The art of writing good abstracts for research papers is best mastered on relevant examples. Here are few places where you can find reliable samples.
A number of universities store all research papers submitted by their students. If a paper is found there, you can be sure that it earned at least a passing grade. Actual grades are confidential, but in some databases you can rank papers by scores received. Using abstracts from papers written in your university and course, you can rest assured that they are in line with all specific requirements. For all these reasons, you need to check whether your university library has a collection of previous student papers. If not, find out what other universities have such databases and can provide you access to them. Run an online search, or survey your peers.
Consult your assignment on what academic style you are to write your paper. If an abstract is required, it is probably APA. Borrow a guidebook on this style from your library. The samples in guidebooks are composed by professionals, and carefully proofread. The only drawback is that they do not belong to actual papers; however, you can use them as a template. Where the example goes into specific details, insert those of your own paper, while maintaining the general structure.
Browse your library collections of peer-reviewed journals for research articles on topics similar to yours. The general requirement in such journals is that every article has an abstract, and these are written by the same rules as those for research papers. Although journal examples might not be appropriate for you to follow closely (e. g. because of other fonts used, or too complicated language), they will give you an idea of what a good abstract should look like.
The Internet has many websites developed for students who have problems with academic writing. Type “research paper abstract example” into a search engine line. Look through results to see which resources can be trusted. The most reliable are the websites of writing labs that offer solid examples and tips. To make your search more precise, limit it to “.edu” websites. You might have to spend much time sorting good results from bad, but as a result, you will not only discover many well-written sampleabstracts without leaving your home but also get URLs of websites you can visit again when in need of academic writing help.