Summary Writing

LAN 209
Spring 2017
Dr Andreas
Athanasiades
This is how a good summary should
be like
What is a summary?
A summary is a concise form of an original document.

The goal is to offer as accurately as possible the full

sense of the original.

A summary restates the authors main point, purpose

and supporting details in your own words.

Like the umbrella, a summary can not and should not

cover anything else other than the main idea and major
details.
Characteristics of a Good
Summary

Proper Citation

Thesis Statement

Supporting Ideas

Grammar and the Mechanics of Writing

Length
Structure

The first sentence of a summary

includes a reference to the title,
author, source, and, in the case of a
magazine or journal article, the date
of publication and the text.
Thesis Statement
The overall thesis of the text selection is the
authors central theme. There are several aspects
to an effective thesis statement:
It comprises 2 parts: a) the topic or general
subject matter of the text and, b) the authors
major assertion, comment, or position on the topic.
This central theme is summarized clearly and
accurately in a one-sentence thesis statement.
The thesis statement does not contain specific
details discussed in the text.
The thesis statement is stated at the beginning of
the summary.
Supporting Ideas
The author supports their thesis with supporting ideas.
Use the following basic guidelines when summarizing
supporting ideas:
- Cover all of the authors major supporting ideas.
- Show the relationships among these ideas.
- Leave out specifics (e.g. illustrations, descriptions,
detailed explanations).
- Indicate the authors purpose in writing: to inform, to
persuade, or to entertain. If the passage is a persuasive
piece, report the authors bias or position on the issue.
- Leave out personal opinions, ideas, inferences. Let the
reader know that you are reporting the authors ideas.
Grammar & Writing
Mechanics
Grammar and Mechanics ensure that you
communicate clearly to your reader. The
following are particularly important:
- Restate the ideas in your own words as much
as possible. Avoid direct quotations.
- Use transitional words for a smooth flow of
ideas.
- Edit and re-write your work.
- Check your grammar, punctuation, and
spelling
Length
The length of a summary depends on how
long the original document is.

Usually a good summary should be about 30%

of your source.
Steps in Writing a
Summary
Initially, summary writing can seem like a
challenging task.
It requires careful reading and reflective
thinking about the article.
Read the document
Get a first impression of your reading. Not
everything becomes clear at first reading but
you can get an overall idea of what the
document is about.

Do not worry if you have unknown

vocabulary / if you have not grasped the exact
meaning.
Note Taking
Divide the article into sections of ideas. Each
section deals with one aspect of the central
theme and can be one or more paragraphs.

Label each section. Use a general phrase that

captures the general subject of the section.

Highlight or underline the main points and key

phrases of each section.
Write your first draft
Begin with a proper citation of the title, author,
source, and date of publication of the article
summarized.
Combine the thesis statement and your section
summaries into a 1-2 paragraph summary.
Eliminate all unnecessary words and repetitions.
Eliminate all personal ideas and inferences.
Use transitions for a smooth and logical flow of
ideas.
Conclude with a summing up sentence by
stating what can be learned from reading the
article.
Edit your draft
Check your summary by asking the following
questions:

- Have I answered who, what, when, why, and how?

- Is my grammar, punctuation, and spelling correct?
- Have I left out my personal views and ideas?
- Does my summary flow naturally?

Have someone else read it. Does the summary

give them the central ideas of the article?
Write your final draft