english summary

I. Description

1. A Summary Response contains an introductory summary paragraph of 2 articles on the same topic, additional body paragraphs of evaluation and critical response to the topic, and a concluding paragraph that reviews the arguments of the featured authors, as well as stating the opinion of the student. A Summary Response is useful for researching a particular issue to prepare for writing research papers. When writing a Summary Response essay, use your own words. Limited direct quotations are appropriate; perhaps one quote per featured author. The Summary should be 25% of the paper, and the Response should be 75%. The instructor will assign the topic and provide 1 of the articles, and the students will select the second article.

II. Structure

The steps for writing a Summary Response are:

A) Summary/Introduction Paragraph

1. The first sentence of the Summary Response should state the topic of the articles.

2. The following sentences should include the titles and authors of the 3 readings.

3. The final sentence of the summary paragraph will state the thesis for the response.

B) Paragraphs 2-4

2. State each author’s viewpoint in your own words as the topic sentence of each body paragraph.

3. In each body paragraph, the response should refer to each author’s claim and follow by students’ reaction/response to that claim.

C) Paragraph 5 / Conclusion paragraph

4. Finally, the response should conclude with a review of the author’s arguments about the topic, as well as the student’s point of view, making connections based on the overall debate of the issue.

III. Requirements

1. Length – 800-1000 words, 2 to 3 pages