abstraction

(noun)

The act of comparing commonality between distinct objects and organizing using those similarities.

Examples of abstraction in the following topics:

  • Abstract

  • MLA: Abstract

  • APA: Abstract

  • MLA: Abstract

  • Chicago/Turabian: Abstract

  • Chicago/Turabian: Abstract

  • APA: Abstract

    • An APA abstract should summarize your entire paper and should be formatted according to the APA style guide.
    • Your abstract should appear by itself on page 2 of your paper.
    • Your abstract should be no more than 250 words and should summarize your entire paper, from literature review to discussion.
    • The abstract itself should start on the following line.
    • This is an example of an abstract properly formatted in APA style.

  • Abstract

    • The abstract of a scientific paper is often the only part that the reader sees.
    • A well-written abstract encapsulates the content and tone of the entire paper.
    • Since abstracts are brief (generally 300–500 words), they do not always allow for the full IMRAD structure.
    • A specialized audience may read further if they are interested, and the abstract is your opportunity to convince them to read the rest.
    • Hence abstracts should be written with a non-specialized audience (or a very busy specialized audience) in mind.

  • Figurative and Abstract Art

    • Painting and sculpture can be divided into the categories of figurative (or representational) and abstract (or non-representational).
    • Artistic independence was advanced during the nineteenth century, resulting in the emergence of abstract art.
    • Non-representational art refers to total abstraction, bearing no trace of any reference to anything recognizable.
    • In geometric abstraction, for instance, one is unlikely to find references to naturalistic entities.
    • Figurative art and total abstraction are nearly mutually exclusive, but figurative or representational art often contains at least one element of abstraction.

  • Variations in Abstraction

    • While abstract descriptions should usually be avoided, abstraction can be used to your advantage when used correctly.
    • Abstract descriptions are in contrast to concrete descriptions.
    • They will then end on a broader, more abstract note.
    • Thus they will ascende the ladder of abstraction.
    • A good speaker will be able to manoeuvre along the ladder of abstraction.