Not all students know how to write an essay on different academic disciplines. But it is precisely this option of homework that teachers use to test knowledge, consolidate the material studied, and encourage students to work independently.
What it is
Before we talk about how to write an abstract, we will try to find out the meaning of this word. When translated from English, it is customary to understand a report on a topic that is based on several literary sources. The student reads the finished work to classmates, speaks with the results of his activities at conferences or simply passes the material to the teacher.
The abstract can be considered a great opportunity to improve the mark on the subject, as well as a way to demonstrate to others around their interest in the issue.
Selection of literary sources
Arguing on how to write an essay, first we’ll try to understand how to choose the right books for work. Literary material should correspond to the topic proposed by the teacher. The number of books is determined taking into account the following factors:
- the amount of abstract work;
- deadlines;
- the depth of consideration of the issue;
- assessment rules.
Some teachers offer children who missed for a good reason (illness, competition, conference, competition) a topic. In the process of writing an essay, the main gaps are eliminated, the skills of independent activity are formed in schoolchildren, and interest in research and project work appears. Those sources that the student selects for generalization are indicated in the bibliographic list.
Structure
Speaking about how to write an abstract, we note that there are certain requirements for its design and content. First, the title page is drawn up. It indicates the full name of the educational institution in which the author of the material is studying. In the center, the title of the abstract is written in capital letters, then there is detailed information about the author. If there is a supervisor, information about him is also indicated on the title page. In the center (in the lower part) the year, city is recorded.
The next page is for the table of contents. All the main paragraphs and sections of the material are indicated here.
Introduction
How to write an introduction to the abstract? This question is of interest to all authors who begin to work. It should state the problem under consideration, indicate the goals and objectives to which the material will be devoted.
The introduction should not exceed one page. Special attention should be paid to the justification of the relevance of the material. If a hypothesis is put forward in a research paper, then this is not a prerequisite in abstracts.
Main part
We continue the conversation on how to write an abstract. There are no clear limitations on the volume of material. It is difficult to choose an example that could be called an ideal option. Depending on the scientific field, topic, research depth, the number of pages in the main part is from 6 to 14.
So how to write an abstract? Its plan is drawn up so that a logical connection can be traced between the individual parts of the material presented.
In conclusion, the author once again analyzes the results that were obtained during the work, draws conclusions, makes recommendations to other researchers.
Only if the topic is fully disclosed, the abstract will be awarded a high mark.
In the list of literature, which is given after the main part of the work, all books, magazines taken for work are listed in alphabetical order. It is desirable that they be published no later than five years ago, exceptions are permissible for essays involving the study of historical and literary materials.
Technical requirements
We continue the discussion on how to write an abstract. A sample design of the list of literary sources is presented in the photo.
In the technical requirements there are no clear criteria regarding the font size, it all depends on the requirements of the educational institution within which the work is written. The most common consider printing abstract text in Times New Roman font 12 pt. The line spacing is an important point on which the visual perception of the text depends. Optimum consider 1.5 interval in school abstracts. If the text refers to equipment, technological processes, calculations, formulas are necessary. When compiling them, you can use the Microsoft Equation formula editor . It has basic tools, allows you to create various characters and drawings.
Useful Tips
You can not overload the abstract with citations from literary sources that are not listed in the bibliographic list. In the introduction, it is desirable to highlight the goal, main tasks, object, subject, as well as the hypothesis of the study.
The main part involves a consistent and logical presentation of the material. To do this, the text is divided into separate paragraphs, paragraphs. If this sequence is violated, even relevant and interesting work will look very unpresentable, and will not be appreciated by teachers.
Example
A chemistry essay can be devoted to the life and work of the founder of the table of elements, Dmitry Mendeleev. The aim of the work will be to study the life of a great scientist. The main task of the essay is to show the diversity of Mendeleev’s personality. In the main part, the student gradually lists the features of childhood, the youth of the chemist, and proceeds to his scientific activity. The conclusion summarizes the abstract, confirms the significance of Mendeleev's achievements for science.