Writing Summaries for Effective Research

SummaryChapter 1

What is a summary?

A brief restatement, in your own words, of the content of a passage.

The key is to focus on the central idea.

Write a brief summary for the following image:

A summary requires Interpretation

Write a summary of the following image:

Guidelines for writing a summary for a longer passage:

Include all of the main points.

The main points will reflect the order and emphasis given to them by the original author.

It may include important examples

It will not include minor details

It will not repeat points

It will not contain your opinions or conclusions

A good summary will include the following:

Brevity

Completeness

Objectivity

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Objectivity?

Prior knowledge

Frame of reference

Make a conscious, good-faith effort to be objective.

Where do we find summaries in academic writing and real life?

Critique papers

Synthesis papers

Analysis papers

Research papers

Literature reviews

Argument papers

Essay exams

Policy briefs

Business plans

Memos, letters, and reports

Medical charts

Legal briefs

Purpose of a Summary

Help you understand what you have read

Summaries are useful to your readers

Summaries are frequently required in college-level writing

The Reading Process

Summaries require you to read carefully and allow you to make accurate and coherent discussions that go beyond the summary.

Critical Reading Notes

Is this what Kant is really saying?

Examine the Context

Credentials, occupation, and publications of the author. Identify the source in which the piece originally appeared.

Note the title and subtitle

They reveal the author’s attitude toward the subject.

Indentify the main point

Identify the subordinate points

Break the reading into sections

Distinguish between points, examples, and counterarguments

Note what and how authors make arguments

Watch for transitions within and between paragraphs

Road signs of logic

Read actively and recursively

Engage in a dialogue with the author

Exercise

Chapter 6, read Solomon A. Asch’s article “Opinions and Social Pressure” ( pages 206-211).

Follow the steps for writing summaries—read , underline, divide into stages of thought—write 1-2 sentence summaries of each stage.

Form groups—write a one or two sentence thesis statement summing up the entire passage and write a brief summary of Asch’s article, modeled upon the brief summary of Graham’s essay on page 18.

Guidelines for Writing Summaries

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Read the passage carefully

Reread.

Write one-sentence summaries

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Catching this droplet on a tiny rose leaf was so important, but only for a moment.

Write a thesis– a one or two sentence summary

Write the first draft of your summary

Check your summary against the original passage

Revise your Summary