A thesis, which is the outcome of years of grilling and tedious journey that a researcher goes through. When your examiner reads your thesis, the abstract o your thesis is the first thing that he is going to read. Whatever expectations he forms about your research are on the basis of the abstract. He is likely to form opinion about
- How well is the thesis written?
- Does it have valid and sufficient arguments?
- Will it be lively to read or boring?
It is hence quite indicative that though an Abstract is a short document, it has a lot of relevance and importance in a thesis.
Often research scholars are seen dashing up their Abstract at the last minute, without much effort or involvement as by that time they are actually done with their endurance and are desperate to get done with their thesis work. But I would like to say that despite all of your desperation to get done your work, do work on fine tuning the document and start getting it done along with finishing your field work.
A very good and productive method to write a good abstract is to pen down your knowledge right after the stage of having completed the field work. The first bit of the abstract can be created with knowing your identified problem and Literature. Once you put it as a working document, it is easier to come back to it after each accomplished stage, like after analysis. It gives you the chance to modify the previous content in the light of the current developments.
I am sure, by now you would be clear about the importance and relevance of a thesis abstract. The most important thing that examiners try to find in thesis abstract is the implications of the research. Do not stop writing the abstract after the identification and literature. This is what most of the researchers do. Remember that you don’t have to treat the abstract as just a trailer of the document. Nor is it an advertisement, foreword preamble or anything on those likes. It is much more and is the tiny version of the main thesis. It is a mini thesis that should give the exact reflection of all that you want to portray in the thesis. It has to reflect the quality of the thesis. With this understanding and importance to be given to thesis, I suggest never to take it as neglected document. Rather an important document which can be used or cashed to impress the examiner at the first stage itself.