How To Write A Dissertation Abstract In The Humanities: Useful Hints

An abstract is the short version or a summary of your overall work. It is not a review or evaluation of the work rather presents a mini version of your research and project. An abstract in humanities will talk about the main thesis, conclusion, and the summary of the larger work. You need to remember that the abstract is not an excerpt of the work but an original paper that you have to write on your own. This is a critical section in your dissertation as it helps the readers identify the core purpose of your assignment and the citation of the sources.

In order to write a winning abstract you need to remember the logical order of the sentences and ideas. You should present the most important information first and then follow a descending order in that matter. The type, style, and format of the paper stay the same as the original dissertation and you only write an abstract after completing the entire assignment. This helps you follow the same direction as your assignment. You can place keywords and phrases in a strategic manner that will help the reader determine the core focus of your research. The language you use in this paper needs to be clear, concise, and bold. You should only include technical terms if they are a part of the original paper as well.

To help you write an abstract for a project in humanities, these steps will keep your work interesting, precise, and relevant. Remember that you need to follow the same structure as listed below if you want the reader to make logical sense out of your assignment.

1. The first sentence in your abstract needs to identify the reason for why you are writing this paper, you need to show what is the larger significance of your work to the target audience


2. The second thing you need to write is the problem you will tackle in your paper. Precisely, this defines the scope of your work and you can use the thesis statement or main theme of your paper to elaborate this


3. The third sentence will show your proposed solution to the problem and the methods you use for collecting this evidence. In a humanity paper, you need to show the types of evidence and the processes you use for collecting your data


4. The fourth sentence after the methodology will explain the results of your paper. You need to show the results you gathered from certain evidence in your assignment


5. Finally, show the interpretation of these results in application of your work