Abstract vs. Synopsis — What's the Difference?

An abstract is a concise summary of a research paper or academic article, highlighting its key points.

A synopsis offers a detailed overview of a narrative or content, including key events and characters.

Abstracts typically follow a structured format, covering the study's purpose, methodology, findings, and implications.

In literature and film, a synopsis is used to present a comprehensive summary of the story.

Often required in academic writing, an abstract allows readers to quickly assess the document's relevance.

Authors and creators often use a synopsis to pitch their work to publishers or producers.

Most scholarly journals require an abstract to accompany submissions, aiding in the peer-review process.

A synopsis provides insight into the creative aspects of a work, such as theme, tone, and character development.

An abstract makes a document more accessible by providing a snapshot of its main content.

The length of a synopsis can vary, offering more detail than an abstract.

Considered apart from concrete existence

A brief summary or general survey of something

Not applied or practical; theoretical.

A brief outline or general view, as of a subject or written work; an abstract or a summary.

Difficult to understand; abstruse

(authorship) A brief summary of the major points of a written work, either as prose or as a table; an abridgment or condensation of a work.

Denoting something that is immaterial, conceptual, or nonspecific, as an idea or quality

A reference work containing brief articles that taken together give an overview of an entire field.

Impersonal, as in attitude or views.

(Orthodoxy) A prayer book for use by the laity of the church.

Having an intellectual and affective artistic content that depends solely on intrinsic form rather than on narrative content or pictorial representation

A general view, or a collection of heads or parts so arranged as to exhibit a general view of the whole; an abstract or summary of a discourse; a syllabus; a conspectus.

A statement summarizing the important points of a text.

A sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory

Something abstract.

An abstract of title.

To take away; remove

To remove without permission; steal

To consider (an idea, for example) as separate from particular examples or objects

(ăbstrăkt′) To write a summary of; summarize

To create artistic abstractions of (something else, such as a concrete object or another style)

An abridgement or summary of a longer publication.

Something that concentrates in itself the qualities of a larger item, or multiple items.

Concentrated essence of a product.

(medicine) A powdered solid extract of a medicinal substance mixed with lactose.

An abstraction; an abstract term; that which is abstract.

The theoretical way of looking at things; something that exists only in idealized form.

(arts) An abstract work of art.

(real estate) A summary title of the key points detailing a tract of land, for ownership; abstract of title.

(obsolete) Derived; extracted.

Drawn away; removed from; apart from; separate.

Not concrete: conceptual, ideal.

Insufficiently factual.

Apart from practice or reality; vague; theoretical; impersonal; not applied.

(grammar) As a noun, denoting a concept or intangible as opposed to an object, place, or person.

Difficult to understand; abstruse; hard to conceptualize.

Separately expressing a property or attribute of an object that is considered to be inherent to that object: attributive, ascriptive.

Pertaining comprehensively to, or representing, a class or group of objects, as opposed to any specific object; considered apart from any application to a particular object: general, generic, nonspecific; representational.

(archaic) Absent-minded.

(arts) Pertaining to the formal aspect of art, such as the lines, colors, shapes, and the relationships among them.

Free from representational qualities, in particular the non-representational styles of the 20^th century.

(music) Absolute.

(dance) Lacking a story.

Being a partial basis for subclasses rather than a complete template for objects.

(transitive) To separate; to disengage.

(transitive) To remove; to take away; withdraw.

To steal; to take away; to remove without permission.

(transitive) To summarize; to abridge; to epitomize.

To conceptualize an ideal subgroup by means of the generalization of an attribute, as follows: by apprehending an attribute inherent to one individual, then separating that attribute and contemplating it by itself, then conceiving of that attribute as a general quality, then despecifying that conceived quality with respect to several or many individuals, and by then ideating a group composed of those individuals perceived to possess said quality.

To extract by means of distillation.

(transitive) To consider abstractly; to contemplate separately or by itself; to consider theoretically; to look at as a general quality.

To withdraw oneself; to retire.

(transitive) To draw off (interest or attention).

To perform the process of abstraction.

To create abstractions.

To produce an abstraction, usually by refactoring existing code. Generally used with "out".

Withdraw; separate.

Considered apart from any application to a particular object; separated from matter; existing in the mind only; as, abstract truth, abstract numbers. Hence: ideal; abstruse; difficult.

Expressing a particular property of an object viewed apart from the other properties which constitute it; - opposed to concrete; as, honesty is an abstract word.

Abstracted; absent in mind.

To withdraw; to separate; to take away.

To draw off in respect to interest or attention; as, his was wholly abstracted by other objects.

To separate, as ideas, by the operation of the mind; to consider by itself; to contemplate separately, as a quality or attribute.

To epitomize; to abridge.

To take secretly or dishonestly; to purloin; as, to abstract goods from a parcel, or money from a till.

To separate, as the more volatile or soluble parts of a substance, by distillation or other chemical processes. In this sense extract is now more generally used.

To perform the process of abstraction.

That which comprises or concentrates in itself the essential qualities of a larger thing or of several things. Specifically: A summary or an epitome, as of a treatise or book, or of a statement; a brief.

A state of separation from other things; as, to consider a subject in the abstract, or apart from other associated things.

An abstract term.

A powdered solid extract of a vegetable substance mixed with sugar of milk in such proportion that one part of the abstract represents two parts of the original substance.

A concept or idea not associated with any specific instance;

A sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory

Consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically

Make off with belongings of others

Consider apart from a particular case or instance;

Give an abstract (of)

Existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment;

Not representing or imitating external reality or the objects of nature;

Based on specialized theory;

Dealing with a subject in the abstract without practical purpose or intention;

A synopsis provides a detailed overview, including narrative and content, while an abstract offers a concise summary of a study's main points.

Abstracts are commonly found in academic journals, conference proceedings, and scholarly articles.

Yes, unlike an abstract, a synopsis often includes major plot points and the ending to give a comprehensive overview of the narrative.

The primary purpose is to summarize the key aspects of a research paper or study, allowing readers to quickly assess its relevance.

The length can vary widely, often providing a more detailed summary than an abstract, and can range from a few paragraphs to several pages.

A synopsis is generally more detailed, covering significant elements of the content or narrative, whereas an abstract focuses on a study's essence.

While most scholarly journals and conferences require an abstract, there might be exceptions based on the field and publication.

Synopses are primarily aimed at publishers, producers, and others in the literary and entertainment industries.

Abstracts are widely used across various fields, including sciences, humanities, and social sciences, to summarize research.

Revealing the ending provides a complete overview of the narrative arc, essential for publishers and producers to understand the full story.

It helps publishers and producers assess the potential of a work and decide if it aligns with their interests or market demands.

An abstract usually includes the purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions of the research.

Yes, synopses can also be used for non-fiction to outline the main arguments, structure, and conclusions of the work.

While there's no strict standard, a synopsis typically includes a narrative overview, character descriptions, and major plot points.

Abstracts provide reviewers with a summary of the paper's content, helping them understand the research's scope and focus.