Summarising a Text

1. ABERDEEN 2040
Making Connections
PSE 5
Skills & Strategies 9-
Summary Writing

2. Making Connections- Summary Writing p.204
Unit Introduction:
Summarizing is a way of expressing the essential ideas and major points of a
reading in your own words. To summarize, you need to read critically and identify
main ideas, and then report them clearly and concisely. As you read, take notes
and identify major ideas and facts that are important to mention in the summary.
• Summaries should report the main ideas (only), be written in your own
words (no copying from the text), and be clear and concise (i.e. shorter
than the original).

3. Text (1a):
In art, business, science, or technology, the
“borrowing” of ideas has always been an issue. For
example, experts point to Leonardo da Vinci’s fifteenth-
century rendering of Vitruvian Man, which was based
on earlier sketches of human proportion that have since
been lost, as a form of “copying” from the original. As
the name suggests, da Vinci’s sketch of human
proportion was based on the work of the ancient Greek
architect, Vitruvius. A more subtle form of
“appropriation” is the subsequent reproduction of the
Mona Lisa by Marcel Duchamp in 1919 – where the
artist gave Mona Lisa a mustache and beard. A number
of art historians assert that Duchamp altered the
original image to make a provocative statement about
Leonardo’s genius on the 400th anniversary of his death.
Summary of the text (1b):
According to the writer,
copying is part of human
history and may happen in
any field. He mentions
several examples from art
history as evidence. These
include the ways that
Leonardo da Vinci
improved upon Vitruvius’s
descriptions of human
proportion and Marcel
Duchamp altered the Mona
Lisa as a statement on the
original artist’s genius.
Examples & Explanations

4. The writer of the summary (1b) takes the main idea and key points from the longer,
more complex passage above (1a) and consolidates them into a concise paragraph
(3 sentences). She uses the signal phrase ‘according to’ and the reporting verb
‘mentions’ to introduce what was stated in the original text.
Sentence 1 is a paraphrase of the original (i.e. same meaning), as a topic sentence
• In art, business, science, or technology,= in any field
• the “borrowing” of ideas= copying
Sentence 2 is the writer’s summary of the type and topic of the information in the
text, and the writer’s purpose- demonstrates critical thinking
• He mentions several examples from art history as evidence
Sentence 3 is a brief summary of those examples detailed in the text
• Proper nouns/key words stay the same, e.g. Leonardo da Vinci, human proportion
• Other words paraphrased, e.g. sketches= descriptions
Guidance notes:

5. The Language of Summarizing
Here is a list of words and phrases that are commonly used for summarizing.
SUMMARY WORDS AND PHRASES
Signal Phrases Reporting Verbs Sequence Markers
according to
based on
in the article
in the author’s/writer’s opinion
it is important to
the author/writer
the key/main point
the main idea
to sum up
to admit to maintain
to argue to mention
to assert to note
to claim to remark
to describe to report
to discuss to reveal
to explain to state
to indicate to suggest
first
next
then
before
after
when
finally
last

6. Strategies
These strategies will help you summarize.
● Identify the main ideas and key points in the reading.
● Look for reporting verbs used by the writer that can help you identify ideas the
writer has summarized, paraphrased, or quoted from experts or other sources.
● Avoid including minor details from the reading in your summary.
● Use signal phrases and reporting verbs to introduce key points.
● Use sequence markers, and organize your summary in the same order as
the reading.
● Keep your summary concise. It should be proportional to the length of the
original text.

7. Skill Practice 1
Choose the correct verb from the box below to complete the sentences in the summary.
 See text on p.206 Making Connections or on next slide
admitted described explained to sum up
argued exposed remarked

8. Skill Practice 1
In his 2011 article in The New Yorker, “Creation Myth: Xerox PARC, Apple, and the truth
about innovation,” Malcolm Gladwell ___________ the truth behind the “creation myth”
of Apple’s mouse and the use of Graphical User Interface (GUI). In the article, Gladwell
___________ an important event from 1979, when young innovator Steve Jobs was able
to make a deal with Xerox to visit their center. According to Gladwell, Jobs offered Xerox
one hundred thousand shares in his new company if it would “open its kimono,” or show
him its technology. The day after his visit to Xerox PARC, Jobs met with his designer, Dean
Hovey, and ___________ for Apple’s need to create a “mouse.” Hovey ___________ that
he had no idea what a mouse was and also ___________ how he used to design
something that was completely different from the mouse Steve Jobs had seen at Xerox.
Later, Xerox ___________ that they had made a mistake and missed an opportunity to
become one of the largest technology companies in the world. ___________, Malcolm
Gladwell concisely captured the essence of what happened between Xerox PARC and
Apple. Steve Jobs was a visionary who took an idea and improved upon it, and the rest,
as they say, is history.

