The abstract of an empirical study offers the reader a concise overview of the entire study. It is the "50,000-foot view" of the study. Abstracts are commonly used by reviewers in the publication process as a means of determining whether the study potentially contains information that aligns with the goals of the publication. Thus, a well-written abstract can create the opportunity for further review of the study and potentially lead to publication of the study. After publication of the study, potential readers will survey the abstract to determine if the study information is germane to their interests and needs.  

The abstract, while it is located as the first component of the study, is actually the last component to be written. This is because the abstract must summarize the nature of the study including the problem being investigated, the methodology, the results, and the potential implications or applications of the results in one brief paragraph. Hence, it is impossible to write the abstract before preparing the other components of the study. The abstract should be accurate and readable using standard academic language. No references or citations are included in an abstract; material presented in the abstract must, therefore, be original to the researcher. The abstract must not be evaluative in nature; the evaluation of the study results will be presented later in the conclusion section. Indeed, omitting evaluative information can help to create a hook to draw the potential reader in for a deeper reading of the study.  The abstract should be approximately 150-250 words. Researchers should refer to the publication guidelines of the journal to which the article is being submitted for the specific requirement.

When prepared correctly, the abstract can be an excellent tool to assist potential publishers in determining of the study aligns with the journal's publication goals as well as to pique the interest of potential readers of the study after its publication.