What is a Summary

A summary is a brief explanation of the key or main points of a passage or discussion.

Key features

• A summary is brief.
• A summary explains the main points.
• A summary explains the relationships between main points.
• A summary shows the order of ideas.
• A summary does not include supporting details.
• Examples
• Illustrations
• Detailed descriptions

Prereading

Prereading gives you a sense of direction and initial orientation to the text.

• What is the relation of this passage to other chapters in the book?
• Boldfaced headings often serve as an outline of the text. How do the headings suggest the material is organized?
• What is the author's point of view/perspective?

  "Every person carries in his head a mental model of the world--a subjective representation of external reality" (Toffler 155). What world-view does the author have? What is his background? Is he an evolutionist, a naturalist, a fundamental Christian? Often information about the author can be found in the blurb (the promotional announcement found on the jacket, frontispiece or back cover of a book), a biographical sketch (often found at the end of the book), or the preface or foreword. The author's world-view will control his argument and presentation of his thesis (Sire 14-20).

First Reading for Focus

Read through the article once to get an overall impression or idea of its central thrust. Don't worry if there are things you don't understand. At this point you only want to get a general idea of what the author is trying to say.

General Statement of Focus

After the first reading, write a single sentence that explains what you feel to be the focus of the text, a general statement giving your impression of what the passage is about. Keep in mind genre (the specific kind of writing). Is the text prose, fiction, or poetry? Is it persuasive, expository, speculative, or inspirational? (Sire 34-35)

Sectional Reading

Read the passage section by section answering the following questions (a section may be indicated by chapters, headings, or paragraphs).

• What is the main idea of each section?
• What is its relation to the preceding section? Note transitional words: first, second, however, therefore.
• What key words, phrases, or images does the author use to make his point? Record the exact wording in quotes with page references.
• What unknown words or concepts does the author introduce, and what do they mean in context? Use a dictionary, but relate the definition to the text.
• What is the author's thesis? It is usually found near the beginning and/or near the end of the text.
• What arguments, examples, evidence, authorities, images and allusions, or objections does the author use? (Sire 34-53)

Outline

Make a rough outline of the text.

Summary Statement of Thesis

Write a precise statement of the author's thesis. If you borrow words from the text be sure to mark them in quotes and include the page reference.

How to Write a Summary

• Regardless of the method used, take notes in short (1-3 word) phrases to avoid plagiarism.
• Using only your notes and rough outline, draft a short summary of the text.
• Do not look at the original written source when writing the summary (may look when revising).
• The first sentence of the summary paragraph or first paragraph of the summary essay explains the importance or purpose of the whole.
• The middle sentences/paragraphs explain/define the parts and their relationship to each other and to the whole.
• The last sentence/paragraph explains the significance, importance, relevance, or value of the whole.

Revising the Summary

• Is your draft clearly summary or does it suggest you are writing an essay on the subject?
• Have you indicated the author and text early in the draft?
• Are your statements in third person (or occasionally imperatives--second person commands, i.e. you understood)?

Sample Summary

In Chapter 2 of On Writing Well, William Zinsser describes clutter as "the disease of American writing" (7). Whether in commerce, education, politics or everyday correspondence, Zinsser argues that writers must "strip" their writing of unnecessary words (7). Like Roosevelt who, cutting through the jargon of a government blackout order, told his subordinates to "put something across the windows" or Thoreau, who practiced in his writing the simplicity he preached, writers must say what they mean and say it clearly (8), and the only way to achieve clear writing is by clear thinking (9). Readers may struggle through careless writing for a while, but eventually they will grow tired of the effort and lose interest, and the fault will be the writer's, not the reader's (9,12). Zinsser argues that clear thinking is not a gift that the writer either has or doesn't have, but a conscious effort to write well, and that, he reminds us, is "hard work" (12).

Note: The internal citations above just show page numbers because the paragraph begins with a running acknowledgement identifying the source by Zinsser, which is the only source used.