them do, especially humanities) if this conference that you plan to present is before school year, I mean, day you start PhD program, in this case you cannot use it as a count for your PhD graduation. –  SSimon Commented Jan 26, 2017 at 12:03
• that's OK, it's all important and relevant experience. The further I go to develop my research beforehand, the better, I don't mind if it doesn't go towards the conference count. Thank you very much. –  C26 Commented Jan 26, 2017 at 13:25

I think norms probably vary by field. In my experience, this would be totally fine.

I work in a business school, and the expectation is that various parts of the dissertation will be published both while and after you work on the PhD. Doctoral students also present intermediate results from their dissertation work at conferences to get feedback.

However, do be sure that the conference does not take copyright for the work presented, or you may tie your hands in terms of publication later.

• 1 Thank you. I will check regarding the copyright situation. I did include in my PhD proposal a couple of sentences regarding writing a paper for the conference which would then form part of the PhD itself. My supervisor looked through the proposal and said nothing about that section. I suppose no news is good news there? –  C26 Commented Jan 21, 2017 at 16:06

You can do it, and people (including myself) do this - submit abstracts for still unwritten papers - regularly. There are, however, some pitfalls you should be very aware of.

1) Potential or existing collaborators

If you have collaborators, you generally want to be in agreement that results are in a state suitable for presentation, before you submit to a conference. Your presentation will not only reflect upon yourself, and your collaborators may have reservations about presenting unfinished work. You say you are a beginning PhD student. If you already have a supervisor, it is very important that he or she agrees that the results should be presented. It could also be the case that the supervisor does not think that the results are important enough to present, in that case: listen.

2) Ethical implication: research is not fully predictable

It is quite dangerous to submit abstracts for results of research which is not carried out yet - still people sometimes do. You are often faced with having to submit an abstract maybe half a year before the conference, and you are full of confidence that the results will work out in that time. Here's the thing: Sometimes they don't. If they always did, it would not be research. I have personally seen good people been caught in this trap: Your results did not work out, but you have a pressing deadline to present these results. You could therefore be inclined to maybe fudge the results a little bit, to make them look nicer. Just always remember that this is scientific misconduct, and can never be excused. Consider if it is better not to put yourself in a situation like that.

3) Swallow your pride

You may think that these results are the most important thing the world is yet to see, or perhaps a close second. Other researchers will disagree. Since you are still pre-PhD, it is very likely that your abstract will not be accepted, because even though we would like to think otherwise, titles and affiliations matter. If your abstract is rejected, and you still have the opportunity to go: go anyway! Giving a presentation is by far not the most important thing for a fresh PhD student to do at a conference: learning, networking and asking questions are. It may also be that you are offered to do a poster presentation instead of a full presentation. If so, take it. Even though such presentations are often seen as "lesser" than talks, you will still get to discuss your research with more experienced people. This can be quite an eye-opener, and also serve as a good learning experience for giving talks later.

• I updated the OP, thank you very much for your answer. Seeing as this is a humanities conference, I am not sure that such a focus on particular type of result is relevant, though if it were scientific yes, it could get me into hot water. But that is my fault for not being as specific as I should have been in the OP. I have no collaborators, but your third point is very useful and gives me a good perspective on the attitude I should adopt on approaching this [and other conferences in the future]. Thank you very much for that. –  C26 Commented Jan 24, 2017 at 10:38
• 1 I don't have experience from the humanities myself, but I would be surprised if the same rule of thumb: "research is not fully predictable" does not apply. If it was, there would be no point in doing it. –  nabla Commented Jan 24, 2017 at 13:36

It seems you are simply getting an early start on a style of thesis in which the contents is just peer-reviewed papers bundled together. If this kind of thesis is accepted at your institution I can't see this being a problem (especially if relevant to your PhD work).

The answer for this depends very much on your field. There's also a little ambiguity in your question - is it merely the paper that hasn't been written, or has the research not been completed yet.

In many medical and biomedical fields, the expectation is that conference results are not necessarily from published papers. Indeed, many conferences either insist that the results are not yet published, or will embargo any publications until after the initial presentation. Additionally, the conference and the paper venue may (and often are) decoupled.

However many of these conferences also insist that the results are finalized, and forbid "in progress" abstracts or abstracts talking in vague terms about what will be shown, rather than showing the results.

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Submit Abstracts for 2025 ACS Surgical Simulation Summit

June 11, 2024

Abstracts are now being accepted for presentation at the ACS Surgical Simulation Summit , March 20–21, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. Original research representing all surgical specialties, and all disciplines that utilize simulation, is encouraged.

Authors should submit a 300-word abstract that presents a concise summary of research—either completed or in-progress—that has not been presented elsewhere or previously accepted for publication. Abstracts may be submitted on any topic related to simulation-based surgical education and training, but we are specifically calling for abstracts on 12 topics.

The Program Committee will determine the appropriate presentation format—podium or poster—for each accepted abstract. All abstracts chosen for presentation are expected to be presented in-person, onsite in Chicago.

Authors may submit as many abstracts as they wish. Contact [email protected] for more information.

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