Writing SummariesA useful academic skill

Writing Summaries A summary is a shorter version, or form, of a longer work. For example, your teacher may ask you to read a one-page newspaper article. After you read, the teacher assigns you to write a one paragraph summary to share with your classmates.

Writing Summaries When you write a summary, you might shorten oneparagraph to a single sentence.chapter to a paragraph or two.book to a few pages.

Step1: Understand the Material The steps to summarizing:Preview the reading looking for key ideas and vocabularyRead carefully to understand the main points. Ask wh questions to guide your reading. Take notes underline important details (include title & authors name).Answer your wh questions in step 2.

Step1: Understand the Material Remember, it is helpful to preview the material before you read all of it. Previewing helps you notice important sections of the reading.Preview the reading to understand authors reason for writing.

Step1: Understand the Material After you preview the reading, read it carefully, just as you would any assignment the teacher gives you. Use the reading skills you have learned in this class to increase your comprehension of the text. 2. Read carefully to understand the main points. Ask wh questions to guide your reading.

Step1: Understand the Material As you read, take notes. Write down what you are reading on another paper rather than just marking the reading. This part is important because it will help you later when you write your summary.3. Take notes underline important details (include title & authors name).

Step1: Understand the Material Your notes should include the main ideas. You may include a few details, but try to find only the most important ones. Be sure to write the title and the author somewhere in your notes. 4. Find important main ideas and details.

Step 2: Write First Draft Its time to start writing the first draft of your summary. First, put the reading away. You are going to write the draft of your summary from your notes. You want to use your own words when you write your summary.Put away reading and use only notes.In own words, restate:main idea or thesis of reading.supporting points or topic sentences of each section.authors conclusions.

Step 2: Write First Draft If you look at the reading while you are writing your summary, you will not write as good a summary. So put the reading away. Turn it upside down or hide it. Put away reading and use only notes.

Step 2: Write First Draft Now, begin to write your summary. In the first sentence, write the main idea of the reading (or section that you are summarizing). Also include the title and the author in this first sentence if you can. After you write the first sentence, then you can include other supporting ideas. End your summary with a restatement of the authors conclusion.In your own words, restate: main idea or thesis of reading.supporting points or topic sentences of each section.authors conclusions.

Step 3: Use Your Own Words Now you have written your first draft. In step 3, you are going to check for some important points. When you write a summary, you have to be very careful that you do not use exactly the same words as the author. You have to use your own words. In other words, you have to paraphrase. Lets look in detail at different ways you can paraphrase.Use:different grammatical structuressynonymsdifferent word formsdifferent transition words

Step 3: Use Your Own Words One way to paraphrase is to use different grammatical structures. That means you can say the same thing using a different sentence structure. Lets look at a sample sentence. The first sentence in quotation marks is paraphrased in the next sentence. Can you see that the second sentence has a different subject? When you choose a new subject, you change the sentence structure in your summary statement.Use different grammatical structures.Original:The goal was for dreamers to gain control of their dream world and then the waking world.Paraphrase:Dreamers need control of their world, both in their dreams and when they are awake.

Step 3: Use Your Own Words Another way to help you paraphrase, or use your own words, is to use synonyms. Remember, synonyms are words that are similar in meaning. Here is our sample sentence. Notice that the second sentence, substitutes the phrase be in charge for the word control.2. Use Synonyms. Dreamers need control of their world, both in their dreams and when they are awake. Dreamers need to be in charge of their world, both in their dreams and when they are awake.

Step 3: Use Your Own Words A third technique is use different forms of a word. The word dreams is changed to the phrase People who dream. 3. Use different word forms. Dreamers need to be in charge of their world, both in their dreams and when they are awake. People who dream need to be in charge of their world, both in their dreams and when they are awake.

Step 3: Use Your Own Words Finally, you can use different transition words to create a good paraphrase. In our example, we have added to the transition Not only, but also. These steps will help you use your own words in a summary. 4. Use different transition words.People who dream need to be in charge of their world, both in their dreams and when they are awake.

Not only do people who dream need to be in charge of their dreams, but they also want to be in charge of their world when awake.

Step 4: Do Not Include Opinion When you write a summary, do not include your opinion. You are trying to restate what the author said. You are not giving any of your own ideas when you write a summary.

Do not add your own opinion.

Step 5: Cite Your Source Finally, be sure you include a citation with your summary. A citation means you must include the title and the name of the author somewhere in your summary. You must give the author credit for these ideas.Include in your summary:Authors nameTitle

Writing Summaries Now you have reviewed how to write an effective summary. You will use this often in your university studies. Remember, that writing summaries is an effective study skill. It helps you restate the main ideas in your own words and that will help you remember what you will read. It is hard to summarize. It is even harder to do it in another language! So keep practicing.Excellent study skill.Difficult to do in new language.Takes repeated practice.