Term papers, especially those which require outside research, are usually accompanied by an abstract placed in front of the paper itself.

Formatting the Abstract—follow the MLA format procedures. The heading and page format will be the same as the first page of your paper. Then after a double-space under your title, place the word abstract in lower case letters inside parenthesis as follows: (abstract)

An Abstract is generally limited to one paragraph (although it may extend to a full page for long, thesis length research papers and critical journal articles).

Purpose: To give the reader a quick overview of your entire paper—the thesis, main argument, types of evidence, and your conclusion. The Abstract should summarize your thesis and mention some of the following according to their importance or application in your paper: your goals, your ideas and opinions, your findings, your types of evidence and methods of argument, and your main argument and conclusion—all within one good paragraph or up to half of a page.

The Abstract must be written last after the paper is finished and has been edited and proofread.

Notice how the abstract presents the thesis within the context of other critical approaches and how this paper will differ. Specific types of evidence are mentioned that will be used to support the writer’s intended argument and conclusion.