Writing Summaries

Definition: 

a brief restatement in your own words of a text's main ideas (Holt Handbook, 5th edition); a condensation of "an extended idea or argument into a sentence or more in your own words" (Little, Brown Handbook, 5th edition).

Characteristics:

• Summaries identify the source of original text.
• Summaries demonstrate your understanding of a text's subject matter.
• Summaries are shorter (at least 60% shorter)  than the original text--they omit the original text's "examples, asides, analogies, and rhetorical strategies: (Holt Handbook, 5th edition).
• Summaries differ from paraphrases--paraphrases more closely follow the original text's presentation (they still use your words, but they are longer than summaries).
• Summaries focus exclusively on the presentation of the writer's main ideas--they do not include your interpretations or opinions.
• Summaries normally are written in your own words--they do not contain extended quotes or paraphrases.
• Summaries rely on the use of standard signal phrases ("According to the author..."; "The author believes..."; etc.).

Tips on Writing Summaries

Step One (Prewriting):

• Read the article quickly.
• Try to get a sense of the article's general focus and content.

Step Two (Drafting):

• Restate the article's thesis simply and in your own words.
• Restate each paragraph's topic simply and in your own words.

Step Three (Revising):

• Combine sentences in Step Two to form your summary; organize your summary sentences in the same order as the main ideas in the original text.
• Edit very carefully for neatness and correctness.