The research proposal explains your intended methods, justifies the study, and outlines your justification for conducting it. Proposals are frequently required for dissertations and other graduate research; you may also write one to submit a grant application. The proposal’s information is summarized in an abstract. The success of the abstract will determine whether the proposal receives favorable or unfavorable feedback.

According to the expert writer of dissertation abstract writing help, in a research proposal, an abstract summarizes the main points of the assignment in 300 words or less. It emphasizes the study’s purpose, research problem, study design, findings, interpretations, and conclusions. As much as it’s worth, your research proposal’s abstract should provide a concise and clear explanation of the key aspects of a topic you’ve investigated.

This guide from the dissertation proposal help will teach you how to create an abstract for every type of research proposal. When writing an abstract for the research proposal, you will look at why an abstract is crucial, the writing style, and the mistakes to avoid.

The importance of abstracts

Abstracts are crucial because they make it simple and quick to explain your work. Academic abstracts can be used in many ways as a marketing tool, so they should be carefully considered. Your thesis will be read first by your examiners, who will use it to set expectations for the remainder of the dissertation.

The purpose of journal articles is to persuade the reader to read your article. The abstract provides the conference organizer with a taste of your paper when you apply so they can determine whether it is appropriate. Keep your best face forward because your abstract is the very first thing a reader will notice about your research.

Abstracts are excellent tools for condensing research and scholarly information. They assist in retrieving data on a specific subject for online databases and libraries. Abstracts save both time and space. Links to the complete article are frequently included in abstracts. As a result, it is a practical and efficient method of presenting the information. Abstracts are included with all research papers.

How to Write a Research Proposal Abstract

You’ll need to write an informative abstract in your research proposal out of the four types of abstracts we’ve covered above. It is not difficult to write an abstract for a dissertation proposal. To get started, all you need to know is what to write and also how to write it.

Use the Active Voice

The first rule is to write your research proposal abstract in an active voice. This is not to say that you should never use the passive voice. Feel free to make some exceptions to this rule if you discover that certain sentences can only be understood by using passive sentence construction.

Second, ensure that your sentences are brief and complete. Use ambiguous words sparingly. Instead, keep the language simple. Finally, never write a research proposal abstract in the present or future tense. Because you’re reporting on a study that you’ve already completed, writing in the past tense is the best option.

Write about the problem and the introduction

All of the proposal’s sections, including the introduction—where you should briefly describe the topic and explain your decision—are covered in a strong abstract.

Although you shouldn’t go into specifics, you must identify the problems your project will try to solve, for example, the high dropout rate among college sophomores. Your research might be too broad if you can’t narrow down your abstract to a specific issue.

Summarize the context and main points

The abstract must explain how this project meets a need since the proposal outlines the project’s purpose. When summarizing the data from your paper’s literature review, you can point out how your strategy differs from earlier research or addresses a gap in it. Give a brief overview of the project’s goals as well as the sources you will be using for your paper’s research and proposed thesis.

Describe the methods and conclusions.

A general description of the methods used for your project should be included in the abstract. Explain why you plan to use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed measures. How will you collect your data? What kind of sample? The abstract will feel more complete if you add a statement at the end indicating the conclusion you anticipate coming from the project and the recommendations based on the findings. Just information that will also be in the paper should be included in the abstract because the abstract serves as a summary of the paper’s content.

Use Proper Formatting

In APA proposals, the first-person pronouns “I” and “my” are typically acceptable, but you should double-check the style manual for your field. Once a draft is complete, edit your abstract to make it more concise and limit it to no more than 250 words. The best abstracts to use as models can be found in your field and institution. If you write the abstract once you finish the proposal, make sure it accurately captures your ideas by reviewing it after you’ve finished the paper. Usually, students overlook this area and forget professor checks the journals on a daily basis and they can easily detect plagiarism in their writing (Wilhoit, 1994).  After the title page, add a page break and put the abstract there. Don’t forget to include the page number in the running head.

Tips for Writing a Research Proposal Abstract Correctly

In order to avoid making these mistakes while writing an abstract for the dissertation proposal, consider the following:

• Avoid providing a lengthy history.
• Citations of other people’s work should be avoided.
• There should be no tables, figures, images, or other types of illustrations in an abstract.
• Avoid using difficult-to-understand terms.

Final Note 

Once you’ve created your framework, you can edit it to make it flow more naturally. Some points may naturally merge into a single sentence, while others may require some elaboration. But keep in mind that the abstract needs to be brief and to the point, so resist the urge to ramble on about unrelated topics. Make sure everything is written sensible and in the proper structure that will properly justify your research (professionalessayservice, 2022). Once you are satisfied with your draft, you might think about getting input from other Ph.D. candidates or your advisor.

Reference list 

PES., (2022). Tips to help you proofread your essay like a pro. Online Available at <https://www.professionalessayservice.co.uk/7-tips-to-help-you-proofread-your-essay-like-a-pro//> [Accessed on 12th February 2022]

Wilhoit, S. (1994). Helping students avoid plagiarism. College teaching, 42(4), 161-164.