Precis, Abstracts, and Proposals
Abstracts and précis are often considered synonyms; however, they serve slightly different functions in scholarly work.
In the Humanities, precis serve as brief research proposals of approximately two to three double-spaced pages. By necessity a précis is speculative. It presents a hypothesis (usually as a thesis statement) as the central concern of the research paper, briefly discusses applicable scholarship, and explains the methodology for the research. A précis should be followed by a working bibliography.
Abstracts
Abstracts, as used in the Humanities for conference paper proposals, are approximately 250-300 words (depending on the restrictions of the organization). Unlike précis, abstracts are not speculative. In the best circumstances, the paper is written before the abstract. Even when this is not possible, an abstract is written after research. Therefore, an abstract presents the research problem, its context in scholarship, and its solution.
Proposals
In the Humanities, a proposal is used to explain a research problem in some detail, in order to solicit support (financial or academic) for the research to be conducted . Proposals for funding are usually 4 to 12 pages; dissertation and book proposals are 12 to 100 pages, depending on institution and publisher. Proposals include a thesis statement, situate the research in the scholarly field, detail the research methodology, and explain the expected results of the research. Dissertation and/or book proposals include chapter summaries as well.