Lesson

1. ACADEMIC
WRITING IN
PRACTICE-
ABSTRACT, PRECIS,
OR SUMMARY
LESSON 3

2. DO ABSTRACT,
PRECIS, SUMMARY,
AND SYNOPSIS ALL
HAVE THE SAME
QUESTION!

3. WHILE ABSTRACT, PRÉCIS,
SUMMARY, AND SYNOPSIS ALL
INVOLVE CONDENSING A
LONGER TEXT, THEY ARE NOT
EXACTLY THE SAME. EACH ONE
HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT
PURPOSE, STRUCTURE, AND

4. ABSTRACT
AN ABSTRACT IS A BRIEF
OVERVIEW OF A RESEARCH PAPER,
ARTICLE, OR STUDY. IT
HIGHLIGHTS THE PURPOSE,
METHODS, RESULTS, AND
CONCLUSION. OFTEN USED IN
ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC

5. 1. ABSTRACT
• PURPOSE: TO GIVE THE ESSENCE OF A
LONGER ACADEMIC OR SCIENTIFIC TEXT.
• WHERE USED: RESEARCH PAPERS,
THESES, DISSERTATIONS, JOURNAL
ARTICLES.
• STYLE: FORMAL AND OBJECTIVE,
INCLUDES KEY POINTS LIKE PURPOSE,
METHOD, RESULTS, AND CONCLUSION.
• LENGTH: USUALLY 150–250 WORDS.
• EXAMPLE USE: THE ABSTRACT OF A
SCIENCE JOURNAL ARTICLE OUTLINES

6. PRÉCIS
A PRÉCIS IS A CLEAR, CONCISE, AND
LOGICALLY STRUCTURED SUMMARY
OF A TEXT. IT INCLUDES THE MAIN
IDEA, ESSENTIAL ARGUMENTS, AND
THE CONCLUSION, WRITTEN IN YOUR
OWN WORDS — WITHOUT INSERTING
OPINIONS OR EXAMPLES. IT KEEPS
THE TONE AND INTENT OF THE

7. 2. PRÉCIS
• PURPOSE: TO PRESENT THE ESSENTIAL
IDEAS OF A TEXT IN YOUR OWN WORDS
AND IN THE SAME LOGICAL ORDER AS
THE ORIGINAL.
• WHERE USED: LITERATURE ANALYSIS,
ACADEMIC WRITING, ENGLISH CLASSES.
• STYLE: CONCISE, REPHRASED (NOT JUST
COPIED), IN THIRD PERSON, NO
OPINIONS.
• LENGTH: AROUND ONE-THIRD OF THE
ORIGINAL TEXT.

8. SUMMARY
A SUMMARY RETELLS THE MAIN
POINTS OF A TEXT IN YOUR OWN
WORDS. IT’S LESS FORMAL THAN
A PRÉCIS OR ABSTRACT AND MAY
INCLUDE GENERAL
EXPLANATIONS OR KEY

9. 3. SUMMARY
• PURPOSE: TO PROVIDE A BRIEF GENERAL
OVERVIEW OF THE MAIN POINTS.
• WHERE USED: EVERYDAY
COMMUNICATION, NOTES, STUDY
GUIDES, EDUCATION.
• STYLE: SIMPLE AND FLEXIBLE; CAN BE
DETAILED OR VERY SHORT DEPENDING
ON THE NEED.
• LENGTH: VARIES GREATLY—CAN BE A
FEW SENTENCES OR SEVERAL
PARAGRAPHS.

10. SYNOPSIS
A SYNOPSIS IS A BRIEF SUMMARY
OR GENERAL OVERVIEW OF A TEXT,
FILM, PLAY, NOVEL, RESEARCH, OR
OTHER CONTENT. IT PRESENTS THE
MAIN PLOT, THEMES, OR IDEAS,
USUALLY IN A LOGICAL SEQUENCE,
WITHOUT GOING INTO TOO MUCH

11. 4. SYNOPSIS
• PURPOSE: TO GIVE A GENERAL
OUTLINE OR OVERVIEW OF A STORY
OR PROJECT.
• WHERE USED: SCRIPTS, NOVELS,
FILM, AND TV PITCHES.
• STYLE: NARRATIVE, USUALLY
CHRONOLOGICAL, MAY INCLUDE
ENDING (ESPECIALLY IN
PUBLISHING).
• LENGTH: SHORT, OFTEN 1–2 PAGES.

