As many confuse the aim and structure of an abstract, introduction, and conclusion, the following is a quick module on how to resolve this misconception.

Because these three sections do have some overlapping elements to some degree, it is important to understand the differences. A beautiful way to describe it, one that I liked when my mentor first said, is that if your paper is a film, then your abstract is like the trailer, the introduction is the opening scene that provides background and context for what is coming, i.e., it sets everything up, and finally your conclusion is this satisfying end, one that ties everything together.

Note that we are not touching back on very obvious and straightforward details, like word count, order of sections, or examples, as those are already presented with in-depth details. We are only clarifying main concepts that would make it clearer to differentiate between the three.

Abstract:

Your abstract functions as the initial gateway to your research. It pretty much represents a concise, yet complete, summary of your paper and research, usually structured with the IMRaD format in these proportions:

• 25% presenting importance and purpose
• 25% presenting methodology
• 35% presenting results
• 15% presenting implications

Your abstract has a very unique property, which is not having any in-text citations, even though you may directly get statistics or pieces of information from other resources. You often do so, especially for the first few sentences in the abstract dedicated to background, to show the importance of your study. Your abstract must have your most essential keywords, as this is crucial for indexing so that readers would be able to find your paper through search engines and databases.

Introduction

Your introduction is the second section appearing in your manuscript. It is an extremely important section as it establishes your research foundation, providing important context and background. In the introduction, you make your research objectives clear, which is based on the previous statements of gaps in the literature you identified. Your introduction is also very important as you should be demonstrating the significance of your work.

As presented in the introduction guide, you may follow a five-component structure:

1. Provide a broader and comprehensive context, having a detailed overview of the existing research based on your literature review
2. Elaborate on the gaps you identified in current knowledge
3. Clearly discuss your research question and hypothesis
4. Stress how your study is significant
5. Outline how you will address the research problem

Conclusion

The conclusion is the final major section in your paper, providing closure for your research while reinforcing its significance. Your conclusion recontextualizes your research problem while synthesizing your key findings. In addition, you also discuss the broader implications of your findings and how significant they are. Finally, you may provide recommendations or suggestions for future research directions, something that can also be done in the discussion.