How to write your abstract
Preparing your submission to GUA may be your first experience of writing an abstract for your academic coursework but don't worry! Your abstract is just a short and concise overview to give the GUA Judges a sense of what your entry is about.
You should consider the following:
Your motivations
Why did you undertake this research? Why is it important or interesting?
Your methods & approach
What different methods of research did you use? Was it a close-reading, a literature review, a long-term lab experiment, a survey etc.
Your conclusions & implications
What were the conclusions that you drew from your research? What happened in your experiment or what argument seemed to stand up to your investigation?
Extra Tips
During Stage One of the GUA Judging Process, GUA Judges will only look at your abstract, so make sure you take a few minutes and try to impress them!
DO
- Start with the most interesting information
An exciting first line will ensure that judges will read the full paper.
- Use the same chronological order as your paper
This will make your paper easier to follow.
- Use clear, concise language
Judges will be reading a lot of abstracts. Simple and strong statements will stand out.
DO NOT
- Use personal or emotive language
Your abstract is still a piece of academic writing.
- Include definitions of terms
Your abstract is short, you can include this information in your entry.
- Include information not in your submission
Your abstract is a summary of your coursework, not an extension of it.