Tahri Mohamed University – Bechar Academic Year: 2023/2024
Faculty of Letters and Languages Level: Third Year English
Department of English Module: ANG 69
Teacher: Ms. Harchaoui
Guidelines for Writing an Abstract
Abstracts, Introductions, and Conclusions are written at the last stage after finishing your thesis. In fact, these three
elements have lots in common since all of them summarize the thesis. The abstract is shorter in length than the
conclusion and the introduction. While they all summarize the whole thesis, the introduction emphasizes on the
ground work of the thesis, in addition to the purpose of writing it followed by the a detailed division of the chapters
and how the thesis will evolve, in which the view is always futuristic (Chivers, no date).
Conclusions on the contrary summarize what has been accomplished considering previous literature. It also includes
a summary of limitations, as well as recommendations for future work on the same area of interest.
Guidelines for writing an abstract
An abstract is a short thorough review of the subject; it grants readers the chance to quickly access the content of the
work and facilitate the task of retrieving the document. An abstract should be written at the end after fulfilling your
work parallel to the introduction and conclusion. It should not surpass a one page in length. Although abstract forms
differ, one must follow the following rules so that to avoid confusion:
1. Summarize the topic area, the field, and the opposing viewpoints, i.e. put your work in context.
2. Establish where there is a gap, something new that needs to be done. This gap is sometimes called your “niche”.
3. Show how you filled this gap and what your findings showed, and the implications (Swales, 1990).
Characteristics of a good abstract
1. Accurate: A good abstract should be relevant. It should mirror both the purpose and the content of the
manuscript. Information that does not relate to the document should not appear in the abstract.
2. Non-evaluative: a good abstract does not re-evaluate the results attained in the manuscript. Instead, it reports
them.
3. Coherent and readable: an abstract should be presented in a clear and a succinct language. It is preferable to use
verbs instead of nouns, active voice sentences instead of the passive, and the present simple tense to present
results and conclusions whereas the past tense to describe the manipulated variables and the measured outcomes.
4. Concise: sentences should be brief and dense with information. The most important points should initiate the
paragraph, and the specific terms that readers may use in their electronic searches are emphasized (APA, 2010).
Elements of an abstract of an empirical study
An abstract of a report of an empirical study should contain the following:
1. The problem under study should be stated in one sentence.
2. The participants involved in the study and the characteristics assigned to these participants such as age, sex,
ethnic and racial differences should be illustrated.
3. The study methods used in the work are described in a restricted number of words.
4. The results and findings are briefly stated.
5. Conclusions, implications and applications are concisely presented in the end.
6. Key words may also be inserted to the abstract to boost the readers’ chance to find the work (APA, 2010)
Tahri Mohammed University – Bechar Academic Year: 2023/2024
Faculty of Letters and Languages Level: Third Year English
Department of English Module: ANG 69
Teacher: Ms. Harchaoui
How to Write an Introduction
Experienced writers usually supply their introductions after the paper is written, although by placement these elements come
first. The introduction’s main objective is providing enough background knowledge about the topic being researched so that
to help readers get and criticize/assess the findings of the current investigation, without referring to prior works. The
introduction hands over the rationale for the study. Most importantly, the investigator should express concisely and precisely
the significance for conducting such a research. He/ She should carefully select the references to provide the necessary
background knowledge, and the gap treated in his/ her work. The researcher therefore should clearly state the problem in the
present tense, and refer to the established knowledge relating to it (Gastel & Day, 2016).
Guidelines for Writing a Good Introduction
1. The introduction should present first, with all possible clarity, the nature and scope of the problem investigated. For
example, it should indicate why the overall subject area of the research is important.
2. It should briefly review the pertinent literature to orient the reader. It also should identify the gap in the literature that the
current research was intended to address.
3. It should then make clear the objective of the research. In some disciplines or journals, it is customary to state here the
hypotheses or research questions that the study addressed. In others, the objective may be signaled by wording such as
“in order to determine.”
4. It should state the method of the investigation. If deemed necessary, the reasons for the choice of a particular method
should be briefly stated.
5. Finally, in some disciplines and journals, the standard practice is to end the introduction by stating the principal results
of the investigation and the principal conclusions suggested by the results.
6. In addition to the preceding rules, keep in mind that your paper may well be read by people outside your narrow
specialty. Therefore, in general you should define in the introduction any specialized terms or abbreviations that you
will use. By doing so, you can prevent confusion.
7. Before writing your introduction, you should always refer to journals’ policy or your institutions’ guidelines to writing
an introduction so that to avoid re-formulations and waste of time. (Gastel & Day, 2016, p.62-65)
Questions to be Answered in the Introduction
A good introduction answers the following questions in just a few pages and, by summarizing the relevant arguments and
the past evidence, gives the reader a firm sense of what was done and why:
1. Why is this problem important?
2. How does the study relate to previous work in the area? If other aspects of this study have been reported previously, how
does this report differ from, and build on, the earlier report?
3. What are the primary and secondary hypotheses and objectives of the study, and what, if any, are the links to theory?
4. How do the hypotheses and research design relate to one another?
5. What are the theoretical and practical implications of the study? (APA, 2010, p.27)
Tahri Mohamed University – Bechar Academic Year: 2023/2024
Faculty of Letters and Languages Level: Third Year English
Department of English Module: ANG 69
Teacher: Ms. Harchaoui
Methods of Displaying Data
Purposes of Data Displays
1. Exploration: Data communicates a certain message. Henceforth, the researcher needs to recognize this message.
2. Communication: after deciphering the message embodied in the data, you need to properly transfer this message to
readers.
3. Calculation: displaying data helps the researcher estimate the measurements needed which eventually helps him/her
with the results.
4. Storage: data can be stored for later retrieval, especially those displayed through figures.
5. Decoration: displays grab the readers’ attention (APA, 2010).
Guidelines to Effective Design and Preparation of data Display
a. Decide wisely the number of graphs and tables you want to include in your work, otherwise the reader may lose track
of the message portrayed throughout the research paper.
b. It is not always evident to use graphs; some results are better presented in texts.
c. Graphs and tables should be well designed, clear and colorful.
d. They should be designed in a way that helps readers decipher information.
e. Number your tables and graphs in the order they appear in the manuscript, never use suffix letters to number your
graphs and tables.
f. Limit the content of your tables to essential materials. Surplus elements tables are less effective than lean tables.
g. When discussing tables and figures, refer to them in text by their number.
h. Give every table a brief but clear and explanatory title so that the reader easily assume their content.
i. If the figure or table duplicates other elements or texts in the paper, it should not be included at first place. (APA, 2010)
Standards for Designing Figures
There are different types to figures from which a researcher can choose. Sometimes the choice may be obvious, as it might
not at other times. Graphs usually express the relationship between two quantitative indices or a continuous variable; charts
demonstrate non-quantitative information such as the flow of subjects through a process. There are other types such as maps
which generally encode spatial data, drawings which pictorially present information, and photographs in which direct
visual representation of data takes place (APA, 2010).
Figures must conform to the following standards: simplicity, clarity, continuity, and most of all information value. Hence, a
good figure,
Arguments rather than duplicates the text,
Conveys only essential facts,
Omits visually distracting detail,
Is easy to read, and its elements are large enough to be read with ease,
Is easy to understand and its purpose is easily decoded, and
Is carefully planned and prepared (Adapted from APA, 2010, p.153).
When designing any type of figures, be certain that,
Lines are smooth and sharp,
Typeface is simple (sans serif) and legible,
Units of measure are provided,
Axes are clearly labeled, and
Elements within the figures are labeled or explained (APA, 2010, p.153).
