Write an Abstract

6 - Communicate Your Results

In this section, you will learn to clearly communicate your research process and findings to others, including judges, if you are participating in a science fair.

Task #6A: Write an Abstract

1. Read How to Write a Science Fair Project Abstract to review the purpose of an abstract and how to write one.
2. Answer the following questions to check your learning:
   1. Why is it important to write a concise and engaging abstract?
      It is the only part of the project that judges and the public will read.

      It provides a detailed methodology of the experiment.

      It helps people quickly determine if they want to read the entire project.

      It includes all the data collected in the experiment.
      Correct! An engaging abstract helps people quickly determine if they want to read the entire report.
      Nice try! Review the importance of an abstract, which helps attract interest in the full report.
   2. Which of the following is NOT a key part of a well-written abstract?
      Introduction

      Problem Statement

      Procedures

      Graphs & Charts

      Results & Conclusions
      Correct! Graphs and charts should not be included in an abstract.
      Nice try! Review the key parts of an abstract.
   3. True or False: An abstract should include jargon and technical terms to demonstrate the complexity of your project.
      True

      False
      Correct! An abstract should avoid jargon and technical terms that most readers won't understand.
      Nice try! Review the section on what to avoid in an abstract.
3. The table below shows the major parts of an abstract and some sentence starters to help you get started. Review the table and then write each section of your own abstract below.
   Swipe left to see more

   Abstract Section & Description	Possible Sentence Starter	Example
   Introduction Briefly introduce your project using an important statistic or by briefly describing the broad problem or topic your project idea addresses.	“______ (main topic of your project) is important because ______.”	Battery longevity is important because it impacts the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of electronic devices.
   Purpose An explanation of the goal of your project and your hypothesis.	“The purpose of this study is to _______ (based on the project question) and test the hypothesis that _______ (add hypothesis).”	The purpose of this study is to compare the longevity of Energizer and Duracell batteries in devices with varying current drains and test the hypothesis that Energizer batteries will last longer than Duracell batteries.
   Methods A brief, one-sentence description of how you conducted your experiment.	“To do this, I ______(briefly describe your methods in the past tense)”	To do this, I conducted experiments measuring the voltage maintenance of Energizer and Duracell batteries across low, medium, and high current drain devices.
   Results A brief explanation of your data and any trends that they show.	“My data show ______(describe results)” OR If you don’t have results yet, you can say something like: “At the time of writing, data analysis was not complete. However, I expect to see either _____ or _____ (possible trends you expect)”	My data show that Energizer maintained its voltage 3% longer in low drain, 10% longer in medium drain, and 29% longer in high drain devices compared to Duracell.
   Conclusion An explanation of the claim you made based on your data and whether or not the data support your claim.	“In conclusion, I found that my data (do/do not) support my hypothesis.”   If you don’t have your results yet, leave this section blank.	In conclusion, I found that my data support my hypothesis that Energizer batteries last longer than Duracell batteries across varying current drain levels.
   Future Directions An explanation of new questions you have or how you would extend the project in the future.	“In the future, this project could be continued by ______.” OR “Future work could focus on ______.”	In the future, this project could be continued by testing the performance of these batteries under different temperature conditions to simulate real-world usage.

   Write your abstract below using the table above as a guide:
   Introduction:
   Purpose:
   Methods:
   Results:
   Conclusion:
   Future Directions:
4. Now, combine all of your text from above into one paragraph. Make sure it is less than 250 words (or meets the length requirement of your teacher or science fair).