In general, a dissertation abstract is a summary of a dissertation in a short, concise form that presents the dissertation’s entire research and findings. The abstract is often the first part of a dissertation that most people will encounter, despite the fact that it is usually the last part to be written. It can be thought of as a distillation of the ideas, research, and work that go into a full dissertation down to the most essential elements. A dissertation abstract is usually only one or two pages long, but it expresses all of the ideas that a full dissertation might take hundreds of pages to convey.
The dissertation is typically the final work completed by a student working on a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). A dissertation is typically hundreds of pages long and contains the research, experimentation, findings, and ideas on which a student’s academic reputation is built. The dissertation abstract is a condensed version of all of the work that went into the dissertation, written in a way that anyone interested in the subject can understand. It will almost certainly be published in a number of scholarly journals and Internet databases for scholars and other students to access.
In only one or two pages, a dissertation abstract clearly presents the dissertation’s ideas and research. This is a difficult task that is usually completed near the end of a dissertation because the abstract requires all of the research. It’s similar to a synopsis of a work of art, but it needs to include all of the ideas from the dissertation. A dissertation abstract should enable a reader to quickly learn what is presented in the dissertation and then decide whether or not reading the entire dissertation is required for further learning.
While two pages may be acceptable, most dissertation advisers will advise a single-page dissertation abstract. This is useful because the abstract can be included in a résumé and sent to potential employers, especially if the author wishes to stay in academia. A dissertation abstract usually has a length of 400 to 600 words and fits on one page of single-spaced text. Any key terms used in the dissertation should be included in the abstract as well, as this will make it easier to search a database for an abstract related to what you’re looking for.