This document provides guidance on writing summaries. It defines a summary as a condensed version of a text that includes only the main ideas. Summaries can be a single word, phrase, or several sentences. The document explains that summarizing is important for understanding information from sources like books, articles and websites that are used in research papers. It provides steps for writing a summary, including previewing a text to identify key elements, reading it at least twice, evaluating the ideas and organization, and writing a summary in your own words that is no more than 20% of the original length.

1. Summaries in Daily Life
Unit 1, page 1
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2. Definition
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3. Definition
• A condensed version of text that only
includes the main ideas.
• It may consist of :
1. A single word
2. A single phrase
3. Several sentences or paragraphs
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4. Why Summaries ?
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5. • The best way to understand any text is to
condense it into its main points.
• Before you can summarize, you must
understand the information that you are
condensing.
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6. • Summarizing is important when you need
to condense ideas from sources like:
Books
Articles
Websites for a research paper.
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Research Paper

7. Summary & Analysis
• Summary and analysis assignments
require you to express and analyze the
main ideas of a text.
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8. Points to Be Remembered
• Summaries should be written in your own
words
• Should match the tone of the original text
• Should make specific reference to the:
Author
Title
Page(s) of the text
• Should not include any of your opinions
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9. 9
Steps to
Summarizing

10. Preview
• Title:
A title usually condenses the main idea of the
article.
• Subtitle:
The subtitle, caption, or any other words in
large print under or next to the title may
highlight important ideas
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11. Preview
• Headings and Subheadings:
 They break down the article into sections that
relate to the author’s main idea.
• First and last several paragraphs:
The first and last several paragraphs often
introduce and conclude the author’s argument
or main point
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12. Preview
• Other Items:
Bold-faced words, pictures, charts, or
diagrams can “illustrate” main ideas.
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13. Read
• Read once through
without stopping.
• Do not focus on the
details during your
first reading.
• Just try to understand
the main idea.
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14. Evaluate
• Carefully read the text a second time.
• Use the surrounding context to
understand words that are unfamiliar.
Use dictionary!
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15. Evaluate
1. Look for definitions,
examples, lists, tables,
graphs, which indicate
key terms.
2. Underline important
ideas & circle key
terms.
3. Note the main idea of
each paragraph.
4. Find the author’s
main point or
argument of the
whole entire text.
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16. Organize
1. Start the summary with the title and author of the work.
2. Write the author’s main point or argument in your own
words.
3. Write the remaining important ideas in your own words.
• Do not include examples, statistics, specific details,
and quotations, if possible.
1. Write the article’s conclusion in your own words.
2. Organize the summary similar to the original text’s
organization
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17. Check List
• Make sure that the summary is no more than 20% of the
original.
• Do not use technical words from the original; use your
own words as much as possible.
• Do not include too many details from the original.
• Do not plagiarize.
 Cite author and page numbers
• Proofread.
• Meet with a tutor at the Writing Center to receive
feedback on your summary. 17