Essay structure ➡️ How to write correctly

At the university, an abstract is equivalent to such types of academic work as a report or test. Therefore, in order to successfully cope with the task, it is important to understand what sections it should consist of and how to format it correctly.
In this material, we will analyze in detail what an abstract includes and what its structure should be according to recommendations and rules.

Are there legislative acts on the formatting of abstracts?

The rules for writing abstracts in Ukraine are not regulated by a separate law, but are drawn up on the basis of several regulatory documents.

DSTU 3008:2015.

This is a national standard that is used to format scientific and educational works. It defines the structure of the text, fonts, intervals, rules for formatting tables, links, etc. Most universities use it as a basis for writing essays.

University guidelines.

Each educational institution usually develops its own guidelines for writing essays. They specify requirements for the title page, volume, structure, list of references, etc.

Teacher requirements.

Teachers and departments may set additional standard requirements, for example, for the style of links or page numbers.
Before writing, it is always worth clarifying which rules apply to you.

General requirements for an essay

The first step in creating any scientific work is choosing a topic. Most often, the teacher offers a list of topics, but sometimes the student is given the opportunity to choose independently within the given direction.

The main goal of an essay is to collect information on a topic and disclose it using reliable sources. Success depends on how accurately and logically the material is selected and presented. It is also important to follow the basic principles of writing (see the table below).

The main rules for writing an essay include:

Structure. The essay should be built according to a clear structure reflected in the content.
Sequence and completeness. The topic should be disclosed as fully and logically as possible, without “jumps” between parts.
Brevity and accuracy. The text should be concise but informative. Usually the standard volume is 15-30 pages.
Relevance to the topic. Everything included in the text should be directly related to the chosen topic.
Reasonableness of conclusions. Personal conclusions should be based on analyzed sources.
An essay is not a copy of someone else’s work, but an independent plan and presentation of the material, based on well-developed sources.

Today, most essays are compiled and written on a computer. However, in some cases, teachers may ask you to do the work by hand – most often for the purpose of in-depth mastery of the material. When you write by hand, the information is better remembered. Such a requirement is not a punishment, but an educational technique. There are no other requirements for such abstracts regarding the design or content, however, the text must be written neatly, evenly, observing the line size, so it is better to use the so-called zebra – a stencil for writing.

Abstract design

Let’s move directly to the technical part of the abstract, namely, its design.

Title page

Although the title page is formally considered the first page, the number “1” is not put on it. The numbering often begins with the introduction – with the number “3” if the content is placed on the second page (which is also not numbered).
For the design of the title page, the font Times New Roman, size 14, is used.

The title page must indicate:

full name of the educational institution and department;
name of the discipline;
topic of the abstract;
information about the student: full name, year, group, form of study;
teacher’s details;
city and year of work completion.

It is recommended to use a sample title page provided in the guidelines, by the teacher or on the website of the educational institution – this will help to avoid mistakes and save time.

A properly formatted table of contents allows you to immediately understand the structure of the work. This is especially important, because the main task of the table of contents is to help quickly find the necessary information and determine which page it is on.

The title for the table of contents is always present. It is written in capital letters in the center of the line. In some cases, it is highlighted in bold – then all other headings in the work should be formatted similarly.

The table of contents includes a list of all sections of the work, located under the title. It begins with an introduction, followed by chapters, paragraphs, conclusion, bibliography and, if any, appendices. If the abstract is formatted according to requirements close to scientific ones, an abstract may also be required – a brief overview of the work.

Some elements, such as the title page and the table of contents itself, are not listed. Each chapter and paragraph is formatted with a capital letter and on a new line.

Required the page numbers where the corresponding sections begin are entered carefully. To avoid entering them manually, it is better to use the automatic table of contents in Microsoft Word.

Page numbers are aligned to the right, located on the same line as the title of the chapter or paragraph.

Headings in the table of contents should not repeat the topic of the abstract – otherwise, the point of further disclosure of the material is lost. The same applies to the titles of paragraphs: they should not duplicate the headings of chapters, otherwise the structure of the work will look undeveloped and superficial.

When formatting the table of contents, it is important to adhere to the established standards. If you are formatting the table of contents in Word, pay attention to the following parameters:

font – Times New Roman;
size – 14 (depending on the requirements of the university);
line spacing – single or one and a half;
page margins: left – 3 cm, right – 1 cm, top and bottom – 2 cm each.

It is permissible to use a different font only if the entire work is formatted in the same style. The table of contents should be consistent in style with the rest of the text.

Introduction

Now we need to formulate the goals and objectives of the work. Before formulating them, it is important to understand the difference between them. This will help to correctly build the structure of the work and logically develop the topic.

The goal is the result that the author strives for in the research process.

Tasks are specific stages or steps necessary to achieve this goal.

The main difference is that the goal is directly related to the topic of the abstract, and the tasks are related to the implementation of this goal. Therefore, if the topic is formulated correctly, it will not be difficult to determine the goal and tasks.
The goal should be clear, concise, general and achievable. Tasks are subgoals that should not duplicate the wording of the goal.
The goal can be global, but the tasks are always specific. In order to correctly write out these elements, it is worthwhile to first draw up a detailed plan of the abstract.

Writing the main part and conclusion

The central element of any abstract work is the main part. It is in this section that the student reveals the theoretical basis, analyzes information from sources and expresses a personal opinion on the topic under study.

The main part is usually divided into chapters and paragraphs – this facilitates the perception of the material and helps the reader better understand how the topic is revealed. The optimal number of sections is from two to four, depending on the volume of the study. This structure is necessarily reflected in the table of contents.

Dividing the text into semantic blocks is important not only from a formal point of view. Each chapter performs a specific function:
The first chapter is devoted to the theoretical foundations of the topic. It provides an overview of scientific literature, describes key concepts and approaches, explains the choice of the topic and approaches to its research. It also considers how this topic has been studied previously – by both domestic and foreign authors.

The second chapter performs an analytical function. Here the student analyzes the studied theories, provides calculations, practical data, examples and makes the first conclusions. In this section, personal reflections based on the processed material are allowed.

The third chapter (if any) can be devoted to the practical aspect. It involves an in-depth examination of individual areas, approaches or classifications mentioned earlier and their practical application.

It is important that the logical connection between sections is maintained. It is not allowed to break the sequence of reasoning or leave chapters without a logical conclusion. Each chapter should start on a new page.

It is also recommended to end each chapter with a brief conclusion that summarizes the material presented. The general conclusion for the entire work is written in the conclusion – it summarizes the results, assesses whether the goal was achieved, and whether the tasks were solved.

If the abstract is small in volume, the structure can be simplified. In this case, it is permissible not to divide the text into chapters and paragraphs, but to present it as a single, integral block.

Basic mistakes when writing an abstract

Despite the fact that an abstract is considered one of the simplest forms of written work, mistakes in its execution are quite common. You can often hear the phrase: “It’s just an abstract.” Yes, compared to a term paper or a thesis, it is easier to write. However, this does not mean that the task can be treated carelessly – the text must be competently developed and clearly presented.

The most common mistakes when writing an abstract:

high level of borrowing and plagiarism;
lack of logic and structure in the work plan, not corresponding to the stated topic;
use of information not related to the subject of the study;
incomplete disclosure of the question posed;
chaotic, incoherent presentation of the material;
inconsistency of the conclusions and the author’s judgments with the content of the main text and sources

Thus, an abstract is not just a set of text on a given topic. It is a systematized, logically structured work in which the information is presented clearly, consistently and in full, with a mandatory digging into the essence of the topic being studied. Approach the issue of writing an abstract carefully, and you will not have any problems defending it.