<p>I have a research paper, but it's probably not ready. Would Caltech accept an abstract of a research paper?</p>
<p>Frankly, I think they'd like the abstract over the entire paper. Unless you're doing something that's absolutely groundbreaking, your research won't do much to impress the admissions commitee at Caltech.</p>
<p>What can impress the admissions committee, however, is your research experience, and what you've learned from doing research. I'd perhaps submit an abstract and then use the second essay to talk about your research.</p>
<p>Focus on the experiences, not the experiments. :)</p>
<p>That response is exactly right. I've got nothing to add : )</p>
<p>Score! Two points for Timur. :)</p>
<p>All right. Thanks!</p>