Writing Summaries
Writing good summaries requires accurate
reading and the ability to find the main idea and most important supporting
evidence in a piece of writing. Summaries are always quite a bit shorter than
the original text, perhaps 75 percent shorter. When you write a summary, you
give your readers an idea of the content of an article or book and save them
the time and trouble of reading the entire original.
To write a goo summary, keep the following in
mind:
1.
Read the original carefully.
2.
Mention the source and the author at the
beginning of the summary.
3.
State the author’s main idea without
distorting those ideas or adding your own.
4.
State the author’s most important supporting
evidence or sub points without distorting them. Do not include details.
5.
Use your own wording. Occasionally, however,
a phrase in the original may be especially striking, interesting or
controversial. In that case, you may use the author’s exact words if you put
quotation marks around them.
6.
Don’t include your own ideas or comments. The
summary should include only the author’s ideas.
7.
Periodically remind the reader that you are
summarizing someone idea.
Steps to follow:
-
Underline the key words in the topic
-
Underline the relevant parts of the texts.
-
Write the points down in note form. You
should organize the information in logical fashion.
-
See which points can be combined in a complex
sentence.
-
Write your summary.
If you want to start with an introductory
sentence, make it brief.
Use linking words/ phrases and paraphrase
where possible. Include only information which is relevant to the topic
-
Make sure your summary is within the set word
limit.
-
Edit your summary, checking spelling,
punctuation, etc.
~Try to be relevant, concise and coherent~
Remember that the summary should be in the
present tense. Begin by mentioning the original source. Here are possible ways
to include the source.
In his article entitled “Biology as a Science,” Keith Ablow informs us that…..
states
claims
shows
us
Or:
In “Biology as a Science.” Keith Ablow indicates the problems ……
discusses
explores
Or:
The
article “Biology as a Science” by
Keith Ablow examines the nature of biology as …
(Note the correct punctuation and
capitalization of the citation)
Continue the summary, using your list of
subheadings and your groupings as a guide to help you remember the main points
covered in the article. At least once in your summary, remind your readers that
you are summarizing by using a phrase like the following:
The
author goes on to say …
Or:
Ablow
also reports that …
Or:
The
article further states that …
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