An academic abstract is a single paragraph summary of a research paper that typically contains under 300 words. It mirrors the structure of the paper by briefly describing the introduction, methods, results, and conclusion without providing the actual results or conclusions. The abstract should answer the questions of what was studied, why it was studied, and how it was studied in clear and familiar language using active voice and past tense. It aims to give the reader an overview of the paper's objectives, methodology, main findings, and conclusions.

1. Peter Mangiaracina From an article By Marco Bomfoco http://medicalwriter.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-write-abstract.html