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Writing

summariesAcademic writing

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RememberO Do not rewrite the original piece.

O Keep your summary short.

O Use your own wording.O Refer to the central and main ideas of the

original piece.

O Read with who, what, when, where, why and

how questions in mind.O Do not put in your opinion of the issue or topic

discussed in the original piece. Often,instructors ask students to put their opinions ina paragraph separate from the summary.

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teps to followOBefore writing the summary:

O!or a te"t, read, mark, andannotatethe original. $!or a lecture,work with the notes you took.%

Ohighlight the topic sentence

Ohighlight key points&keywords&phrases

Ohighlight the concluding sentence

Ooutline each paragraph in the

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O'ake notes on the following(Othe source $author))*rst&last name, title,

date of publication, +olume number, placeof publication, publisher, UR, etc.%

Othe main idea of the original $paraphrased%

Othe ma-or supporting points $in outlineform%

Oma-or supporting e"planations $e.g.reasons&causes or eects%

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Writing your summaryOOrgani/e your notes into an outline

which includes main ideas and

supporting points but no examples ordetails$dates, numbers, statistics%.

OWrite an introductory paragraph that

begins with a frame, including an in-text citation of the sourceand theauthor as well as a reporting verbtointroduce the main idea. The reporting

verb is generally in present tense.

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O 0R'123(

O 1n his&her article $or lecture% 4555555555555555555555555,6555555555555555555555 $year% $title, *rst lettercapitali/ed% $author&lecturer7s last name%

O argues/claims/reports/contends/maintains/statesthat 5555555555555555555555555555.

$main idea&argument8 9 : 9 2%

O xample: 1n his article 4;ichael Dell turns the >?% describeshow ;ichael Dell founded Dell 2omputers and claims

that Dell@s low)cost, direct)sales strategy and highquality standards account for Dell@s enormous success.

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O usan . anser in her article4!eminist 2riticism A'he Bellow

Wallpaper@, and the

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OCOOK(

O1n his book The Pearl, ohnteinbeck $=>EF% illustrates the*ght between good and e+il in

humankind.O1G'3R:13W(

O1n my inter+iew with him&her

$date%, 555555555555555555 $*rstname, last name% stated that ....

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O "eporting #erbs(

O 'ROGH0RHU;3G'II$G3U'R0IIJ2OUG'3R0RHU;3G'IIJUHH3'1OGIIJ2R1'121;

argue staterefute the

claimsuggest critici/e

claim report argue against recommend

contend e"plain

maintain discuss

insist illustrate

posit obser+e

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O %ther examples of frames:

O 0ccording to 555555 $year%, 555555555555555555555555555.

$author7s last name% $main idea8 9 : 9 2%O 555555555557s article on 555555555 $year% discusses the

555555555555 $author7s last name% $topic%$main idea8 Goun

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O1n a longer summary, remind your

reader that you are paraphrasing byusing 4reminder phrases,4 such as

O'he author goes on to say that ...

O'he article $author% further states that...

O$0uthor7s last name% alsostates&maintains&argues that ...

O$0uthor7s last name% also belie+esthat ...

O$0uthor7s last name% concludes that