This document provides guidance on writing summaries, including defining a summary, characteristics of a good summary, techniques for writing summaries, and the steps to write a summary. A summary is a shortened version of the original text that retains the essential information in your own words. It should be understandable without referring to the original, faithful to the ideas of the original, brief without unnecessary details, and cohesive. Techniques for writing summaries include paraphrasing, condensing sentences, and finding the topic sentence and outline. The steps for writing a summary are to read the original carefully, identify the thesis statement and major ideas, avoid direct quotations, use transition words, and make the summary 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the