Writing a Summary
Definition
A summary is condensed restatement in your own words of the content of an article, book, chapter, and group of paragraphs or paragraph. This restatement should focus on the main ideas, indicating the central idea and important supporting points that explain, define, or support the central idea. It may include some important examples from the original text, but it will not include minor details. It will not repeat points for emphasis (unlike the original), and it will not contain your opinions, ideas, or conclusions. Sometimes, in order to write a clear summary, you may have to change the order of material from the way it was presented in the original. For example, if the original article is an inductive argument, you will have to change the order of ideas and put the thesis at the beginning of the article rather than at the end as it appeared in the original. A good summary has three qualities: it is briefer than the original, it is complete, and it is objective.
How are Summaries Used in Academia?
- Occasionally you will be asked to summarize a complex article to demonstrate your understanding.
- More usually you will be asked to write a critical analysis of an article (where you evaluate key ideas), and since most readers may not have read the original article, you begin your writing with a coherent summary of the main ideas.
- In a Review of Literature, you will summarize the research that has been done so far on the topic you are examining (common in the Sciences and Social Sciences). Here the summary is very brief, indicating the key subject and range of the previous work done.
- In an Annotated Bibliography you summarize the main idea, approach, range, and conclusions of the work before you evaluate the work.
- In a paper you may summarize the work of others to lend weight to your own argument.
- In a paper you may summarize the work of others to provide readers with examples of what you are discussing.
- In college level essays you may be asked to compare one theory with another. Again you will summarize the theories in order to compare them.
Process for Writing a Summary
1.Thinking About the Discipline: Before you read the text, identify the discipline to which it belongs. Then consider what kind of writing this is; what genre is the piece (an argument, a social science report, a science report, a review, for example). What discipline does it belong to and therefore how is it likely to be organized and what writing conventions will it follow? How is meaning made in that discipline? How are claims supported? What kind of evidence is acceptable? What kinds of issues are discussed? What do I know about this discourse community? What was the author’s purpose in writing the text?
2.Read the Text Carefully: Now that you have identified the discipline to which it belongs, read the actual text very carefully, paying attention to visual cues such as headings that help you group ideas. Underline specialized words and look up any in the dictionary.
3.Read a Second Time: This time read the text and try to divide the text into chunks so that you have grouped key ideas together. In the margins, write down the central idea of that group of ideas. If you are reading an argument, try to locate the thesis and underline it.
4.Write one-sentence summaries for each chunk: On a sheet of paper, write a one or two sentence summary for the chunks of text you have grouped together.
5.Paraphrase thesis: Write a thesis in your own words that sums up the key idea for the whole text.
6.Add relevant examples or supporting ideas: Now take the one sentence summaries you wrote and now add brief summaries of the key supporting points or examples you need to put in your summary for it to be complete.
7.Write the Introduction:Begin your introduction by identifying the work you are summarizing, the authors, and if relevant, when and where the work was published. If appropriate, explain the author’s purpose. Follow this introductory material with the author’s thesis or central idea.
8.Draft the Summary: Using the one-sentence summaries for each chunk and the relevant examples or supporting ideas, write a draft of the text in your own words.
9.Check the summary against the original: Now read through your summary carefully making sure that you have been complete. Then revise to improve coherence by using transitional devices so that ideas and sentences follow one another.
Hints
1.Do not include your ideas or your opinions in the summary
2.Do not leave out parts that you find difficult to read—this material may be essential
3.Do not add material that was not in the original (don’t add your own example that the author did not use for example)
4.Do not use headings and bullets—this is a continuous piece of prose
5.Check that you have spelled names etc. correctly
6.If you do use quotations, you should only quote a short phrase and this should only be done when you simply cannot paraphrase the original.