What will an abstract contain?

An abstract serves as a concise summary of a scholarly article, highlighting the key findings and the main ideas of the research. It offers readers a quick overview of the study's purpose, methods, results, and significance, making it easier for them to decide whether to read the entire article. The primary function of an abstract is to distill complex information into a brief format that captures the essence of the research, and therefore, it typically focuses on presenting the most important outcomes and implications of the study.

Other elements, such as the author's biography, the entire article, or a list of cited works, do not belong in an abstract. An author's biography typically appears separately, often found in the introductory or ending sections of an article and references a list included at the end of the article to provide sources for the ideas and conclusions presented. Thus, the abstract’s role is specifically to communicate the crucial data and conclusions that readers should take away from the piece.