Article Summaries

Article Summaries will be written based on articles found on You will be given the password to access this site as the password changes every month. The following information is what needs to be included in your article summary.

Start by recording the

  • source of the article:
  • pages article can be found on:
  • date of publication:
  • author’s name:
  • title of the article:

*note if any of the above are blank, find a different article. If any of the above information is missing it is an automatic 15 points deduction!!! This information should be listed on your summary in MLA Format.

Answer the following questions in your OWN words:

Use the Rubric Below to help you in answering these questions. Plagiarizing any part of your article summary will result in a grade of ZERO.

1. What is the overall main point of the article? This should be 2-3 sentences in length depending on the length of the article you are summarizing.

2. List at least THREE main points the article discusses. Make sure to list these points in your own words. Putting quotes around someone else’s statement doesn’t count either.

3. How does this article relate to biology? You must be specific here. You must tie the main point of the article to one of the five content standards from your GPS check off sheet. Literally, write the standard and indicator in the body of your summary.

4. Your summary should be long enough to cover the above information. Spelling and grammar count toward your final grade. The summary does not need to be typed; however, it must be legible.

5. Make sure to attach a copy of the article that is also readable. If your article came from an internet source you must included the specific URL, otherwise you will lose 15 points.

REMEMBER, these are test grades so put forth the effort!

Article Summary Rubric

Article / The article is attached (10 pts) / The article is not attached (0 pts)
Source / All the information is listed for the source and is in MLA format (15 pts) / All the information is listed but is not in MLA format (10 pts) / There is no information listed (0 pts)
Main Point / The main point is clearly defined and gives the reader a clear picture of that the article is about. It is located at the beginning of the article summary (20 pts). / The main point does not clearly define what the article is about (10 pts) / The main point is missing or cannot be determined (0 pts).
3 Supporting Points / The points are listed with supporting details about the main points in the article. They are factual and do not contain extraneous information (20 pts). / The points are listed without details and with a lot of extraneous information (10 pts). / The points are missing or do not pertain to the article (0 pts).
GPS / The GPS has been chosen correctly and pertains the article. It is written out in quotes in the article and the connection is thoroughly explained (25 pts). / The GPS is listed but there is not a solid connection to the article and it is not thoroughly explained (12 pts). / The GPS is not listed and not explained (0 pts).
Grammar / There are 1-2 grammar mistakes (10 pts). / There are 3-7 grammar mistakes (5 pts). / There are more than 7 grammar mistakes
(0 pts).