Writing Summaries

1
Writing Summaries

• By Emanuel Hughley Jr.
• Assistant professor
• of English and Journalism/Mass Communications

2
What is a summary?

• A restatement in your own words of the
  authors main ideas.
• A summary records
• the authors major points
• the authors supporting details
• using your own words, but not your opinion or
  judgment of what the author said.

3
Characteristics of a summary

• Includes only the authors main points and
  supporting points.
• Do not include minor details or examples unless
  they are needed to clarify main point.
• Include only the authors ideas
• Resist the temptation to comment on something the
  author has written.
• Summary should only contain material that was in
  the original.

4
Characteristics of a summary

• Keep the summary shorter than the original.
• Because a summary includes only main points, it
  is bound to be shorter than the original.
• Thirty to fifty percent shorter.
• Preserve the authors meaning
• Do not change the authors meaning in any way

5
Characteristics of a summary

• VIP Include specific information in opening
  sentence of summary.
• Authors name
• The title of material being summarized
• The authors focus and purpose or thesis
• Example
• In Students in Shock, John Kellmayer warns
• students about the stress associated with
  college and advises them to cope with the stress
  by taking advantage of certain campus resources.
• Note the use of present tense verb in reference
  to author.

6
Characteristics of a summary

• To achieve transition, repeat the authors name
  with a present tense verb
• Never refer to author by first name only.
• On first reference use first and last name.
• John Kellmayer explains . . .
• Linda Goodman states - - -
• On second reference use last name
• Goodman describes . . .
• Ms. Kaufmann further states. . .
• On third reference use
• The author writes
• When quoting what the author has written never
  use the verb says.
• Use writes or states.

7
Sample of summary essay

• Read this sample essay.
• If You Had to Kill a Hog by Dick Gregory
• This is how a summary of Dick Gregorys essay
  should look.
• Summary of If You Had to Kill a Hog.
• Before writing your summary essay, read the
  summary essay memo on the course instructional
  web site
• http//instruct.tri-c.edu/ehughle/ENG_1010/Eng_101
  0_PDF/Summary_Essays_Memo.pdf