Your abstract should present a succinct summary of the research and results of the work you completed for your thesis/dissertation. Many researchers read abstracts to determine the relevance, reliability and quality of a source; therefore, if you create a clear and concise abstract, others are more likely to read your entire document.

An abstract is a brief summary of the purpose, methods, results, and conclusion of your thesis/dissertation. You may find it helpful to consult other abstracts from your field or visit the UMI/Proquest website at www.umi.com. Writing assistance is also available from ASU's Writing Center at www.asu.edu/duas/wcenter.

Since your abstract is used as a research tool by other researchers, the Graduate College has developed the following guidelines to assist you in writing an abstract that is both informative and concise:

• Structure your paragraph/s to include an introduction to the study or project, the methods of analysis or experiment, and a summary of your results or conclusions
• Clearly state your main conclusion/s while using specific results, if possible
• Proofread carefully for spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors
• Maintain a professional tone and avoid colloquialisms
• Do not include bibliographic citations in the abstract
• Do not write in future tense; past tense is preferred
• Do not use "I" or "we" unless it is common in your field

Please keep in mind that while you want to be as specific as possible, you must not exceed the maximum word length guidelines. All students must limit their abstracts to 350 words or less (or 150 words or less for Master's students planning to microfilm). Your chair/advisor can assist you in selecting the most appropriate information to include in your abstract.