APA Format: Abstracts
This handout is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition,
2010.
An abstract is a “brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of an article” (p. 25). (In some fields of
study this is called an executive summary.) Based on the abstract, readers often decide whether to read the
entire paper. The abstract must be brief (usually 250 words or fewer), but include all main points of the
paper. Its organization generally mirrors the organization of the paper (to check, compare the abstract to the
paper headings).
Conventions:
•The abstract is on the second page of your document (after the title page and before the beginning of the
paper itself).
•Title the page Abstract in uppercase and lowercase letters, centered, at the top of the page (below the
running head and page number).
•Type the abstract in a single paragraph (double-spaced) in block format (no indenting).
•Do not cite references in the abstract, with one exception: If your study continues or replicates previous
research, you should note this in the abstract, and cite the author’s last name and the year of the original
report.
•Use active voice verbs whenever possible (but avoid personal pronouns, such as I or we).
Active voice: Laboratory technicians tabulated the results of the experiment.
Passive voice: The results of the experiment were tabulated by laboratory technicians.
•Use present tense verbs when describing conclusions and results that are currently applicable; use past
tense verbs to describe primary research you conducted (e.g., the variables you manipulated or the outcomes
you measured.)
To keep the abstract concise:
•Use digits for all numbers 10 and above, except those that begin a sentence. (Consider rewording a
sentence that begins with a number.)
•Use abbreviations (e.g., CDC for Centers for Disease Control), but remember that all abbreviations
that need to be explained in the text must also be explained when used for the first time in the abstract.
Consult the Publication Manual pp. 26-27 for detailed guidelines on abstracts for specific types of
papers:
•Empirical study
•Literature review
•Theory-oriented paper
•Methodological paper
•Case study
For an example of an abstract, please see the back of the page.