12. TERM
AUDIENCE/
USE
FOCUS STYLE
ABSTRACT
Academic,
research
Key elements:
purpose,
methods, etc.
Formal &
objective
Précis
Academic,
literary
Logical order,
essential ideas
Condensed
& rewritten
Summary General
Main points or
highlights
Flexible,
general
Creative/ Plot structure & Narrative
KEY
DIFFERENCES

13. GOALS &
OBJECTIVE
S
"ABSTRACTS, PRÉCIS,
SUMMARIES, AND
SYNOPSES ARE ALL FORMS
OF CONDENSED TEXTS
THAT AIM TO PRESENT
ONLY THE ESSENTIAL IDEAS
OF A LARGER WORK,
ELIMINATING
UNNECESSARY DETAILS
WHILE PRESERVING THE
CORE MESSAGE. EACH TYPE

14. GOALS &
OBJECTIVE
S
CONDENSED TEXTS
LIKE PRÉCIS,
SUMMARIES, AND
ABSTRACTS
USUALLY AIM TO
REDUCE THE
ORIGINAL TEXT TO
ABOUT 15–30% OF

15. Type
Typical
Condensed
Length
Notes
Abstract 5–15%
Often fixed in word count
(e.g., 150–250 words for
academic papers).
Précis ~25–30%
Follows original structure and
logic, but written in your own
words.
Summary 10–20%
Flexible in formality and
length—can be short or more
detailed.
KEY
DIFFERENCES

16. A 6,000-WORD RESEARCH ARTICLE FOR AN
ACADEMIC JOURNAL MAY REQUIRE ONLY 200
TO 250 WORDS FOR ITS ABSTRACT,
EFFECTIVELY SUMMARIZING THE ENTIRE
STUDY — INCLUDING ITS PURPOSE,
METHODOLOGY, FINDINGS, AND
CONCLUSIONS — IN ABOUT 3–5% OF THE
ORIGINAL LENGTH.

17. OUR
CREATIVE
APPROAC
H
WE BELIEVE IN THINKING
OUTSIDE THE BOX AND
PUSHING BOUNDARIES TO
DELIVER INNOVATIVE
SOLUTIONS.
INNOVATI
ON
STORYTELL
ING
DESIGN
EXCELLENCE
AUDIENCE-
CENTRIC

18. GUIDELINES IN
WRITING AN
ABSTRACT, PRÉCIS,
OR SUMMARY

19. 1, READ THE TEXT AT LEAST TWICE.
• First fOR UNDERSTANDING, SECOND
FOR IDENTIFYING KEY IDEAS.
2. HIGHLIGHT KEY IDEAS AND IMPORTANT
PHRASES.
• FOCUS ON TOPIC SENTENCES,
TRANSITIONS, AND CONCLUSIONS.
3. ANNOTATE THE TEXT.
• WRITE NOTES, QUESTIONS, OR
SYMBOLS TO HELP YOU ANALYZE THE

20. 4. BEGIN WITH THE AUTHOR’S NAME, THE
TItle OF THE TEXT, AND THE MAIN IDEA.
• EXAMPLE: IN [TITLE], [AUTHOR]
DISCUSSES...
5. USE CLEAR LANGUAGE THAT SHOWS YOU
ARE SUMMARIZING.
• USE PHRASES LIKE “THE TEXT
PRESENTS...”, “THE AUTHOR EXPLAINS...”,
“THE ARTICLE DISCUSSES...”
6. DO NOT COPY ANY FULL SENTENCE FROM

21. 7. COMBINE THE MAIN IDEAS INto ONE CLEAR
AND COHESIVE PARAGRAPH.
• MAINTAIN LOGICAL FLOW AND COHERENCE.
8. AVOID ADDING PERSONAL COMMENTS OR
OPINIONS.
• STAY OBJECTIVE AND STICK TO THE
CONTENT OF THE ORIGINAL TEXT.
9. REVISE AND EDIT YOUR DRAFT FOR CLARITY,
GRAMMAR, AND ACCURACY.
• ENSURE PROPER STRUCTURE AND REMOVE
REDUNDANCIES.

22. THANK
YOU!