Abstract vs Preface
If you have read any literary work of late, you must have gone through abstract and preface also. Both abstract and preface have become integral part of any book that comes to the market. Just what are these abstract and preface and what purpose do they serve? Well, while preface is an introduction to the book written by the author of the book himself, an abstract is concise information about what the reader can expect inside the book and is more popular in the world of scientific research as it helps readers know beforehand if the work indeed contains what they are looking for. There are differences in abstract and preface as they serve two very different purposes.
Preface
A preface is written by the author to introduce the book to the readers and also the idea that prompted the author to write the book. Preface lets readers an insight into the mind of the author and in general satisfies the query of the reader as to why the author wrote the book. It also contains the feeling of gratitude that author has towards some people who helped and cooperated with him in his endeavor. A preface usually contains the date and signature of the author. Also referred to as simply pref, preface means an introduction or the elementary part of a literary work.
Abstract
Also known as summary, an abstract is an in-depth analysis of a research article or a scientific work that is enough on its own for a reader to understand the purpose of the research paper or journal. To help readers, an abstract is placed at the beginning to let readers know what they can expect inside so that they do not feel disappointed after having gone through the work. In a way, an abstract is a standalone that provides a gist of the entire book and in fact, has been helpful in increasing the sales of books.
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What is the difference between Abstract and Preface? • Abstract is protected by copyright just like the work for which it is written whereas there in no such need in the case of a preface • Preface gives an idea as to what prompted the author to write the book whereas abstract is a gist of the book that serves a very important function • Preface is written by the author himself and also contains his thanks and gratitude to those who helped him in writing the book • Abstract allows in a nut shell to know all that a reader can expect in the book and he knows instantly if the book is relevant from his point of view or not.
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