1.2.5: Summarizing
- Page ID
- 170560
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Summarizing is a critical reading strategy and an important study skill that you will use in most of your classes in college. In all your English classes, you will be asked to summarize an article and then respond to it. In fact, your final exam is a summary response paper where you will be required to briefly state, in your own words, the main idea of a passage and then respond to it by taking a clear stand (your thesis) and then supporting your argument with specific examples/evidence.
Demonstrating your ability to comprehend and evaluate the ideas of another person is fundamental to intellectual exchange. As a college student, a professional in almost any field, and a participant in our democracy, you must be able to review existing ideas, weigh their validity according to your own knowledge and experience, and express your agreement/disagreement clearly and persuasively.
A Summary:
- Should only state the main idea of the passage (no minor details or statistics)
- Should always be in your own words
- Should be much shorter--about 1/3 or 1/4 the length of the original
- Should not include your opinion; that should be in the response portion of your essay
The following video by Maritez Apigo explains the steps to writing an effective academic summary.
Summary Writing Steps:
1. PREVIEW:
Begin by reading over the piece and noticing what seems to be the main focus. Think about what you already know about this subject. Can you relate to it? Which parts align with your own views? Which don’t?
2. RE-READ and ANNOTATE using your active/critical reading skills:
- Notice any patterns/repetitions—indicators of the author’s interests/emphases.
- Highlight/underline key words/phrases/ideas. Look up meanings and definitions of unfamiliar words.
- Write questions and comments where they arise for you. How do the author’s ideas or claims fit or not with your own experience? You do not have to agree!
- Consider the TONE of the writing—what is the author’s attitude towards her/his audience and subject matter? Is the tone sarcastic? objective? angry? apathetic?
- What do you think the author’s PURPOSE is in writing this piece? Check the title, first and last paragraphs to locate the author’s purpose.
- Evaluate the evidence the author uses to make her point. Is it believable? Accurate? Appropriate? Too limited? Can you think of better evidence or counter-arguments?
- Identify the main idea of each paragraph, so that you can see the structure/progression of the essay.
- Identify the main idea of the passage
3. WRITE your one-paragraph summary:
- In the first sentence, state the author’s full name, the title of the article, and the main idea IN YOUR OWN WORDS. In general, it’s best not to quote in summaries unless there is a key phrase the author uses to identify/explain his subject.
- In the following sentences, indicate the KEY evidence/reasoning the author uses to support her argument. DO NOT give too many details. Remember a summary should be BRIEF—about 5-6 sentences for an article that is one page long, proportionally longer for longer articles—but long enough that someone who has not read the article will be able to grasp its most important ideas (who, where, what, when, why, how).
- Be sure to state the author’s conclusion or purpose in writing her piece. What does she want us to do or believe?
4. Try to keep an impartial tone for the summary.
- Save your opinion for the response that follows.
- End with a first sentence of your response—your THESIS for your essay— stating the extent to which you agree/disagree with the author and WHY.
Summary-Response Paper
For your English 1A final exam, you will be required to write a summary-response paper in which you will have to summarize an article, identify the main idea, state a thesis that takes a clear stand on the topic, and then support it with examples and details from your own experiences, observations, and readings. Once you have completed your summary, you will focus on writing your response in a cohesive essay format.
Prewriting: Take at least 20 minutes for prewriting
- Underline the main ideas in the reading
- Think about what experience you have had with issues like the one the author has written about—or what knowledge you have of those issues from friends, family, listening to news, watching movies.
- Think about your own views on the topic—you could agree or disagree with the author
- List some ideas that you could include to support your views
- Create an outline of your essay
Format your Essay
- Introduction: State the title, author and a brief summary of the reading. Recognize the significance of the topic. Include your thesis at the end of the introduction. Your thesis should be specific, restricted, unified and must make a claim that is debatable.
- 3-4 Body paragraphs: Elaborate on the author’s views and support your own thesis with details, examples and observations. Remember to include SPECIFIC EXAMPLES in each of your body paragraphs and to EXPLAIN how each of those examples supports your point, connecting them to the bigger issues raised by the original article.
- Conclusion: briefly restate the author’s position and your own main idea. You may suggest a solution or a recommendation, depending on the topic. Do not introduce new ideas in your conclusion. Write a CONCLUSION that reminds us of how your own view compares with the author’s position, and reflect on what you have learned by writing your essay. Your conclusion should offer some new insights on the issue: what can be done in the future? Who can help achieve the goals you recommend? Do not just re-state what you have already written