paper(800 words)

Writing a summary

 A summary always begins with the summary thesis, even if the thesis appears at the end of the original article. A summary is a very practical, utilitarian document that is supposed to give our reader a snapshot of an article, so it makes sense that we would put the main idea of the article first. That way, if our reader reads that sentence (or two) and decides that the article is not of interest or relevance, he or she can move on without having to read our entire summary. Remember, the summary thesis should state the author’s main idea, not our ideas about his or her article.

 Generally, we should follow the same order of ideas that the author follows in the original. It is imperative that our summary read like a miniature version of the original, so we have to re- create its flow of thought and the connection between ideas. In other words, our summary should not read like a bunch of loosely connected sentences but rather a coherent essay. However, with that said, it is not necessary to stick to his or her plan absolutely. If you want to move an idea up or back, just be sure that all the pieces still fit together.

 We have to consider how long the summary should be and how many paragraphs it should

include. A good rule of thumb is that the summary should be roughly one-quarter the length of the original. If the original article is short, our summaries might be a single paragraph. But with longer articles, like the ones we are using, we should probably include multiple paragraphs. Remember, paragraphs should include ideas that are somehow interrelated and they should generally be at least three sentences long (that’s an arbitrary number I realize, but for a summary it is pretty standard).

 When we constructed our original outlines, we tried to narrow down to the main ideas only.

Now that we are turning that outline into paper, we may find it necessary to add the occasional striking detail or example so that our reader can fully understand the original author’s points. This process of selecting details is tricky and requires some practice.

 After we have drafted our summaries, we then need to check them both against the original

articles and our outlines of those articles. Why? We check them against the original articles so that we MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE WE HAVE NOT PLAGIARIZED. Plagiarism is the worst error we can commit in a summary, and we want to check and re-check to make sure we do not have any problematical paraphrases or quotes. We check against our original outlines because we want to be certain that we have included all the main ideas in our summary. I know this type of double-checking sounds tedious, but it is a necessary part of writing a good summary.

 Readability is a major issue in the success or failure of a summary. Even if we include all the

main ideas and avoid plagiarism, if our summary seems choppy or one idea does not flow smoothly into the next, our summary will not be very useful for our reader. Two strategies can really improve the “flow” of a summary: 1) use transitional phrases to connect ideas between and within paragraphs; 2) use signal phrases to indicate who the author is (we always use the last name in academic writing) and what his or her attitude is.

Step-by-step Process for Writing a Summary

Remember, you want a thorough, concise, coherent essay that summarizes the article. You might want to use the following steps to prepare your essay:

1. Initial reading. Read the text without a pen in hand. 2. Re-read the text, looking for main ideas and including annotations and questions. 3. Determine the context, purpose, audience, and stance of the article. 4. Make a list of main ideas in each paragraph, including key supporting examples. 5. Identify the function of each paragraph and create an outline of the article. 6. To write an introductory sentence, combine your paraphrase of the article’s thesis with the

author’s name and the article’s title. 7. Using your outline, write one-sentence summaries (or paraphrases) of each stage of

thought, consolidating the author’s points, leaving out small details, and avoiding any repetition in the original source.

8. Quote very sparingly, trying to integrate words or short phrases into your own sentences. 9. Check your summary against the original passage (and your outline of it), making whatever

adjustments are necessary for accuracy and completeness. 10. Revise your summary, inserting transitional words and phrases where necessary to ensure

coherence. Check for style. Avoid a series of short choppy sentences, and combine sentences for a smooth, logical flow of ideas.

11. Check for grammatical correctness.

Organization of a Summary

The Summary paper should include the following elements:

1. Introduction: The introduction should provide background material to help your readers understand the relevance or appeal of the passage. This background material might include one or more of the following: an explanation of why the subject is of current interest; a reference to possible controversy surrounding the subject of the passage or the passage itself; an account of the circumstances under which the passage was written; or a reference to the intended audience of the passage. The introduction should also include the article’s title and author’s name , and state both the author’s main argument (summary thesis).

2. Summary. Summarize the author’s main points, making sure to state the author’s purpose in writing. Use a combination of combination of paraphrases and quotes. Chapter 2 of Writing: A Guide offers guidelines for critical reading and annotating of articles (pp. 22-23), and Chapter 23 provides guidelines for properly summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting a source (pp. 593- 601). Chapter 1b of The Brief McGraw-Hill Handbook also provides strategies for writing a summary (pp. 5-6).