Research Proposal : Abstract

I started looking at example dissertations to kick start myself into producing a draft of my research proposal since in order to get feedback from lecturers, we have to produce a draft before the end of week 8, which starts on Monday....

Mainly, I've been studying the Abstract section of the example Dissertations currently on Blackboard, because summarising my project up in 200 - 300 words is something I struggle with.

( Abstract extracts from top to bottom -

"Visual Metphor" Julia Gompertz, University of Abertay, Computer Arts, Year 4.

"Adaptive Cinematography" David Robert Taylor, University of Abertay 2012, Game Design and Production Management Year 4.

"Games as Art" -Evlampia Marvidou, University of Abertay 2012. )

I chose three examples which were somewhat relative to my project idea, and examined the way they were written in order to formulate a structure for writing my own abstract. I also found a really helpful guide structure for writing an abstract from here ;http://research.berkeley.edu/ucday/abstract.html


1)Motivation/problem statement: Why do we care about the problem? What practical, scientific, theoretical or artistic gap is your research filling?
2) Methods/procedure/approach: What did you actually do to get your results? (e.g. analyzed 3 novels, completed a series of 5 oil paintings, interviewed 17 students)
3) Results/findings/product: As a result of completing the above procedure, what did you learn/invent/create?
4) Conclusion/implications: What are the larger implications of your findings, especially for the problem/gap identified in step 1?

However, it's important to note that the weight accorded to the different components can vary by discipline. For models, try to find abstracts of research that is similar to your research.