Abstracts can vary according to the purpose of the document and the instructor’s or
publisher’s preferences. The following points, however, are useful general guidelines. For additional information, including styles for empirical studies, reviews or theoretical articles, methodological papers, or case studies, see Section 1.07 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition.

Length

An abstract is less than one page, double-spaced. It is generally one paragraph
ranging in length from 75 to 120 words.

Contents

- Write a comprehensive summary of the article, including conclusions.
- Indicate the purpose and scope of the information contained in the article.
- Describe the kinds of sources used (professional literature, observation, interview,
etc.) or methods or procedures, depending upon type of article.
- State conclusions, implications, and applications.
- Use key words used in the article that will enable database searchers (a) to discover your work in a keyword search and (b) to decide whether your article is pertinent to their needs.
- Mention nothing in the abstract that is not included in the article.
- Be focused: Use specific nouns (e.g., elementary science teachers, not educators)
and active verbs.
- Be objective: Summarize, but don’t evaluate or editorialize.
- Be concise; every word must count.

Tips for Being Concise

- Do not repeat the title in the abstract.
- Avoid citing sources if possible.
- Use numerals (e.g. 32) rather than words (thirty-two).
- Start with the most important statement about the article.
- Include only the most important findings.
- Do not include examples.
- Avoid passive voice (e.g., not similar results were reported by three researchers
. . . , but three researchers reported similar results).
- Avoid starting sentences with “it is” and “there are” (e.g., not There were four
studies that showed . . . , but Four studies showed).
- Avoid meaningless phrases like This review was undertaken to compare x and y
(instead of This review compares x and y)

APA Formatting

- The abstract follows title page and is numbered as page 2.
- Type the word Abstract one inch from top margin, centered, no italics or bold,
only first letter capitalized (Style 1 heading).
- Double-space throughout, including after title line.
- Use same font as body of article. Other APA Rules for Abstracts
- Avoid abbreviations if possible, but define them if used.
- Do not use quotes; if citation is necessary, use brief the form (author, pub date).
- Use third person (he, she, it, they) but not first (I, we) or second (you).