Step 8: How to Write an Abstract

Each student who completes a science project must write an abstract to be displayed with the project. An abstract is a 4 paragraph summary that gives the essence of the project in a brief but complete form — it should not exceed 250 words. Viewers should have a fairly accurate idea of the project after reading the abstract.

Paragraph 1 - Purpose of the Experiment

An introductory statement of the reason for investigating the topic of the project. A statement of the problem or hypothesis being studied.

Paragraph 2 - Procedures Used

A summarization of the key points and an overview of how the investigation was conducted. An abstract does not give details about the materials used unless it greatly influenced the procedure or had to be developed to do the investigation. An abstract should only include procedures done by the student. Work done by a mentor (such as surgical procedures) or work done prior to student involvement must not be included.

Paragraph 3 - Observation/Data/Results

This section should provide key results that lead directly to the conclusions you have drawn. It should not give too many details about the results nor include tables or graphs.

Paragraph 4 - Conclusions

Conclusions from the investigation should be described briefly. The summary paragraph should reflect on the process and possibly state some applications and extensions of the investigation.