HOW TO WRITE AN ABSTRACT
Let’s start with the basic questions.
What is a descriptive abstract?
A descriptive abstract is the summary of work you have already completed or work you are
proposing. It is not the same thing as the introduction to your work. The abstract should give readers
a short, concise snapshot of the work as a whole—not just how it starts. If you are writing an abstract
as a proposal for your research—in other words, as a request for permission to write a paper—the
abstract serves to predict the kind of paper you hope to write.
The abstract (sometimes called the prospectus) is a formal plan for your research, and usually is the
first part of a major research project that you will write. This persuasive document must convince your
director, professor, or advisor that your topic and approach are sound, so that they will give you the
green light to go ahead with the actual research. The prospectus provides a context for your work and
describes where you think the research will take you.
Length, Contents, and Organization
Descriptive abstracts are usually only 150-250 words, so they must be pared down to the essentials.
Typically, a descriptive abstract answers these questions:
Why did you choose this study or project? What did/will you do and how? What
did you/do you hope to find? Why is this an important issue for readers to
consider?
The abstract should begin with a clear sense of the research question you have framed. Summarize
your working thesis in the abstract, as well as your goals and where you plan to look for your
research. Keep quotes to a minimum (or just don’t use them); short abstracts don’t have Works Cited
pages or footnotes.
Your research abstract should be typed and use a standard 12 point font. It should include an MLA
header and be double-spaced.
Original material © 2008 by Jo Koster, Department of English, Winthrop University
Research Paper Thesis Generator
Choose a topic that is of interest to you, and see if you can fill out the following table. If so, you have found
your topic/thesis. If not, keep going until you do. 
1. Identify a subject for your paper.
The Middle Passage
2. Turn your subject into a guiding
question.
3. Answer your question with a
statement that takes a stance/ shows
your opinion.
4. Consider other factors and/or
acknowledge opposition.
What lasting impact did the Middle Passage have on slaves and their
descendants?
5. Refine this statement into a
working thesis.
Although many elements of American slavery were horrific, the Middle Passage
was so traumatic that it became part of the cultural memory, and its legacy
lingered even beyond the end of American slavery helped create the racism we
see in America today.
What were conditions like on the slave ships? How many people survived the
voyage, on average? How does trauma affect people even long after the initial
trauma is over? Are there any first-hand accounts of people who survived the
Middle Passage?
6. Consider research possibilities and
generate additional questions.
The trauma of the Middle Passage was so intense that it became part of the
collective memory of the slaves.
Many factors of American slavery helped create the racism we see in America
today
Your Turn:
1. Identify a subject for your paper.
2. Turn your subject into a guiding question.
3. Answer your question with a statement.
4. Consider other factors and/or acknowledge opposition.
5. Refine your statement into a working thesis.
6. Consider research possibilities and generate additional questions.