How to Make a Full-Width Abstract in KOMA-Script

In a KOMA-Script article set in two columns, the abstract normally follows the document’s current column layout. If you want the abstract to span the full text width above the two-column body, place it in the full-width material accepted by \twocolumn.

The example below puts the title and abstract in that same block. The @twocolumnfalse environment prevents \maketitle from trying to start another two-column layout while the block is being typeset.

Minimal working example

\documentclass[twocolumn]{scrartcl}

\title{A Short Example}
\author{A. Writer}
\date{}

\begin{document}

\twocolumn[
  \begin{@twocolumnfalse}
    \maketitle
    \begin{abstract}
      This abstract spans the full text width. The paper begins below it
      in two columns.
    \end{abstract}
  \end{@twocolumnfalse}
]

\section{Introduction}
The main text begins here and is set in two columns.

\end{document}

The important part is the order: start two-column mode with \twocolumn, put the title and abstract inside its square brackets, then place the paper’s first section after the closing bracket. KOMA-Script’s abstract environment supplies the usual abstract heading and formatting.

Why the wrapper is needed

The optional argument to \twocolumn is typeset across the page width at the top of the page where two-column text starts. It is intended for material such as a title block that should appear before the columns. The content after the optional argument is laid out in two columns.

In many classes, \maketitle has special behavior in two-column mode: it initiates a full-width title block by calling \twocolumn itself. Calling it inside another \twocolumn[...] block without accounting for that behavior can cause an unwanted layout switch or other incorrect output. The @twocolumnfalse environment temporarily makes the title behave as though it is being set outside two-column mode. It is a LaTeX kernel environment; its unusual name is intentional.

Keep the abstract inside the same bracketed block as the title if both should span the page. If you put the abstract after the closing bracket, it is ordinary document content and will be typeset in the current column.

If only the abstract should span the columns

If the title is already placed correctly and only the abstract needs to be full width, you can put just the abstract in the optional argument of \twocolumn—but this command is normally used when beginning a two-column page, not as a general switch for inserting wide text at an arbitrary point. For a full-width block partway through a two-column page, a package such as cuted provides a strip environment. Wide blocks placed mid-page can affect page breaking, so check the result over several pages rather than judging only the first page.

If the abstract should be on a separate one-column page and the two-column body can start on the next page, the simpler alternative is to switch layouts with \onecolumn and then \twocolumn. Those commands start new pages, so this does not keep the abstract and first body text together on the same page.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the abstract outside the brackets: It remains in the two-column layout and occupies one column.
• Putting \maketitle in the block without the wrapper: The title command may attempt its own two-column switch.
• Using \onecolumn for a top-of-page abstract: This starts a new page and changes the whole page layout, rather than making only the abstract full width.
• Placing \twocolumn[...] after text has begun: The optional full-width material is designed for the start of a two-column page. It is not a reliable way to insert a wide abstract in the middle of a page.
• Ignoring the journal template: Publishers often prescribe their own title and abstract layout. Follow the template when preparing a submission, even if it differs from this general KOMA-Script setup.