How do I write an abstract?

[AznAnarchy99]

From what i was told it is just a summary but i find myself putting too much details into it. Any tips?

I'm writing about the Tet Offensive and why it was a turning point of the Vietnam War.

 

[MrBond]

It is just a summary of your paper.

For my thesis, I had to write an abstract. I wrote a couple sentences explaining the problem, then a couple more explaining the experiments. I finished it off with a few sentences about the major results and conclusions.

It was still something like 350 words. I couldn't make it any shorter and it was less than a page long, so I just went with it. Must have been OK, I got my diploma in the mail the other day

Your paper can probably be broken up into several "sections", so write a few sentences about each section and hit the high points. You've got an abstract.

 

[RadioHead84]

just a little summary, basically so that anyone thats is looking for information can read it and get an idea of what they will be getting out of your paper.

 

[potoba]

how formal is your paper? A class paper or sth you're submitting for publication?