Academic Skills Office (ASO) – Fact Sheets Page | 1
Writing an Abstract
An abstract is a short, non-evaluative, information-dense summary of the contents and purpose of a paper.
This summary must be able to stand alone as it may be the only part of the work a reader sees. You may be
asked to write an abstract as part of your assignment. Although your abstract is placed in the first section of
your assignment, it is best written last.
1. Format
2. Read an example
3. Follow the steps
1. Format
• Place the abstract on its own page immediately after the title page and before your paper
• Use the heading Abstract – centred, top of the page, title case
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• Write a SINGLE paragraph
• Left align with no indent
• Double space your text
• Write less than 250 words; length depends on the length of the work that follows (no more than
10% of the total word count of the work)
• Use a clear, direct writing style that employs short sentences and key words and phrases that
quickly identify the content and focus of the work.
2. Read an example
Abstract
This study examined the opinions of influential, authoritative employees from the education and legal
systems, regarding their perceptions of the role of the law and cyberbullying in Australian schools.
Participants were asked whether they thought a specific law for cyberbullying should be introduced, what
particular behaviours, if any, should be criminalised and who should be involved. Participants were located
across three Australian States. Thematic analysis was used to identify eight main themes within the data,
namely (1) uses of the law in general, (2) introduction of a law for cyberbullying, (3) benefits and difficulties
of criminalising cyberbullying for young people, (4) conditions for a cyberbullying law for young people, (5)
who should be involved in a cyberbullying law, (6) legal sanctions thought to be appropriate, (7)
educational and legal solutions and (8) educational interventions for student cyberbullying. Implications
include increasing the awareness of how existing legislative responses can be used as deterrents, when
working towards more effective cooperation of education and legal systems.
Acknowledgement of sample abstract (not required as you are the writer)
Young, H., Campbell, M., Spears, B., Butler, D., Cross, D., & Slee, P. (2016). Cyberbullying and the role of the law in Australian
schools. Australian Council for Education Research, 60(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/000494411562755
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1
Title case
Capitalising the first word, the first word after a colon, and all MAJOR WORDS. Use lower case for words of less than three letters EXCEPT after a
colon. Use title case for titles of journals, magazines, and newspapers.
NOTE: Citation style
APA 7
th
Edition. Modify
for other citation styles.
Academic Skills Office (ASO) – Fact Sheets Page | 2
3. Follow the steps
Analysis of example
Abstract
1. State the problem
This study examined the opinions of influential, authoritative
employees from the education and legal systems, regarding
their perceptions of the role of the law and cyberbullying in
Australian schools.
2. Say why it is under
investigation
Participants were asked whether they thought a specific law
for cyberbullying should be introduced, what particular
behaviours, if any, should be criminalised and who should be
involved
3. Describe participants and
their characteristics
Participants were located across three Australian States.
4. Give a brief overview of
what was done
Thematic analysis was used to identify eight main themes
within the data, namely (1) uses of the law in general, (2)
introduction of a law for cyberbullying, (3) benefits and
difficulties of criminalising cyberbullying for young people, (4)
conditions for a cyberbullying law for young people, (5) who
should be involved in a cyberbullying law, (6) legal sanctions
thought to be appropriate, (7) educational and legal solutions
and (8) educational interventions for student cyberbullying.
5. Discuss the main
result/findings and consider
what the result indicates
Implications include increasing the awareness of how existing
legislative responses can be used as deterrents, when working
towards more effective cooperation of education and legal
systems
.
Centred, top of the page,
bold title case
