abstract

abstract · Not mentioned by Google

Appears in

• ScholarlyArticle

What is it?

A short summary that describes the content of a creative work. In academic publishing, the abstract is the paragraph at the top of a paper that tells readers what the study covers, what methods were used, and what the findings are. In schema markup, abstract captures this summary as structured text so machines can read it without parsing the full document.

Why this matters for AEO

When a researcher asks an AI engine "what is this paper about?", the abstract is the first place the AI looks for a concise answer. A well structured abstract property lets AI systems return accurate one paragraph summaries instead of pulling arbitrary sentences from the body text. For queries like "summarize the metformin diabetes guidelines study," the AI can surface the abstract verbatim as a direct answer.

What the specs say

Schema.org: Text. An abstract is a short description that summarizes a CreativeWork. schema.org/abstract

Google: Not mentioned. No dedicated Google structured data page exists for ScholarlyArticle.

How to find your value

• Journal article — The paragraph labeled "Abstract" at the top of the paper
• Publisher website — Article landing page, below the title and authors
• PubMed / CrossRef — API response includes abstract text
• Preprint servers — arXiv, bioRxiv display abstracts on the landing page

Format and code

The value is plain text. Keep it as the author wrote it; do not add HTML formatting inside the value.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
  "name": "New guidelines for metformin and diabetes mellitus",
  "datePublished": "2012-03-24",
  "abstract": "We review clinical evidence related to the use of metformin for treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus and provide new clinical guideline recommendations."
}

Webflow implementation

Static pages

Add the abstract in the JSON-LD script block in Page Settings > Custom Code:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
  "name": "Paper Title",
  "abstract": "Summary of the paper's findings and methodology."
}
</script>

CMS template pages

Create a multi-line plain text field called "Abstract" in your articles CMS collection. Reference it dynamically in the JSON-LD embed. Keep the CMS field free of HTML tags since abstract expects plain text.

In Schema HQ

In Schema HQ, the abstract field is mapped from CMS field to the abstract property when ScholarlyArticle type is configured. The field is pulled directly from your Webflow CMS content.

Real examples

Schema.org (schema.org/ScholarlyArticle, official example):

{
  "@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
  "abstract": "We review clinical evidence related to the use of metformin for treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus and provide new clinical guideline recommendations.",
  "name": "New guidelines for metformin and diabetes mellitus",
  "datePublished": "2012-03-24"
}

Related fields

• citation
• pageStart
• pageEnd
• description
• headline

FAQ

How is abstract different from description?

abstract was added to schema.org specifically for summarizing creative works, especially academic papers. description is a general purpose property inherited from Thing that applies to any entity. For scholarly articles, use abstract for the paper's summary and description for a shorter, more general blurb if needed.

Can abstract contain HTML?

No. The schema.org type is Text, which means plain text only. Strip any HTML tags before using the value. If you need formatted content, put it in the page body and keep the abstract value as clean text.

Should abstract be the same as the meta description?

They can overlap, but they serve different purposes. The meta description is written for search snippets (under 160 characters). The abstract is the full academic summary, which can be several sentences or a full paragraph.