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Objective:
In this lesson, you'll learn how to summarize a text without distorting the
meaning or copying the original language.
Summarizing defined
Summarizing is using your own words to restate the main ideas of a text or
passage. A summary gives the reader a clear but general picture of what the
text or passage discusses. Many students wonder about the difference between
summarizing and paraphrasing. Basically, a summary highlights the main ideas
of a text or passage, while a paraphrase usually rewords a specific passage
and offers the reader more details from the original text.
When are summaries used?
You will have to summarize texts frequently throughout your academic career.
How often you summarize depends, in part, on the types of papers that you will
write. You could use a summary in the following ways:
- To provide the reader with a description of someone else's text.
If you are writing a literary analysis paper, for example, you might want
to include a very brief summary of the text that you are analyzing. You could
summarize the text in a sentence or two that tells the reader the main ideas
of the text without loading your analysis down with too many textual details.
Or, if you are writing an evaluative essay in which you are researching and
investigating a problem, you could provide the reader with a summary of an
author's text to show someone's position on an issue.
- To describe someone else's position that you will argue against.
If you are writing an argument or position paper, for example, you usually
want to present counter-arguments that you can refute. You can summarize the
text of an author that disagrees with you; then you can argue against it.
- To support an argument that you are making with someone else's text.
In contrast, you can use a summary to support an argument that you are making
in an argument or position paper. You can offer the reader your main idea
and then provide a summary of a work that supports your point.
- To give the reader background information on a particular subject.
If you are writing an informative paper about a particular topic, you could
summarize the text of an authority on the subject to offer the reader background
information on your topic.
Guidelines for summarizing texts and passages
Now that you know what a summary is and when you will need to summarize, let's
take a look at how to summarize a passage or text.
- Read the original text or passage carefully. Be sure that you have a solid
understanding of the main points of the text. What exactly is the author trying
to say with his or her text? Can you identify the main idea(s) of the text?
If you don't feel that you have a good grasp of the text, ask your professor
for additional help in comprehending the material or look to outside sources,
such as dictionaries and reference guides, to explain any terms that you may
not know. The more comfortable you feel with the original text, the easier
it will be to summarize it.
- Examine each paragraph closely. To figure out the main idea of each paragraph,
find the topic sentence of the paragraph, which highlights and explains the
main points in that paragraph. The topic sentence is typically one of the
first sentences of the paragraph, but it can be found in the middle or the
end. Then, locate any important supporting material within the paragraphs
that would be needed to understand the author's main points. You don't need
to identify all of the details or examples that the author uses to support
his or her main idea; just focus on the ones that you think are necessary
to comprehend the author's main idea.
- Jot down the main ideas and any important supporting information. As you
read and examine each individual paragraph, write down the author's main idea
and any supporting material necessary to understand that main idea on a piece
of paper. As you write down these ideas, use your own words and your own language
to avoid copying the original text. After you finish reading the text and
making notes, take a careful look at what you have written. Delete or cross
out any information that seems too detailed or that isn't necessary to understand
the author's main points.
- Rewrite the main ideas using complete sentences and clear language in your
own voice. The information should be in the same general order as the original
text so that your summary follows the original text as closely as possible.
Because a summary does not typically include many details, it should be shorter
than the original text or passage. However, your summary should be long enough
to address the author's main ideas and points. It is essential to remain objective
when you write a summary. This means that your summary should not contain
any of your own ideas or beliefs; it should only reflect the ideas or beliefs
of the author. If you include your own ideas or if you leave out some of the
author's main points, you will distort the meaning of the original text. After
you have completed your summary, you should reread the original text to be
sure that you have captured all of the author's main ideas in your summary.
- Provide an introduction and citation with your summary. When you begin
the summary, it's a good idea to introduce the author of the original text
and the work that you will be summarizing. That way, your reader will know
that you will be discussing someone else's ideas or main points. For example,
if you were summarizing a chapter in The Elements of Style by Strunk and White,
you would write something like "In chapter 1 of The Elements of Style,
Strunk and White describe basic usage rules." Once you have introduced
your summary in this manner, you don't need to repeat phrases like "She
writes" or "He said"; your introduction to the text and the
author has already taken care of this. To avoid plagiarism, you should be
sure that your summary has a citation, just like a quotation or a paraphrase.
The specific format of this citation will depend on what style you are following,
such as Modern Languages Association (MLA) or American Psychology Association
(APA). However, the information that will generally be included in the citation
(or in the sentence itself) will be the author's name, the title of the text,
and applicable page numbers.
Exercise
Test your knowledge. Answer the following True/False questions. You'll find
the correct answers at the end of the exercise.
1. A summary should be as long as the original text.
o True
o False
2. A summary can be used to describe the main ideas of someone else's text.
o True
o False
3. When you write a summary, you should include as many details as possible.
o True
o False
4. It is important to look up any of the author's words that you don't understand
in a dictionary.
o True
o False
5. You can write an effective summary without reading the original text carefully.
o True
o False
6. You should look at the topic sentence of each paragraph to get an idea of
the author's main points.
o True
o False
7. You should write a summary in your own words, not the author's original language.
o True
o False
8. A summary can include your own ideas and beliefs.
o True
o False
9. You don't need to include the names of the author and the text in your summary.
o True
o False
10. Your summary should include a citation, just like a quotation or a paraphrase.
o True
o False
[Answers: 1. False; 2. True; 3. False; 4. True; 5. False; 6. True; 7. True;
8. False; 9. False; and 10. True.]
Summary
You've learned how to how to summarize a text effectively using your own language
to convey the main ideas in the original text.
  
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