53. Abstract

An abstract is a concise overview of an article or of a chapter in a book. They are frequently found in the frontmatter of academic, research, and analytical papers. A complete (i.e., informative) abstract states the key topics and findings while a limited (i.e., descriptive) abstract briefly describes the structure of the content.

The abstract may be written using a section, open block, or paragraph and must bear the abstract style. If used, the abstract must appear before the first section of an article (at the start of the preamble) or at the start of a chapter in a book. An abstract may not be used before a part or chapter in a book.

Here’s an example of an abstract at the beginning of an article, defined using a section:

= Article Title

[abstract]
== Abstract

Documentation is a distillation of many long, squiggly adventures.

== First Section

Here’s an example of the same abstract defined using a paragraph:

= Article Title

[abstract]
.Abstract
Documentation is a distillation of many long, squiggly adventures.

== First Section

In the book doctype, the abstract section must be a level below the chapter.

== Chapter Title

[abstract]
=== Chapter Abstract

Documentation is a distillation of many long, squiggly adventures.

=== First Section

An abstract defined using an open block or paragraph does not require a title and does not depend on a subsequent section to terminate.

= Article Title

[abstract]
.Optional Abstract Title
--
This article will take you on a wonderful adventure of knowledge.

You'll start with the basics.
Beyond that, where you go is up to you.
--

Your journey begins here.
To include a quote at the beginning of a chapter in a book, wrap the quote block inside an abstract block.