The abstract is the most important component of your dissertation! It is required for the dissertation manuscriipt only. The abstract is typically the last item written and should be updated based on final acceptance of manuscriipt by the dissertation committee members and reviewer(s). The abstract is intended as a precise, non-evaluative, summary of the entire dissertation presenting the major elements and findings of the study in a highly condensed format. Although few people typically read the full dissertation, the abstract will be read by many scholars and researchers. Consequently, great care must be taken in writing this page of the dissertation. The content of the abstract should mirror the structure of the entire dissertation, covering the research problem purpose of the study to solve the problem, theoretical foundation, research questions stated in narrative format, sample, location, methodology, design, data sources, data analysis approach, major findings or trends based on the analysis. The most important finding(s) should state the themes that support the conclusion(s). The abstract should close with a conclusion statement of the study implications and contributions to the field. The abstract does not appear in the table of contents and has no page number. The abstract is double-spaced, fully justified with no indentations or citations, and no longer than one page. Refer to the APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition, for additional guidelines for the development of the dissertation abstract. Make sure to add the keywords at the bottom of the abstract to assist future researchers.
The abstract provides a succinct summary of the study and MUST include: the purpose of the study, theoretical foundation, research questions stated in narrative format, sample, location, methodology, design, data sources, data analysis, results, and a valid conclusion of the research. Note: The most important finding(s) should be stated with actual codes and resulting themes data/numbers (qualitative).
The abstract is written in APA format, one paragraph fully justified with no indentations, double-spaced with no citations, one page, and includes key search words. Keywords are on a new line and indented.
The abstract is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format.
