Preparing the author’s abstract is another critical stage that awaits you before defending your master’s thesis. The success of the defense and the final mark of the committee directly depends on how it is written. That is why you can hear from some of the graduate students that they prefer to “write my research paper on WritingAPaper.net to make sure it is done professionally and meets all the academic requirements.” In this article, you will learn how to write an abstract and what points to pay attention to in the first place.
What is an author’s abstract for a master’s thesis?
As a rule, the scientific work of a master’s student, which they defend at the end of their studies, has a large volume, so the graduate prepares a summary of their research in the appendix to the main work. It is needed so that the members of the Attestation Commission can get acquainted with the content of the work and form their opinion about the master’s student’s scientific qualification. A condensed summary of the master’s thesis is called an author’s abstract.
The author’s abstract of the master paper performs the following functions:
- informative – allows the committee to get acquainted with the main blocks of the work in a summary of the theoretical and practical parts;
- familiarizing – it helps readers to assess the results of the study, the skills of the author, and his scientific potential in the most objective way;
- referential – the work provides a bibliographical review of the level of development of the problem and its relevance to science;
- personal-representative – according to the author’s abstract, you can conclude the level of scientific language and professional terminology about the author’s skills in working with information.
How to write
Preparing an author’s abstract will not be challenging if you follow some simple rules. The requirements for writing a paper are usually described in the methodology book, which each graduate student studies. The defined standards in their structure and regulatory framework often do not differ from those established for the usual thesis. Therefore, it’s time to remember the sleepless nights spent writing another thesis and knowledgeably take up the one that will lead you to the long-awaited dissertation defense. Here are a few steps to help you prepare:
- study the master’s thesis carefully, read it several times, taking 2-3 day breaks;
- print out the thesis so that you can take notes while reading it;
- highlight the crucial blocks in each section;
- try to abbreviate the highlighted provisions so that the information is transmitted as clearly and briefly as possible;
- systematize the extracts received according to a logical principle;
- describe everything in your author’s abstract according to the accepted structure;
- draw up the abstract according to the requirements and make sure that the written work meets the criteria of scientific style;
- once again, read the work and make the final revision;
- print out the abstract in several copies so that all committee representatives could read it in time.
Structure
To summarize the essence of scientific research, a master’s student may need skills in structuring and systematizing a large volume of information. It will not be challenging to highlight essential parts and theses since no one knows the peculiarities of their dissertation work better than the researcher. The structure of the author’s abstract should include the following mandatory sections:
- General description of the paper, which should indicate the relevance and the degree of development of the issue, define the goals and objectives and briefly describe the scientific significance of the research.
- The main provisions of the thesis that are put to the defense are the results obtained from practical work and the possibility of their application in reality. In this part, it is vital to justify the significance of the author’s developments and their difference from already existing approaches and scientific discoveries.
- Conclusion, including findings and recommendations – in this part, it is necessary to briefly but simultaneously exhaustively indicate the final achievements and results of the study. The conclusion is always studied with special attention, so it is essential to highlight the main provisions and justifications in detail and concisely. It is also necessary to describe the work process and how the goal stated at the beginning of the master’s thesis was achieved.
- List of scientific publications of the author in which the problem of the thesis is raised. During the study, the master’s student should publish at least two scientific articles on their research topic.
Scope
The scope of an author’s abstract manuscript usually ranges from 3 to 7 pages, depending on the length of the dissertation itself. It is desirable to structure all necessary information in detail and concisely, as far as your work’s topic allows.
The writing should not contain wordiness and lengthy reflections that distract from the essence.
Your goal is for the committee members to have time to study the main provisions of the study, so try to set out the information in a short, specific, and without any ambiguity. So, if you doubt you can do it yourself, try to find on reddit essay writing service that can help you to achieve an accurate result.
Template phrases and clichés
The stylistics of the scientific genre has developed a broad base of boilerplate phrases and clichés – auxiliary constructions in the writing of the text. Listed below are common expressions that can be used in an author’s abstract:
- This paper examines…
- The underlying purpose of the study is to…
- The relevance of the thesis is determined by…
- Within the framework of the work, we have studied…
- It should be noted that…
- It is necessary to take into account that…
- The essence of the above comes down to…
- In the author’s abstract, we have stated…
- In summary, we can conclude that…
- The aim and objectives outlined at the beginning of the work have been achieved, as…
- The most promising direction in the study of the issue …
- … does not fully meet the requirements.
- The most significant practical interest are…
- Among the main factors, we can distinguish…
-Based on the above…
If you follow these guidelines, your abstract is guaranteed to pass the standards check, and all you have to do is prepare for the defense and complete your studies.