9. Skill Practice 2
Read the following paragraphs. Then choose the answer that best summarizes the
key points.
 See text on p.207 Making Connections or on next slide

10. Skill Practice 2-Text 1
Inventors and companies have always been concerned about “idea theft.” When a
company has an idea for a new product or innovation for a product, that idea might
be easily discovered by a competitor. If the competitor gets the new product to the
market first, then the first company will have no recourse. However, there are a few
steps a company or inventor can take to protect intellectual property and ideas.
Inventors can apply for “provisional patents,” which can protect their ideas for up
to a year’s time while they work to get their product or invention off the ground.
Companies can have designers or employees sign forms called “Non-Disclosure
Agreements,” whereby the employee is prohibited by law from revealing the ideas for
the project to anyone outside the company – especially competitors. This maintains
the confidentiality of the project.

11. Skill Practice 2- Text 1
a The writer notes that companies or inventors can take steps to prevent the theft of
their ideas. These include applying for provisional patents or having employees sign
Non-Disclosure Agreements.
b In order to prevent a competitor from stealing an idea, the writer argues that
companies have to prepare themselves with certain types of documents in order to
make sure their projects remain confidential. If they don’t, they will have problems.
c When a company has a new idea, experts claim that the best thing to do is protect
themselves from a competitor, or they might have no solution. If they apply for a
provisional patent, it is only good for a year, but they will have time to work on their
project. The other step they can take is to have employees sign a confidentiality
agreement to protect their idea.

12. Skill Practice 2- Text 2
In many ways, photographs are visual expressions of ideas. Even legal experts realize that
the lines between copyright infringement and “fair use” – a legal, limited use of
copyrighted material—can sometimes appear blurred and gray. This is specifically
because there are different types of imagery, and the proliferation of those images can
make it more difficult to control how those images are used on the Internet, in the
public domain. For instance, Google’s images are available to a wide range of people:
from someone who needs an image for a business presentation to a person who just
wants to make a humorous poster of a celebrity. Copyright infringement happens when
a person uses all or part of a photograph for any purpose, without permission – that
includes having someone else take a photograph exactly like the original. Images, like
paintings, can now be “fingerprinted,” or watermarked and encoded with data that
allows its owner to track it and flag illegal use of the image.

13. Skill Practice 2
a Photographs contain fingerprints, just like artwork, and when people use photos
without permission in a PowerPoint presentation or even in a poster, there can be
problems. Because Google makes so many images available, people do not know where
the lines are gray or blurry because it is difficult to control.
b It can be difficult to distinguish between copyright infringement and fair use because
of the wide range and number of images now available online. However, the writer
maintains that it is possible to track illegal use of images by “fingerprinting” them.
c Photographs, like paintings, contain fingerprints. Legal experts might believe that it is
not always easy for the public to recognize when a photograph is used fairly or not – but
if the photographer has encoded or used a watermark in his images, it might be easier to
track people who use those images in an illegal way.

14. Skill Practice 3
Read the following paragraph. Then write a summary. Include at least one signal
phrase, reporting verb, and sequence marker in your summary.
 See text on p.208 Making Connections or on next slide

15. Skill Practice 3
According to experts Hod Lipson and Melba Kurman, 3D printing is probably one of the
most innovative forms of technology in the twenty-first century. It will change the way
we duplicate any physical object. Technology gurus claim that it enables users to make
everything from car parts to body parts. Yet, it is not without problems. There is no
doubt that it will continue to disrupt technology and transform business as we know it.
In medicine, the concept of bioprinting, where the technology employs printers to
recreate living tissue, is one of the fastest-growing innovations. Companies like Organovo
maintain that they have proprietary technology that has made great advancements in
the field. Scientific researchers published a study in the journal Association for the
Advancement of Medical Instrumentation suggesting that though 3D printing will change
the future of healthcare, it may create a myriad of problems such as legal, financial, and
ethical issues. However, many doctors argue that it will be an important tool in the
future of organ and tissue transplantation.

16. Homework/Self-Study
Oxford EAP
• Continue with Parts 2 & 3 and Task 1C- to be reviewed in
Thursday’s class
Making Connections
• Read Reading 5 and Critical Thinking activity (for Friday)