The paper is done. All sections, all citations, all edits are made. Your professor asks for an abstract now, and it seems harder than the ten pages you wrote because it is all about squeezing everything into one paragraph.
But there is good news for you: the format of an APA abstract follows a certain pattern. This article will explain to you what it should look like, what elements every abstract must contain, how to actually write one, and give a real example of the abstract as an illustration.
What Is an APA Abstract?
An APA abstract is a brief overview of your paper consisting of 150-250 words, placed on a separate page after the title page. So it is the second page of your document. The only aim of an abstract is to allow a person who reads it to understand whether this paper is worth reading at all in less than one minute.
Unlike the introduction, an abstract does not set the topic of your paper and introduces the arguments gradually. It contains only the information about your research, method of conducting the study, main results, and the importance of the findings, all of this in one paragraph in the described sequence.
Where the Abstract Goes and What Formatting It Should Have
- Before writing any word about the content of your paper, make sure that you understand what it should look like, because professors do check this.
- It goes to a separate page, right after your title page (it is page 2 of your document)
- The word “Abstract” is placed at the beginning of the page, centered and bolded, without italics
- The content of the abstract is one paragraph and is not indented
- It is double-spaced as the rest of the paper
- Standard APA font requirements apply here as well – 12pt Times New Roman and one-inch margins
- Professional papers have the running head at the top left corner, while student papers do not have it unless requested by the instructor
- It is supposed to be 150-250 words long, but it might be necessary to pay attention to the specific course requirements or journal guidelines
- Just one more important detail to mention upfront: the student papers are not required to have an abstract according to the APA format unless the instructor requires this explicitly.
Four Components of an APA Abstract
An abstract consists of four components, always in this order. You can consider it to be a mini-outline of your whole paper.
- Purpose. Which problem did you investigate, and why was it worth investigating? It usually takes one to two sentences.
- Method. Which data did you collect? How did you collect them? What techniques did you apply?
- Results. What did you discover? Usually, it is the part that students understate the most; give a very specific result rather than generalize.
- Conclusion. What are the implications of your findings? Why are they important?
If you can provide one-two sentences on all four of those aspects, you have basically composed your abstract. The rest is polishing.
How to Actually Write an Abstract in Five Easy Steps
- Compose it last. Always. Even if your professor asks for an initial draft abstract, plan to compose the final version after your paper is written – it should summarize what you have really done, not what you wanted to do three weeks ago.
- Select one sentence for each section. Now you should go through your paper and compose one sentence summarizing its intro, methods, results, and discussion.
- Combine those sentences into one paragraph. Smooth out the transitions between them so that it looks like an integrated piece of text, not several statements joined with connectives.
- Trim the paragraph to fit the size. All first drafts are usually too long. Go through the paragraph and try to decide whether every sentence is necessary or belongs to the purpose, method, results, or conclusion.
- Compare it to the actual paper. Everything you say in your abstract must be consistent with the information you gave in the main body. In case there is any discrepancy, the abstract is not well-composed.
- Read the paragraph aloud once. This helps to detect the problems with phrasing much better than silent reading does.
Do You Need to Mention Any Source Materials in Your Abstract?
As a rule, no. An abstract is meant to inform the reader about your research independently from other materials, including sources. The only situation when you can refer to some source material is when your study directly reacts to one certain paper or theory.
Writing the Keywords Section
Some abstracts end with a short keywords list, especially for papers heading into academic databases. If yours needs one:
Indent the first line half an inch. Italicize the word “Keywords” but not the keywords themselves. List four to six terms, separated by commas, that describe the core topics of your paper — the words someone would actually type into a database search bar if they were looking for research like yours.
Mistakes That Show Up Constantly
- Writing it before the paper’s finished. It almost always ends up out of sync with the final version, and someone has to go back and fix it later anyway.
- Going over 250 words. Once you cross that line, start cutting background context and side details first — those rarely belong in an abstract regardless of length.
- Being vague about the results. “The study examined the relationship between two variables” tells a reader nothing. Say what the relationship actually was.
- Adding personal commentary. An abstract reports what you did and found. It’s not the place for opinions, and it’s not your discussion section.
- Forgetting it’s a stand-alone piece. Someone should be able to read only your abstract, with no access to the rest of your paper, and still understand what you studied and what you found.
A Full Example
Here is what the APA abstract would look like for a brief psychology essay:
This paper investigates the relationship between daily screen usage and sleep quality among high school students. In total, 120 students aged 14 to 18 were asked to keep a sleep diary during two weeks, along with keeping a record of their self-reported screen time. The results have revealed a statistically significant inverse correlation between screen time after 9 pm and the amount of sleep a student gets. Those who spent more than three hours per night using screens got about 45 minutes less sleep than those spending less time in front of their phones or computers.
Keywords: screen time, adolescent sleep, sleep quality, technology use, high school students
As you can see, the abstract goes directly from purpose to method, results, and conclusion, with the keywords added at the end. There are no unnecessary sentences, no fillers.
Quick Questions
Do APA abstracts need to be included in student papers?
No, student papers do not necessarily require abstracts according to the APA 7th edition. Abstracts are considered essential parts of published and professional papers.
How long should the APA abstract be?
150 to 250 words is considered the standard length of an abstract. However, it is worth double-checking the specific instructions for your work since some assignments specify the exact word limit.
Can I use “I” or “we” in the APA abstract?
Yes, first person is allowed by APA format. It sounds more natural than trying to avoid it.
Is an abstract the same as an introduction?
No, they are different. The introduction sets the scene and presents your argument. The abstract summarizes the entire work, including results and conclusions, which are not present in the introduction.
Is the abstract an indented paragraph?
No, unlike other paragraphs in APA format, the abstract is not indented.
Need a Second Pair of Eyes on Your Paper?
Getting the abstract right is a lot easier once the rest of the paper is solid. If you want help polishing a draft, checking APA formatting, or getting feedback before you submit, Coursework Tutor connects you with writers who work across APA, MLA, and Chicago style and can help you get the details right before your deadline.