Writing An Abstract For A Master’s Dissertation: Do’s And Don’ts

If you have to write your master’s dissertation, for sure, you are ready to work for days to make everything perfect. There are many elements that you need to include in your project, and each one of them are equally as important for your professor. Do not assume that only because you have a great topic, you can take the maximum grade. The aspect, the composition and the way you write are things that will be analyzed by your professor. The first thing that he will see will be the abstract of your dissertation, and this is how to make it perfect:

• Do’s: Concentrate the information that you presented in your project. This means that the most important ideas will be written in a simple, shorter form.


• Don't: Don’t get into too many details. The abstract is, more or less, a summary of your thesis, therefore, there is no need for you to write every piece of information that you found. Leave it for the rest of your composition.


• Do’s: Don’t go over the word limit. Even the most permissible types of abstracts don’t cross a 350 words limit. What is over this will be disqualified by your professor, even if the content itself is interesting.


• Do’s: Present the major questions or hypothesis of your dissertation. This will show the reader what topic you are planning to analyze and from which perspective.


• Do’s: Summarize each chapter of your dissertation. A sentence will be enough to describe each chapter shortly.


• Don’ts: Do not forget to present the result or the conclusion of your thesis, even if in a more simplistic way.


• Don’ts: If you used different sources or you quoted some influential people in your essay, don’t mention them here. Leave this for the main text.


• Do’s: Make it coherent. You might be tempted to make a list of the chapters and to add a short description of each one. Actually, it needs to be a real composition and to be easy to read and understood.


• Don’t: The grammar and punctuation of this piece are just as important as the one in your principal project. Especially because it is the first thing that your professor will see, it needs to be perfect. Correct it and proofread it carefully before submitting your project, to make sure you did not leave any mistakes.