Can a paper be published without an abstract? (2024)

Answer: An abstract is very important in an academic paper to be published. The reason for this is that it provides a summary of the article. The abstract tells the readers what the paper contains start from the introduction to the conclusion before perusing the whole article. It is important to know the background to the study, the methodology (where applicable), the result, conclusion and the recommendation if any. The overview is given in the abstract. Going through the abstract may help a reader to know if the article contains information he or she wanted or not. Therefore, an abstract is essential and required in a published paper.

Answered by Aina Jacob Kola on 31 Aug, 2017

Dean, School of Science Education

Answer:

Generally, it is not acceptable for journal articles to be published without an abstract. This is because the abstract provides the reader with information about what to expect in the paper. Thus, by reading an abstract, a reader can decide whether or not to read the entire article. However, there is a possibility that some journals might not require an abstract for certain types of articles, particularly short ones, such as short communications or letters to the editor. However, in general, an abstract is considered mandatory for all full-fledged articles.

The reason why you didn't find the abstract for an article during your literature search, could, however, be different, and is probably related to the database rather than the journal. Some databases provide access to full-text articles, while others only supply article citations, with or without abstracts. It is possible that the database where this article is stored does not supply the abstract.

Related reading:

Answered by Editage Insights on 05 Sep, 2017

Resources for authors and journals

Answer: Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it.

Answered on 05 Sep, 2017

Can a paper be published without an abstract? (2024)

FAQs

Can a paper be published without an abstract? ›

Answer: Generally, it is not acceptable for journal articles to be published without an abstract. This is because the abstract provides the reader with information about what to expect in the paper.

Can you submit an abstract without results? ›

Submitting an abstract without any results will not get you a place at a highly prestigious conference or a keynote address. It will get you a place at a conference that essentially accepts all abstracts, but not much more than that.

Does a paper have to have an abstract? ›

The abstract always comes before the introduction in a research paper. Every paper does not need an abstract. However, an introduction is an essential component of all research papers.

Is abstract necessary for report writing? ›

Abstracts are important for both selection and indexing purposes. Selection: Abstracts allow readers who may be interested in the paper to quickly decide whether it is relevant to their purposes and whether they need to read the whole paper.

Can you cite an article if you only read the abstract? ›

It is preferable to cite the full text of a work, but abstracts can be used as sources and included in the reference list IF you indicate as such in the citation. How to cite first depends upon which citation style you are using.

What if there is no abstract? ›

Generally, it is not acceptable for journal articles to be published without an abstract. This is because the abstract provides the reader with information about what to expect in the paper. Thus, by reading an abstract, a reader can decide whether or not to read the entire article.

Is abstract necessary? ›

The abstract allows readers to quickly determine if a paper is relevant to their needs, saving them time and effort. Journals receive many articles. Editors do not have the time read through entire manuscripts. A well-written abstract can give editors the jist of your research in a short amount of time.

What kind of paper needs an abstract? ›

Many papers in the social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering sciences follow IMRaD structure: their main sections are entitled Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. People use the abstract to decide whether to read the rest of the paper, so the abstract for such a paper is important.

What papers need an abstract? ›

While professional papers that appear in scientific journals and other publications require an APA abstract, they may not be required for student papers. However, you should always check with your instructor for specific requirements.

What are abstracts required for? ›

an abstract lets readers get the gist or essence of your paper or article quickly, in order to decide whether to read the full paper; an abstract prepares readers to follow the detailed information, analyses, and arguments in your full paper; and, later, an abstract helps readers remember key points from your paper.

What are the do's and don'ts of writing an abstract? ›

The Abstract should be 100 to 200 words in length.. Complete sentences, active verbs, and the third person should be used, and the abstract should be written in the past tense. Standard nomenclature should be used and abbreviations should be avoided. No literature should be cited.”

Do all journal articles have an abstract? ›

Not all articles have abstracts, including news items, editorials, letters-to-the-editor, and some review articles. Many journals require "structured abstracts", which are written in a standardized format, often patterned after the IMRaD format. This further aids the reader in rapidly finding the critical elements.

Do abstracts need in text citations? ›

General Formatting

No literature citations should be included in the abstract.

How long should an abstract be? ›

An abstract is a summary of your paper and/or research project. It should be single-spaced, one paragraph, and approximately 250-300 words.

Does an abstract give results? ›

An informative abstract includes the information that can be found in a descriptive abstract [purpose, methods, scope] but it also includes the results and conclusions of the research and the recommendations of the author.

Can you submit an abstract after the paper is published? ›

If the abstract is nothing more than a description of a talk you will give on "recent results" or "recently published work", an ad, so to speak, then I see no harm.

Can I submit an abstract that has been published? ›

Submitted abstracts must report new information not previously published or presented at an international scientific meeting prior to the Congress. Note that abstracts previously presented at international meetings will not be accepted unless there is a substantial update of data.

What should an abstract submission look like? ›

In general, an abstract tells the reader what the research contains. Thus a good abstract should include a clear and brief statement on the purpose of the research, the methods employed, the sample, findings or results, conclusions, and recommendations/ or significance for your field.

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