SummaryWhat is a summary?

What do we look for when we write a summary?--Who--What--Where--When--Why--How

SummaryStep One:

--Preview the material and think of a few questions that you have about it.

Step Two:

--Read the material and take notes. Look for the 5Ws.Step Three:

--After you’re finished reading, put the material away and write in your own words what the article was about.

Here’s a good method: Pretend you are picking up the telephone to tell a friend about the article. Just use your regular conversational tone and tell it like it is…briefly, with emphasis on what is important, and the impact that article might have on them. Then write it just like you said it, and revise and edit later.

SummaryExercise:

1. Preview the article2. Read the article and take notes3. Push the article away and out of site4. Imagine if you had to tell your best friend what you just

read. From your memory, write down a few of the most important ideas.

Step 1: Introduce the author, article, and main idea

Adapted from:Ramazani, Christine. “Guidelines for Writing A Summary.” Academics SMV. 3 March 2012. Web.

Never assume that your audience already knows the work that you referring to even if the audience is your professor. Instead, imagine your audience is anyone on campus who may come across your work.

In his/her article (or lecture) "________________________,” _____________________ (title, first letter capitalized) (author/lecturer's last name)

argues/claims/reports/contends/maintains/states that ____________________________.

(main idea/argument; S + V + C)

Example: In his article “The Compadre," Dr. Miguel Torres states that friendships are are difficult to maintain, and that open communication, honesty, and humor are the keys to maintaining long lasting friendships.

Step 2: Provide sentences that explain the supporting points.

Example:

The author supports the main idea by______________ and showing

that__________________.

For a one-paragraph summary, discuss each supporting point in a separate sentence. Give 1-2 explanations for each supporting point, summarizing the information from the original.

Keep the same style and tone that the author uses in the original article.

Example of Summary In his article “The Compadre," Dr. Miguel Torres states that

friendships are are difficult to maintain, and that open communication, honesty, and humor are the keys to maintaining long lasting friendships. The author supports the main idea by including personal stories and interviews. Torres tells a personal story from his own life about how poor communication resulted in a misunderstanding and a ruined friendship. In addition to communication, according to various surveys, friends who are truthful and honest tend to have better relationships. Torres cautions against brutal honesty but does emphasize the importance of being forthcoming. Torres points out that his surveys also indicated that when friends have a sense of humor with each other, there’s a greater likelihood that friendships will last a longer time.

Choose different signal phrases to add variety

EvaluationAfter writing the summary, add an evaluation.

What’s an evaluation?--Your opinion about what you’ve read.

EvaluationWhat should I include in the evaluation?--Did you like or dislike the article? Why?--Comment on the author’s ideas. Consider if

they were well developed and supported.--Comment on the author’s style of writing.

Consider if it was easy to read and understand. You can discuss word choice, sentence length, etc.

--Comment on if you would recommend the article to someone else to read.

Example of Evaluation Dr. Torres’s article covers some

important issues that give the reader valuable insight into maintaining friendships. His ideas are clear and easy to understand, and his work seems to be well researched and documented. Torre’s style of writing is concise and to the point. He doesn’t use unnecessary jargon or fancy language that makes it difficult to read. Other readers who are interested in maintaining friendships would benefit from reading his article.

ExerciseWith your group, collectively write a short

summary paragraph from the article you read. Use steps outline in this presentation to make sure you have all the key components!