Annotating & Summarizing So that your reader can, like, understand what you are talking about Structure of the Research Paper Intro Sets up and develops the major (overall) claim of the paper Major claim: last few sentences of paragraph Body Paragraphs Topic sentences: sub-claims Uses evidence to support the sub-claim Conclusion Articulates the implications (or stakes) of the research Uses analysis to explain how the evidence supports the sub-claim Connects paragraphs to show how the major claim develops Connects the claim to a larger context Can ask new questions or suggest ideas for further research Body Paragraphs Argument Summarize relevant research Analyze and interpret the research Annotating Scholarly Articles STEP 1: BEFORE YOU BEGIN Establish your purpose Imagine the writing situation  Skim and scan – headings, visuals, footnotes, references Pre-reading gives you a lot of information right off the bat! STEP 2: GET A TASTE OF THE ARGUMENT Read the abstract Read the first and last sentence of paragraphs Read the conclusion What have you learned about this article thus far? STEP 3: READ THE TEXT Annotate Read ACTIVELY Use your pen! Circle, underline, star Look up words Leave marginal comments Have a conversation with the text! Step 4: After reading Annotation Matrix Write a summary Reflect: How will you write about this source strategically for the paper? Don’t assume you’ll remember later: leave yourself a trail of clues! Summary Definition A summary is an objective, condensed, accurate description of an original work (an article, essay, report, etc) Think of your audience! They know nothing and you know everything: teach them! Use your own words Main arguments, main supporting ideas, and main analyses The summary is specific and precise NO personal opinion Be strategic: the summary precedes your analysis in the research paper USE YOUR OWN WORDS Copying and pasting the same words without citing them = plagiarism  Using just a few of the same words without citing them = plagiarism  Changing a few words and keeping the sentence structure in tact = plagiarism  Changing every other word by replacing them with synonyms = plagiarism  Step 1 Read slowly and carefully, annotating as you read. main arguments main pieces of evidence main analyses how the writer develops their argument stakes/implications keywords Step 2 Outline the text in a short, bullet-point list. USE YOUR OWN WORDS in the outline to prevent plagiarism Outline in chronological order: write out the main ideas in each paragraph, going in the order they were written Only write out the main, major, or central ideas, arguments, analyses, and pieces of evidence Make decisions about what’s most important to get across to your reader Step 3 Turn your outline into a narrative summary Write a first draft from your outline.

1. Annotating & Summarizing
So that your reader can, like, understand what you are talking
about
Structure of the Research Paper

2. Intro
Sets up and develops the major (overall) claim of the paper
Major claim: last few sentences of paragraph
Body Paragraphs
Topic sentences: sub-claims
Uses evidence to support the sub-claim
Conclusion
Articulates the implications (or stakes) of the research
Uses analysis to explain how the evidence supports the sub-
claim
Connects paragraphs to show how the major claim develops
Connects the claim to a larger context

3. Can ask new questions or suggest ideas for further research
Body Paragraphs
Argument
Summarize relevant research
Analyze and interpret the research
Annotating Scholarly Articles
STEP 1: BEFORE YOU BEGIN

4. Establish your purpose
Imagine the writing situation
Skim and scan – headings, visuals, footnotes, references
Pre-reading gives you a lot of information right off the bat!
STEP 2: GET A TASTE OF THE ARGUMENT
Read the abstract
Read the first and last sentence of paragraphs
Read the conclusion
What have you learned about this article thus far?
STEP 3: READ THE TEXT
Annotate
Read ACTIVELY
Use your pen!
Circle, underline, star
Look up words
Leave marginal comments

5. Have a conversation with the text!
Step 4: After reading
Annotation Matrix
Write a summary
Reflect: How will you write about this source strategically
for the paper?
Don’t assume you’ll remember later: leave yourself a trail of
clues!
Summary Definition
A summary is an objective, condensed, accurate description of
an original work (an article, essay, report, etc)
Think of your audience! They know nothing and you know
everything: teach them!
Use your own words
Main arguments, main supporting ideas, and main analyses
The summary is specific and precise
NO personal opinion

6. Be strategic: the summary precedes your analysis in the
research paper
USE YOUR OWN WORDS
Copying and pasting the same words without citing them =
Using just a few of the same words without citing them =
Changing a few words and keeping the sentence structure in tact
Changing every other word by replacing them with synonyms =
Step 1
Read slowly and carefully, annotating as you read.
main arguments
main pieces of evidence
main analyses
how the writer develops their argument

7. stakes/implications
keywords
Step 2
Outline the text in a short, bullet-point list.
USE YOUR OWN WORDS in the outline to prevent plagiarism
Outline in chronological order: write out the main ideas in each
paragraph, going in the order they were written
Only write out the main, major, or central ideas, arguments,
analyses, and pieces of evidence
Make decisions about what’s most important to get across to
your reader
Step 3
Turn your outline into a narrative summary
Write a first draft from your outline, without looking back at
the text: this will help you USE YOUR OWN WORDS
After writing the first draft, go back to the text and fact check:
make sure you are accurately and precisely representing the
author’s ideas, without your own opinion

8. First Sentence is Key
In gender pronoun genre of text Title of Text capitalized and in
quotes or italicized (date), author’s full name active verb main
idea/argument.
In her article “Birth, Belonging and Migrant Mothers:
Narratives of Reproduction in Feminist Studies” (2009), Irene
Gedalof argues that transnational and migration studies could
benefit from feminist scholarship on motherhood and
reproduction.
Activate Active Verbs
NO: “She says…”
YES: “She argues…”
WHY: Be specific about what KIND of statement you are
describing.
NO: “She goes on to say…”
YES: “She demonstrates how…”
WHY: Be specific about HOW the writer moves from one idea
to the next.

9. Examples of verbs that describe argumentation:
argues
claims
reveals
proposes
intervenesExamples of verbs that describe process:
examines
observes
underlines
studies
explains
investigates
assumes
accentuates
Examples of verbs that describe analysis:
critiques
questions
considers
implies
suggests
concludesExamples of verbs that describe evidence or
examples:
demonstrates
illustrates
describes
details
listsExamples of verbs that describe rhetorical emphasis:

10. jokes
emphasizes
quips
intones
imagines
The rest of the paragraph
Provide details about the main arguments and main ideas of the
work.
Use the annotation matrix to fuel the writing.
Represent the text accurately and precisely
Use your own words
NO personal opinion
Set up your argument: how is this summary laying the
foundation for your evidence and analysis?
Last Notes
No “I” voice or opinion
NO: “I think this is critical because…”
YES: “This is critical because…”
Refer to author by full name or last name
NO: “Irene argues that….”

11. YES: “Gedalof argues that…”
Use the present tense
NO: “Gedalof critiqued…”
YES: “Gedalof critiques…”
Write your own first sentence!
Choose an article. Write the first sentence of a summary
following this formula:
In gender pronoun genre of text Title of Text capitalized and in
quotes or italicized (date), author’s full name active verb main
idea/argument.
Use “quotation marks” for the title of an academic journal
article, magazine article, newspaper article, essays within a
book, article from a website, or report.
Use italics for the title of a book.